Alma 22:15-18

15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.

side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called Bountiful. (Alma 22:15-35)

After Aaron had finished teaching the king, he asked what he had to do to have eternal life? “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).

What must he do to be born of God?

“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…

“And now I say unto you that this is the order after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, 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” (Alma 5:14, 49).

“But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God…

“For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God” (Alma 36:23, 26).

How could he have his wicked spirit rooted from his breast? “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Romans 7:18).

How could he receive his Spirit and filled with joy? He did not want to be cast off at the last day? He offered to give all he possessed and give up his kingdom to receive this glory.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

“Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matthew 13:44-46).

Aaron told the king, he must bow down before God and repent of his sins. If he does this in faith, believing he would receive forgiveness, he would receive the hope he desired. “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4).

When Aaron told him what he must do, he bowed down before the Lord. “Behold, I say unto him, he exalts himself and does not humble himself sufficiently before me; but if he will bow down before me, and humble himself in mighty prayer and faith, in the sincerity of his heart, then will I grant unto him a view of the things which he desires to see” (D&C 5:24).

He prayed to the Lord. He was praying because Aaron told him there is a God. He asked if there is a God to make Himself known to him. He would turn away from his sins and be saved at the last day. Having offered this prayer, “he was struck as if he were dead” (Alma 22:18).

“No part of walking by faith is more difficult than walking the road of repentance. However, with ‘faith unto repentance,’ we can push roadblocks out of the way, moving forward to beg God for mercy. (Alma 34:16.) True contrition brings full capitulation. One simply surrenders, caring only about what God thinks, not what ‘they’ think, while meekly offering, ‘O God, … make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee.’ (Alma 22:18.) Giving away all our sins is the only way we can come to know God.”[1]

---

[1] Repentance, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, October 1991 General Conference.