Nephi tells why Christ was baptized—Men must follow Christ, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end to be saved—Repentance and baptism are the gate to the strait and narrow path—Eternal life comes to those who keep the commandments after baptism. [Between 559 and 545 B.C.]

 AND now I, Nephi, make an end of my ^aprophesying^• unto you, my beloved brethren. And I cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither can I write but a few of the ^bwords^• of my brother Jacob.

 Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I ^amust^• speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying.

 For my soul delighteth in ^aplainness^•; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the ^bunderstanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their ^clanguage^•, unto their understanding.

 Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that ^aprophet^• which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the ^bLamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.

 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being ^aholy^•, should have need to be ^bbaptized^• by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be ^cbaptized, yea, even by water!

 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?

 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be ^aobedient^• unto him in keeping his commandments.

 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the ^aform^• of a ^bdove.

 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the ^agate^•, by which they should enter, he having set the ^bexample before them.

 And he said unto the children of men: ^aFollow^• thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we ^bfollow^• Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.

 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father ^agive the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, ^bfollow^• me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall ^afollow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no ^bhypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real ^cintent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are ^dwilling to take upon you the ^ename of Christ, by ^fbaptism^•—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the ^gbaptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the ^htongue^• of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

 But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should ^adeny^• me, it would have been ^bbetter^• for you that ye had not known me.

 And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the ^awords^• of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that ^bendureth^• to the ^cend^•, the same shall be saved.

 And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall ^aendure^• to the end, in following the ^bexample of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.

 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and ^abaptism^• by water; and then cometh a ^bremission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

 And then are ye in this ^astrait^• and narrow ^bpath^• which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which ^cwitnesses of the ^dFather^• and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow ^apath^•, I would ask if all is ^bdone^•? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken ^cfaith in him, ^drelying^• wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to ^esave.

 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a ^asteadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of ^bhope, and a ^clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and ^dendure^• to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have ^eeternal^• life.

 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the ^away^•; and there is ^bnone^• other way nor ^cname given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the ^ddoctrine^• of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the ^eFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is ^fone^• God, without end. Amen.