12 And it came to pass
that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the
creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king—how God created man
after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of
transgression, man had fallen.
13 And Aaron did
expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of
man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which
was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all
whosoever would believe on his name.
14 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; and Aaron
did expound all these things unto the king. (Alma 22:12-14)
Lamoni’s father wanted Aaron to teach him, stating he would
believe in Aaron’s words. Aaron began with the creations of Adam. Man was
created in God’s image. Because of the fall, He gave Adam commandments.
Here we see an example of the importance of the brass
plates.
“And now when my father saw all these things, he was filled
with the Spirit, and began to prophesy concerning his seed—
“That these plates of brass should go forth unto all
nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who were of his seed” (1 Nephi
5:17-18).
The brass plates were the essential source of God’s dealings
with man. The contents of the plates ensured the Nephites would have God’s
word.
“Now when Ammon had said these words, he began at the
creation of the world, and also the creation of Adam, and told him all the things
concerning the fall of man, and rehearsed and laid before him the records and
the holy scriptures of the people, which had been spoken by the prophets, even
down to the time that their father, Lehi, left Jerusalem” (Alma 18:36).
“Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that
these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren
could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect
tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them
unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their
God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer” (Alma 37:9).
After teaching him about the fall, he began teaching the
plan of redemption. This was prepared from the foundation of the world.
“But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of
Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured
the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the
kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world,
and their joy shall be full forever” (2 Nephi 9:18).
“And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being
called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the
foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in
the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen
good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling,
yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a
preparatory redemption for such…
“Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same
standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the
foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and
through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared…
“This high priesthood being after the order of his Son,
which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being
without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all
eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things—
“Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with
a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the
high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high
priesthood, is without beginning or end—
“Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of
the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or
end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen” (Alma
13:3, 5, 7-9).
Because of the fall, we can’t earn anything alone.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:
“Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Through Christ’s atonement, through faith and repentance, we
will break the bands of death. “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).
“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).
“For 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” (Alma 34:9).
Death and the grave will have no victory. “He will swallow
up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces;
and the rebuke [OR reproach] of his people shall he take away from off all the
earth: for the Lord hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8).
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave [GR Hades, hell],
where is thy victory…
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57).
“[T]he sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of
glory” (Alma 22:14).
“Though human volition is required for the essential step of
repentance to be taken, the step would not exist were it not for the grace of
God. Repentance helps to make us more perfect, and the perfection process could
not take place without it; however, the perfecting aspect of repentance is not
any work we perform but “the grace of the Lord through the Atonement.” Mormon
doctrine tells us that without repentance there can be no exaltation but also
teaches that it is God’s grace that makes repentance possible and efficacious.”[1]
“[O]ur loving Heavenly Father, with a foreknowledge of our
frailties, and knowing that you and I would all sin and become unclean,
provided a cleansing process from sin that … actually does work. He sent a
Savior, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins.”[2]
[1] Work,
Worship, and Grace, David L. Paulsen and Cory G. Walker, FARMS Review 18/2
(2006): 113.
[2] Overcoming
the Stench of Sin, Elder Spencer V. Jones, April 2003 General Conference.
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