2 Nephi 28:27–32

“Unto Him that Receiveth [God] Will Give More”

youth praying

Do you have unanswered spiritual questions, or do you sometimes wish your testimony was developing more quickly? Nephi explained that knowledge from Heavenly Father comes little by little as we are willing to continue receiving what He teaches us. This lesson can help you deepen your understanding of how Heavenly Father reveals truth to us.

Teaching students to liken the scriptures. To liken the scriptures is to compare them to one’s own life. Encourage students to ask questions like, “What circumstances and situations in my life are like the circumstances and situations in this passage of scripture?” or “How am I like the characters we are studying in the scriptures?”

Student preparation: Invite students to read 2 Nephi 28:30 and to come to class prepared to share an example of how God teaches us His gospel little by little.

Possible Learning Activities

God teaches us step by step

Rather than using the following analogy about a stairway, you could start class by offering a student a delicious item of food that is much too big to eat in one mouthful. When the student takes a bite, ask them why they started with just one bite rather than eating it all at once. Then invite students to read 2 Nephi 28:26–30, looking for how this object lesson can help us better understand the process of increasing our spiritual knowledge.

staircase leading up

Imagine looking up a long stairway that represents your spiritual knowledge and understanding.

• If the top of the stairway represents God’s knowledge, where do you think your current level of knowledge is?

• What are ways God helps us increase our spiritual knowledge and understanding over time?

• What would happen to someone who doesn’t take the next step because they feel content with the knowledge they already have?

In 2 Nephi 28, Nephi continued his prophecy of the last days. He described some of the attitudes that would be prevalent in our day and shared a pattern the Lord uses to help us receive and understand truth.

Read 2 Nephi 28:26–30, and ponder how the stairway analogy helps you understand the truths Nephi taught about the Lord. It may be helpful to know that precepts are commandments or principles that teach us how to act.

2 Nephi 28:30 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily. You will have an opportunity in the next lesson to practice applying the doctrine taught in this passage to a question or situation.

• What does this passage help you understand about the Lord? How can this understanding bless your life?

• Why do you think some people reject the opportunity to learn more of the word of God than they already have?

Reread verse 30 and think about how you would summarize in your own words what it teaches. You may want to record your summary in your scriptures next to this verse.

Invite students to share their summaries.

A pattern for our spiritual progress

One of the truths found in this passage is that God reveals the truth line upon line to those who will receive it.

• How is it a blessing that God teaches us little by little rather than all at once?

• How could the process of learning little by little help us become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? What Christlike attributes could this process help us develop?

Patterns of light

You may want to watch the video “Patterns of Light: Spirit of Revelation” (3:04), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Look for patterns that God uses to reveal His will to His children.

• What did you learn from Elder Bednar that could benefit your life?

• Which pattern that Elder Bednar described do you think best fits what Nephi taught in verse 30?

Instead of using the following study suggestion, consider using the scripture study activity found in the “Supplemental Learning Activities” section.

Read at least two of the following scripture passages, looking for what they add to your understanding of 2 Nephi 28:30. Consider linking or cross-referencing these verses to 2 Nephi 28:30 in your scriptures.

• Alma 12:9–11

• Doctrine and Covenants 42:61

• Doctrine and Covenants 50:24

• Doctrine and Covenants 98:11–12

• What did you learn from these passages that helps you better understand 2 Nephi 28:30?

• What are some examples of how the truths taught in 2 Nephi 28:30 could help someone?

• When have you seen God teaching little by little in your life or the lives of those around you?

Ponder how your understanding and testimony of the gospel have grown little by little over time. Record in your study journal what you feel Heavenly Father would like you to remember and do because of what you learned today.

Consider inviting a few volunteers to share part of what they wrote.

Commentary and Background Information

How does the principle of “line upon line” apply to our spiritual progression?

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, explained:

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Revelation and testimony do not always come with overwhelming force. For many, a testimony comes slowly—a piece at a time. Sometimes it comes so gradually that it is hard to recall the exact moment we actually knew the gospel was true. The Lord gives us “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” [2 Nephi 28:30]. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Your Potential, Your Privilege,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 60)

How can it be a blessing to not receive answers all at once?

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Elder Richard G. Scott

As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of uncertainty, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise. With even your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you, when it will yield the greatest advantage. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow. (Richard G. Scott, “The Transforming Power of Faith and Character,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 44)

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following about when a solution to an important problem did not come quickly despite his sincere prayers:

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Though I suffered then, I am grateful now that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me how to truly pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer. … I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Recognizing God’s Hand in Our Daily Blessings,” Ensign, Jan. 2012, 19)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Scripture study activity

This activity is intended to help students see that we often need to obey what we have already received before we receive further instructions.

Inform students that to complete the activity, their group will read and report back to you how four scripture passages add to their understanding of 2 Nephi 28:30.

Tell groups that the first passage they will study is Doctrine and Covenants 42:61. As each group reports to you how that passage adds to their understanding of 2 Nephi 28:30, quietly give the group the next reference to study. This process continues until each group has reported what they learned from all four of the following passages.

• Doctrine and Covenants 42:61

• Doctrine and Covenants 50:24

• Doctrine and Covenants 98:11–12

• Alma 12:9–11

Line upon line in the history of the Church

It may be helpful to discuss examples from the history of the Church that demonstrate the Lord revealing His truth “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30). You could use the following statement by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to begin this discussion:

Elder David A. Bednar

Both the history of the Church and our personal lives are replete with examples of the Lord’s pattern for receiving revelation “line upon line, precept upon precept.” For example, the fundamental truths of the restored gospel were not delivered to the Prophet Joseph Smith all at once in the Sacred Grove. These priceless treasures were revealed as circumstances warranted and as the timing was right (David A. Bednar, “The Spirit of Revelation,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 88).

Jesus progressed from grace to grace

Invite students to read Doctrine and Covenants 93:11–20, looking for how the Savior’s progression demonstrates what is taught in 2 Nephi 28:30. Help students understand that one of the Savior’s attributes is patience and that we become more like Him as we patiently learn line upon line.

Invite them to also read Luke 2:40, looking for four areas of the Savior’s progress that this verse mentions. Remind students of the Children and Youth program, and encourage them to set and work on goals that will help them progress line upon line in each of those four areas.