A True Account

We are introduced to Nephi, the son of Nephi, in this verse when his father left the land: “And Nephi, the son of Helaman, had departed out of the land of Zarahemla, giving charge unto his son Nephi, who was his eldest son, concerning the plates of brass, and all the records which had been kept, and all those things which had been kept sacred from the departure of Lehi out of Jerusalem. Then he departed out of the land, and whither he went, no man knoweth; and his son Nephi did keep the records in his stead, yea, the record of this people” (3 Nephi 1:2-3). One of Nephi’s primary responsibilities was to keep the record of the people. Mormon highlighted this again when he described his work to abridge the account of the Nephites at this time: “But behold there are records which do contain all the proceedings of this people; and a shorter but true account was given by Nephi. Therefore I have made my record of these things according to the record of Nephi, which was engraven on the plates which were called the plates of Nephi” (3 Nephi 5:9-10). Not only did Mormon emphasize that Nephi kept the record of the people at this time, but he bore witness that what Nephi wrote was a “true account.” He emphasized this again later when he started describing the destruction and three days of darkness that occurred at the time of the Savior’s death. Mormon wrote as way of introduction to the account of the destruction, “And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity—And now it came to pass, if there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the thirty and third year had passed away” (3 Nephi 8:1-2). Mormon again affirmed that Nephi’s record was true, preparing us to believe the greatest story in the Book of Mormon as he recounted the visit of the Savior to the Nephites. That story came to us through the record of Nephi, the son of Nephi, and Mormon wanted us to know that it was true.

               We see one more instance where Mormon highlighted Nephi’s record keeping. This came during the Savior’s visit among them. Mormon recorded, “And it came to pass that [Jesus] said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept. And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said: Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?” The record kept by Nephi was so important to the Savior that He had Nephi bring it to Him so He could examine it. He found there was an important fulfillment of prophecy that hadn’t been recorded and requested that it too be written: “And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded” (3 Nephi 3:7-13). The record had to be correct and complete, and it was important enough to the Savior that He personally inspected what was written and instructed Nephi on what needed to be included. Perhaps Mormon wanted us to see that the record kept by Nephi and other Nephite prophets was correct and true and overseen by the Savior Himself. Knowing that, we can also trust that Mormon’s abridgement was a true account and one prepared for us in our day. It certainly does not contain a complete account of the Nephites, but what has been written is true and given to us through the inspiration of the Savior Himself. The Book of Mormon was painstakingly prepared for us through diligent efforts on the part of inspired prophets who recorded the Lord’s dealings with their people, and that fact should inspire us to more fully incorporate its words and teachings into our lives.