Where we are
This is the chapter where Christ defines his gospel in his own words — and gives his church its name. After all the teaching, the sermon, the ordinances, the prophecies, the disciples ask a simple, practical question — what shall the church be called? — and the answer opens into the deepest things: the name of Christ that saves, the gospel that is the good news of the cross, the call to be washed spotless in his blood, and the staggering charge to become even as he is. If a reader wanted to know, in Christ's own words, what the gospel actually is, this is the chapter. It is the doctrinal summary of the whole Christophany — the name, the gospel, the judgment, and the goal.
Begin with the name. The disciples are united in mighty prayer and fasting (v. 1) — the posture that brings Christ near — and he appears and asks, What will ye that I shall give unto you? (v. 2). Their request is practical: tell us the name whereby we shall call this church; for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter (v. 3). And Christ's answer settles it with beautiful logic: ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name... by this name shall ye be called at the last day; and whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved (vv. 5–6). The church must be called by his name, because the people who belong to it have taken upon themselves his name — the name by which they will be called at the judgment, the name in which they are saved. The word study below opens up the name; but the logic is unanswerable: how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses' name then it be Moses' church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church (v. 8). A church bears the name of the one it belongs to. Christ's church bears Christ's name. The disputation is settled by the simplest truth: the church is his, so it is called by his name. But Christ adds the crucial condition: the name is not enough by itself — if it so be that they are built upon my gospel (v. 8). The name and the gospel must go together; a church may bear Christ's name, but it is truly his only if it is built upon his gospel. Which raises the question: what is his gospel?
And Christ answers that question directly — one of the few places in scripture where the gospel is defined by the Lord himself. Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you — that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me (vv. 13–14). There it is — the gospel in Christ's own words. The good news is this: that Christ came to do the Father's will, was lifted up upon the cross, and by being lifted up draws all men unto him — that they may stand before him to be judged of their works (v. 14). The word study below opens up gospel; but the heart of the definition is the cross and the drawing. The gospel is not first a set of rules or a moral code; it is the event of the cross — Christ lifted up to die — and its purpose, to draw all men to himself. The cross is the magnet of the world: lifted up, Christ pulls all humanity toward himself, so that every soul is drawn to stand before him and be judged. And the response the gospel requires is repentance and baptism: whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father (v. 16). Repent, be baptized, endure to the end, and be held guiltless — that is the gospel's demand and its promise.
And Christ names the goal of it all, in one of the most breathtaking lines in scripture. Having charged the disciples to keep the gospel and to write the record by which the people will be judged, he asks: what manner of men ought ye to be? — and answers: Verily I say unto you, even as I am (v. 27). The goal of the gospel is not merely to be forgiven, or saved, or good — it is to become even as Christ is. The same call as the Sermon's be ye perfect even as I... am perfect (3 Ne. 12:48), now stated as the answer to the most searching question a disciple can ask: what should I be? And the answer is Christ himself — the gospel aims at nothing less than the transformation of the disciple into the very likeness of the Lord. And the chapter ends on the Lord's joy and sorrow: his joy is full... because of you, and also this generation; yea, and even the Father rejoiceth... for none of them are lost (v. 30) — not one of this generation will be lost, and the joy of heaven overflows. But it sorroweth me because of the fourth generation from this generation, for they are led away captive... for they will sell me for silver and for gold (v. 32) — the fourth generation will fall, selling Christ for money, and the Lord sorrows over them even now. The joy of the present and the grief of the future, both in the heart of the Lord who sees the whole story.
The chapter has three movements.
- The name of the church (vv. 1–12). Christ appears to the praying disciples and settles the dispute about the church's name: take upon you the name of Christ, for the church is his and must bear his name — if it is built upon his gospel; a church on the works of men or the devil is hewn down.
- The gospel defined (vv. 13–22). This is the gospel: Christ came to do the Father's will, was lifted up on the cross to draw all men to be judged; repent, be baptized, be sanctified by the Holy Ghost, endure to the end, stand spotless, washed in his blood — and do the works ye have seen him do.
- The record, the goal, and the joy (vv. 23–33). Write the record by which the people shall be judged; ye shall be judges; what manner of men ought ye to be? Even as I am; ask and receive; the Lord's joy is full in this generation (none lost), but it sorrows him for the fourth generation who will sell him for silver; enter the strait gate.
The verses to carry are these. Verse 8 names the church — if it be called in my name then it is my church, if... they are built upon my gospel. Verse 14 names the gospel — that I might be lifted up upon the cross... that I might draw all men unto me. And verse 27 names the goal — what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. The chapter exists to give Christ's own definition of his gospel — the name to take upon oneself, the good news of the cross that draws all men, the call to be washed spotless in his blood, and the goal of becoming even as he is.
The name of the church (verses 1–12)
Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name... For if a church be called in Moses' name then it be Moses' church... but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. — 3 Nephi 27:7–8
The disciples, united in mighty prayer and fasting (v. 1), are visited again by the Lord, and they bring him a practical problem: there are disputations among the people concerning the name of the church (v. 3). And Christ, who had forbidden disputations (3 Ne. 11:28), gently rebukes the dispute and settles it: why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing? Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ? (vv. 4–5). The answer was in the scriptures all along. The people who belong to Christ have taken upon themselves his name — by this name shall ye be called at the last day; and whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved (vv. 5–6). The word study below opens up the name; but the logic is simple and complete. A church bears the name of the one it belongs to. If a church be called in Moses' name then it be Moses' church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church (v. 8). The whole dispute dissolves in a truth so obvious it should never have been a dispute: Christ's church is his, so it bears his name. And everything the disciples do is to be done in his name — whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name (v. 7) — for the name of Christ is the authority and the identity of all they are and do.
But Christ attaches a condition that keeps the name from becoming a mere label: if it so be that they are built upon my gospel (v. 8). The name alone is not enough. A church may call itself by Christ's name and still not be his, if it is not built upon his gospel. The name and the substance must match: ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name (v. 9) — because they are built upon his gospel, they may rightly bear his name, and then the Father will hear their prayers and show forth his own works in the church (vv. 9–10). But the warning is severe for any church that bears the name without the substance: if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil... they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire (v. 11). A church built on the works of men or the works of the devil, however it may flourish for a season, will be hewn down, because their works do follow them (v. 12). The name of Christ is sacred and saving — but it must be taken truly, matched by a church genuinely built upon his gospel, or it is an empty label that the judgment will strip away. Which makes the next question — what is the gospel that the church must be built upon? — the most important question in the chapter.
The gospel defined: the cross that draws all men (verses 13–22)
And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father. — 3 Nephi 27:14
Here Christ does something he does almost nowhere else: he defines his gospel in his own words. Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you (v. 13) — and what follows is the Lord's own statement of what the good news actually is. And the heart of it is the cross. That I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that... men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works (vv. 13–14). The word study below opens up gospel; but mark what the definition centers on. The gospel is not first a moral teaching or a code of conduct; it is the event of the cross and its purpose. Christ came to do the Father's will; the Father's will was that he be lifted up upon the cross; and the purpose of the lifting-up was to draw all men unto him. This is the same teaching he gave in Jerusalem — I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32). The cross is the great magnet of the world: Christ lifted up on it pulls all humanity toward himself. Every soul is drawn to Christ by the cross — drawn to stand before him and be judged. And note the double lifting up: as Christ was lifted up on the cross by men, so men shall be lifted up by the Father — raised up, resurrected, exalted — to stand before Christ. The cross that lifted up the Savior becomes the means by which the saved are lifted up.
And the gospel's demand is clear and simple: whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world (v. 16). Repent, be baptized in Christ's name, endure to the end — and be held guiltless at the judgment. This is the gospel's response, the same Christ has taught throughout: repentance and baptism and endurance. And the chapter states the standard of the kingdom with sobering clarity: no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end (v. 19). No unclean thing can enter — the kingdom is holy, and only the clean may come in. And the only way to be made clean is to have washed your garments in my blood — the cleansing of the soul in the atoning blood of Christ, received through faith and repentance and faithfulness. This is the gospel's promise and its requirement together: that the unclean cannot enter, but that any may be made clean by washing in his blood. Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day (v. 20) — the whole gospel in one verse: repent, come, be baptized, be sanctified by the Holy Ghost, stand spotless. The cross draws all men; repentance and baptism and the sanctifying Spirit wash them clean; and they stand spotless before the Lord. This is my gospel (v. 21).
The record, the goal, and the joy of the Lord (verses 23–33)
And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people... Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. — 3 Nephi 27:27
Christ then charges the disciples to write the record — write the things which ye have seen and heard, save it be those which are forbidden (v. 23) — and gives a profound reason: out of the books which have been written, and which shall be written, shall this people be judged, for by them shall their works be known unto men (v. 25); all things are written by the Father; therefore out of the books which shall be written shall the world be judged (v. 26). The record matters eternally, because by it the people will be judged. The scriptures are not merely history; they are the standard against which lives are measured, the books opened at the judgment (Rev. 20:12). And Christ tells the disciples they will be judges of this people (v. 27) — and then asks the question that gives the chapter its summit: what manner of men ought ye to be? If you are to judge, if you bear my name, if you are built on my gospel — what should you be? And the answer is the most exalted call in all of scripture: Verily I say unto you, even as I am (v. 27).
Even as I am. The goal of the gospel, the answer to what manner of men ought ye to be, is not to be merely good, or forgiven, or saved — it is to be as Christ is. This is the same call as the Sermon's be ye perfect even as I... am perfect (3 Ne. 12:48), now framed as the answer to the disciple's deepest question. The whole gospel — the name taken, the cross that draws, the blood that washes, the Spirit that sanctifies — aims at one end: the transformation of the disciple into the very likeness of the Lord. What manner of men ought ye to be? Even as I am. Nothing less is the goal; and nothing less, by the power of the gospel, is impossible. And the chapter ends with the Lord's joy and his sorrow, both flowing from his love. My joy is great, even unto fulness, because of you, and also this generation; yea, and even the Father rejoiceth, and also all the holy angels, because of you and this generation; for none of them are lost (v. 30). This is one of the most joyful verses in scripture: none of them are lost — this entire generation of Nephites, having seen and believed, will all be saved, and the joy of Christ, the Father, and all the holy angels is full over them. Heaven rejoices when none are lost. But the joy is shadowed by grief, for the Lord sees the whole future: it sorroweth me because of the fourth generation from this generation, for they are led away captive... for they will sell me for silver and for gold, and for that which moth doth corrupt (v. 32). Four generations on, this very people will fall — selling Christ for silver and gold, the love of Mammon (3 Ne. 13:24) destroying them at last. And the Lord sorrows over them even now, in the hour of his joy. The same heart that overflows with joy that none are lost in this generation aches with grief that the fourth generation will be — for the Lord loves the whole story, the present that believes and the future that will fall, and he carries both the joy and the sorrow of it. The chapter that defined the gospel ends with the heart of the One who gave it — full of joy over the saved, full of sorrow over the lost, and calling all, in the strait gate that few... find (v. 33), to come and be made even as he is.
How the chapter is built
3 Nephi 27 is built as the doctrinal summary of the whole Christophany — the chapter where the name, the gospel, the judgment, and the goal are all defined — and Mormon structures it to answer, in sequence, the most fundamental questions of the faith. What is the church called? — the name of Christ (vv. 1–12). What is the gospel? — the cross that draws all men (vv. 13–22). What is the end of it all? — to be judged by the record, and to become even as Christ is (vv. 23–33). The architecture moves from the name (identity and belonging) to the gospel (the saving event) to the goal (likeness to Christ), so that the chapter functions as a creed — a compact statement of what the gospel is and what it aims at. And the structural climax is verse 27's even as I am — the answer to what manner of men ought ye to be, the highest possible statement of the gospel's purpose. Mormon builds the chapter so that everything funnels toward that goal: the name taken, the gospel believed, the blood that washes, the Spirit that sanctifies, the record that judges — all of it aiming at the transformation of the disciple into the likeness of the Lord. The chapter is the gospel's definition and the gospel's destination in one.
And the chapter is built as the capstone of Christ's direct ministry, structured to be the summary the disciples (and the reader) carry forward after the Lord ascends. It is fitting that Christ's near-final discourse is a definition of the gospel — for now the disciples must go and do without his visible presence, and they need to know, clearly, what they are to teach and to be. Mormon places this definitional chapter near the end of the Christophany so that it serves as the reference point for everything after: the church will bear his name, built on the gospel here defined; the disciples will judge by the record here commanded; the people will be called to become even as he is. And the chapter's closing — the joy that none are lost in this generation, the sorrow that the fourth generation will fall — frames the whole gospel in the love of the Lord, who rejoices over the saved and grieves over the lost, and whose every word is given so that as many as possible might come through the strait gate and be made spotless and like him. Mormon builds the chapter as Christ's gift to every generation that will hold this record: the clear definition of the good news, the name to take, the cross that draws, the blood that washes, and the breathtaking promise that the gospel's aim is to make us even as he is. The Lord has come, taught, healed, prayed, and instituted his church; and here, near the end, he tells us plainly what it all is and what it is all for — this is my gospel, and what manner of men ought ye to be? Even as I am.