3 Nephi 11
People in this chapter
A great multitude is gathered around the temple in the land Bountiful. They have survived the storms, the earthquakes, and three days of darkness. They are showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place, and talking about Jesus Christ, whose death had been marked by the signs they had just lived through (vv. 1-2).
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3 Nephi 11:1-7Behold My Beloved Son
1And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place. 2And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death.
After the destruction and darkness, a large group of people gather at the temple. They are amazed at how the land has changed, and they are talking about Jesus Christ.
3And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. 4And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not. 5And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came. 6And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:
The people hear a quiet voice that goes straight to their hearts. They do not understand it at first. The third time, they listen carefully and look toward heaven, and they understand.
The voice is Heavenly Father introducing His Son: "Behold my Beloved Son... hear ye him." The Father and the Son are two separate beings.
3 Nephi 11:8-17Behold, I Am Jesus Christ
8And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. 9And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:
The people see a man in a white robe come down from heaven and stand among them. They are too amazed to speak. They think He is an angel.
10Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. 11And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. 12And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.
When Jesus says who He is, the whole multitude falls to the ground. They remember the prophecies that Christ would come to them after He rose to heaven.
13And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: 14Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. 15And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.
Every person comes forward, one at a time, to see and feel the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. Each one becomes a witness.
16And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: 17Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.
3 Nephi 11:18-28On This Wise Shall Ye Baptize
18And it came to pass that he spake unto Nephi (for Nephi was among the multitude) and he commanded him that he should come forth. 19And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet. 20And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him. 21And the Lord said unto him: I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven. 22And again the Lord called others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them: On this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you.
Jesus calls Nephi out of the crowd. Nephi bows and kisses His feet, and the Lord tells him to stand up.
Jesus gives Nephi and others the power, or authority, to baptize. Baptism must be done by someone with authority from Him.
23Verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins through your words, and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them—Behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. 24And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying: 25Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 26And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water.
Jesus gives exact instructions: who may be baptized, the words to say, and that the person is immersed, put all the way under the water.
27And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. 28And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.
Jesus says the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one. They are three separate beings who are perfectly united. He also tells the people to stop arguing about His doctrine.
3 Nephi 11:29-30The Spirit of Contention Is Not of Me
29For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. 30Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.
Jesus says contention, arguing with anger, comes from the devil. His doctrine is that anger and contention should be done away.
3 Nephi 11:31-41This Is My Doctrine
31Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. 32And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. 33And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. 34And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost each bear witness of the others. The doctrine Jesus teaches comes from the Father.
Jesus's doctrine is to believe in Him, repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost. Those who do this will be saved.
35Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost. 36And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one. 37And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. 38And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
Those who believe and are baptized receive the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost testifies of the Father and the Son.
Jesus says twice that we must repent, be baptized, and become like a little child to enter the kingdom of God.
39Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. 40And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them. 41Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth.
Those who build their lives on Christ's doctrine are built on His rock. Adding to or taking away from His doctrine is building on sand.
Research trail
Sources & further study
These references support the historical, linguistic, manuscript, and contextual notes in this chapter. Scripture remains the primary text; external sources are provided so readers can inspect the research directly.
- Jesus ChristScriptures on the Savior's identity and mission, including His appearance to the Nephites.
- ResurrectionThe scriptures on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, whose resurrected body the multitude touched (vv. 14-15).
- Baptism, BaptizeBaptism by immersion by one having authority, as the Savior commands in verses 22-28.
- ContentionScriptures on the spirit of contention the Savior condemns in verses 29-30.
- Doctrine of ChristThe doctrine the Savior declares in verses 31-39 and Nephi taught in 2 Nephi 31.
Where this echoes in Scripture
Behold My Beloved Son
- Helaman 5:30It was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul.
- 1 Kings 19:12And after the fire a still small voice.
- Matthew 17:5This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
- Joseph Smith-History 1:17This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
- Helaman 14:20-27In that day that he shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened.Samuel's sign of His death, which the people had just seen.
Behold, I Am Jesus Christ
- 1 Nephi 12:6I saw the heavens open, and the Lamb of God descending out of heaven; and he came down and showed himself unto them.
- 2 Nephi 26:1After Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you.
- John 20:27Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side.
- Luke 24:39Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see.
- D&C 6:37Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet.
On This Wise Shall Ye Baptize
- D&C 20:73Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
- Mosiah 18:13Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God.
- Romans 6:4We are buried with him by baptism into death.
- 3 Nephi 19:11-13Nephi went down into the water and was baptized... and he baptized all those whom Jesus had chosen.Nephi uses the power given here, the next day.
- John 17:21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.
The Spirit of Contention Is Not of Me
- Mosiah 18:21That there should be no contention one with another... having their hearts knit together in unity and in love.
- 4 Nephi 1:2There were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.
- 2 Timothy 2:24The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men.
- Proverbs 15:1A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
This Is My Doctrine
- 2 Nephi 31:17-21This is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
- 3 Nephi 27:13-21Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you.The Savior defines His gospel again later in His ministry among them.
- Mark 16:16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
- Helaman 5:12It is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation.
- Mosiah 3:19And becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love.