17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with
torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I
remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the
coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried
within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall
of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my
pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold;
yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing
so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my
son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was
my joy.
22 Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God
sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in
the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be
there.
23 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.
24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored
without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring
them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also
be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me
exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;
26 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.
27 And I have been supported under trials and troubles of
every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me
from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him,
and he will still deliver me.
28 And I know that he will raise me up at the last day, to
dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him forever, for he has brought
our fathers out of Egypt, and he has swallowed up the Egyptians in the Red Sea;
and he led them by his power into the promised land; yea, and he has delivered
them out of bondage and captivity from time to time.
29 Yea, and he has also brought our fathers out of the land
of Jerusalem; and he has also, by his everlasting power, delivered them out of
bondage and captivity, from time to time even down to the present day; and I
have always retained in remembran
(Alma 36:17-)
Alma continues talking to Helaman about what happened when
he was struck down by an angel.
During that time, he was afflicted with torment. “Before I
was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67).
He was devastated by his memory of his sins.
“I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye
sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye
might receive damage by us in nothing.
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be
repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
“For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly
sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves,
yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what
zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear
in this matter” (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).
“[W]e shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as
we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt” (Alma 11:43).
“I will work a marvelous work among the children of men,
unto the convincing of many of their sins, that they may come unto repentance,
and that they may come unto the kingdom of my Father” (D&C 18:44).
Then, he remembered his fathers words about Jesus Christ and
how he would atone for our sins.
“[S]orrowing Alma the
Younger, when confronted by the excruciating memory of his sins, ‘remembered
also to have heard [his] father prophesy … concerning the coming of … Jesus
Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.’ That brief
memory, that personal testimony offered by his father at a time when the father
may have felt nothing was sinking in, not only saved the spiritual life of
this, his son, but changed forever the history of the Book of Mormon people.”[1]
Alma was experiencing extreme remorse for his sins. He cried
to Jesus asking him to have mercy on him. He was surrounded the chains of
death. “[T]urn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind
you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation” (2 Nephi
9:45).
“And behold, others [the devil] flattereth away, and telleth
them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is
none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful
chains, from whence there is no deliverance” (2 Nephi 28:22).
“And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given
the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his
mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will
down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell” (Alma
12:11).
“For evildoers shall be cut off…” (Psalm 37:9).
“But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all
they that hate me love death” (Proverbs 8:36).
“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23).
“Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that
the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for
commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to
the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so
does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon
His strength. Call out like Alma, ‘O Jesus, … have mercy on me.’ He will help
you get back up. He will help you repent, repair, fix whatever you have to fix,
and keep going. Soon enough you will have the success you seek.”[2]
Thinking this, he could remember his pains no more. “And
they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto
the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I
will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).
“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all,
that they might not suffer if they would repent” (D&C 19:16).
“The gospel teaches us that relief from torment and guilt
can be earned through repentance … [T]here is no habit, no addiction, no
rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete
forgiveness.”[3]
“I remember that man in Peru,
hunched over and struggling to carry that enormous sack of firewood on his
back. For me, he is an image of us all as we struggle with the burdens of life.
I know that as we keep the commandments of God and our covenants, He helps us
with our burdens. He strengthens us. When we repent, He forgives us and blesses
us with peace of conscience and joy.”[4]
“And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold;
yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain” (Alma 36:20).
“The miracle of forgiveness was wrought in his life, and the
bitter pain of sin was replaced by the sweet joy of redemption … Alma learned
the eternal truth that the pain and misery that come from sin can only be
erased by repentance. Physical pain ends with death. Spiritual pain, or misery,
is everlasting, unless we repent.”[5]
[2] Tomorrow
the Lord Will Do Wonders among You, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2016
General Conference.
[4] That
Your Burdens May Be Light, Elder L. Whitney Clayton, October 2009 General
Conference.
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