Have you ever learned about thesis statements in an English class? They are statements, usually given at the beginning of an essay or article (and often in longer works as well) that summarize an author’s main point or purpose in writing. Nephi gives us two important thesis statements. As expected, he gives one of them very close to the beginning of his record, in the very first chapter: "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance" (1 Nephi 1:20). Thus, one of Nephi’s main points is to show his readers that God is merciful and that if we are faithful, He will deliver us in our trials. Nephi’s stories emphasize this theme over and over.
Yet, in 1 Nephi 6:4, Nephi gives another purpose for his record, and this one is even larger in its scope. He declares that the "fullness" of his intent is to help men (and women) come unto God and be saved. We might ask ourselves what Nephi may have meant when he talked about coming unto God. For Nephi, this was surely a spiritual concept, indicating that if men will keep God’s commandments, they will become spiritually closer and eventually unified in purpose with Him.
However, there is a very physical component as well. Remember, Nephi is writing this many years afterward, so he has already made the arduous journey to the New World, removing himself from the wickedness of the unbelieving people of Jerusalem. He and Lehi have already had their visions of the Tree of Life, where they saw concourses of people pressing forward toward the Tree of Life. Those who are righteous in this life will eventually be resurrected, and be granted the privilege of physically dwelling in the presence of God for eternity. They are saved from the perils of mortal life and literally have come to where God is. It is hard to imagine that Nephi, considering his personal experiences with traveling to divinely prepared locations, didn’t intend his thesis statement to share with readers the results of both his spiritual and his temporal journeys.
Book of Mormon Central, "How Can We Be Delivered through the Lord’s Tender Mercies? (1 Nephi 1:20)," KnoWhy 447 (July 5, 2018).