Precept

A commandment or direction given as a rule of action, especially as to moral conduct. It comes from the Latin praeceptum, meaning “maxim, rule of conduct, order,” etc. There are “men’s precepts,” and there are “God’s precepts,” and there is a clear distinction between the two. Woe to those who follow the worthless teachings of men and deny God’s power and the gift of the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 12:5 CE). This warning is not for the teachers or leaders; Nephi is not saying to them: “Don’t teach with your own learning.” He has already consigned them to hell. Now he is speaking to the few who are Christ’s humble followers (2 Nephi 12:2 CE). Nephi pronounces a woe upon those who hearken or accept the precepts of men. They will be condemned, and their hopes will not be realized. They will suffer setbacks in their progression and will not attain to the hopes they might have otherwise attained, even though their offense is still less than those who lead them and cause them to err. If one hearkens to the precepts of men, he is denying both the power of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is necessary for man to deny God’s power and rebel against the gift of the Holy Ghost in order for him to hearken to the precepts of men. God’s power was designed to keep mortals from making these errors. The gift of the Holy Ghost was given to lead one towards know[ing] the truth of all things (Moroni 10:2). With a tool like the Holy Ghost available, one is accountable for what teachings he or she accepts. It is possible to listen to a teacher whose precepts are dark and to know as he speaks that the Spirit does not ratify his words. It is the responsibility of all men to weigh everything and hold onto only those things which are good.¹ Then what does it mean to be taught by the precepts of men, on the one hand, or to be led by the Holy Ghost, on the other? Nephi makes the distinction between the two of pivotal importance. At least one distinguishing characteristic of the precepts of men (or the “arm of flesh”) is when an answer can be provided without any reference to the Spirit or inspiration.²

When Jesus was asked about “two witnesses,” He said that He was one and the other was His Father, who also bore witness of Him. If they did not listen to the power of the Father nor incline their hearts to receive the witness of the Spirit, then they could not know the Father and could not receive that second witness. Nephi is saying the same thing: No man teaching the precepts of men should be able to deceive; for every teaching and every teacher, there should be a second witness coming from above which confirms the truth. Many teachers resort to sentimentality and emotion in their teaching, talks, books, and testimonies, and some listeners are fooled into thinking an emotional reaction is the same as a witness of the Spirit. Emotions rarely communicate light and truth or intelligence. The Spirit bears witness of the truth, conveys light and intelligence, and may not at all be emotional. Mere sentimentality is a false substitute for the witness of the Spirit. The warning from Nephi about how one denies the power of God and rejects the gift of the Holy Ghost whenever he “hearkeneth unto the precepts of men” is based on this principle. Everyone has the tools to detect when they are being taught by men using the arm of flesh to advance an idea or notion. “You are accountable, hence the woe pronounced on you by Nephi.”³

Christ’s doctrine has a limited definition, as explained in the Book of Mormon. But the doctrine does not include all of Christ’s teachings, tenets, precepts, covenants, commandments, or principles. “We need to understand that Christ used the word [doctrine] very specifically, and confined [it] to only a few statements….Sometimes we use the word doctrine when we really mean a ‘ten[et]… teaching, precept, principle, or covenant.’”⁴ The best place to look for precepts that come from God is within the Book of Mormon text. “The closer you look, the more you’ll see.”⁵ The Prophet Joseph Smith explained the following about the Book of Mormon: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”⁶ God is generous and provides instruction in a wise and loving manner, as Nephi writes: This is what the Lord God has said: I’ll give mankind line upon line, a teaching here and a teaching there, a little here and a little there. Those who follow My teachings and listen to My counsel are blessed since they’ll learn wisdom. And I’ll give more to those who receive; but from those who say we have enough, even what they have will be taken away. Those who put their trust in the scholarly arrogance of men or follow the false teachings of a man are cursed, because only those teachings given by the power of the Holy Ghost are true (2 Nephi 12:6 CE).