I loved this insight:

W”e should read it, therefore, not as a fresh, new revelation, an excited telling of something Nephi has just seen, but as the culmination of his lifetime as a prophet. We can assume that Nephi has thought long and hard, that he has prayed for understanding of anything that was obscure, and that he is emphasizing what is most important for his people to remember.”

I’m amazed at what a prophet Nephi was, not just for his time, but for ours. For us. For his people. For Jew and Gentile alike. Really powerful stuff.

This point is not complete, though, without recognizing that, if we do not have a monopoly on faith or good works or the love of the Lord, we do, as a Church, have a monopoly on some things: ordinances necessary for salvation, the gift of the constant (contingent on our righteousness), awareness of the additional light and knowledge available through our additional scriptures, access to the ongoing instruction of prophets, seers and revelators, and other benefits of church membership — all of which are available to all people who who are willing to add that to the faith they have now.