“Remember”
One theme
throughout the Book of Mormon is that we must remember. Remember what the Lord
has done for you, for you personally and for His people. Remember that Christ
paid for your sins, died and was resurrected so that we may be also. Remember
that while there will be hard times He will ALWAYS be there for you to
strengthen you, to guide you, to deliver you as He has in the past and we have
many stories of that in the scriptures. When the light turns on every time you
flip the switch enough times you come to believe that it will continue to do
so. Light bulbs burnout, God does not. The more times we see and remember His goodness the more sure we
can be it will continue.
Mosiah
27:28-29
“28
Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation repenting nigh unto death,
the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and
I am born of God.
“29 My soul
hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in
the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was
racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.”
God will
forgive. It can be easy to think we can sin now and repent later because God is
so merciful, and He is. The world tells us this is not only true but preferred.
Reading these verses, does it sound easier to repent? “nigh unto death” “gall
of bitterness and bonds of iniquity” “darkest abyss” “eternal torment” These
words do not describe experiences I would willingly want to put myself through
for a bit of what the world sees as “fun”.
Now we move
from Mosiah to Alma. Have we talked about what was on the plates and what was
added later and how we know which is which? They made it really easy. Italics
is added, that’s it. At least when it comes to book and chapter headings and
summaries. The summaries at the beginning of chapter in italics are added to
aid us in our study, the intros at the beginning of the book of Alma and before
some of the chapters that are NOT in italics were translated from the plates.
Definitions
Ignominious
(from Alma 1:15): Very shameful; reproachful; dishonorable; infamous.
Wonderful
contention (from Alma 2:5): According to Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary, another word for “wonderful” is “astonishing.”
That makes more sense. We know the meaning of words can change over time. It
doesn’t seem like it has been long enough to change that much but some words
have and referencing a dictionary from the time of translation can improve our
understanding when words don’t seem to fit. Thankfully my Book of Mormon study
guide has done that for me.
Comments from the Book of Mormon Study Guide
On Alma
1:23-33
“How can we
be strong even when others harden their hearts and withdraw from the Church?
Unlike some Nephites who ‘withdrew themselves’ from the Church, others did
‘stand fast.” “How do you remain ‘steadfast and immovable’ during a trial of
faith? You immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core of
faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the scriptures, you
repent, you keep the commandments, and you serve others.
“’When faced
with a trial of faith—whatever you do, you don’t step away from the Church! Distancing
yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the
safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view’ (Neil L. Andersen,
“Trial of Your Faith,” 40)”
I thought
that was fitting for Oklahoma, an analogy we can relate to right? It’s so
important to remember, it’s okay to be unsure, it’s okay to have questions,
it’s okay not to have all the answers, it wouldn’t be faith if we did. When you
do, don’t abandon what you know. The confirmations you’ve felt in your heart of
things that are true. How you feel when you pray, read and study the scriptures
and the words of the prophets. Let that carry you through.
In Alma 3 we
learn that the Amlicites began to mark themselves to distinguish themselves
from the Nephites. We all mark ourselves in some way. The way we dress, act and
talk all shows others what we stand for. How do you mark yourselves? As a
believer and follower of Christ or the world?
Alma 3:19 Is
an important scripture to know.
“19 Now I
would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even
so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation.”
What is this
curse? Separation from God. No one else can cause us to be separated from God,
not our friends, not our ancestors, only by our own actions. Along the same
lines, Alma 3:26
“…that they
might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether
they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the
spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad on.”
We may see
negative consequences in our life that come from the actions of others, in this
life. All eternal consequences are based on our choices and ours alone.
And this
comment on Alma 4:15 “….nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him”
“We live in
troubled times—very troubled times. We hope, we pray, for better days. But that
is not to be. The prophecies tell us that. We will not as a people, as
families, or as individuals be exempt from the trials to come. No one will be
spared the trials common to home and family, work, disappointment, grief,
health, aging, ultimately death…”
That sounds
pretty scary. Here’s the good part though.
“We need not
live in fear of the future. We have every reason to rejoice and little reason
to fear. If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we will be safe, whatever
the future holds. We will be shown what to do’ (Boyd K. Packer, “Cloven Tongues
of Fire,” 8)”
Alma 5:7,
12, 13
“7 Behold,
he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they
awoke unto God.”
“12 And
according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart.”
“13 And
behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also
wrought in their hearts,”
Notice a
theme?
“Webster
says… that conversion is ‘a spiritual and moral change attending a change of
belief with conviction’. As used in the scriptures, converted generally implies not merely mental acceptance of Jesus
and his teachings, but also a motivating faith in him and in his gospel, a
faith which works a transformation, an actual change in one’s understanding of life’s meaning and in one’s
allegiance to God—in interest, in thought, and in conduct. While conversion may be accomplished in stages,
one is not really converted in the full sense of the term unless and until he
is at heart a new person” (Marion G. Romney, “According to the Covenants,” 71)
Alma 5 is
full of questions. It’s sort of a self-evaluation. Someone put in a nice list
if you want to look at just the questions and see where you are at with them.
A few that
stood out to me.
Alma 5:30 “And
again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his
brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?”
How do we
treat others? From the popular kids to those seen by some as losers to the
homeless?
Elder
Quentin L. Cook said: “We are all equal before God. His doctrine is clear. In
the Book of Mormon, we read, ‘All are alike unto God,’ including ‘black and
white, bond and free, male and female’ (2 Nephi 26:33). Accordingly, all are
invited to come to the Lord” (“The Eternal Everyday,” 51)
ALL!
Do you ever
wish you could see an angel? Remember with greater knowledge come greater
responsibility and not necessarily conversion. Laman and Lemuel saw angels and
yet were never converted. Alma saw and angel but does not attribute his
conversion to the angel alone.
Alma 5:46 “Behold,
I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I
have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself.”
The angel
may have been a wake up call but was not enough for conversion.
Joseph
Fielding Smith said, “Christ has himself declared that the manifestations we
might have of the Spirit of Christ, or from a visitation of an angel, a
tangible resurrected being, would not leave the impression and would not convince
us and place within us that something which we cannot get away from which we
receive through a manifestation of the Holy Ghost. Personal visitations might
become dim as time goes on, but this guidance of the Holy Ghost is renewed and continued,
day after day, year after year, if we live to be worthy of it.”
Alma 7:10 “And
behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our
forefathers…”
Wait a
minute…. Jerusalem? Wasn’t Christ born in Bethlehem?
Take a
breath, both are correct. It doesn’t say Christ was born IN Jerusalem. This
would be like if you asked where I’m from I’d tell you Portland, OR or the
Portland area. I actually lived 45 minutes from Portland but if I told you I’m
from Vernonia would you have any idea where in Oregon that was? But many people
have some idea where Portland is. Bethlehem was a small town 5-6 miles from
Jerusalem, a lot closer than I ever lived to Portland, and they were a lot
further away from either than we are from Oregon.
Alma 7:11-12
“11… he will
take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people."
"12… and he
will wake upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy,
according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor
his people according to their infirmities.”
We all know
Christ died and was resurrected so that we can be too and that he suffered for
our sins so that we can return to God if we repent and strive to follow Him.
Sometimes we miss that he also felt all our pains and sorrows, not like someone
who went through something similar but exactly as you feel them. Not so that he
can say, I know how you feel it’s not so bad, buck up buttercup. So that he
could “succor his people”. What does Succor mean? “Succor is used often in the
scriptures to describe Christ’s care for and attention to us. It means
literally ‘to run to.’ What a magnificent way to describe the Savior’s urgent
effort in our behalf. Even as he calls us to come to him and follow him, he is
unfailingly running to help us?” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Come unto Me,” 22)
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