5:6
Spencer Kimball once said that the great word to be found in the dictionary is “remember.” Alma certainly believed that remembering was key to building our faith. “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?” Alma speaks about remembering their fathers’ captivity, the Lord’s mercy and longsuffering, and that their souls are delivered from hell.
He knew that they technically all remembered those things. But Alma’s question is did they SUFFICIENTLY remember. We all remember the sacrifice that the Lord made for us. We all remember the purpose of life. We all remember that we need faith. But, do we sufficiently remember? Are those things top of mind? How much of our day is viewed through that lens? Does our memory affect our vision?
Of course we remember our covenants that we have made. But, do we sufficiently remember? For example, when asked if we’ll volunteer for service or to speak in church or to serve in a calling, do we remember our covenant to consecrate ourselves, our time, money, possessions and everything we have to the church? Do we remember that covenant when the signup sheet passes us in Elder’s quorum? If our covenants were in the forefront of our mind, our desire to serve will increase.
5:7-9
When we repent, we are acting instead of being acted upon. We are making a choice that is in our power to make. However, is it all us? Do our good choices depend wholly upon us? Do we have the power inside of us to elevate ourselves? No. We don’t. We need the Lord to change our hearts - we cannot change our hearts on our own. “Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them. And now I ask of you, my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, they were not. And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved.”
It is the LORD that changes hearts and wakes us up from our spiritual sleep. It is the Spirit that illuminates. On our own we are “encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell.” Truly, “an everlasting destruction” awaits all of us without the Lord and his mercy.
As sons and daughters of God, we naturally want to progress and grow. Without the limitations of sin, we expand. Once the chains of hell were loosed, our “souls did expand.” We cannot even take credit for the expansion. Our souls expand because of the nature of our souls - born from millennia of development and instruction in the premortal world - where the ultimate source of this growth is our Heavenly Parents.
5:12-13
The important point to remember is that our progression in this life is largely based on our faith and humility in following God. “And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.” We cannot change our heart independent of Jesus Christ. God will change our hearts - but it is up to us to have faith in Him and his work.
“And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved.” Faith and humility are always connected - if that faith is directed outward. Last night, Marci and I were watching Survivor and one of the contestants was attempting to encourage another contestants by saying, “You are the source of good things in your life.” This isn’t humbly placing faith in a greater being. This is arrogantly looking to ourselves for our salvation. Too many are doing this very thing!
Again, the key to having a successful mortal experience is to humbly put our trust int he true and living God.
5:14
We are all born into mortality in a fallen world as natural men and women. Our mortal nature is to be selfish and prideful. To progress, we must let that selfish, proud person die. We have to end that stage of our lives and overcome the natural man. We become a new creature. “And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” Eric must die and a new creature must rise. I’m still trying to let that old creature die…
When we finally are able to be reborn as true disciples of Christ, we will receive his image in our countenance. When people look at us, they will see this and feel it. We’ve all met people who clearly have Christ’s image in their countenance. A true change of heart changes the countenance of someone’s face.
5:15
Faith is central to our development as sons and daughters of God. “Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?” As we exercise our faith and continually look forward to our eternal future with Christ, we progress as disciples.
If we are continually fixated on our current problems and the unfairness of life, we will certainly stall in our growth. We are more likely to feel anxiety and depression. Our typical life’s problems will be magnified and become overwhelming. Instead, let’s exercise our faith by repeatedly think about the object of our faith, share our faith with others, act in faith and look forward in faith to our glorious, redeemed futures. As we look at our broken and corruptible bodies and envision our perfected bodies “raised in immortality,” we will feel peace and gratitude.
Which more accurately reflect our character: our thoughts, words or actions? Which more effectively shapes our character: our thoughts, words or actions? I think we’ll all agree that our actions do both more accurately and effectively. Our character is shaped by what we do more than what we think or say. Our eternal destiny is shaped by our character. So, it makes sense that we will be “judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body.”
5:18, 20
To think that we will be able to enjoy the judgment if we have willfully rebelled against God is foolish. “Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?” If we stand alone, we won’t be able to stop thinking about ourselves and all of our sins. If we stand with Christ and have faith in his infinite power to redeem, the guilt and remorse will be washed away. Instead of remembering our past acts of defiance, we will instead look to our Savior to save us.
5:20
“I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?” To “yield” is to give up or give way or give in. There is constant pressure from Satan that we have to stand against. Some will not stand. Some will not fight. Some will not exercise faith. They’ll simply give way to the will of Satan. They’ll settle. They’ll slip. They’ll go with the flow.
We all have agency to choose the right. It takes strength to choose the right. It requires NO strength to choose the wrong. The wrong is always immediately pleasurable, selfish and proud. It is easy to make the wrong choice. We simply have to yield ourselves. We just have to give up our agency and settle into being moved around by whatever current happens to exist.
It signifies a deliberate choice to ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to act in ways that separate us from the love and light of Christ.
5:21
We are meant to be perfected in Christ. We are expected to have pure white garments. How can this be when all of us have qualified for a scarlet-colored outfit? “I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.” Jesus is truly mighty to save. Eric is not. Eric is a flawed, thoroughly stained mortal. On his own, he’s not much. Add Christ to my life and suddenly I have infinite potential.
5:26
One of the big challenges for us mortals is to maintain spiritual enthusiasm once the spiritual moment has passed. Sometimes we hear a church lesson that seems to make an impact. Or, we hear a conference talk that strikes a nerve. Or, we have a profound spiritual experience that we consider life-changing…in the moment. Alma asks this question: “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” Some changes of heart can be permanent. Some changes of heart, unfortunately, are temporary.
I think the answer is in the first sentence of the following verse. “Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God?” I think the two key words could be “keeping yourselves.” When we have a change of heart, if we let our daily routine remain unchanged, it’s unlikely that a large spiritual event will have a lasting effect. Spiritual momentum is fueled by small, frequent efforts. If we find ourselves on the covenant path, the key it to “keep ourselves” on that path. We cannot rely on a consistent series of large spiritual events to keep us on course.
Any spiritual change of heart can fade away and our hearts will return to its hardened, natural state. Remember, we are currently in enemy territory with near constant resistance all around us. Because of the wicked friction that exists on this world, any single, large effort will eventually fade. I cannot shove a car hard enough that it won’t slow down and stop. No outside force can. What keeps a car moving is the many, very small explosions that happen on the interior of the engine. It is these thousands of tiny explosions that turn the gears that propel the vehicle forward. All of a car’s propulsion comes from inside the car. What are the small, very frequent efforts that you do that keeps you on the covenant path?
5:27-31
Alma helps us know how we can prepare ourselves to be saved. “Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless. And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions? Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!” Alma gives us a list of questions:
Are we sufficiently humble?
Have our garments been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ.
Are we stripped of pride?
Are we stripped of envy?
Do we make a mock of our brother and persecute him?
These questions center around humility, reliance on Christ and how we treat each other. If we remain humble, we will remain teachable. If we have faith in Christ, we will know who to follow. If we care for our fellow man, we will be prepared to work hard to save others - including the infinite number of spiritually born children that will be ours. God’s training to work for our salvation full time began during his own mortality where he practiced serving and NOT mocking his fellow man. Simply put, if we humbly have faith in Christ and learn to love as he loves, we can be like God.
When should we get started on this process? Now. Again, “the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!”
5:36
“For behold, the time is at hand that whosoever bringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same have cause to wail and mourn.” We are expected to act in fruitful righteousness. This isn’t just about avoiding sin. This is about producing fruit. Sins of omission will prevent us from becoming like Jesus Christ. Jesus wouldn’t have been Jesus if he stayed in his tent and studied the scriptures ad infinitum.
5:37-38
“O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!” There are those of us who are church members that love the vain things of this world. I have to say I love the vain things of this world. I sometimes get pretty puffed up.
It is possible to “know the ways of righteousness” and still go astray. Knowing a lot about the gospel is not a guarantee that we will remain faithful. Our faithfulness is based more on our ability to hear the shepherd when he calls than how much knowledge we have learned. In fact, displays of gospel knowledge can be an avenue to be even more puffed up. This does sound a lot like me…
When Christ calls, he won’t say, “Will the illustrious and wise Eric Adams please come.” He will call me by HIS name. “Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ.” Our own brilliantly crafted identify and reputation won’t matter compared to whether or not we are true disciples of Christ. That is the only aspect of our identity that will produce eternal fruit.
5:40
In this world, it’s easier to get confused about what is right and what is wrong. Here’s a way to simplify it. “For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.”
5:45-46
How is a testimony built? Is it logic or compelling arguments? Is it evidence, plain and simple? How can we know what is true? This question was obviously asked of Alma. “Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.”
Alma knows that what he is saying is true. He has obviously studied the scriptures. He’s followed the commandments. He’s seen the gospel change lives. He’s personally witnessed what it is like without the gospel and what it’s like when he was a converted disciple. He’s experienced the change of heart. He’s been born again.
But, he needed a witness of the Holy Ghost. This mortal life is set up so we have to go on faith. If it wasn’t that way, then we didn’t need to leave God in the first place. We left so we could exercise agency and faith. Part of that deal is NOT being handed indisputable proof.
All of us, to be truly converted, must go through this same process as Alma. We must know for ourselves through the Spirit. It is the only way.
5:49
“I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them that they must repent and be born again.” Whatever stage we are in, we must repent and be born again. There are no exceptions. There is no stage of life where repentance isn’t essential.
Young people may expect to live long enough that they can repent and be born again in the future. “Now is the time to sow my wild oats - I’ve got plenty of time to get my act together.”
The middle aged might look back at past righteousness and consider that enough to qualify them to be exalted. “I’ve gone on a mission and raised kids in the church so I can take it easy.”
The elderly may consider themselves done with their progression. They may even turn down callings saying, “been there, done that.”
This life should be filled, from beginning to end, with repentance. There isn’t a stage where repentance isn’t the central theme to our discipleship. We are expected to progress. Repentance is progress. By the way, we will repent well into the next life and beyond. We all have an infinite amount of progression in store for us. We can’t get to the spirit world and think, “Well, I endured to the end of my mortal life so I can coast.”
5:53
“And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches?” If we could only keep Jesus and his atonement in the forefront of our mind, would we ever sin? Could we possibly be proud while thinking about Jesus? Is it possible that we would get distracted by the vain things of the world if we were intensely focused on his sacrifice? If we did have him in the front of our mind, it would feel like trampling on him to disregard him and focus on the world.
5:57
“And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things.” Being a disciple of Christ ALWAYS means separating ourselves from the world. We will be considered peculiar. We won’t be able to partake of all of the pleasure that the world has to offer.
This doesn’t mean that we will literally not interact with those who aren’t converted. Obviously, we will freely associate with those who need a physician.
More and more, those who are born again will clearly stand out from the world. If you are wanting to fit in or wanting to be honored by the world, being a disciple of Christ won’t help you with that.
5:58
There are many people who are currently criticizing the church and its leaders. There are lots of folks who are leaving and are attempting to pull as many others away. Every single person on the planet could criticize the Lord’s church and it doesn’t matter. Nothing will affect the trajectory of God’s kingdom on earth. “And now, my brethren, what have ye to say against this? I say unto you, if ye speak against it, it matters not, for the word of God must be fulfilled.”
7:11
Did Jesus just struggle in Gesthemane and on the cross? No. He was very acquainted with sorrow throughout his life. “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.” He was not immune from any of the troubles inside of this mortal world. His entire life was a struggle. There was no easy path available to the Son of God.
7:14-15
What washes away our sins? There is one thing and one thing only - the atonement of Jesus Christ. However, we must repent for the atonement to have power in our life. “Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.” Being “born again” signifies that we have changed - not that our behavior has temporarily changed but we’ve changed. Our character has changed where we no longer desire to sin. Being born again doesn’t mean that we are perfect. It simply means that we are dedicated to following the example of the Savior the best we can and we repent when we slip up.
There are a lot of baptisms that I attend where a speaker says that baptism washes away our sins. It doesn’t. Rather, we should see baptism as an outward expression of an inward commitment to repent and turn away from sin. It represents a covenant with God, where the individual demonstrates his or her desire to be cleansed from sin, receive forgiveness, and follow Christ. This act of baptism is not just a ritual but a profound step towards spiritual renewal and dedication to living according to God’s commandments.
Why must we be born again to enter the kingdom of God? Think about it. If we aren’t willing to follow God and Christ, what interest do we have in the kingdom of God anyway?? Those who like wearing red aren’t going to attend a conference where everyone is wearing yellow. They won’t fit in, don’t agree with the choice and won’t feel comfortable.
“Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.” There is a quote by Marianne Williamson, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” We shouldn’t fear taking the step of baptism. We shouldn’t fear beginning this path to perfection. We shouldn’t fear laying aside every sin. We can succeed at this, if we have faith in Jesus Christ.
We just have to be willing to keep the commandments of God. This process of attempting to live up to the commitment that we made at baptism, or in the temple, or in sacrament meeting - then repenting when we fall short - this is the process of perfection. Again, it is only through faith in Christ that our sins can be washed away. No ordinance replaces the atonement of Jesus Christ! However, baptism can be a life-changing event in our lives. It can be a “witness” of our willingness - to others but mostly to ourselves.
7:21
"And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.” What does it mean that the filthy shall remain in their filthiness? It has to do with agency. Someone who chooses filthiness over righteousness again and again and again is crafting his or her character. This is especially true if that person has been taught the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If this person remains filthy “at the last day” even after “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,” his or her filthiness will continue on and on. He or she chooses to turn away from Christ. God will not force anyone to accept Jesus Christ.
I don’t think that this “filthiness” is referring to the mortal mistakes that all disciples make as a result of being imperfect. Their discipleship shows that they have faith in Jesus Christ. They are striving. They are getting up when they fall down. Those disciples will not be filthy at the last day. The filthy people are those who will never choose Christ. They like their way better than God’s way.
It’s hard to believe that there will be those who choose to stay away from God. Technically, many, many of God’s children have already chosen this. 1/3 of God’s sons and daughters chose this path when the plan of salvation was presented by God himself. It will be pride that keep additional children away from God. Pride is a much bigger problem than weakness in eternity.
7:23-24
Alma provides a checklist of attributes that we should all be striving to acquire. “And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.”
Humility weaves its way through all of this attributes. Alma is asking us to be:
Humble.
Submissive.
Gentle.
Easy to be entreated.
Full of patience and long-suffering.
Temperate in all things.
Diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times.
Asking for whatsoever things we stand in need, both spiritual and temporal.
Always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
This sounds like all different flavors of humility. I should post this list on my mirror. If I could get good at all of these things, I would be on my way to becoming like Christ.
Faith, hope and charity will guarantee that we “abound in good works.” How so?
Faith in Christ. If we believe in Christ and know that he is our Savior, we will be willing to follow his example.
Hope in our salvation. If we have hope that Christ is mighty to save and our future is bright, we will keep our mortal life - with its trials and tribulations - in perspective. We will clearly see the purposes of doing good deeds.
Love for God and our fellowmen. If we see the people around us as children of God and love them as God loves them, we will be spiritually motivated to proactively do good at every opportunity.
These verses remind me of what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:5-7 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” Alma and Peter were listening to the same Spirit.
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