2 Nephi 28:7-8

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 28:7-8

7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

Quotes for Discussion

Eat Drink and Be Merry

The idea that one is better off after one has sinned and repented is a devilish lie of the adversary. Does anyone here think that it is better to learn first-hand that a certain blow will break a bone, or a certain mixture of chemicals will explode and sear off our skin? Are we better off after we have sustained and then been healed from such injuries? I believe we all can see that it is better to heed the warnings of wise persons who know the effects on our bodies… [as well as our spirits].

Dallin H. Oaks, BYU Fireside, 5 August 1990

Many of God’s children live life as though there were no tomorrow, no day of reckoning. They fill their lives with the pursuit of comfort, gain, and pleasure. Of such, Nephi said [Elder Dunn then quoted 2 Nephi 28:7-8]…

As the result of such erroneous thinking, the world is filled with lurid and lascivious attractions. We see young men who refuse to marry; young women who foolishly surrender their virtue in pursuit of lustful relationships; couples who purposefully refuse to have children or who opt for a “trophy child” because a family would interfere with plans for adventure, leisure, or maximum financial gain.

James M. Dunn, Conference Report, Apr. 2003 [salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2003], 37

In order to sin without feeling guilt, one must lower his moral standard to correspond with his behavior. This is an exactly opposite teaching from the true gospel principle that to remove guilt one must lift his behavior to his moral standard through appropriate repentance. Seeking to reverse the process, some modern clinicians, with their false teachings, seek to strip mankind of the gift of conscience. The disarming of this divine alarm system enables the enemy to enter and move freely about.

Dennis L. Largey, The Enemies of Christ, 2 Nephi 28

“A Little Sin”

Have you ever watched a big farm gate…when it opens? If you look at the hinge, you can scarcely see any movement. But if you look out at the perimeter, there is a great deal of movement. That is the way it is with influence out here….That is the way people become alcoholics….Every man who became an alcoholic, every man who became a drunkard started with a first drink….Drink—that little bit of imperceptible movement that had its effect later.

It is the same with drugs.

Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, vol. 1 1995-99 [salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2004], 391-392

Lie a little

A lie is any communication given to another with the intent to deceive.

A lie can be effectively communicated without words ever being spoken. Sometimes a nod of the head or silence can deceive. Recommending a questionable business investment, making a false entry in a ledger, devious use of flattery, or failure to divulge all pertinent facts are a few other ways to communicate the lie.

Marvin J. Ashton, Conference Report, Apr. 1982 [salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1982], 10-11

Several years ago in a seminary recognized as perhaps the greatest in this country, a doctor of divinity, who had a string of honorary doctoral degrees and who is on the board of directors of one of the largest Protestant churches in America, in lecturing to a large group of students, most of whom already had bachelor of divinity degrees, said, sympathetically:

“I know that it is difficult for you men to teach creeds which you, yourselves, do not believe, but you have the social obligation to do it.”

Another man in the same institution, having about the same academic credentials, declared: “Who knows but what in the year 2004 or some other year, there will live a man who will live more perfectly than did Jesus. Then we will worship him as the Son of God, rather than Jesus. The reason we worship Jesus as the Son of God is because he lived the most perfect life of any man of whom we have knowledge.”

A. Theodore Tuttle, Conference Report, Oct, 1960, [salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1960], 95