Reliably Righteous

In the years leading up to the appearance of Jesus Christ to the people on the American continent, the righteousness of the Nephites and Lamanites took wild swings to the extremes, undulating like a jump rope from high to low, though always tethered at each end. The most righteous, including Nephi and his son Nephi, were consistently righteous. The most wicked, the Gadianton robbers, were consistently wicked. But everyone else was caught in the middle of the jump rope, alternating between righteousness and wickedness. Could this be a parallel to our day and our not-so-distant future?

Starting with the reign of judges, 100 B.C. more or less, we see the swings begin, but at a slow rate. There had been a general apostasy, which ended with inspired leaders and, eventually, Alma’s establishment of the church throughout the land. Even the Lamanites, or many of them, got into the act by becoming righteous after 500 years of wickedness. Certain elements of society were more wicked, such as the Nephite dissenters who stirred up the hatred among some of the Lamanites, but there was, for many years, a consistent pattern of a large number of righteous people. The Ammonites and their sons, the Stripling Warriors, the Almas and Helamans, Captain Moroni and his armies -- these were reliably righteous.

But the righteousness of large numbers failed as the birth of Christ approached. With the rise of the Gadianton robbers came an era in which a reliably wicked element exerted its influence on the Nephites and Lamanites. Around 30 B.C., Nephite dissenters and Lamanites rose to power as the Church dwindled and the people became weak. Nephi, the son of Helaman, and his brother Lehi devoted their entire energies to preaching the gospel and by miraculous means were able to convert (or reconvert, perhaps) many to the gospel. An era of peace and relative righteousness followed, but the Gadianton robbers were growing in power.

By 23 B.C., the Gadianton robbers had taken over the government; wickedness ruled; and Nephi was left on the fringes, preaching the gospel in an attempt to win the hearts of the people back to righteousness. He attracted attention by praying on the garden tower, but even his prophecy that the chief judge had been murdered on the judgment seat was met with accusations that Nephi was complicit in the murder. Nephi redoubled his efforts, was granted the power to seal in heaven and earth, and convinced the Lord to replace the wars with famine to get the people’s attention. Driven to righteousness by humility, the people drove the Gadianton robbers out of the land and into the mountains and initiated a period of relative righteousness.

But relative righteousness never lasts long. Within one year, the people began to forget the Lord. This swing toward wickedness was particularly pronounced among the Nephites. During this time, about 6 B.C., Samuel, a Lamanite, visited the Nephites and preached to them. Rather than causing widespread righteousness, Samuel’s preaching caused further polarization, as the wicked elements became more wicked and the righteous elements more righteous.

Extreme wickedness ruled the day in the run-up to the birth of Christ. The wicked leaders threatened to kill all of the Christians if the sign of Christ’s birth, prophesied by Samuel, did not appear. When it did appear, many were reconverted to the gospel, swinging the balance back toward righteousness. But the Gadianton robbers intensified their lyings and deceivings. The two main forces, the righteous Nephites and Lamanites against the Gadianton robbers, fought it out over the next couple of decades. The success of the Nephites and Lamanites against the robbers depended on their righteousness. They were able to defeat the Gadianton robbers around A.D. 20. But the Book of Mormon pattern held true -- success led to prosperity, which led to pride, which led to sin -- and within about ten years the government fell and the people scattered to various leaders who could unite and protect smaller tribes.

The life of Nephi, the son of Nephi, is the one most prominently associated with the time Jesus Christ lived on the earth. During that time, Nephi was consistently righteous. He preached the gospel through periods of the people’s wickedness and righteousness. He raised his brother, Timothy, from the dead. He believed in the prophecies concerning Jesus Christ and his eventual appearance in their land. Just before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the old world, Nephi found some success, calling to repentance and baptizing, so that when the signs of the death of Jesus Christ were given -- tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds -- causing great destruction and death, there was a core of righteous people, along with some who were not committed to righteousness or wickedness, who were spared. When Jesus Christ appeared, he soothed the wounds, not only of the destruction associated with his death but also the many years of wicked influence. Notably, the first person he called by name to approach him and receive authority was Nephi, the reliably righteous. Nephi approached Jesus, bowed down to him, worshipped him, and kissed his feet in adoration.

During the period of several hundred years after the appearance of Jesus Christ to the Book of Mormon people, those who were not yet converted repented and were baptized and general righteousness prevailed, resulting in peace and prosperity. The absence of the most wicked elements allowed those in the middle, though weak, to sway to righteousness. This blessed state eventually broke down, but for those generations who lived just after the appearance of Jesus Christ the blessings of the gospel were poured out in healthy measure.

The parallels to our day are, or should be, unmistakable. The Book of Mormon was written for our day. So what would be the purpose of this history if it were not meant for our learning? Why do we need to know about the wars and rumors of wars in Alma? How does it benefit us to hear about the swings between righteousness and wickedness in Helaman and Third Nephi?

The simple answer is that we are in another run-up to the appearance of Jesus Christ. He will come soon. As the time approaches, the tug-a-war between righteousness and wickedness will continue to intensify; it has already intensified. Today, we call it the difference between the world and God’s kingdom. Wickedness is accepted and celebrated. God’s servants are often ridiculed and rejected. We endure wars and rumors of wars. And we can only expect the situation to get worse.

But not all is lost. When Jesus Christ comes, the most wicked will be purged from the earth. The middle-grounders will be influenced to righteousness. And a period of righteousness, called the Millennium, similar to the period of righteousness enjoyed by the Book of Mormon people, will ensue. The motivation to live right today is not only to avoid destruction at the coming of Jesus Christ, but also to be his servant all through the swings of the masses between worldliness and righteousness. To be called, as was Nephi, to the feet of Jesus Christ at his coming is our righteous desire. To bow down before Jesus Christ and kiss his feet and worship him as he initiates his millennial reign is our humble objective.

We who have the whole truth have the greatest possibility of falling, while we also have Nephi’s opportunity to be valiant in the service of Jesus Christ. Let us choose the latter.

Preaching the Word

The Book of Mormon not only tells us that there must be opposition in all things (2 Nephi 2:11), it also teaches that concept by story. One of these instances is in the story of the Zoramites. Formerly Nephites, the Zoramites separated themselves from the Nephites and from the church organized by Alma. Seeing this, Alma desired to bring them back into the fold. He had the additional motivation that the Zoramites lived close to the land of the Lamanites and the risk existed that the Zoramites would join with the Lamanites against the Nephites. Instead of swooping down and punishing anyone who would not swear allegiance to the Nephites, as Captain Moroni might have done, Alma elected to preach the gospel, anew, to the Zoramites. (Alma 31.)

Mormon, recounting Alma’s story, said, “And now as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just -- yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them -- therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.” (Alma 31:5.)

So Alma went, with a small missionary force, to preach the gospel to the Zoramites. While the preaching had the desired effect upon some of the people, the poor and humble, it served only to inflame the hatred of those who were not humble. (Alma 35.) Those who accepted Alma’s teaching followed him, but the rest turned bitterly against the Nephites and joined with the Lamanites. Enter Moroni. (Alma 43.)

This is the harvest. The field was white for Alma, but there were also tares among the wheat. By preaching the gospel, Alma harvested the wheat from the tares and the tares were burned. The latter days look to be no different. The preaching of the word will gather those who are humble, poor in spirit. But it will inflame those who are proud, resulting in greater opposition to the gospel -- conflagration.

Alma’s time was the last days before the first coming of Christ. The fight between good and evil intensified as such an important event approached. Our time is the last days before the second coming of Christ. We can expect, and we are already seeing, the same intensification of the fight between good and evil.

Truth and Sophistry

Chapter 14 of Alma presents a stark contrast between truth and sophistry. Moroni, in relating the story of Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah, is very clear that the Ammonihahites hated Alma “because of the plainness of his words unto Zeezrom” and because they were convinced Amulek “had lied unto them, and had reviled against their law and also against their lawyers and judges.” (Alma 14:2) The two missionaries minced no words identifying the practices of the Ammonihahites as sinful. In Ammonihah, the prominence of lawyers and judges and their ability to justify all behavior as acceptable had become more important than goodness and doctrine.

Thus, especially offensive to the people was the doctrine that not all would be saved, but that righteousness and repentance were necessary to redemption. Zeezrom couched this as a question of whether God could save everyone and accused Amulek of lying about the nature of God because he said there is but one God, yet the Son of God would come to earth. This is the same argument about the nature of God that so many others try to use against the Church today. Zeezrom accused Amulek of presuming to command God because, assuming God could do anything, including save everyone in their sins, Amulek was commanding God not to save them.

God cannot save (meaning, exalt) anyone in his sins because of the nature of who we are. If God were some abstract force that acts on us simply as a disconnected source of power, then saving everyone would be possible. If he were without parts or passions, something to which we could not and would not want to attain, then declaring our belief in him would be enough. But understanding our own true nature, as children of God with the opportunity to become like God, teaches us he cannot save us in our sins. To do so would be an admission that he is not perfect. He is perfect; therefore, there must be a progression toward perfect righteousness in us to reach our greatest fulfillment. The misunderstanding of Zeezrom, his fellow Ammonihahites, and today’s saved-by-grace crowd concerns who we are, not so much what God can or cannot do. Satan cleverly deceives by changing the question rather than disputing the answer.

Another device Zeezrom used, which is used prominently today, was to call good evil and evil good. Zeezrom accused Amulek of preaching evil doctrine -- for example, that not all would be saved.

Recently, a prominent entertainer told a fawning magazine, "I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays." It is true that some who profess religion inappropriately hate the sinner as well as the sin. But this entertainer did not limit his assertion to those people. He wants full acceptance of evil. The entertainer quickly jumped from the religion-inspires-hate argument to a full-blown attack on religion as the evil to be eliminated: "From my point of view, I would ban religion completely. Organized religion doesn't seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it's not really compassionate." The entertainer then presumes to identify what religion ought to be by accusing religion of failing to achieve world peace. Speaking of the various world religions, he wondered: "Why aren't they having a conclave? Why aren't they coming together?"

If the ultimate goal of God were to achieve world peace, then I would agree that the validity of religion would depend on its ability to achieve world peace. To the contrary, God’s ultimate goal is to bring souls unto Christ. (Moses 1:39) This entertainer and so many others fail to recognize religion’s true reason for being and thus misjudge the merit of religion.

Zeezrom eventually obtained this understanding -- first worrying over the eternal salvation of his own soul, then yearning that others, especially those whom he had misled, would grasp true religion. (Alma 15) Zeezrom’s sophistry is a type and shadow of the sophistry plaguing our society today. And Zeezrom’s conversion stands as an example of the solution to today’s problems.

The Book of Mormon is not only true; it is also relevant.

Revelation for Our Callings

We often hear that we are entitled to revelation for whatever calling we have. Alma provides a good example of that revelation. Toss out of Ammonihah, Alma thought he would go on to the next city. But an angel told him to return to Ammonihah. Evil was running rampant, conspiracies sprouting, and the Lord needed Alma there. Without revelation, Alma would have gone on, not knowing the Lord needed him in Sin City.

Revelation can also come in the power of discernment. Zeezrom was as skilled at arguing as anyone. He had made a name for himself and big bucks. But he was no match for someone who knew his thoughts. The Lord revealed to both Amulek and Alma the evil designs in Zeezrom’s heart. If you can imagine a baseball player who knows every pitch before the pitcher winds up. Or a football middle linebacker who knows every play called in the offensive huddle. Zeezrom recognized the gross disparity between his skill and the ability of Alma and Amulek with the power of discernment.

Listen carefully for the Spirit and then move forward boldly. That’s the lesson I get from the revelation Alma and Amulek received in their Ammonihahite labors.

Zeezrom's Deception

The bribe Zeezrom offered Amulek, six onties of silver, appears to be about 42 days’ wages for a judge, according to the Nephite money system.

Today an average state court judge makes about $150,000 per year – which seems like an exorbitant salary if you work at McDonald’s but is too low to attract many lawyers to judging. Since 42 days of work is about two months, subtracting weekends and holidays, the value of Zeezrom’s attempted bribe was about $25,000. The big assumption in this calculation is that a judge in Zeezrom’s day made about the same as a judge does now. Suffice it to say, this may not be a safe assumption, but it at least allows us to estimate the value of Zeezrom’s attempted bribe.

So it was a substantial bribe. What prompted Zeezrom to offer it? In my mind it is rather simple. It was the very same bargain Zeezrom had already made. As we learn later, Zeezrom believed in God all along but he perverted that belief to live a life of luxury. And he was good at it. In his corrupted mind, Amulek couldn’t possibly withstand the offer of easy money just to continue professing a belief in God.

This whole affair highlights a basic limitation of legal systems. They exist to resolve disputes. (Those who believe legal systems exist to find truth are just plain naïve.) The problems arise when lawyers and judges act to create demand for their services; they stir up contention. And the spirit of the Lord cannot strive where there is contention. In other words, when lawyers and judges get aggressive about marketing their services (whether by advertising or by more nefarious means), society suffers. Of late, lawyer advertising has been cast as a matter of free speech, without regard to societal consequences, hence the litigiousness that so damages American society.

I could go on, but I’d rather not.

The outright corruption in Zeezrom’s tactic is to be found in his total lack of sincerity, his win-at-all-costs strategy. He never intended to give the money to Amulek. Instead, he sought to get Amulek to denounce the very things to which he had just testified. Zeezrom would then declare Amulek a fraud and have him thrown in prison for trying to deceive the people.

Zeezrom’s problem is that he was up against an intellect higher than his own – that is, the Lord’s intellect, not Amulek's.

The Verbs of Exaltation

A quick diversion from the sins of Ammonihah (I am currently studying Zeezrom’s lawyerly antics – more later): At a missionary zone conference yesterday, President Huff quoted Mosiah 3:19 about the natural man being an enemy to God. I took a closer look at the verse – I had always been aware of it but I doubt I ever paid much attention to it – and I found the verbs of exaltation.

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

Plenty has been said about the first part of the verse – that the natural man is an enemy to God. The second part of the verse, about the remedy, is more interesting. The verbs chart a course one can follow to exaltation: yield, put off, become, submit.

First, we have to “yield[] to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.” The enticings are there, but they are useless to us if we do not recognize them and act upon those feelings.

Second, we must “put[] off the natural man.” This is the core of the repentance process. Some may think they are done once they go through this process. Instead, it only sets them up for the next step.

Third, we must “become[] a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.” This involves “becom[ing] as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love . . . .” The concept of becoming is, itself, becoming clearer to me. I will try to write about it at some point.

And finally, we must “submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us].” This is the ultimate – making the Lord’s will our own. It is simple to say and supremely difficult to do. Yet, it is a prerequisite to exaltation, to becoming gods, ourselves. Reason requires it. How can we be gods unless we are Godlike? And what defines us more than our will? Nothing.

Yield, put off, become, submit.

The Sins of Ammonihah -- Anger

The lack of the Spirit or the influence of the adversary, or both, inspires anger. The Ammonihahites first response to Alma was to revile him and spit on him. (Alma 8:13.) Calling the denizens of the kingdom of the devil to repentance has the effect of stirring them up to anger. He “rage[s] in their hearts . . . and stir[s] them up to anger against that which is good.” (2 Nephi 28: 19-20.) In this sense, anger truly is a tool of the devil. If you think of all the anger exhibited in the world today, you will notice it all has to do with unholy endeavors, both domestic and foreign. Whenever I feel myself slipping into a pattern of allowing myself to get angry, I think of Elder Lynn Robbins’ classic talk on anger in the April 1998 general conference.

Book of Mormon Weather

Have you ever noticed there is no mention in the Book of Mormon of seasons? No winter, spring, summer or fall? (All you got to do is call.)

The only mentions of heat come from, first, Isaiah, so that doesn’t really count, and, second, the Lord’s description of the temperature of the elements when he returns. (3 Nephi 26:3; Mormon 9:2) That also does not relate to Book of Mormon weather. No similar mention of cold or snow can be found.

Perhaps the best hint that Book of Mormon peoples actually had some kind of seasons comes in the description of crops. There is a “season of grain” and a “season of . . . fruit” among the Nephites. (Helaman 11:13.)

Rain and drought turn up in various places in the Book of Mormon. The Lord ends a war by sending a famine, caused by lack of rain. (Helaman 11.) The Jaredites also suffered a drought. (Ether 9: 30, 35.) And storms are spoken of in relation to Lehi’s crossing to the promised land (1 Nephi 18:13-21), which is not really weather in Book of Mormon lands, but also in imagery – Alma speaks of sheaves of grain being protected from the storm (Alma 26:6) and Helaman uses storm metaphors in words to his sons, Nephi and Lehi (Helaman 5:12) – and in the description of what happened after the death of Jesus Christ

What can we conclude about Book of Mormon lands from all this? I wish I were more acquainted with meteorology or agriculture (or even just smarter). But it seems to me that the people of the Book of Mormon did not have to worry about being too cold. They had some familiarity with storms, even extreme storms, perhaps hurricanes. Drought can be experienced anywhere with just a little less rain than normal. This all sounds to me like weather not too far from the equator, yet far enough to have growing seasons, and also close to the ocean because of the lack of cold weather and the presence of severe storms. Even so, there is danger in allowing a lawyer to opine on scientific matters.

Why Alma Returned to Ammonihah

Most of Alma’s interesting experiences in Ammonihah took place on his second visit to the city. When he arrived the first time, he labored hard, wrestled with God in mighty prayer, and preached the Gospel of repentance and baptism. The people, however, had hardened their hearts. They knew Alma – he had been the chief judge over all the land, including Ammonihah. Instead of showing respect, they reviled him. Employing common sophistry, they labeled Alma’s teachings as “foolish traditions.” Further showing their disdain for Alma and what he represented, they spit on him and threw him out of the city. (Alma 8:8-13.)

Frustrated but understandably ready to move on, Alma headed for the city of Aaron. On his way, his angel visited him. We are not told who this angel was, other than the angel’s own introduction that he was the angel who appeared to Alma years earlier when Alma was converted. (Alma 8:14-15.) In this era, the appearance of angels was common, reminiscent of (or, more accurately, prefiguring) the era during which the Gospel was restored through Joseph Smith. (Alma 13:24; see also Alma 10:10; 39:19.) In fact, Alma speaks of establishing the church in the various cities and a renewed period of faith and obedience after what appears to have been an apostasy. (See the gap in prophets in the Book of Omni.) Judging from the Lord’s use of relevant forebears as angels to minister to later prophets (think Noah’s appearances to Mary and Joseph and Moroni’s appearances to Joseph Smith), Alma’s angel may have been Nephi or Jacob or some other earlier Nephite prophet.

We often think of angels as message-bearers, and they are, but angels can also be sent to give comfort. Alma needed comfort after his trying experience in Ammonihah. The wickedness of the people weighed him down with sorrow. (Alma 8:14.) Note that Alma was not sad because they treated him poorly but because they did not accept his message.

The angel comforted Alma with the assurance that Alma’s faithfulness since the first time the angel appeared to him had not gone unnoticed. (Alma 8:15.) Sometimes we need reassurances that, although we are not perfect, the Lord is pleased. This can come from family members, leaders, angels, and, most effectively, from the Holy Ghost.

Having buoyed up Alma, the angel delivered his message: return to Ammonihah and warn the inhabitants of impending destruction if they do not repent. Why was the Lord so intent on sending Alma back to Ammonihah? Weren’t there other forums where the message would be received more willingly? Alma, chapter 8, contains some clues as to the Lord’s purpose.

The easiest purpose to discern is the mission of Alma to call the people to repentance with the hope that some would respond and they would be saved. (Alma 8:16.) The corruption in the society had turned good people bad. There may be some who maintain righteousness regardless of the environment. But most of us are not that strong. We follow the crowd, unless some powerful influence helps us to recognize sin in the crowd’s actions and have the fortitude to resist the crowd. In Ammonihah, popular culture had turned sinful. More on that later.

Alma also had the task of gathering the righteous. Amulek had been lax in his obedience to the Lord’s commandments. (Alma 10:6.) After an angelic visitation (was it the same angel that appeared to Alma?), Amulek accepted Alma into his home and the Gospel into his heart. Zeezrom was a harder sell. Only after trying to destroy Alma and Amulek and being beaten at his own craft, Zeezrom was gathered. Others fled Ammonihah, where they would have been killed if they stayed, and thereby escaped the terrible destruction to befall Ammonihah shortly.

Another purpose for Alma’s return to Ammonihah was explained to Alma by the heavenly ministrant. “[T]hey do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of this people . . . .” (Alma 8:17.) How Alma’s return to Ammonihah would foil the conspirators’ plan for a coup d’etat and either a forced return to monarchy or, worse yet, enslavement is not explained. Alma did not return as a conqueror or as a law enforcer. He did not investigate the conspiracy or seek out the conspirators. He exercised no authority over the Ammonihahites in a temporal sense. Perhaps his return was an intentional fomenting of the division between the wicked and the righteous so that, after the righteous were either killed or gathered to Sidom and other destinations, the Lord could allow the city to be destroyed before the inhabitants had the opportunity to destroy the liberty of the other Nephites. This means of resolving potential treason also has interesting implications for our day. Can it be that in some instances the best way to battle insurrection is with the Gospel?

These are some possible reasons the Lord sent Alma back to Ammonihah. It also makes for great reading and learning in these latter days.

Alma's Ministry

When Alma served as both chief judge and as high priest, the members of the church in Zarahemla where he lived became unrighteous. He implies it was because of the time commitments necessary to rule from the judgment seat that allowed wickedness to thrive under his watch. The members suffered from pride (symbolized by costly apparel); they set their hearts on riches, worshipped idols, and identified themselves with the world. (Alma 7:16.) Only with great effort did he reclaim the members. (Alma 7:5.)

It seems that worldly influences were prevalent in Zarahemla, just two generations after King Benjamin's speech and the mass covenants made by his subjects. The old city of Zarahemla was worldly, but not so for another city, one that was established more recently and was named after Gideon, who chased King Noah to the tower and led King Limhi's forces but was later killed by Nehor. Alma found the people had maintained their righteousness. (Alma 7: 17-20.)

I suppose I should be more interested in the righteousness in Gideon and the conversion of those in Melek, but truthfully I find Ammonihah much more interesting. The next few posts will consider Alma, Amulek, Zeezrom, and the Ammonihahites.

More on the Mighty Change of Heart

The great premise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ability to change. Without that ability, the atonement would be limited and ultimately ineffective. The change essential to salvation is from the fallen state to the state of righteousness (Mosiah 27:25) and on to eternal life.

Hearts are changed through faith, a process by which we are spiritually begotten of Christ. Repentance brings the change of heart (Helaman 15:17) through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Mosiah 5:2.) This change is apparent to the person whose heart is affected. Lamoni and his household felt, recognized, and declared the change of heart they felt after they heard and accepted the testimony of Ammon. (Alma 19:33.)

Change is both an event and a process. For most, change occurs in fits and starts. That is why Alma referred to the "mighty change of heart." We need not suppose, however, that because we have been converted (spiritually born of God or born again) that all is done.

Change that makes us more like God is productive, but that is not the only change possible. We can change eternally without reaching eternal life; therefore, we must avoid any change that does not make us more like God. This concept is similar to criticism Paul included in his letter to Timothy that some are "ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy 3:7.) Change must be for the better.

Change also has to do with light. (Alma 5:7.) This hearkens back to the discussion of President Faust's talk about the light in their eyes -- it results from change, in the right direction.

That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

(D&C 50:24.)

His Image in Your Countenance

James E. Faust spoke in October 2005 about the The Light in Their Eyes. Sitting in Sarah and Aaron's apartment in Provo when I heard the talk, I knew it would be one of those classics, for me anyway. President Faust took language from Alma 5:14 and related it to a "personal bond with our loving Heavenly Father and His Son":

Alma asks if we have received His image in our countenances. [See Alma 5:14.] A sacred light comes to our eyes and countenances when we have a personal bond with our loving Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior and Redeemer. With this bond our faces will mirror that “sublime assurance” [Paul Harvey, news broadcast, Dec. 8, 1967.] that He lives.

The Mighty Change of Heart

Alma called his people to repentance boldly. He held them to a higher standard. They should be ready to meet God. To be ready, they had to be spiritually born of God, receive his image in their countenances, and experience the mighty change of heart.

Ezra Taft Benson, in the October 1985 conference, discussed the mighty change of heart. He said:

The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.

(Read President Benson's talk, Born of God, to better understand Alma 5:14.)

Therein lies the key to why all of the social programs in the world won't save a society, why government is, in the end, powerless to succeed on its own. The change must come from within, and that can happen only through Christ.

The concept of the mighty change of heart also goes to the question of becoming. The Lord looks not so much on what we do as what we are. That was made clear to me when, as a bishop, a good and repentant person would come to me to confess a sin. For that person, confession was a necessary step but there was little need to help that person further in the process. On the other hand, a person who had not felt the mighty change of heart needed much more help because confession, though necessary, was ineffective without that change.

You can evaluate yourself by asking the following questions: Do I resist sin because I am afraid to get caught, do not want to suffer the consequences, or do not want to disappoint someone else? Or do I resist a sin because I am not the kind of person who commits that sin? Do I have “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually”? (See Mosiah 5:2, 7.)

Are we becoming like Christ?

Update 8/30/06:

In his April 2006 conference talk, As a Child, Elder Henry B. Eyring explained the relationship between doing and becoming and the mighty change of heart:

From King Benjamin we learn what we can do to take us to that safe place. But remember: the things we do are the means, not the end we seek. What we do allows the Atonement of Jesus Christ to change us into what we must be. Our faith in Jesus Christ brings us to repentance and to keeping His commandments. We obey and we resist temptation by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. In time our natures will change. We will become as a little child, obedient to God and more loving. That change, if we do all we must to keep it, will qualify us to enjoy the gifts which come through the Holy Ghost. Then we will be safe on the only sure rock.

General Conference -- Scripture Index

If you haven't already discovered it, you need to check out BYU's indexing of all conference talks since 1942 to the scriptures they cite. Each verse is accompanied by links to the talks that cite that verse. This is very useful as authoritative commentary and context. For example, it shows that Alma 5:14, concerning the mighty change of heart, has been cited 32 times in conference talks and even more in connection with other verses. It appears the professors that run the site have a beta of a new release, but I haven't check that out yet.

One hint: If you stop your cursor over one of the referenced conference talks, a box appears giving the full name of the speaker and when the talk was given.

Happy cross-referencing!

Mindy on Pride

Mindy posted this as a comment. I (Jeff) thought it deserved its own post:

I have thought much about pride as I have been studying the Book of Mormon this summer. There are three main concepts that I have gained a better testimony of through my studies.

First, we live in a materialistic society, where everyone wants everything right now. The car, the house, the clothes, the shoes, the tan. In reading the Book of Mormon it is apparent that pride is the cause of much sorrow and sin. I also noticed the common reference to costly apparel. My family knows how I have struggled with materialism over the years. Since college I have been fighting my natural man tendencies to want everything right now. As I have been fighting these tendencies and have been subsidizing my collection of "things" whether it be clothes, shoes, purses, or tanning sessions I have noticed a change. I think less of myself and more about what I could do for others. I spend less of my time on me. I still struggle at times, but I am getting better. Just yesterday a girl friend of mine showed me some jeans she just "had to have" that were $230. I wanted to strangle her! Does she realize what she's doing to her spirit?! Anyway, in the meantime I'm just going to keep doing my best. Besides, I'm proud to be a Target shopper and not a Nordstrom shopper!!

Second, I have a testimony that contention begins with pride. No matter how strong my testimony is or how strong I am in the church I have the ugly habit of losing my temper, usually with siblings. I could never be wrong because I'm the oldest child, right? Wrong! I hate being wrong and I always feel that my opinion matters and should be heard. This ugly habit has gotten me into trouble with my family and takes the spirit away from the home. One of my goals this summer was to not offend and not be offended. I still have a long way to go, but at least I recognize that it all begins with pride.

Third, when we are prideful we do not allow our will to conform to our Heavenly Father's will. President Benson said, "Pride is characterized by 'What do I want out of life?' rather than by 'What would God have me do with my life?' It is self-will as opposed to God’s will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God.

"Humility responds to God’s will—to the fear of His judgments and the needs of those around us. To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts."

As I have grown these past four years and out of all the doctrines and principles that I have learned I have gained the strongest testimony of this concept. To be happy, we must conform our will to our Heavenly Father's. Often we want Him to conform, but it cannot be so, it should not be so. Usually we don't see the end from the beginning once we do conform, but that when faith must kick in. In order to conform we must be humble. Humility is a pre-requisite to knowing our Heavenly Father's will, plan, and desires for us. Time and patience also need to take part in knowing these things. I have a testimony that we can know our Father's will for us.

It is a great blessing that the Book of Mormon stresses the importance of stripping ourselves of pride. Because if we are prideful we will never have the blessing of living together forever.

More on Stripped of Pride

It is next-to-impossible and probably imprudent to ponder fully the concept of pride without referring to Ezra Taft Benson's important address on pride in the April 1986 general conference. I include the entire passage (Cleansing the Inner Vessel, Ensign, May 1986, 4) from that talk here to inform our discussion and, also, to provide an important definition of pride:

May I now discuss a subject of grave concern that deserves deeper development than we have time. It is the subject of pride.

In the scriptures there is no such thing as righteous pride. It is always considered as a sin. We are not speaking of a wholesome view of self-worth, which is best established by a close relationship with God. But we are speaking of pride as the universal sin, as someone has described it.

Mormon writes that “the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction.” (Moro. 8:27.) The Lord says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “Beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old.” (D&C 38:39.)

Essentially, pride is a “my will” rather than “thy will” approach to life. The opposite of pride is humbleness, meekness, submissiveness (see Alma 13:28), or teachableness.

In the early days of the restored church, the Lord warned two of its prominent members about pride. To Oliver Cowdery, He said, “Beware of pride, lest thou shouldst enter into temptation.” (D&C 23:1.) To Emma Smith, He said, “Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride.” (D&C 25:14.)

“Thou shalt not be proud in thy heart,” the Lord warns us. (D&C 42:40.) “Humble yourselves before God,” says the Book of Mormon. (Mosiah 4:10.)

When the earth is cleansed by burning in the last days, the proud shall be as stubble. (See 3 Ne. 25:1; D&C 29:9; D&C 64:24.)

The great and spacious building which Lehi saw was the pride of the world where the multitude of the earth was gathered. (See 1 Ne. 11:35–36.) Those who walked the straight and narrow path and held onto the word of God and partook of the love of God were mocked and scorned by those in the building. (See 1 Ne. 8:20, 27, 33; 1 Ne. 11:25.)

“The humble followers of Christ” are few. (2 Ne. 28:14.)

Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right. It looks sideways to man and argues who is right. Pride is manifest in the spirit of contention.

Was it not through pride that the devil became the devil? Christ wanted to serve. The devil wanted to rule. Christ wanted to bring men to where He was. The devil wanted to be above men.

Christ removed self as the force in His perfect life. It was not my will, but thine be done.

Pride is characterized by “What do I want out of life?” rather than by “What would God have me do with my life?” It is self-will as opposed to God’s will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God.

Humility responds to God’s will—to the fear of His judgments and the needs of those around us. To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts.

Someone has said, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” Of one brother, the Lord said, “I, the Lord, am not well pleased with him, for he seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek before me.” (D&C 58:41.)

The two groups in the Book of Mormon that seemed to have the greatest difficulty with pride are the “learned, and the rich.” (2 Ne. 28:15.) But the word of God can pull down pride. (See Alma 4:19.)

With pride, there are many curses. With humility, there come many blessings. For example, “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.) The humble will “be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge.” (D&C 1:28.) The Lord is “merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts.” (D&C 61:2.) Humility can turn away God’s anger. (See Hel. 11:11.)

My beloved brethren and sisters, as we cleanse the inner vessel, there will have to be changes made in our own personal lives, in our families, and in the Church. The proud do not change to improve, but defend their position by rationalizing. Repentance means change, and it takes a humble person to change. But we can do it.

We have made some wonderful strides in the past. We will be lengthening our stride in the future. To do so, we must first cleanse the inner vessel by awaking and arising, being morally clean, using the Book of Mormon in a manner so that God will lift the condemnation, and finally conquering pride by humbling ourselves.

We can do it. I know we can. That we will do so is my prayer for all of us. God bless you for all the good you have done and will be doing. I leave my blessings on all of you and do so in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Stripped of Pride

Alma, chapter 5, is the address Alma the Younger gave to the members in Zarahemla as iniquity began to creep into the church his father organized. It is an eloquent speech of a patriarch to his charges, covering such timely and timeless themes as being spiritually born of god, change of heart, the source of good and evil, and separating ourselves from the world - all of which may be topics for later posts. A main theme of the discourse is pride and humility.

Some background: Alma knew about pride. Born after his father took to heart the teachings of Abinadi, Alma rejected the teachings of his father and went about trying to destroy the church, along with the sons of Mosiah. Rebuked by an angel, Alma accepted Christ and spent the rest of his life atoning for his earlier wickedness – “atoning” in the sense of making his life right with the Lord and attempting to undo the harm he caused to the Nephites by his example and words. After being consecrated high priest in the place of his father and also being elected as the first chief judge during the reign of judges, Alma was troubled when he saw iniquity among the members of the church. Esteeming his calling from God over his popular election to office, Alma left the judgment seat to reclaim the members of the church. The address found in Alma 5 is the first of many given in this ministry.

“Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God” (Alma 5:28).

Note that Alma does not waste words on exhorting the people to live the Law of Moses. This is in stark contrast to what was happening, at the same time, in Palestine, where the various sects contended for their interpretations of the Law of Moses and competed to impose more and more of their own temporal requirements on the law to show they were the most pious and obedient to Moses.

In his role as American prophet, Alma concentrated on higher law principles. While the Pharisees fretted over how many steps could be taken on the Sabbath, Alma taught his people to come unto Christ and drink freely of the waters of life (Alma 5:34). The Zarahemla saints lived the Law of Moses but they were not obsessed with it. How often, as a corollary, is it necessary today to have a sacrament meeting devoted to the dangers of smoking? And so Alma’s focus on pride is hardly surprising, both because of his past and because of the eternal ramifications of the pride/humility dichotomy.

As an established and confident leader, Alma could speak plainly to the church. And he did so in this Zarahemla discourse. He warned his congregation that pride is incompatible with worthiness. He also counseled haste in remedying the problem: “Behold ye must prepare quickly, for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one [the proud] hath not eternal life” (Alma 5:28). What did Alma mean when he said “the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand . . .”?

Is pride also a latter-day problem? Why must we be “stripped of pride”? Is that concept consistent with the teaching that “he that is compelled in all things, the same is slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward” (D&C 58:26)?

If asked, any thinking Latter-day Saint would agree that pride is a problem in the church today as it was in Alma’s day. We have been taught as much. Ezra Taft Benson chastised church members for pride and called them to repentance. Pride, however, always seems to be the other guy’s problem. Also, it is mainly the proud who accuse others of pride. Unrighteous judgment is a symptom of pride. No one is immune from pride – rich, poor, young, old, active member. Perceived immunity (the perception that one is immune) is another symptom of pride. Yes, pride exists in the latter-day church, but, no, I don’t think we are generally very good at identifying it in ourselves.

Alma’s statement that we must be “stripped of pride” probably has something to do with our inability to identify pride in ourselves. The scriptures attest to many instances in which the proud are brought low by some event or circumstance. Alma’s experience was dramatic, but less momentous events can be equally life-changing. A premise of the gospel is that change is possible, and God helps us change for the better by allowing us to encounter humbling obstacles – the loss of a job, accidents and injuries, the sins of others, difficulties in relationships, financial setbacks, illness and disease, and countless other unwanted circumstances. These can, if reacted to properly, cause the pride-stripping spoken of by Alma.

Are we condemned if we do not humble ourselves without some triggering event? Will we receive “no reward”? (D&C 58:26) To the contrary, one of the great advantages of mortality is that it can eventually bring us to our knees, even if we are not inclined to go there on our own. Joseph Smith taught that he who is compelled “in all things” will receive “no reward.” We are allowed the assistance of compulsion in some, even if not in all, matters. It must be kept in mind that by “compulsion” we speak not of Satan’s plan but instead a not-so-gentle shove in the direction of the right decision. Some people are embittered, not humbled, by adversity.

Later in his discourse, Alma returns to the topic of pride. “[W]ill ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another . . . ? (Alma 5:34) If so, “these are they who shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent” (Alma 5:56).

Let’s be speedy.

This post is too long. If you made it this far, don’t stop. Leave a comment or start a new posting. Ask me how if you don’t know already.

So . . . here's the thing . . .

The Book of Mormon is "the keystone of our religion" (Book of Mormon, introduction). I have always taken that comment to mean it is the keystone of the LDS church . . . which is true. But it occurred to me that the Book of Mormon is also the keystone of my personal religiosity. From it I gain not only truth but also religious feeling -- spirituality. It supports my testimony. On it leans my belief in the many doctrines contained in the book. I read it to learn, but I also read it to feel closer to God.

I have often wanted to establish a pattern of writing down my thoughts as I read the Book of Mormon, not out of a delusion that my thoughts are wiser or more accurate than those who have already commented. Instead, I wanted to write down my thoughts (1) because I think better and more deeply by writing (if you understand that, you understand me) and (2) to provoke family and close friends to share their thoughts on the same subjects.

So . . . here's the thing . . .

I will post my thoughts on various parts and aspects of the Book of Mormon. You can comment on my posts. And you can create posts of your own. Five words or five paragraphs, the length and depth of comments are up to you. The topic is generally the Book of Mormon, but we can wander into related topics. The point is to ponder the scriptures more deeply and help each other in the process.

One hint to better comprehension: the most recent posts are at the top. Therefore, to understand a series of posts, it is best to scroll down to the first in the series and work your way back up.

E-mail me or call if you have any questions or need help with the technology.