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2 Nephi 9

Lesson Quotes:
President Joseph Fielding Smith

“One of the most enlightening discourses ever delivered in regard to the atonement is found in the ninth chapter of 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon.  It is the counsel given by Jacob, the brother of Nephi.  It should be carefully read by every person seeking salvation.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:57).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
“If our separation from God and our physical death were permanent, moral agency would mean nothing. Yes, we would be free to make choices, but what would be the point? The end result would always be the same no matter what our actions: death with no hope of resurrection and no hope of heaven. As good or as bad as we might choose to be, we would all end up ‘angels to a devil’ [2 Nephi 9:9]” (“Moral Agency,” Ensign, June 2009, 50).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson 
“Just as death would doom us and render our agency meaningless but for the redemption of Christ, even so, without His grace, our sins and bad choices would leave us forever lost. There would be no way of fully recovering from our mistakes, and being unclean, we could never live again in the presence of [God].

“… We need a Savior, a Mediator who can overcome the effects of our sins and errors so that they are not necessarily fatal. It is because of the Atonement of Christ that we can recover from bad choices and be justified under the law as if we had not sinned” (“Moral Agency,” Ensign, June 2009, 50).

Elder Jeffery R. Holland
“From the moment those first parents stepped out of the Garden of Eden, the God and Father of us all, anticipating Adam and Eve’s decision, dispatched the very angels of heaven to declare to them—and down through time to us—that this entire sequence was designed for our eternal happiness. It was part of His divine plan, which provided for a Savior, the very Son of God Himself… who would come in the meridian of time to atone for… Adam’s transgression. That Atonement would achieve complete victory over physical death, unconditionally granting resurrection to every person who has been born or ever will be born into this world. Mercifully it would also provide forgiveness for the personal sins of all, from Adam to the end of the world, conditioned upon repentance and obedience to divine commandments” (“Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet,” Ensign, May 2015, 105–6).

Story from Lesson:
“On August 5, 2010, 33 Chilean miners were trapped by a massive cave-in after the rock inside the mine collapsed. They were restricted to a small safe area and to the mine shafts below the collapse, 2,300 feet (700 m) deep inside the earth.

“The situation looked bleak. They were separated from home and family by almost a half a mile of unmovable rock overhead, and they had only a small supply of food and water. Although they had tools and knowledge, because of the instability of the mine they could not save themselves. Their only chance was to be found and rescued” 

“On the 17th day of their trial, hope was renewed for the miners when a small shaft was created by a drill bit that broke through the rock that held them captive. … Hope was restored. … Food, water, medicine, and notes from loved ones were sent down the shaft to the miners” 

Eventually, rescuers were able to create a larger shaft, through which they could lower a capsule that was large enough to rescue one man at a time.

“Each miner stepped into the capsule and gave his will over to the plan and the rescuers. …

“The rescue plan succeeded; not one man was lost. They were redeemed … 69 days after the mine collapse and 52 days after they had been found alive” (Goulding, “Seeking Rescue,” Ensign, page 65).


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