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Sufficient to teach any man the right way

I came across an interesting verse tonight while reading my scriptures. 2 Ne 25:28 says:

. . . the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way

Is Nephi saying that if we want to learn the right way, all we need to do is read the first two books in the Book of Mormon?

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Kim Siever

Queer Mormon poet with radical political views. I have been married 27 years, and we have 6 children. Sunday school president. Served in the Utah Provo Mission.

6 thoughts on “Sufficient to teach any man the right way”

  1. Well, as we discussed, he is saying that his words are sufficient to lead people the right way, but not that the rest of the Book of Mormon isn’t important. It is significant though, and shows how important his teachings and writings were to his people and to everyone in our day.

  2. Part of the problem with your quote, Kim is that you don’t put it in context. The missionary discussions are probably sufficient to teach any man the right way that leads to baptism but there is much enduring to the end that remains.

  3. The problem with your comment, Joe, is you presume Nephi is talking about baptism. Nephi later says in the same verse that “the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not”.

  4. Maybe I misunderstand but I think the answer to your question is NO. We must read more than the first two books of Nephi.

  5. Yes, you misunderstood. Kim isn’t saying we should only read the first two books. He is saying that what Nephi has said is sufficient to show us the way, or in other words, It contains the information needed. That doesn’t mean that the rest isn’t vitally important or valid. But then it would be the same reading the teachings of Christ only. That should be enough right? The Gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t especially long or complicated. It’s pretty easy to state in just a few verses or words. But we always seem to think we need a long drawn out explanation for the simplest things. And of course we need to hear things over and over again.

    Kim is not suggesting we deny Christ either.

  6. How about this:

    His words are sufficient that, if read, they will teach the reader of normal intelligence and accountability enough about the specific issue he’s addressing that the reader will then be accountable for understanding what he ought to do on that issue.

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