In this chapter, Nephi teaches us that heroes “are the humble followers of Christ.” As humble followers of Christ, heroes acknowledge and rely upon “the power of God” and “the gift of the Holy Ghost.” They receive the gospel of Christ “with gladness” and build their lives “upon the rock” so that they have a firm foundation and cannot be deceived by Satan who seeks to “stir them up to anger against that which is good.”
Heroes recognize that Satan is their enemy and that he has many tactics to distract them from their hero’s quests and to destroy them. They know that Satan tries to “lull them away into carnal security” saying “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.” They know that Satan will try to flatter them into all sorts of behavior by telling them there is no sin, no hell, and that he is no devil “for there is none.” This is the idea of moral relativism that everyone decides for himself what is right or wrong, that truth is relative, and that one’s own rights are more important than one’s responsibility to himself, his family, community, and God (see “The Book of Mormon and Modern Moral Relativism,” Ensign, Feb. 2014). Heroes are aware that Satan will try to pacify them into thinking there is no real accountability or punishment for their actions saying that “God…will justify in committing a a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 28:8). Heroes know this is not true. They know they “must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works.”
Knowing that they will be judged according to the good and evil they have done, Satan tries to tempt heroes to “turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say it is of no worth!” Satan is angry against God and that which is good and tries to “stir [heroes] up to anger against that which is good” and against those who are good. He seeks to “rage in the hearts…of men” and with that rage he entices them to “rob the poor…and…persecute the meek.” Heroes know that “The opposite of humility is pride….To be prideful means to put greater trust in oneself than in God or in His servants. It also means to put the things of the world above the things of God. Prideful people take honor to themselves rather than giving God the glory. Pride is competitive; those who are prideful seek to have more and presume they are better than other people. Pride usually results in feelings of anger and hatred, and it is a great stumbling block” (Preach My Gospel).
The humble followers of Christ recognize good from evil. They discern the things of God and eternity from the things of Satan and this world. They do not allow Satan or pride or rage into their hearts. Rather they are “poor in heart” and receive the word of the God in their hearts that they may not err. As heroes trust in God they receive the word of God “line upon line, precept upon precept…and…hearken unto [His] precepts, and lend an ear unto [His] counsel, [that they may] learn wisdom.” They learn the wisdom of obedience and repentance. For the Lord has said, “I will be merciful unto them…if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long.”
Prophets have promised: “When you humbly trust Him and acknowledge His power and mercy, you can have the assurance that His commandments are for your good. You are confident that you can do whatever the Lord requires of you if you rely on Him. You are also willing to trust His chosen servants and follow their counsel. Humility will help you as you strive to be obedient, to work hard, and serve selflessly” (Preach My Gospel). The Lord has promised that “inasmuch as they [are] humble they [will] be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:28). These promises enable the humble followers of Christ to fulfill their hero’s quests and avoid Satan’s traps along the way.
*Share an example of one of your heroes who is a humble follower of Christ.
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