A New Look At 2 Nephi 25:23

[russianwolfe]

I was read a discourse on 2 Nephi 25:23, when I had a thought. What if it was a small chiasmus? And so, Iresent my idea to you foe you consideration.

If we format the verse as a small chiampsmus, we get this:

23 For we labor diligently to write,

-- to persuade our children, and also our brethren,

---- to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God;

-- for we know that it is by grace that we are saved,

after all we can do.

When I thought of this and constructed the chiasmus, it jumps out at me what Nehpi was trying to say to us. I think it becomes very clear that the phrase "after all we can do" is not the effort WE make for salvation, but the efforts he makes to teach us and persuade us to believe in Christ.

Do you know of any similar interpretation of this verse? What do you think of this understanding?

Await upping you ideas,

Marvin

Edited March 27, 2012 by russianwolfe

[Freedom]

I do not see the poetic structure. It has to be A B C C B A. Your A-A do not relate, nor does your B-B. I see you structuring in this way:

A. For we labor diligently to write,

B. to persuade our children, and also our brethren,

C.to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God;

B.for we know that it is by grace that we are saved,

A. after all we can do.

If it were a chiasmus, it might look like this:

A. For we labor diligently to write,

B. to persuade our children, and also our brethren,

C.to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God;

B.and thus are we persuaded to follow him,

A. for this is what the holy prophets have written.

I am no hebrew poet, but this structure creates the needed bookends.

[DBMormon]

there are wonderful talks regarding grace and works that the Church has no choice but to move forward in this subject. Check these out they have changed my life by helping me to rely on Christ. Some of these are MP3 files or LDS.ORG Talks - may have to search a little

Robert Millet - What we believe

Brad Wilcox - Grace is Suffcient

Stephen Robinson - believing Christ

Robert millet - Grace after all we can

Brad Wilcox - Faith, anchor to my soul

ELDER D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON - Justification and Sanctification.

You should try these

[DBMormon]

one other

Robert Millet - Why not speak of the atonement of Christ?

[cdowis]

Sorry, but since it was introduced about forty years ago, it may have been an interesting idea, but I have yet to find any practical application. It certainly put Welch on the road to fame, but nothing really beyond that.

Maybe I'm just jealous, but I don't think so.

Edited March 31, 2012 by cdowis

[Fig-bearing Thistle]

I was read a discourse on 2 Nephi 25:23, when I had a thought. What if it was a small chiasmus? And so, Iresent my idea to you foe you consideration.

If we format the verse as a small chiampsmus, we get this:

23 For we labor diligently to write,

-- to persuade our children, and also our brethren,

---- to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God;

-- for we know that it is by grace that we are saved,

after all we can do.

When I thought of this and constructed the chiasmus, it jumps out at me what Nehpi was trying to say to us. I think it becomes very clear that the phrase "after all we can do" is not the effort WE make for salvation, but the efforts he makes to teach us and persuade us to believe in Christ.

Do you know of any similar interpretation of this verse? What do you think of this understanding?

Await upping you ideas,

Marvin

I think "all we can do" means just that. That God expects and requires us to do all things that are in our power to do. If you are sick with life-threatening cancer, you can't really call for miracles from heaven unless you do all that is in your power to follow wisdom's path, and seek learning, and become educated, and acquire as much knowedge as you can, as well as eat and nourish the body as best as you know how. Only after doing what we CAN or are ENABLED to do by our own free will, can we expect the Lord to step in and give us the grace that we cannot provide or perform by our own power.

That's how I see it.

[Log]

That's how I see it.

Here's how it is.

[Villageseer]

Just read this months Ensign, there are several articles on grace.