Lesson 6 - Free to Choose Liberty and Eternal Life

Purpose:

To help class members have a greater desire to “choose liberty and eternal life” through Jesus Christ, “the great Mediator of all men"

Reading Assignment:

• 2 Nephi 1-2

Related Scripture References:

• James 2:10
• 1 Nephi 10:21
• Alma 34:13-16
• D&C 19:15-19
• D&C 45:3-5
• Romans 10:4
• Moses 6:48
• Moses 5:10-12
• Moses 7:32
• 2 Nephi 10:23
• Helaman 14:30-31

Additional Reading:

• Choosing Liberty and Eternal Life - Elder Craig A. Cardon
• Joy and Mercy - Dallin H. Oaks
• To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency - Robert D. Hales
• Joy Cometh in the Morning - Russell M. Nelson

Questions to Ponder:

• According to 2 Nephi 2:24–28, what does our Father in Heaven want for us? (Joy, liberty, and eternal life.) How did He provide a way for us to receive these blessings? (See 2 Nephi 2:26–27; see also John 14:6.)
• Lehi declares, "Men are that they might have joy." What is the difference between the joy/happiness spoken of in the scriptures and the pleasure/happiness sought by the world?  
• Sometimes we may feel that the commandments restrict our freedom. How can obedience to the commandments increase our liberty? 
• Lehi called his sons to repentance by commanding them to “awake … from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which [they were] bound” (2 Nephi 1:13; see also verses 2 Nephi 1:14, 21, 23). How is sinfulness like being in a deep sleep? How is sinfulness like being bound by chains? 
• What parts of the atonement are free? How must we live so we can be justified through Christ’s suffering for our sins? (See 2 Nephi 2:7; see also Romans 10:4; D&C 19:15–16; Articles of Faith 1:3) 
• Lehi told his children that “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11; 2 Nephi 2:15). How have you seen that it is important to have opposition in our daily lives? (2 Nephi 2:11–13) How can opposition help us progress? 
• 2 Nephi 2 contains the doctrines of the Creation (2 Nephi 2:14–15), the Fall (2 Nephi 2:4–5, 8, 18–25), and the Atonement (2 Nephi 2:3–4, 6–10, 26–27). How are these three doctrines central to Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption?