#45 July 20 – July 26, Alma 36-38

The record of Alma

            The record of Alma is an important part of the Book of Mormon. It is the major source of the material in 44 chapters of the Book of Mormon. It begins after the conversion of Alma the Younger with Alma Chapter 1. Notice the preface paragraph at the beginning of the book of Alma which begins, The account of Alma, who was the son of Alma … Near the end of that paragraph, we read, … according to the record of Alma, …

            I presume that all which we have been reading in the book of Alma since then has been taken from the “record of Alma” as edited and commented upon by Mormon. It appears that Mormon used the “record of Alma” extensively in his selection and abridgment of these materials. In several places, Mormon uses Alma’s own words and quotes him in the first person as he teaches. Notice that Mormon refers to the “record of Alma” at the beginnings of chapters 7, 9, and 17. The last reference to the “record of Alma” is found at the end of Alma chapter 44, And thus ended the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And thus ended the record of Alma, which was written upon the plates of Nephi. (v. 24)

            Next to Christ Himself, who is the central figure of the Book of Mormon, and perhaps Nephi, the first writer, Alma the Younger may be the most important contributor to the Book of Mormon. (Mormon, for whom the book is named, is obviously of critical importance to the book but does not directly contribute as many chapters of his own story and sermons as do Nephi or Alma.) Alma’s 44 chapters are more than that of any other prophet, including Nephi (if you exclude the Isaiah chapters in Nephi’s two books.)

We are nearing the close of Alma’s ministry. It is now the 18^th year of the reign of the Judges over the people of Nephi (approximately 74 BC). Everything that we will read in the next two and a half Come, Follow Me lessons from Alma 36 through Alma 44 will happen in this one year.

Book of Mormon Video

            I hope you’ll take time to view the Book of Mormon video for this week and next (Alma 36-42) in which Alma individually counsels his three sons, Helaman, Shiblon and Corianton. It is really well done! You can break it up and watch part this week and part next. The whole video takes about 17 minutes, but it is good to get the impact of his counsel to all three sons, rather than dividing up the video between two weeks. I really like how expressive the face is of the actor who plays Alma the Younger. He is really good! Watch his eyebrows. And I really like the tender interactions between Alma and each of his sons — their embraces and his straightforward but loving way of counseling them. He is a good example for fathers and grandfathers of how to teach our children and grandchildren. I was also fascinated in the video by depiction of the Plates of Nephi and the Plates of Brass and the boxes in which they were kept. And I’m always fascinated by any model of the Liahona. Here is the link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/alma-36-42         

            I presume there will be more Book of Mormon videos to be released, but I can’t find any beyond Alma 42 in the Gospel Library App or in the Media Library at churchofjesuschrist.org. We’ll watch for more to come.

Chiasmus in Alma 36

            We’ve already talked quite a bit about chiasmus this year as we have encountered it in earlier parts of our study. But we’ve now come to the crown jewel of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. Alma’s counsel to his son Helaman as found in Alma 36, especially his retelling of his conversion story, is, according to Brother John (Jack) Welch, Of all the passages in world literature that have ever been found to be chiastic, Alma 36 is among the very best examples of this form of composition. It truly ranks as a masterpiece of world religious literature. Later in his notes, he calls Alma 36 the greatest chiastic composition ever written. (https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/welch/2020-07-17/alma_36-38_formatted.pdf)

            I learned this week that chiasmus was used in ancient writing because they didn’t have punctuation. Chiastic writing helped to join ideas together and let the reader know when the idea was complete. As you should know by now, chiasmus relates to the Greek letter chi, which looks like an X. Chiastic writing is a form of parallelism in which the second part of the structure repeats the first part. This focuses the reader on the fulcrum or center part of the chiasm, which is the most important part.

            There are some excellent resources for learning more about chiasmus, depending on the level of your interest and the amount of time you want to spend.

            I found an 11-minute video by Stephen Ehat from Book of Mormon Central to be very helpful. He gives some background for chiasmus and explains its role in ancient literature and in the Book of Mormon. It is a good place to start to learn more. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/liSSK0exf40

            Tyler Griffin and Taylor Halverson invited Jack Welch to join them this week for their Come Follow Me Insights YouTube lesson to discuss chiasmus and Alma 36. I also found it very interesting. Here is the link: ttps://youtu.be/eyqSi4HjESo. Tyler and Taylor found the comments by Brother Welch to be so good, that they published a second video on YouTube this week with more of their interaction with Bro. Welch. I found this interesting to watch, as well. There is some overlap with the first mentioned video but the second adds some additional ideas. Here is the link to the Welch – Chiasmus YouTube video: https://youtu.be/adXw26iODdQ

            Brother Welch talks on these videos about how he discovered chiasmus in Mosiah 5 as a missionary in Germany in 1967. It made me wonder if he discovered it reading the Book of Mormon in German or in English. So, I sent an email and asked him the question. Here is his reply:

Richard,

            Good question.

            Yes, I first discovered the chiastic structures in King Benjamin's speech in German (there are two YouTube videos talking about that discovery on August 16, 1967). I later found that the German translators had obscured some of the chiastic passages as they translated the English into German, so what had looked good in German looked even better in the original English (see, for example, my discussion of Alma 41 in my JWW Notes on that chapter).

            Chiasmus can be translated well into most languages, if the translator is aware of the structure and wants to preserve this underlying feature of the text.

            Today the instructions given by the Church to all translators instructs them to preserve the chiastic and other parallelistic structures whenever possible.

Brother Welch

            There is also good material on chiasmus in Brother Welch’s Notes for this week, including some diagrams of the chiastic structure of Alma 36. There is one diagram in color (Figure 2 John W. Welch and Greg Welch, “Chiasmus in Alma 36," in Charting the Book of Mormon, chart 132) which is especially good! Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to paste it into this blog post or an email. You’ll have to go find it for yourself. The link is above.

It is very interesting to read Alma 36 when diagrammed in chiastic structure. It becomes immediately apparent that the central, most important part of Alma’s message to his son (and to us) is contained in verses 17-18, when Alma turned to the Savior.

And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

            The turning point of Alma’s experience was when he thought of “one” Jesus Christ and cried out to Him. When you see it diagrammed out, it is even more apparent. More about that a little later.

            Brother Welch also points out that Joseph and Oliver, translating at a rate of about 15 words a minute, had barely over an hour to translate Alma 36 and yet it is such an incredible masterpiece!

Moreover, assuming that Joseph dictated his translation of this intricate text to Oliver Cowdery at their normal average rate of about 15 words per minute, Joseph would have only had about one hour and twenty minutes to bring this text forth, going through it one time only, with no opportunity ever for revisions or adjustments. As I’ve said many times before, this is phenomenal.  (Welch Notes)

The presence of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, especially as elegantly represented in Alma 36, is a powerful, irrefutable internal witness of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon!

Alma chapter 36

What good fathers do for their children

            At the conclusion of chapter 35, we read, Alma, being grieved for the iniquity of his people, … his heart was exceedingly sorrowful. Therefore, he caused that his sons should be gathered together, that he might give unto them every one his charge, separately, concerning the things pertaining unto righteousness. And we have an account of his commandments, which he gave unto them according to his own record. (35:15-16).

            Fathers teach and bless their children! Sometimes fathers default the teaching of their children to their wives, the mothers of the children, or to the Church (though less so in the current environment.) Fathers need to step up and fulfill their responsibility to teach their children the gospel and to counsel and bless them. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of the children. (The Family: A Proclamation to the World) It comes naturally for mothers to nurture their children, but it doesn’t always come naturally for fathers to teach their children. Alma is a great example of this.

            Alma was a diligent and devoted father. He had worked and traveled with these sons. He trusted them among his missionary companions when he went to Antionum in an effort to correct the situation with the Zoramites there. Alma knew the needs and characters of each of these individual sons. While his words to them do not sound to our ears like patriarchal blessings, in an important way these chapters preserve the father’s blessings given by Alma to his boys. Alma the Elder was a good father to Alma the Younger, and he in turn was a faithful father to these three sons.

            When Alma wrote out these lessons, he apparently took great thought and care for their wording and content. He certainly worked with the Spirit, and he also worked with his literary skills. He was giving his very best in every way, even though his remarks were likely only for his three sons. That is really the audience here, isn’t sit? One son for each of his three messages. What does that tell you about the time, preparation, and attention that we ought to give when we sit down to write a letter to our children? Would we be better parents if we wrote the kind of wisdom literature Alma gave to Helaman, Shiblon, and Corianton?

            Welch Notes

Alma’s conversion story

            In 30 verses, Alma tells his son Helaman the story of his being stopped in his tracks by an angel and the mental, emotional and spiritual anguish he suffered for three days until he remembered his father speaking of “one” Jesus Christ “a” Son of God. When he thought of Christ and cried out to Him, Alma tells Helaman that I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. He then goes on in a parallel fashion to his description of his agony and pain before he reached out to Christ and contrasts it with the joy and peace he felt after crying to the Savior. These 30 verses are a classic! I don’t feel inclined to dissect them verse by verse. It seems almost disrespectful to do so, like dissecting the Lord’s Prayer, the Gettysburg Address or the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Instead I’ll make just a few observations about these verses.

            Alma was in real pain after the visit of the angel and before he turned to the Savior. The imagery of being harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins is graphic.[1] A farmer uses a harrow to break up the soil and make it more amenable for planting. I don’t know if they used the rack for torture in Alma’s time, but in Medieval times, the rack was a device for stretching the body of the victim and inflicting excruciating pain. And yet, after turning to Christ, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! He continues the contrast, there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. … on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

            Note that it was not until Alma in his frenzied, tormented mind remembered that his father had prophesied of "one" Jesus Christ, "a" Son of God (The use of those words shows that Alma certainly was not acquainted with Christ personally at the time of his conversion.) and called upon Jesus Christ that he found relief. When he connected with Christ, he could remember his pains no more. It wasn't that he could remember his sins no more. I'm sure he retained a memory of his sins for the rest of his life, but the pain and anguish of his sinful life was taken from him by Christ.[2]

I, the Lord, remember them no more

I believe that the scripture in D&C 58:42, Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more, is incorrectly interpreted by many people. They think that, if they can still remember their sins, they haven't been forgiven for them. But it is the "pain" of our sins which "harrows" up our souls that is removed from us by the atonement of Christ, not the memory. In fact, there is protective value in retaining a memory of our sins, so that we hopefully won't make the same mistakes again.

As a priesthood leader, I’ve had people who are struggling to repent express the feeling that they must not be forgiven because they can still remember their sins. That’s not how it works. We will remember some of our sins for the rest of our lives, but the Savior takes away the pain. That’s when we know that we have been forgiven and it can come early in the repentance process. Many people think that sinning and then repenting are like hiking to the bottom of a deep canyon and then hiking back out, that going down is easy but it is much, much harder coming up. But that’s not how it is. Just turning around, turning to the Savior, is halfway home. As we climb up from the bottom of the canyon of sin, we climb with the Savior. Sometimes, He even carries us. Like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), who after he came to himself, turned around and began the journey home, when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are waiting for us to repent. As soon as we turn around, They are there to walk with us and, when necessary, even carry us.

Well-meaning teachers, in referring to the scripture above from D&C 58, teach that the Savior “forgets” our sins when we repent of them. I believe that is a misinterpretation of the scripture. It doesn’t say that He “forgets our sins”; the scripture says that He “remembers them no more.” Remembering is an active mental process. The Savior has such complete, perfect control over His memory that He chooses not to remember our sins. I don't think that the Savior has holes like Swiss cheese in His memory from all of the sins of the people which He has forgiven and forgotten. He knows all things and hasn't actually forgotten anything. Rather, I believe that He actively and lovingly chooses not to “remember” our sins, meaning not to think about them or bring them up. He has such control over His mind that when He sees us at the judgment bar, He will not recall or mention to us the sins of which we have repented, sins for which He has paid the price and forgiven us. When I meet Him one day, I don’t expect Him to say, “Wow, Rich, we went through some tough ones together! Remember the time you …? I didn’t know if you were going to make it that time, but I’m glad you did!” No, I don’t expect Him to even mention sins from which I have repented and for which He has paid the price.

We also will remember them no more

There is a corollary to this doctrine that I’d like to share here because it may be helpful to someone who may read this someday. I believe that one day, we will, like the Savior, also have complete control over our minds and what we choose to remember. I recall having a temple recommend interview with a good brother who had struggled to overcome and had repented of his pornography addiction. He was worthy of the temple recommend I had just signed. After handing it to him, he said, “But, president, I am still troubled by images from the past. Sometimes they come into my mind when I don’t want to recall them. Will I always be troubled by them?” I quoted to him this verse from D&C 58 and promised him that one day, he, like the Savior, will “remember them no more.” He will have complete control over his mind and one of the gifts of the atonement of the Savior to him and all repentant sinners is that, like the Savior, he will “remember them no more.” As I said that to him, a thought I’d never had before and was put into my mind, I believe, by the Spirit, I knew it was true. Alma warned the people of Zarahemla that, if they didn’t repent, they would have a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness. (Alma 5:18) On the other hand, if we have truly repented of our sins, we will “remember them [our sins and wickedness] no more.”

We don’t have to repent of our weaknesses

            Another observation I'd like to make about repentance is that we don't have to repent of our weaknesses. (This concept, a powerful truth, was first taught to me by Wendy Ulrich, a contemporary LDS author and psychologist.) We repent of our sins and they are forgiven through the mercy of the atonement of Christ. The atonement is also for our weaknesses, but we don't have to repent of our weaknesses. Rather, our weaknesses make us humble and, if we come to Christ, He will make us strong through His grace (His enabling power). (See Ether 12:27)

There is a spectrum in our lives of effects of the Fall the extends from sin (our choices that violate commandments of God) on one extreme to weakness (aspects of our lives which are not because of our choices, such as physical or mental illness, depression, etc.) at the other extreme. All of the effects of the Fall in our lives are on this spectrum. Some are more toward the sin end of the spectrum - things we do wrong over which we have control but do them anyway. Some are more toward the weakness end of the spectrum - things about ourselves that are a problem for us but not because of our choices. The atonement of Christ is sufficient for the whole spectrum. The Savior descended below them all! (D&C 122:8)

Some aspects of the Fall in our life may begin as sin and end up as a weakness, such as an addiction. It may begin as a willful violation of the Word of Wisdom but end up as a weakness which the addicted smoker, alcoholic or drug user hates in himself or herself but can't conquer, except by the enabling power of the atonement (grace). On the other hand, a person may discover that they have same gender attraction, a weakness, of no choice of their own, but it is not a sin unless they act upon it and violate the law of chastity. Again, the atonement is sufficient for the whole spectrum.

A simple way to think of the difference between mercy and grace is as follows: Mercy is when we don’t get the things (punishment) we do deserve. On the other hand, grace is when we do get the things (enabling power) which we don’t deserve. Both grace and mercy come because of the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ individually applied in each of our lives. The sum of grace and mercy through the power of the atonement of Christ is sufficient to overcome all of the effects of the Fall in our lives. Oh, it is wonderful!

Alma is the poster child of being born again

            After his three days and three nights of suffering and repenting, Alma finally arose. He later tells his son, Helaman, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.

             I have said before that, if Nephi is the poster child of obedience (and he is!), then Alma the Younger is the poster child of being born again (and he is!). His experience is the classic model of spiritual rebirth. Like Saul of Tarsus, who was also born again and became Paul the Apostle and missionary, Alma is a model of the process of spiritual rebirth.

            But there is one caution to express here. President Benson said it best, We must be cautious as we discuss these remarkable examples. Though they are real and powerful, they are the exception more than the rule. For every Paul, [for every Alma], for every Enos, and for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds and thousands of people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life.” (“A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, October 1989, p. 5.)

            President Kimball made a similar statement applying it to the process of revelation, The burning bushes, the smoking mountains, … the Cumorahs, and the Kirtlands were realities; but they were the exceptions. The great volume of revelation came to Moses and to Joseph and comes to today’s prophet in the less spectacular way — that of deep impressions, without spectacle or glamour or dramatic events. Always expecting the spectacular, many will miss entirely the constant flow of revealed communication. (Spencer W. Kimball, Munich Germany Area Conference, 1973, 77.)

            The experience of Alma the Younger, as recounted in Mosiah 27, Alma 36 and Alma 38, is spectacular to be sure! But we don’t have to have an experience like his to be truly born again. As Pres. Kimball implied, if we are “always expecting the spectacular”, we may miss many of the most important spiritual moments and opportunities for spiritual growth in our lives. I’ve never had an experience like that of Alma the Younger in my life, but I, like Alma, have been born again, born of the Spirit, born of Christ, who is the Father of my spiritual rebirth. The creation of the earth included the creation of “great rivers and small streams.” Alma is a great river. I am a small stream by comparison. But we are both part of the miracle of God’s work on this earth. And you are, too! Most, if not all of you who are reading this now, have been born again. You have not likely had an experience like Alma’s, but I suspect you can point to experiences in your life, as I can in mine, when you have felt the “touch of the Master’s hand” and your life has been changed. Hang on to those experiences and stay on the covenant path. If you do, you and Alma will one day end up in the same glorious place. I hope to be there with you!

Alma chapter 37

Helaman commanded to care for the plates and other precious treasures

            Having told his conversation story in elegant, chiastic detail to Helaman, Alma now turns to business. Helaman will be his successor as high priest of the Church and keeper of the sacred records and other sacred treasures.

            By the way, we learn later (Alma 50:37-38) that Nephihah, the second chief judge, died, having filled the judgment-seat with perfect uprightness before God. Nevertheless, he had refused Alma to take possession of those records and those things which were esteemed by Alma and his fathers to be most sacred; therefore Alma had conferred them upon his son, Helaman.

            Alma tried to give the records to Nephihah so they would be passed down in the lineage of the chief judges, but Nephihah refused. Our Book of Mormon would be quite different today if he had not refused. Gratefully, the records were kept by an unbroken lineage of prophets from Alma to Moroni and we are blessed by their writings and Mormon’s abridgment thereof.

            The Welch Notes for this week include an excellent graphic chart of all of the record keepers of the Book of Mormon from Nephi to Moroni. I’ve given you the reference to Welch’s Notes above. Since I can’t copy that figure into this blog post/email, I will reproduce a portion of it for you. I hope you will find it useful. I learned a lot by studying this chart. You may learn something, too. I hope that the columns and spacing will work on the device you are using to view this. The chart in Welch’s Notes begins with Nephi (1), but I will begin with Alma (1), the father of Alma the Younger. You can look up the chart to go backward from Alma (1), if you want. Here we go:

Record Keeper                      Appox. Dates             Approx. Age at Death

Alma(1)                                  120-91 BC                  83

Alma (2)                                 91-73 BC                    55 (translated?)

Helaman (2)                           73 - 57 BC                  40

Shiblon                                   57-53   BC                   42       

Helaman (3)                           53-39 BC                    37

Nephi (2)                                39 BC – 1 AD             67 (in 13 AD)

Nephi (3)                                1 – 60 AD                   90

Nephi (4)                                60-110 AD                  ?

Amos (1)                                 110 – 194 AD             104

Amos (2)                                 194 – 305 AD             131

Ammaron                              305 – 320 AD             130 (plates were hidden for 15 years)

Mormon (2)                           335 – 385 AD             90 (killed by Lamanites in 401 AD)

Moroni (2)                             385 – 421 AD             61 (“soon go to rest” 421 AD)

            I hope you find that chart helpful. Notice how short the lifespans of these record keepers were before the coming of Christ and how long they were during the “mini-Millennium” after His ministry among these people. You might wonder about some of the numbers after the names of some of the keepers of the plates as I did. I had to look some of them up to find out that, for instance, Mormon’s father was also named Mormon. (Mormon 1:5)

By small and simple things

            In speaking about the Plates of Brass, Alma says to Helaman, by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; … the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

            One of the errors of the Jews at the time of Jesus was their propensity for “looking beyond the mark.” Jacob wrote, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark. (Jacob 4:14) We need to be careful to not be like they were. Sometimes, we look beyond the small, simple but important things in our lives and focus on big issues about which we can do nothing. I once heard the advice to “think globally but act locally.” It’s ok for us to be aware of large issues in the world around us, a viral pandemic, racial tension, etc., but, if we allow ourselves to be consumed in those things to the exclusion of the important relationships nearest to us in our own homes and families, then we are looking beyond the mark.

            Elder Cook, while still a Seventy, gave a great talk on this idea and warned about pursuing gospel hobbies and the philosophies of men. Here is the link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2003/03/looking-beyond-the-mark

            Millet and McConkie also provide some excellent insight on this point in their Commentary on these verses:

            “We observe vast, sweeping world events,” Elder M. Russell Ballard remarked; “however, we must remember that the purposes of the Lord in our personal lives generally are fulfilled through the small and simple things, and not the momentous and spectacular” (Ensign, May 1990, p. 6). We must remember that “the lengthy trek to Zion is accomplished one step at a time. Just as we do not generally bound into the celestial kingdom after only a brief mortal experience and testing, so also we do not qualify to be called a disciple of Christ by monumental moves alone.  . . .

Well might we ask: If the Prophet Joseph had asked me to journey to Missouri, would I have gone? If the Lord had called me to serve as an Apostle, would I have accepted? If I were asked to tend the children or grandchildren of the members of the First Presidency, would I hesitate? If I had been bidden to attend the School of the Prophets, would I take along my scriptures, study and prepare ahead of time, and attend regularly? If my call to serve as a home or visiting teacher had come to me through an open vision, would I accept? Would I be faithful?” (Robert L. Millet, An Eye Single to the Glory of God, pp. 73, 76.)

“You can put it down in your little black book,” Elder Boyd K. Packer has warned us, “that if you will not be loyal in the small things, you will not be loyal in the large things. If you will not respond to the so-called insignificant or menial tasks which need to be performed in the Church and Kingdom, there will be no opportunity for service in the so-called greater challenges. A man who says he will sustain the President of the Church or the General Authorities, but cannot sustain his own bishop, is deceiving himself. The man who will not sustain the bishop of his ward and the president of his stake will not sustain the President of the Church.” (“Follow the Brethren,” BYU Speeches of the Year, 1965, pp. 4–5, italics added.)

President Joseph F. Smith observed, “To do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all mankind, is the truest greatness” (Gospel Doctrine, pp. 285–86).

In this context, the so-called “Sunday School answers” of study, pray, attend church, keep the commandments, etc. really do make sense. The counsel from our current stake leaders in the stake where we live in Holladay, UT, is to devote ourselves to “daily discipleship.” What excellent advice! When I was interviewed by Elders Zwick and Pingree in 2007 as one of several brethren being considered for leadership in a new stake presidency, they asked me what I thought the stake members needed. My answer then (and still is) was that we need to return to and focus on the basics in our lives – meaningful prayer, conscientious gospel study, worshipful Sabbath observance, faithful temple attendance and diligent effort to live the gospel in our personal lives and homes – the “small and simple things.”

Wise counsel from a loving father

            Alma had considered carefully what he would like to say to Helaman. He even wrote it down (before giving it or after.) And aren’t we grateful that he did!

            He had important things to tell Helaman about the Plates of Brass, about the interpreters, the Liahona and the 24 gold plates of Ether. He gave all of these sacred artifacts to Helaman for his safe keeping with the counsel see that ye take care of these sacred things. They were safely kept by Helaman and a succession of prophets until the time of Moroni, who showed at least some of them to Joseph Smith and the Three Witnesses. Someday, they will probably be on display in the Church History Museum or some other safe place where they can be viewed by all who wish to see them. But for now, we accept the testimony of other witnesses that they really do still exist. I certainly believe they do!

            I’ll close my comments on Alma’s words to Helaman by quoting this wonderful advice from a father to a worthy son, and to all of us:

            O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

I’m not sure a mortal father ever gave his son better advice. I know from personal experience that, when we counsel with the Lord, He will direct us for good. I just need to learn to counsel with Him “in all [my] doing.” Too often, I rely on the “arm of flesh” and try to figure it out for myself.

Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers. (D&C 112:10)

            At the close of his tender interview with Helaman, in the Book of Mormon video, they embrace as father and son and Alma asks Helaman to invite his brother, Shiblon, to come in.

Alma chapter 38

Alma’s counsel to his son Shiblon

             We can learn a lot from some of the lesser-known figures in the Book of Mormon – Sam, the older but lesser known brother of Nephi, Lehi the worthy but younger brother of Nephi, (sons of Helaman) and Shiblon, the second son of Alma. As a lesser known younger brother, I can relate, and I’m fine with it. Not many of us will ever be a Nephi or an Alma, but we can be like Sam or Shiblon (or their female counterparts.) We can learn important things from Alma’s counsel to his second son, Shiblon.

            Notice first that Alma’s counsel was individualized for each of his sons. Each received very different counsel. Alma knows his son Shiblon well! Take note of the positive adjectives he applies to Shiblon at the beginning of his counsel to his son. Alma describes him as: steady, faithful, diligent, patient, and long-suffering – all good qualities! We learn that Shiblon was stoned by the wicked Zoramites while on his mission there with his father and brother. I had wondered about that short segment in the Book of Mormon video that showed a young missionary jumping over a wall while Zoramites were throwing rocks at him. It turns out that the missionary was Shiblon and the segment shows up again in the video for this week as Alma counsels Shiblon.

            Alma gives his son a powerful patriarchal promise, As much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day. Wonderful promise! I believe that it is true for us as well as for him.

            Alma then recounts for his son, as he did for Helaman, the story of his conversion adding this testimony of Christ: There is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.

            Because he knows him well, this loving father also has some cautionary counsel for his son Shiblon. I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things. See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength. Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.

            It appears that Shiblon may be struggling a bit with pride and overbearance. His loving father has observed this in his son and cautions him to beware of these pitfalls.

Bridle all your passions

            What an interesting phrase, Alma’s counsel to “bridle all your passions!” He didn’t tell Shiblon to extinguish all his passions but to “bridle” them. To bridle a horse is to put a bit in its mouth so its head can be turned with the reins to guide it where to go. Similarly, young people (especially hormone-rich young men) need to put the “bit in the mouth” of their passions so they can control them and direct them for good. You may be familiar with the famous quote by Will and Ariel Durant,

A youth boiling with hormones will wonder why he should not give full freedom to his sexual desires; and if he is unchecked by custom, morals, or laws, he may ruin his life before he matures sufficiently to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group.

            The Lessons of History (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1968), pp. 35–36

            We will talk next week about Alma’s advice to his third son, Corianton, who had trouble controlling this “river of fire.”

            Imagine what it would mean to our society if all youth and adults could and would “bridle all their passions” to control this “river of fire” and keep it “within the bounds the Lord has set.” It would mean no infidelity in marriage, no promiscuity in youth before marriage or in single adults, no pornography, no sexual abuse of children or others, no incest, no lust, no prostitution, no sex trafficking, no sexually transmitted diseases, far fewer divorces and far few broken homes and broken hearts.

            Perhaps inspired by next week’s Come, Follow Me lesson from the Book of Mormon, the Ensign for the month of August focuses on “Talking About Sexuality from a Gospel Perspective” and includes several helpful and appropriate articles, including an excellent article by our good friends and neighbors, Elder Dale and Sister Ruth Renlund. Isn’t it wonderful that our Church is open about such an important subject and provides excellent resources to help parents appropriately and thoughtfully teach and counsel their children in this most important area!

            Alma’s final counsel to his son Shiblon is, may the Lord bless your soul, and receive you at the last day into his kingdom, to sit down in peace. Now go, my son, and teach the word unto this people. Be sober. My son, farewell.

            From all we can tell, Shiblon stays faithful and follows his father’s counsel. As seen in the chart above, he became custodian of the plates for a brief period of time between the stewardships of Helaman (2) and his son Helaman (3). Shiblon is later mentioned among other righteous brethren leading the Church in Alma 49:30. And shortly before he dies, Mormon writes of Shiblon, He was a just man, and he did walk uprightly before God; and he did observe to do good continually, to keep the commandments of the Lord his God; and also did his brother. (By the way, this last reference is interesting. It probably applies to Corianton, indicating to us that he had repented and was on the gospel path at this time. More about him next week.)

Final thoughts

            Aren’t we grateful that Alma was a diligent father and gave inspired counsel to his sons? And aren’t we grateful that he was conscientious enough to write down that counsel for our benefit?

Aren’t we grateful for the discovery of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon as a powerful, irrefutable witness of its authenticity? And aren’t we grateful for the preservation of the sacred records through generations of faithful record keepers, kings and prophets so that we might have the benefit of this most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion in order that we might get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book? (Introduction to the Book of Mormon)

I’m grateful for the Book of Mormon, for the faithful record keepers who recorded their stories, counsel and testimonies, for the Prophet Mormon who organized it with a vision of our day and its challenges and for the Prophet Joseph and his scribes who brought it to us in our day. I know that it is true. I don’t know everything about the archeology, geography or anthropology of the Book of Mormon lands and peoples, but my witness of its truth comes from the unimpeachable source of the Holy Ghost. The Book of Mormon is true! And the truth is the truth – regardless of where we stand in relation to it!

Thanks for reading!

Richard

Endnotes

---

[1] There could be nothing . . . so bitter as were my pains

The violation of God’s law requires punishment. In so saying we but echo the testimony of Lehi and Alma, who both reasoned that unless a penalty followed the breaking of divine law, the law would be nothing more than the figment of someone’s imagination. (See 2 Nephi 2:10–13; Alma 42:16–18.) Modern revelation assures us that this is the case, declaring that the unrepentant must suffer even as Christ suffered. “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink” (D&C 19:18).

What, then, of those who accept Jesus as the Christ and allow his infinite and eternal sacrifice to stand in the stead of the suffering just described? Are such excused from all suffering? Contrary to much in the Christian world tradition, the answer is no. True repentance, which centers in faith in Christ and his atoning sacrifice, still requires sufficient suffering on the part of those desiring to repent to make them one in mind and soul with the Savior. The blessings of salvation, though freely given, cannot be wholly undeserved. In all things we must unite our best effort with him who sacrificed all. The testimony of holy writ is that without suffering there is no repentance.

            Millet & McConkie, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon

[2] Remember the pain no more

            True repentance requires that we surrender the memory of the sin, not in the sense that we are without the knowledge that we once transgressed but rather in the sense that we have laid down the burden, that our confidence might now wax strong in the presence of the Lord (see 2 Nephi 10:20). If Alma was without any memory whatsoever of his sin, he could not have given this recitation to Helaman. We must retain sufficient memory of the pain to avoid a repetition of the suffering. Still, as we grow in the things of the Spirit, that which is forgiven is to be forgotten. It is not true repentance when we cling to a sensuous memory in whose mental replaying we find delight. “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” (D&C 58:42–43.)

            Millet & McConkie, Commentary

#44 July 13 – July 19, Alma 32-35

No accidents in the Book of Mormon

            In Alma chapters 30 and 31, we learned about the “good” bad examples of two kinds of apostasy, the secular heresies of Korihor and the proud perversions of the Zoramites. We talked about how the truth can sometimes be best taught by “contraries,” meaning by opposites. It is no accident that these two chapters about false doctrines are followed with some of the most sublime chapters of true doctrine in the Book of Mormon and all of scripture. Mormon was certainly inspired to juxtapose these chapters next to each other for contrast and more powerful effect.

            In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. (D&C 6:28) As in Ammonihah, Alma and Amulek, faithful missionary companions, lock arms to jointly witness to the people of Antionum, both to the rich and proud and to the poor and humble, about humility, faith, prayer, the Savior, atonement and the importance of doing the will of the Lord. Unfortunately, only the poor and humble Zoramites were receptive to their message.

            Their presentation was not just a random collection of doctrines and precepts. They had very carefully planned what they wanted to share. Missionaries spend a lot of time in companionship study and planning so they can be united with what they teach and how the message is presented. Alma and Amulek planned well. John Welch points out in his Notes for this week that their teachings form a sort of chiasmus. They each talk about the same basic doctrines, but in reverse order. This is how he worked it out:

Alma’s words in Alma 32–33 teach the following five main points: 

1. The importance and blessings of being humble, even if it is a result of afflictions, mistreatment, and being cast out by others (32:6–16), 

2. How true faith is obtained and its eternal fruit enjoyed (32:17–43), 

3. The proper modes of prayer and worship, crying unto God in the wilderness and closet (33:2–11), 

4. Believing on the Son of God (as taught by Zenos, Zenoch, and Moses) brings healing, not perishing, through the redemption of the Son of God that atones for their sins (33:12–21), and 

5. The content of “the word” that should be planted in the heart (33:21–23). 

Amulek’s second witness recapitulates and enhances these same points in the opposite order:

5. Admonishing them to “plant the word in your hearts” (34:4),

4. Believing in Christ, the Son of God, as testified by Zenos, Zenoch, and Moses (34:5–7), and how faith in Christ’s infinite atonement affords repentance and salvation (34:8–16),

3. The proper content of prayer, crying unto God in the wilderness and closet (34:17–26), as well as not turning away the needy (34:2–29),

2. Bringing forth fruit unto repentance and righteousness (34:30–36), and 

1. Humbling yourself, worshipping God patiently in whatever place you may be (34:38), even if you are afflicted and cast out (34:39–41).

The intertextual dynamic of these two mutually reinforcing texts is marvelously and deeply impressive.

https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/welch/2020-07-09/alma_32-35_formatted.pdf      

Amazing!

Alma Chapter 32

The Zoramite Mission

            After receiving priesthood blessings from their leader Alma, the “dream team” of missionaries (Alma, Amulek, Zeezrom, Ammon, Aaron, Omni, Shiblon and Corianton) goes forth to teach the people of Antionum, the Zoramites. (Note that the Zoramites are no longer Nephites. They have separated themselves from the Nephites.) What did these missionaries do? They did what all faithful missionaries do. They did go forth and began to preach the word of God unto the people, entering into their synagogues, and into their houses; yea, and even they did preach the word in their streets. With the exception of Corianton’s escapades with Isabel, we don’t learn anything about the labors of any of the other brethren except Alma and Amulek. We assume they were also diligent in their labors and had some success among the Zoramites. All we learn is that after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of people.

The poor of the Zoramites

            Now, as Alma was teaching and speaking unto the people upon the hill Onidah, there came a great multitude unto him, … [many] of whom were poor in heart, because of their poverty as to the things of the world. The spokesman for this multitude pleads with Alma, What shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do?

            Alma responds, Do ye suppose that ye cannot worship God save it be in your synagogues only? … [and] that ye must not worship God only once in a week?

            What is worship? It is more than just “going to church.” In this pandemic era, we’ve had to discover other meaningful ways to worship when we can’t attend Sunday church meetings, at least, not in the usual way. Millet & McConkie have some good observations on worship in their Commentary. See the endnotes.[1]

            I suggest you take time to watch the Book of Mormon video for Alma 31-34. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/alma-31-34/2020-03-0700-alma-and-amulek-teach-about-faith-in-jesus-christ-alma-31-34-1080p

            This video, like all the others, is well done! In it, you will see the poor of the Zoramites excluded from the Zoramite synagogue because of the way they are dressed. (Lori and I both wondered how the missionaries got in. They weren’t dressed much better!)

            Edwin Markham wrote:

He drew a circle that shut me out -

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But love and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle that took him in!

What kinds of circles do we draw? Are there people who might join with us in our wards and branches if we accepted them and took them in? But instead, do they feel shunned or left out because of their clothes, skin color, tattoos, hair style, education (or lack thereof) or for any other reason?

One of our daughters served a mission in the Houston, Texas, area. One couple they taught (and who were later baptized) admitted to the missionaries that the first time they came to church in their local Houston ward, they deliberately “dressed down” to see if they would be accepted. They were welcomed, fellowshipped and loved on their first visit. It made all the difference!

We only get one chance to accept people for who they are on our first encounter. As I’ve quoted before from Elder Maxwell (paraphrasing), “The gospel net gathers all kinds. And when they come, it is a ‘come as you are’ event.” We need to meet people, wherever they are, and draw circles which welcome them and help them see how the gospel is relevant for them and their lives. The priests in the Zoramite synagogues certainly missed the message!

Humility – preparation to hear the word

            Alma turned him about and beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word. He says to them, I behold that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye.

            Humility is the best preparation to hear the word of the Lord. Or, put another way, without humility, we will never be open to hearing the word of the Lord. In speaking of pride last week with reference to the Zoramites and their apostate, proud worship on the Rameumptom, I referred to the landmark address by Pres. Benson in which he said that pride is the “gateway sin” to all of the other sins. If that is true of pride, and I agree with Pres. Benson, then humility is the “gateway virtue” that opens the door to the other virtues in our lives. Without humility, we are not teachable and feel no need for change. With humility, we recognize the gap between who we are and who we can become with the Lord’s help and are willing to do whatever it takes to close that gap.

            Alma tells these poor Zoramites that it is good that they were cast out of your synagogues because it has made them humble.

            Because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.

Humility leads to a chain reaction of good things. Humility -> repentance -> mercy -> endure to the end -> salvation. Humility is the first step. But it’s even better, if we aren’t compelled to be humble by our circumstances (external forces.) Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God. It is better to be internally motivated by our own righteous desires without compulsion to be humble.

One problem with humility is that, just when we finally overcome pride and become humble (How would I know?) and recognize our humility, i.e. when we become proud of how humble we are, we have lost the humility we seek. Humility is an elusive but essential key to spiritual progression.

Definition of faith

            Alma goes on to teach the humble poor of the Zoramites about faith. He gives them a profound definition of faith:

            And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

            Being inspired by the same source, Paul defined faith as Now​​​faith​ is the ​​​substance​ of things ​​​hoped​ for, the ​​​evidence​ of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

            Notice some important aspects of faith:

It is not a perfect knowledge.

It is associated with hope.

It relates to things we can’t see.

It is founded on things that are true.

            Stephen Nadauld, former member of the Seventy from 1991 to 1996, wrote a small but excellent book about faith titled Justified by Faith. In this book, he expanded the definition of faith in an interesting way. Building on the JST version of Hebrews 11:1, he gave this definition of faith:

            Having faith is having or accepting the assurance of things hoped for, and having or accepting the evidence of things not seen.

            Bro. Nadauld goes on to note that: Assurances may be both (1) mortal and (2) heavenly; and evidences may be both (1) macro and (2) micro. With these additions, he arrives at a more complete definition of faith than is found in either Hebrews or Alma:

            Having faith is having or accepting mortal assurances and heavenly assurances of things hoped for, and having or accepting macroevidence and microevidence of things not seen.

            Examples of “macroevidence” include God’s creations, the scriptures – especially the Book of Mormon - and events that demonstrate the hand of God. Examples of “microevidence” include spiritual experiences of others, such as prophets, and our own personal spiritual experiences.

            He then goes on to expand “assurances” into mortal and heavenly sources of assurance. After doing so, his final definition of faith is:

            Faith is having or accepting mortal assurances from priesthood [and other] leaders, family members, and friends, and heavenly assurances from the Holy Ghost, that Christ lived, atoned for our sins, was resurrected, and promises eternal life. Faith is accepting macroevidence of God in the form of his creations, the scriptures, and significant events, and microevidence in the form of personal spiritual experiences.

            Very interesting! I think Alma would agree with this development of the definition of faith.

Millet & McConkie in their Commentary also have some excellent comments on faith. I’ll include them in the endnotes.[2]

Experiment upon the Word

            Alma (and later Amulek) is going to tell these humble Zoramites that they can worship outside of the synagogue and that the object of their worship must be the Son of God. He admits to them that as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.

            To help them develop faith and eventually knowledge, Alma is going to describe to them an experiment which they can perform. It is masterful!

            If ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

            What is the word? The word is that salvation is in Christ. A little over 100 years after Alma, John will write, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1). So faith “in the word” is actually faith in Christ Himself, the Word, not just in teachings about Him.

Alma invites the Zoramites to perform an experiment to find out if salvation truly is in Christ. Even if they only “desire to believe”, let that desire work within them. The experiment to test the truth of the seed is pretty simple. Plant the seed. Don’t cast it out by unbelief. If it grows, it is a good seed. How will you know that it is growing? If it be a true seed, or a good seed, … behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

            Good gospel seeds cause us to have positive, warm, comforting, swelling, and peaceful feelings within. They feel good. They become “delicious.” Not only do we have good feelings, but our understanding, our mind, is enlightened and expanded. The Spirit speaks to us in our minds and in our hearts (see D&C 8).

            Once we have these feelings, we know that the seed is good. We have tried the experiment. We no longer have to apply faith to try the experiment. We know. In this specific matter, because we tried the experiment and observed the result, we have perfect knowledge.

            This experimental model can be applied in many areas of faith and testimony. For the outcast Zoramites, the question was whether salvation would be in Christ or if they should look for another. But we can use this model to test all gospel questions in our lives as we “grow up” unto the Lord. (D&C 109:15) We can use this model to test doctrinal questions, behavior challenges and current teachings of our leaders. We only need to have the humility and sufficient faith to plant the seed and then nourish it.

We must nourish the growing plant

But, if we want to enjoy the fruits of the seed, we must nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if [we] nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

            On the other hand, if we neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

            We have seen this pattern too many times in new converts to the Church. They try the experiment by planting the gospel seed and it grows. The Book of Mormon, at least the part they have read, feels true. The church members are friendly. They feel good when they attend. The missionaries have a wonderful spirit. The seed is good and so they are baptized. But, if they don’t nourish the suckling plant, “when the heat of the sun” comes, and for sure it will – opposition from friends, family and others, anti-LDS information on the Internet, members and leaders who aren’t perfect, etc. – the newness wears off, their plant begins to wither and may die. If it does, they may later reshape their thinking and claim that the seed wasn’t good, but it was! The plant which sprouted just couldn’t grow without nourishment.

            Unfortunately, this pattern can also be seen in young people as they move from the excitement and idealism of their teenage years to young and mid adult years. If they do not nourish the growing plant of faith and testimony, it will wither and may die. If it does, they will reframe the story and say that it never was true.

            Even mature adults, if we let the cares of the world capture our attention and dominate our time and energy to the exclusion of matters of the Spirit, the plant of our testimony may begin to wither and wilt. We must nourish the living tree of faith and testimony all our lives!

            Millet & McConkie have some insightful comments on spiritual growth in their Commentary for these verses. I’ll include them in the endnotes.[3]

The fruit of the tree

            If we do nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by [our] faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

Eventually, [we] shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and [we] shall feast upon this fruit even until [we] are filled, that [we] hunger not, neither shall [we] thirst. Then, my brethren, [we] shall reap the rewards of [our] faith, and [our] diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto [us].

The fruit of this tree is the same as the fruit of the Tree of Life which Lehi and Nephi saw in their visions. It represents the Love of God. In the words of Nephi, Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. And [the Spirit] spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. (1 Nephi 11:22-23)

Alma Chapter 33

An appeal to past prophets

            After learning about faith and the fruit of the tree, these humble Zoramites want to know whether they should believe in one God, … how they should plant the seed and in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith.

            Alma now takes another direction and begins to teach them about Christ. In doing so, he quotes to them from two prophets, Zenos and Zenock, about whom we have no record. He must have been quoting from the Plates of Brass. (We learned about Zeno in Jacob 5 when we studied the allegory of the Olive Tree.)

            Alma first turns to Zenos and quotes his words on prayer and worship. Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness. Zenos teaches that we can pray in our fields, in our houses and even in our closets. (Amulek will pick up on this in the next chapter.)

Zenos concludes with a testimony of the Savior. Thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son.

You have to wonder why Zenos is not in the Old Testament. Could it be because he clearly teaches the divine Sonship of the Savior and that He is separate from the Father? That those teachings have been lost (or taken) from the Bible contributes to the Trinitarian concept of God that developed after the death of the Apostles.[4]

Alma also quotes Zenock, another Old Testament prophet from the Plates of Brass of whom we have no record, who also testifies of Christ. Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.

Finally, Alma turns to Moses and the episode of the fiery, flying serpents and the image on a pole that would save the people after they were bitten, if they would just look.

In conclusion to this part of his address, Alma encourages them to cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works.

This is the “word” which he invites them to the plant in their hearts and to try the experiment. His desire for them is that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son.

If the humble, cast out Zoramites will begin to believe in the Savior, who will come in less than 100 years, they will feel and know that belief in Christ and His atonement is a good seed which leads to eternal life. And as they do so, their burdens, like those of the people of Alma’s father and of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s, will be made light “through the joy of His Son.”

The same promise is true for us. The Savior invites us, Come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected. (D&C 45:46)

Alma Chapter 34

Testimony of Amulek

            Having delivered his powerful message, Alma sat down upon the ground, and Amulek arose and began to teach them. Amulek is amazing! We saw him in Ammonihah as he taught the people there. He has matured even more in gospel knowledge and in testimony. His teachings on prayer and the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ given to these humble Zoramites as recorded in this chapter are some of the most powerful on these subjects in all scripture. It’s pretty remarkable for a repentant less-active Church member! As I’ve written before, it’s easy to relate to Amulek. Not many of us will ever be an Alma, but we can all be like Amulek by humbling ourselves, following the prophet of our time as he did the prophet of his time and by putting our priorities in order. What a great example!

            Amulek begins with his powerful testimony of Christ. I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

            He goes on to teach about the atonement of Jesus Christ in some of the most sublime and most often-quoted words about the atonement ever spoken.

            It is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.

There can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.

What is the atonement of Jesus Christ?

In September 2018, while we were serving as missionaries in England and Wales, the Europe Area presidency organized a “21-day Book of Mormon reading challenge.” Each day for 21 days, there was a question to be answered from the Book of Mormon. Each day, I wrote a response to the question and shared it with local members and missionaries on FaceBook. On day 7, the question was, “What is the atonement of Jesus Christ?” and the B of M reference was Alma 34:8-41. I’d like to share with you here what I wrote then about these verses and about the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon is the "handbook" of the atonement of Jesus Christ! No other book, scripture or otherwise, teaches us as thoroughly and deeply the doctrines of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as does the Book of Mormon. Several of the prophets of the Book of Mormon contribute to our understanding of this profound and sacred doctrine. Their teachings on the Savior's atonement are like lovely pieces of a beautiful picture puzzle that fit perfectly together to help us understand this doctrine central to our theology. These verses in Alma 34 are some of the best in the whole Book of Mormon about the atonement of Christ. Interestingly, they are the words of Amulek, companion to Alma, the high priest. Amulek is a man who had not always been diligent in following the gospel but repented and became a strong advocate for the Messiah who would come. Amulek knew something about repentance and forgiveness through the atonement of Jesus Christ, so he knows whereof he speaks.

Pages, actually books, can and have been written in answer to the question for today, "What is the atonement of Jesus Christ?" One of the best of those books is The Infinite Atonement by Brother Tad Callister who [was then] serving as president of the Sunday School of the Church and is a former general authority Seventy. (Tad's mother and my mother are sisters, so he is my full cousin. He is about 3 months older than I, my closest age cousin. He is a wonderful man and a great scholar of the scriptures!) His book is an important contribution to our understanding of the atonement of Christ. I recommend it highly for those who are grounded in an understanding of the atonement from the scriptures, especially from the Book of Mormon.

In brief, the atonement of Jesus Christ is the sacred, infinite and eternal means by which all of the effects of the Fall of Man are overcome by the sacrifice of the infinite Son of God. His atonement conquers physical death through resurrection for all who have lived and will yet live on the earth. It also conquers spiritual death for all those who have faith and repent making it possible for them to return to the presence of God. Thus, through the atonement of Christ, we can become at one again with God our Heavenly Father. It accomplishes an at-one-ment of God with His sinful but repentant children.

The atonement of Christ not only conquers death, both physical and spiritual, but it overcomes all aspects of the Fall, including all of the weaknesses, shortcomings, disappointments and sorrows of mortality. It compensates for everything that is not fair in this life and sustains as we carry the burdens of our lives. (See Alma 7:11). Christ's atonement is for all of God's children who kept their First Estate and have come to this world or will yet come. It is wrought by the Father who "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16) and by the Son who was the willing Lamb. (See Jacob 4:5). Though the atonement was originally conceived and proposed by our loving Father to bring His children home, it bears the name of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who put the atonement into effect by His obedient sacrifice in Gethsemane and on the Cross. Thus, to refer to "the Atonement" without specifying that it is the "Atonement of Jesus Christ" is incomplete. In his general conference talk in April 2017, Pres. Nelson said:

"There is no amorphous entity called 'the Atonement' upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him."

Much more could be said about the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is a life-long quest to understand the many aspects of Christ's infinite atonement and to plumb the depths of the doctrines and insights attached thereto. I testify that Christ descended below all things (D&C 88:6) so that we won't have to and so that He can be with, comfort and strengthen us in every challenge and infirmity of life. Somehow, in His hours in Gethsemane, as an infinite being, time was suspended so that He could personally and intimately connect with each of us and there overcome for us and with us all of the effects of the Fall in our lives in order that, when we have faith in Him, continually repent, enter into a covenant relationship with Him through baptism and confirmation and maintain that covenant relationship by partaking of the sacrament weekly with a broken heart and contrite spirit, then His infinite atonement is personally effective in each of our lives and is sufficient to bring us home to our loving Father in Heaven and even to one day be as He is. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son and for His infinite atonement!

Amulek discourses on prayer

            After teaching about the atonement, Amulek picks up where Alma was in teaching about prayer and uses language similar to that of Zenos, which Alma has already quoted. Amulek gives us profound advice and counsel about prayer:

            Cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

            Humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.

            Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, …

            Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.

            Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

            Ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

            When you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually.

            It sounds to me like we can and ought to pray about anything and everything of importance to us in our lives – our flocks, our crops, our households, for mercy, etc. Profound counsel!

May my heart be turned to pray

            Several years ago, in preparation for a priesthood leadership opportunity, we had a family discussion about prayer. I was amazed at the insights and good advice from our children. Their input evolved into a document called “May My Heart be Turned to Pray”, a list of 14 suggestions to make our prayers more meaningful. If you’ll forgive me for quoting myself again in this blog post, I’d like to share that list with you. Here are the suggestions our family came up with. I hope they will be helpful to you: (And I hope the formatting will come out ok on your device.)

May My Heart Be Turned to Pray

·      Pray more often.

o   If you don’t pray regularly, pray at least once every day (morning or night).

o   If you now pray once a day, pray twice a day (morning and night.)

o   If you now pray twice or more a day, pray always.

·      Pray longer.

o   Pray as long as you usually do and then pray longer.

o   Keep praying after you finish saying the usual things you say.

·      Have a weekly special prayer

o   Have a special prayer each week (i.e. on Sunday) when you can pray as long as you like.

o   Reserve a special time and place for this prayer.

·      Pray out loud.

o   Find a secluded place for individual prayer on a regular basis and pray out loud.

·      Pray with pen and paper in front of you

o   Make notes during your prayer as you feel impressions and as you get answers. At the conclusion of your prayer, 

o   Write about your experience, i.e. impressions, thoughts, feelings, answers, insights, decisions, goals, etc.

·      Pray for individuals by name.

o   Personalize your prayers. Pray by name for family members, ministering families, missionaries, those in your Church stewardship, etc.

o   Pray specifically for their needs and listen for promptings how you can help to meet them. 

o   Pray for opportunities to bless people’s lives, for the discernment to know what to do and how to do it.

·      Say a “gratitude” prayer.

o   Devote a special prayer to only “thanking” and no “asking.”

·      Meditate and ponder.

o   On occasion or even frequently, turn off the TV, cell phone and remove any other distraction while you exercise, drive the car, work at home, etc. Turn on your mind and heart.

o   Talk with the Lord as you ponder. Listen for impressions. Think through problems and decisions to be made, and discuss them with the Lord.

·      Pray as a family.

o   Pray at least daily with the members of your family or others with whom you live.

·      Pray as a couple.

o   If married, pray at least daily with your spouse kneeling together and holding hands. Thank the Lord for each other and pray for your marriage.

·      Open your heart to the Lord.

o   Speak from your heart, not from some remote corner of your mind. Focus on the person with whom you are speaking.

o   Don’t offend the Lord by mindlessly repeating phrases of no meaning to you or which are overused and trite.

o   Let those who hear you pray out loud come to know your heart and your most tender feelings for the Lord.

o   Make every prayer meaningful and sincere.

o   Bear your testimony to the Lord in prayer. Affirm your faith in and love for Him, His Church and His prophets.

·      Pray for your leaders.

o   Pray for the Prophet.

o   Pray for your bishop, stake president and sister leaders.

·      Pray for missionary opportunities

o   Pray for missionary opportunities with those you meet.

o   Pray for the discernment to recognize those whose hearts are being prepared to receive the gospel and the humility and courage to approach them.

o   Pray for the full-time missionaries who serve among you as well as those sent from your family and stake.

Don’t turn away the needy

            As did King Benjamin, Amulek warns the Zoramites that, if we turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.

            I thought these Zoramites were the “poor and the needy” that we so often pray for. And yet, Amulek tells these poor, humbled Zoramites that they, too, must care for others and impart of their substance, if they have any to spare, to those in need. Otherwise, their prayers are in vain. His counsel applies to us, as well.

Don’t procrastinate your repentance

            Amulek concludes with an invitation to repent.

            I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

            Further he warns them, For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. … therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end.

            My understanding is that the “day of this life” is the day of the Second Estate, which includes the spirit world following this life. While we shouldn’t procrastinate our repentance until after death and we are told that repenting, especially overcoming the temptations of the flesh, is much harder in the world of spirits when we don’t have a physical body, nevertheless, repentance is possible in the spirit world. The day of this life is not over until resurrection and judgment. So for those who have loved ones who have passed into the spirit world without having been fully committed to the covenant path in this life, our hope is that they will have the opportunity to repent and move forward there. Only the Lord can judge if they have had sufficient opportunity in this life. I suspect most, if not all, who enter the spirit world incompletely prepared for the judgment will be given the chance to change. One thing I do know about the spirit world is that, if we leave this life with our covenants intact, the test is over. We will stay on the path there and will go on to our reward. It is a comforting thought. We don’t need to wonder or worry about our departed loved ones who were squarely on the covenant path when they left this life. They will stay on the path and make it home. What a comforting doctrine! (See also endnotes.[5])

Amulek’s final counsel to the Zoramites (and us)

            Amulek closes his masterful discourse with a series of invitations:

            Work out your salvation with fear before God,[6] …

            No more deny the coming of Christ, …

            Take upon you the name of Christ, …

            Worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, …

            Live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.

            Be watchful unto prayer continually, …

            Have patience, …

            Do not revile against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them; …

            Have patience, and bear with those afflictions, …

            Wonderful counsel! Great prophet!

Alma Chapter 35

Repentant Zoramites are cast out. Wicked Zoramites are angry.

            Having delivered their gospel message, the missionaries return to the land of Jershon. The wicked Zoramites are angry. They were angry because of the word, for it did destroy their craft; therefore they would not hearken unto the words. After secretly learning of the desires of the people, those who were in favor of the words which had been spoken by Alma and his brethren were cast out of the land; and they were many; and they came over also into the land of Jershon.

The remaining wicked Zoramites were angry with the people of Ammon who were in Jershon. They sent over unto the people of Ammon desiring them that they should cast out of their land all those who came over from them into their land. But Alma and his brethren did minister unto them. … The people of Ammon did not fear their words; therefore they did not cast them out, but they did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; and they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did administer unto them according to their wants.

The Zoramites join forces with the Lamanites and prepare to attack the land of Jershon, so the Nephites move the people of Ammon and the repentant Zoramites to the land of Melek. If you’ll look at the relational map (https://bom.byu.edu/download-bom-maps-in-hd/), you’ll see that Melek was much more strategically placed than Jershon to protect these pacifists from the invading Lamanites and Zoramites. We’ll read much more about the wars later. Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance. What a blessing to be instruments in the hands of God! Would that we all could be!

Nearing the end of Alma’s ministry

            After returning from the Zoramite mission, Alma, being grieved for the iniquity of his people, … his heart was exceedingly sorrowful. Therefore, he caused that his sons should be gathered together, that he might give unto them every one his charge, separately, concerning the things pertaining unto righteousness. And we have an account of his commandments, which he gave unto them according to his own record.

            The “charge” of Alma to each of his sons, Helaman, Shiblon and Corianton, referred to above, comprises the next seven chapters of the book of Alma and the next two weeks’ lessons in Come, Follow Me. After that, Alma will be with us for only two more chapters. Chapter 44 ends the writings of Alma on the Large Plates of Nephi. What a great prophet! We’ll say more about him before we say goodbye to this remarkable man.

Testimony

            We haven’t covered a lot of history this week, but we’ve discussed profound doctrines – humility, faith, atonement of Jesus Christ, prayer, serving others, enduring to the end, etc. If only for these chapters of discourse by Alma and Amulek, the Book of Mormon would be a treasure!

I am so grateful for this sacred record. I know that it is true. And because I know that the Book of Mormon is true, I also know that all the holy scriptures are true, and that God does inspire men and call them to his holy work in this age and generation, as well as in generations of old; Thereby showing that he is the same God yesterday, today, and forever. (D&C 20:11-12)

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s New Testament church restored. I know that Joseph Smith was God’s prophet to bring about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this dispensation and that Russell M. Nelson is God’s prophet for today. I am deeply grateful for the blessings of the Restoration in my life and to live in this time when the fulness of the gospel and priesthood ordinances are on the earth.

Thanks for reading! Lord bless you all!

Richard

Endnotes

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[1] Pure Worship

Pure worship, though enhanced by mood and atmosphere, is in reality a matter of the heart. Individuals worship God Almighty in spirit and in truth as they humble themselves before him, as they seek to know and abide by his will, as they ponder upon the glory in the wonders and beauty of his creations. “Deity is worshiped in prayer, song, sermon, and testimony; by the making of covenants, offering of sacrifices, performance of ordinances, and the participation in religious rituals and ceremonies; he is worshiped by man’s act of believing divine truths, by his being converted to them in their fulness; he may be worshiped in thought, word, and deed. But the most perfect of all worship comes from those who first believe the gospel, who then participate in its outward forms, and who finally keep the standards of personal righteousness that appertain to it.” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 849.) We also worship Christ the Lord through emulation, through imitation, through seeking to be like him: through serving others and growing in spiritual graces until that perfect day when we are endowed by him with the fulness of the glory of the Father (see D&C 93:12–20). Millet & McConkie, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon

[2] Faith

Faith is a process, a divine process built upon knowledge and understanding of eternal verities as well as upon personal righteousness. One may possess a slight amount of faith—having but little understanding of the principles of the gospel and living but a portion of the gospel law; or one may possess that quality and kind of faith which Joseph Smith called “faith unto life and salvation.” We must remember that Alma is speaking to a people with little or no faith. They must be instructed simply and plainly, must build their knowledge and witness of truth slowly but surely. They do not know of the Christ, of the necessity for the ordinances, or of the gifts and graces which are the companions of the Saints. They must be nurtured slowly. For them, faith and knowledge are almost at opposite ends of a continuum.

On the other hand, to those who already possess enough faith to have come out of the world, to have believed in the Lord Jesus and accepted the words of his anointed servants—to such the process of faith is grander and more expansive. These come to understand the nature and kind of being that God is, and in so doing they come to appreciate that faith is a principle of power which characterizes the work of God. God has all knowledge. God has all faith. By virtue of his omniscience and his omnipotence he commands that things come to pass. By virtue of his perfect faith, this virtue and principle of power, he has absolute confidence that his word will be fulfilled and his command realized.

“In the eternal sense,” Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written, “because faith is the power of God himself, it embraces within its fold a knowledge of all things. This measure of faith, the faith by which the worlds are and were created and which sustains and upholds all things, is found only among resurrected persons. It is the faith of saved beings. But mortals are in process, through faith, of gaining eternal salvation. Their faith is based on a knowledge of the truth, within the meaning of Alma’s statement that ‘faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things,’ but that men have faith when they ‘hope for things which are not seen, which are true.’ In this sense faith is both preceded and supplanted by knowledge, and when any person gains a perfect knowledge on any given matter, then as pertaining to that thing, he has faith no longer; or, rather, his faith is dormant; it has been supplanted by pure knowledge.” (New Witness, pp. 209–10.)

Millet & McConkie, Commentary

[3] Spiritual growth

The spirit has the same need for nourishment as the physical body. Spiritual health requires the same attention to diet as does its physical counterpart. Many are sick or, to all intents and purposes, dead in the realm of spiritual things because their spirits have known no diet other than the mundane, the impure, the unholy. Others are spiritually anemic, having only nibbled at eternal truths and preferring to stuff their bellies with spiritual junk food. Still others, who have feasted upon the meat of the gospel, lack spiritual strength because they have not exercised or used the spiritual gifts that have been given them.

Spiritual strength, testimony, faith—none are the product of a moment; all must be nurtured, each comes quietly, almost imperceptibly. Impatience is characteristic of the spiritually immature. A mistake common to the spiritually inexperienced is the establishing of deadlines for the Lord. This is done by determining that they will submit themselves to a given ritual of spiritual activities for a specified period, by which time the Lord is to have manifest himself or his will to the prescribed degree. This would be something akin to a parent giving a child a goal to grow a given number of inches in a prescribed period, promising rewards if they succeed and punishments should they fail. A good seed properly nourished will bring forth a rich harvest, but the season of harvest is of the Lord’s choosing—it will come “in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will” (D&C 88:68). DCBM

[4] Doctrine of the Father and the Son

            No doctrine is more fundamental to true Christianity than that of the divine sonship of Christ. Nor has any doctrine been subject to more perversion and sophistry in the creeds of men than the relationship of the Son to the Father. On this matter the Old Testament is virtually silent, and the New Testament, without the aid of modern revelation, may be confusing. In the Old Testament there are many references to Christ’s birth, ministry, death, and resurrection, but few plain statements that he would be begotten of the Eternal Father and thus be his literal offspring. … It is, however, to the Book of Mormon that we turn to be taught this doctrine in plainness. In the present instance Alma quotes both Zenos and Zenock as teaching that the mercy of God is to be manifest through his Son.

We are also reminded that some six hundred years before the earthly advent of Jesus Christ, Nephi saw in vision his mother, Mary, bearing the divine child in her arms, and heard the angel declare him to be “the Son of the Eternal Father” (see 1 Nephi 11:13–21). Prophesying of the Savior’s birth, Alma the Younger described Mary as “a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God” (Alma 7:10). Similarly, King Benjamin told his people that the “Lord Omnipotent” would come down from heaven and take upon himself a “tabernacle of clay.” “He shall be called Jesus Christ,” he said, “the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.” (Mosiah 3:5–8.)

Millet & McConkie, Commentary

[5] There can be no labor performed

            It is not to be understood from this verse that no labors are performed in the postmortal spirit world after physical death. The Church of the Lamb is organized there, the gospel is preached there to millions, and thus the work of the Lord goes forward on both sides of the veil. If, however, a person has enjoyed the privileges of gospel understanding but chooses in this life to deny or defy that light, to reject the truth and avoid the works of righteousness when he knows better, it becomes extremely difficult for him to turn around, to change directions at the time of death.

            Elder Melvin J. Ballard explained that until a person “learns to overcome the flesh, his temper, his tongue, his disposition to indulge in the things God has forbidden, he cannot come into the celestial kingdom of God—he must overcome either in this life or in the life to come. But this life is the time in which men are to repent. Do not let any of us imagine that we can go down to the grave not having overcome the corruptions of the flesh and then lose in the grave all our sins and evil tendencies. They will be with us. They will be with the spirit when separated from the body. … The spirit only can repent and change, and then the battle has to go forward with the flesh afterwards. It is much easier to overcome and serve the Lord when both flesh and spirit are combined as one. … Every man and woman who is putting off until the next life the task of correcting and overcoming the weakness of the flesh are sentencing themselves to years of bondage, for no man or woman will come forth in the resurrection until they have completed their work, until they have overcome, until they have done as much as they can do.” (“The Three Degrees of Glory,” sermon delivered in Ogden, Utah, on 22 September 1922.)

            Millet & McConkie, Commentary

[6] Work out your salvation

            In the strictest sense, no one can work out his own salvation. No person can create himself, resurrect himself, ransom himself from sin, or cleanse his own heart from the taints of the world. These are the actions of a God, of an infinite being. We can seek and ask and petition and supplicate. We can apply his blood, take his name, accept his enabling power, and acquire his nature, but we cannot save ourselves. The Saints of God seek above all things for the sanctifying powers of the Spirit in their lives. Through this process they have their hearts changed, and by means of that Spirit they are motivated to righteous works, the works of God. In that sense, Christ has begun to live in them (see Galatians 2:20). Thus Paul implored: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” And now note the Apostle’s words: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13, italics added.)

            Millet & McConkie, Commentary