Alma finished his sermon on
faith and sat on the ground. Amulek
stood up and begin to preach.
Amulek told them it was
impossible for them to be ignorant of what has been taught about Christ. They were taught these things before they dissented
from the Nephites. “Amulek says that those in his audience, not their fathers
or grandfathers, had been taught and then had dissented.”[1]
“And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more who had been chosen
for the work, to preach the word throughout all the land. And the establishment of the church became
general throughout the land, in all the region round about, among all the
people of the Nephites” (Alma 16:15).
Alma made known to them what
they should do because they were outcasts from their society.[2] Their minds had been prepared to hear the
word and show faith and patience. They
were also told to plant the word in their hearts.[3]
The great question they had in
their minds was would there be a Christ?
Chapter
34 reframes the question of faith. The question the Zoramites had was how to
plant the seed and do the experiment. Amulek, no doubt moved upon by the
Spirit, tells us what the real question of faith is: “And we have beheld that
the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of
God, or whether there shall be no Christ” (Alma 34:5).
Faith
is anchored in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the knowledge of him is both
sure and possible. The contrast between faith as sure knowledge and the
knowledge reason can provide is evident when we compare Amulek’s testimony of
Christ as the anchor to sure knowledge with the conclusion of many Nephites
just before His coming: “And they began to reason and to contend among
themselves, saying: that it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ
shall come” (Helaman 16:17–18). Not “reasonable,” but nonetheless true.[4]
Alma had proved there would
be a Christ. The word of salvation is in
Christ. “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God … And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14).[5] He had used the words of Zenos, Zenock, and
Moses to establish truth of these things.
Amulek added his testimony
that Alma’s words are true. He knows
Christ will come, atone for the sins of the world, and take upon him the
transgressions of His people. “Alma and Amulek taught the poor Zoramites that
the Son of God would suffer for the sins of the world in the greatest dramatic
irony ever known: the greatest became the least; the righteous One was not ‘blessed
in the land’ but was crucified in order that mankind—the true sinners, the true
‘fallen’ and ‘lost’—might be saved (Alma 34:8–9).”[6]
It was essential an infinite
atonement be made according to the plan of salvation. “The Book of Mormon declares that the
atonement of Jesus Christ had to be infinite in its nature, necessitating the
suffering and death of God (see 2 Nephi 9:6–7; 25:16; Mosiah 13:28; 15:1; Alma
34:9–14).”[7]
“Christ bridged the gulf
between the mortal and immortal. The grave no longer holds its captives;
justice can be satisfied through mercy; the wondrous Atonement, infinite and
eternal in scope, is in place (see Alma 34:8–10, 14–16). Christ is the
resurrected Lord, our Savior and Redeemer. Therefore, do not wait any longer
(see Alma 13:27; Alma 34:33–35).”[8]
“And
because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they
stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness
which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of
the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment
which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of
the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement” (2 Nephi 2:10).
“Wherefore,
it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement
this corruption could not put on incorruption.
Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained
to an endless duration. And if so, this
flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no
more. O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!
For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become
subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and
became the devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become alike unto him, and we become
devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to
remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that
being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel
of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of
murder and all manner of secret works of darkness” (2 Nephi 9:7-9).
“And
since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings
and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so
forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no
victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of
glory…” (Alma 22:14).
“If
so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then 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” (Alma 33:22).
“And
now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth
and partaken of the tree of life they would have been forever miserable, having
no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been
frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect” (Alma
12:26).
“Now
behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal
death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8).
“And
now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men,
through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time”
(Moses 6:62).
Without the atonement, we
would remain fallen and be lost.
“Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the
world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned
from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression, who is the figure [GR type, pattern] of him that was to
come” (Romans 5:12-14).
“For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).
“Adam
fell that men might be; and men care,
that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25).
[1] The
Zoramite Separation: A Sociological Perspective, Sherrie Mills Johnson,
Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/1 (2005): 76.
[2] “And
they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him:
Behold, 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 32:5).
[3] “And
now, my brethren, I desire 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. And even all this can ye do if
ye will. Amen” (Alma 33:23).
[4][4]
Faith,
Reason, Knowledge, and Truth, Richard N. Williams, FARMS Review 20/1
(2008): 108.
[5] “In
the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the
gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God,
and the Son was of God … And the same word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth” (Joseph Smith Translation, John 1:1, 14).
[6] The
Zoramites and Costly Apparel: Symbolism and Irony, Parrish Brady and Shon
Hopkin, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22/1
(2013):46.
[7] The
Quick and the Dead, John A. Tvedtnes, FARMS Review 19/2 (2007): 219.
[8] Welcome
Home, Bishop Keith B. McMullin, April 1999 General Conference.
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