2 Nephi 31

This chapter provides so much insight and understanding to gospel principles and you have to wonder how anyone could read this chapter and not say this is book is true and it is scripture. I'm not going to comment on the explanation of why baptism is important or why the Savior was baptized except to say that in Christ's fulfilling all righteousness, it shows that righteousness isn't just the absence of sin, it is the willingness to conform our lives to the will of God. Christ was sinless, so his righteousness in being baptized was his willingness to be bend his will to that of his Father's.

I like verse 3. God speaks to people according to their understanding. I think this not only means he speaks in their language, but he speaks on a level that they can understand. The more they listen, the more they are given to understand. We start will small bits of knowledge and over a lifetime we can come to know great and marvelous things. How much had Nephi grown in spiritual knowledge? Twice in this chapter Nephi states that the Father spoke to him as well as the Son. It appears Nephi was in conversation with them. Instances where the Father speaks only occurs a few times in scripture and reveals how great a prophet Nephi was.

At the end of this chapter, Nephi begins to give us specific ways to grow and this continues in Chapter 32. Having giving the first essential step of baptism, Nephi then tells us to press forward. To press means to move something by continuous physical force. Nephi is saying "don't give up." We must continuously try to be steadfast in our trust and faith in the Savior, continuously strive to be filled with love and hope, to continuously try to rely on the scriptures for strength, and continuously keep enduring, hanging on, not giving up. Nephi states there is no other way. By this, I think he means this is not only the way we will be saved, because this is the doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of the Father and the Holy Ghost, but this is the only way to be truly happy and have a life that is fulfilled and meaningful.