Chapter 34
Amulek testifies that
the word is in Christ unto salvation—Unless an atonement is made, all mankind
must perish—The whole law of Moses points toward the sacrifice of the Son of
God—The eternal plan of redemption is based on faith and repentance—Pray for
temporal and spiritual blessings—This life is the time for men to prepare to
meet God—Work out your salvation with fear before God. About 74 B.C.
1 And now it came to
pass that after Alma had spoken these words unto them he sat down upon the
ground, and Amulek arose and began to teach them, saying:
2 My brethren, I think
that it is impossible that ye should be ignorant of the things which have been
spoken concerning the coming of Christ, who is taught by us to be the Son of
God; yea, I know that these things were taught unto you bountifully before your
dissension from among us.
3 And as ye have
desired of my beloved brother that he should make known unto you what ye should
do, because of your afflictions; and he hath spoken somewhat unto you to
prepare your minds; yea, and he hath exhorted you unto faith and to patience—
4 Yea, even that ye
would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may
try the experiment of its goodness.
5 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.
6 And ye also beheld
that my brother has proved unto you, in many instances, that the word is in
Christ unto salvation.
7 My brother has
called upon the words of Zenos, that redemption cometh through the Son of God,
and also upon the words of Zenock; and also he has appealed unto Moses, to
prove that these things are true. (Alma 34:1-7).
Alma has finished his teachings and sits down. Mormon tells
us Amulek begins teaching the poor Zoramites.
He begins by reminding them it was “impossible” they did not
know these things, such as the coming of Christ, who is the Son of God. These things
had been taught to them before the Zoramite dissented from the Nephites. “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).
They had asked Alma what they should do as they had been
cast out. “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).
Alma had told them to have faith and be patient.
Yea, even that ye
would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may
try the experiment of its goodness.
Through their faith, they were told to plant the word in
their hearts and experiment with its goodness. “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” (Alma 33:23).
“A feeling of confidence, trust, and respect is aroused in
an individual when he is invited to experiment upon or test the validity of a
religious principle. The Book of Mormon tells us that another prophet by the
name of Amulek, a friend and comrade of Alma, emulated the example of the
latter by exhorting his brethren to “plant the word in your hearts, that ye may
try the experiment of its goodness” (Alma 34:4).
“The Book of Mormon doctrine of experimentation or of
testing the validity of religious teaching is interestingly applied by the last
Nephite prophet, Moroni. Before sealing up the sacred gold plates of which he
was the custodian, this great individual urged the future readers of the Book
of Mormon to test the validity of its claims with a sincere experiment
“‘And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you
that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these
things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real
intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by
the power of the Holy Ghost.’ (Moroni 10:4)
“This great experiment in the spiritual realm is urged upon
all mankind without distinction; if honestly and sincerely performed, any
person may have the truth manifested concerning the claims of the Nephite
scripture by means of the Holy Ghost.”[1]
Alma and Amulek understood the question in their minds is
whether or not there will be a Christ.
Many times, Alma had proved “the word is in Christ unto
salvation” (Alma 34:6).
“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).[2]
Alma used Zenos to teach redemption comes through the Son of
God. Nephi3 taught, “And now I would that ye should know, that even
since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets that have testified
these things; yea, behold, the prophet Zenos did testify boldly; for the which
he was slain” (Helaman 8:19).
He also quoted Zenock. Again, Nephi3 referred to
Zenock’s words. “And behold, also
Zenock, and also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being that
same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) and now we know
that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O then why not
the Son of God come, according to his prophecy” (Helaman 8:20).
He also quoted Moses to support the truth of his teachings.
[1] Some
Universals in the Book of Mormon, Sidney B. Sperry, Maxwell Institute
website.
[2] “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” (JST, John 1:1,14).
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