Mosiah 23:10-18

¹⁰ Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in this I do not glory, for I am unworthy to glory of myself.

Mosiah 23:10-11 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(1) teaches us an important truth.  He told us he repented of his sins and received forgiveness.  But, it wasn’t a simple thing.  He told us that “after much tribulation” (emphasis mine) he received forgiveness and became and “instrument in the hands” of the Lord.  He brought “… about four hundred and fifty souls” to the gospel.  (Mosiah 18:35).

When we don’t live the gospel properly, we have to repent.  Saying a few words does not bring us repentance.  We have to struggle and convince the Lord we are sincere.  The struggle is worth it.  The Lord has told us that “…after much tribulation come the blessings.  Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.” (D&C 58:4). 

We also learn that, to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord, we must be prepared to serve the Lord.  Alma(1)’s son would show us how.  When he and his brethren went to preach to the Lamanites, Mormon tells us that “…they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.” (Alma 17:9). 

Being an instrument in the hand of the Lord is a common phrase found in the Book of Mormon.  David Seely writes:

“This phrase occurs twelve times in the Book of Mormon but not at all in the Old Testament. It refers to servants of the Lord who help bring souls to Christ, often through missionary work. Among these are Nephi, who brought his people across the sea to the promised land (see 2 Nephi 1:24), Joseph Smith in the last days (see 2 Nephi 3:24), and Alma the elder and his converts (see Mosiah 23:10). The phrase appears several times for the younger Alma and the sons of Mosiah (see Mosiah 27:36; Alma 2:30; 17:9, 11; 26:3, 15; 29:9; 35:14). The sense of this expression is perfectly logical in relation to other biblical hand-of-God expressions.” [1] (Emphasis mine)

¹² And now I say unto you, ye have been oppressed by king Noah, and have been in bondage to him and his priests, and have been brought into iniquity by them; therefore ye were bound with the bands of iniquity. ¹³ And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king over you. ¹⁴ And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments.

Mosiah 23:12-14 (Emphasis mine)

Noah oppressed his people and they were in bondage to the King and his priests.  The people were brought to sin because they were “bound with the bands of iniquity.”

How did this happen?  We are told that King Noah “he did not walk in the ways of his father.  For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart.  And he had many wives and concubines.  And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord.  Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness.” (Mosiah 11:1-2). 

When leaders are wicked, it spills down to the people.  It’s a step-by-step process.  Mormon tells us that the people “will harden their hearts … and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction.” (Alma 12:11). 

They were delivered by the power of God. (“And it came to pass that Alma and the people of the Lord were apprised of the coming of the king's army; therefore they took their tents and their families and departed into the wilderness.” [Mosiah 18:34}.)  Alma(1) called on them to “stand fast in this liberty wherewith you have been made free.”  This is why they should not have a king.

He taught them that only someone who is a servant of the Lord should be there teacher.  Alma(1) had set the example.  Alma(1) “having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” (Mosiah 18:18).  

¹⁵ Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should be no contention among them. ¹⁶ And now, Alma was their high priest, he being the founder of their church. ¹⁷ And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God.  Therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men. ¹⁸ Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness.

Mosiah 23:15-18 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(1) continued to teach his people the basics of the gospel.  He emphasized that there should be no contentions among them.  This reiterated his past teachings where "he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.” (Mosiah 18:21). 

 During Christ’s ministry in the New World, he commanded that “there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been. For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.” (3 Nephi 11:28-29).

He also followed the Nephite pattern of consecrating priests to teach the people.  This practice began shortly after the arrival of Lehi’s party in the New World.  Nephi(1) tells us that he “did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people.” (2 Nephi 5:26).

Those consecrated took care of the people and taught them correct gospel principles.  They practiced what Paul would later write to Timothy:  “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” (1 Timothy 4:6).

One of my favorite LDS scholars and writers, Daniel Peterson, describes this church.

“It is Alma who founded the church among the Nephites (Mosiah 23:16), in the sense of a separately existing organization within the larger society. It is easy to see why this was so. The king, Noah, had abdicated his traditional responsibilities in the hierarchical social system of the Nephites, and Alma had taken his place as the spiritual leader and fount of priesthood authority for those who dissented from Noah's leadership. Alma's colony thus became a secessionist group much like the almost precisely contemporary community of Qumran on the shore of the Dead Sea.  Birth as a Nephite was no longer enough to make a man or woman one of God's people, as it was emphatically no longer sufficient for the Qumran sectaries. Instead, a conscious and personal decision, a covenant, was required of anyone who wished to be numbered among the people of God.” [2] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] The Image of the Hand of God in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament, David R. Seely, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 14, 2012.

[2] Authority in the Book of Mosiah, Daniel C. Peterson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute,  accessed January 14, 2012.

Mosiah 18:17-22

17  And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward.  And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church.
18  And it came to pass that Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
19  And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets.

Mosiah 18:17-19 (Emphasis mine)

After the baptism of his followers, we learn that Alma(1) formally called his church the Church of Christ.  This name would continue among the Nephites and the Church.  At the time of Christ's visitation to the Nephites (some 90 years after Alma(1)), baptism continued.  Mormon than recorded that "21  And they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ." 3 Nephi 26:21.

Why was the Church named after Christ?  We don't have a detailed explanation here, but we see this issue arising again during Christ's visitation.  Robert Millett discusses this issue in detail.

"There is something terribly significant about the name of Christ. I wish I knew all that was going on here. But do you notice the number of times in scripture it says, 'Do this in the name . . .'? Consider that among the earliest things communicated from heaven to earth was a message from an angel to Adam. What did he say? 'Thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore' (Moses 5:8). So, there is this emphasis on the name. You see the Savior trying to answer the question and saying, 'What is it you are to do? You are to do things in my name. So, if you are going to name this church, what are you going to name it?'

"... At this point we could stop and interrupt ourselves and say that all a church needs to be Christ's church is to have his name. But you and I know there is more to it than that, and he's not going to let us get off with just calling it after him. There is something else it must have. He says, 'But if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel' (3 Nephi 27:8). It must be built upon his gospel. 

"... If it is Christ's church, if it is named after him, and if it is built upon his gospel, it will evidence that it is the work of the Father ..." (Emphasis mine)

The Doctrine of the Risen Christ, Part 3, Robert L. Millet, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 27, 2011.

Alma(1) began organizing the Church.  He could do this because of his priesthood authority.  He had been ordained a priest by Noah; Noah had been ordained by his father Limhi.  So, Alma(1) received his authority through those who had authority.

Just a side note about Alma(1) organizing a church.  It appears that this is the first formally organized church among the Nephites.   Daniel Peterson writes: 

"... among the early Nephites, there was no church ... Only with Alma do we encounter a separate 'church' in the true sense of the Greek word ekklesía. (That term, it will be recalled, originally referred, in classical Greece, to an assembly of the citizens called out by a kind of crier. It is related to the verb ekkaléo, "to call forth." The notion of 'separation' is inherent, unavoidable, in it.)

I realize that I am working here on the basis of an argument from silence ... One way of testing it will be by the plausibility, or lack thereof, of my overall position, in which this particular argument has a specific place. But I must say that the lack of references to an early Nephite church—consistent over many pages and the space of many years, but only in a particular portion of the record—seems to me more likely to be indicative of something significant than is the occasional failure, in a book nowhere prone to give biographical details, to mention personal ordinations to the priesthood." (Emphasis mine) 

Authority in the Book of Mosiah, Daniel C. Peterson, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 27, 2011.

But what about King Noah?  Could he ordain priests?  Did he still have priesthood authority?  Remember, Noah was quite a wicked person.

This question can be asked today.  Let's look at a "What if..."  What if your great grandfather was ordained to the office of an Elder.  At the time your grandfather was baptized and confirmed, by your great grandfather, you grandfather was not following all the commandments as he should.  Your great grandfather ordains your grandfather to all priesthood offices, up to an elder.  He was still living a "colorful" life (being a good man at heart, he later repents and becomes an exemplary priesthood holder).

Your grandfather baptizes and confirms your father.  He later ordains him to all priesthood offices, including an elder.  He has always led an excellent life.

Yes, Alma(1) was ordained by one with authority (Noah), in spite of his wickedness.  Daniel Peterson writes: 

"... [Alma(1)] was ordained validly by Noah, who was ordained validly by his father ... The fact that Noah was not righteous and that Alma himself seems to have violated the laws of God during his early ministry has nothing to do with Alma's priesthood authority. Unless and until superior priesthood authority withdraws permission to exercise priestly functions, a legitimately ordained holder of the priesthood may continue to perform valid priesthood ordinances—however unrighteous he may personally be, however dead to spiritual promptings, and however unlikely it may be that he will ever actually exercise his priesthood ..." (Emphasis mine)

Authority in the Book of Mosiah, Daniel C. Peterson, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 27, 2011. 

This response "... [u]nless and until superior priesthood authority withdraws permission to exercise priestly functions, a legitimately ordained holder of the priesthood may continue to perform valid priesthood ordinances ..." explains why ordinances are valid as long as the priesthood holder still has the authority to perform the ordinances.  If this weren't true, things would be very confused, as the situation mentioned above shows.  No one would have any confidence in any ordinances that are performed.  

Alma(1) gives his church a formal organization.  He ordained one priest to serve fifty people.  They were given the charge to preach only the words of the "holy prophets."  (v19).

His charge to his priests continued.

20  Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.
21  And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.
22  And thus he commanded them to preach.  And thus they became the children of God.

Mosiah 18:20-22 (Emphasis mine)

The priests are to preach repentance a faith on the Lord.  These are the first two principles of the gospel.  Contention has no part among members of the church; they should be one and unified.  They  have one faith and one baptism.  As a unified people, they become the children of God. 

There are scriptures that warn about the consequences of contention. 

12  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Proverbs 10:12 (Emphasis mine) 

10  Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

Proverbs 13:10 (Emphasis mine) 

18  A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

Proverbs 15:18 (Emphasis mine)

6  A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.

7  A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

8  The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Proverbs 18:6-8 (Emphasis mine) 

10  Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

Proverbs 22:10 (Emphasis mine) 

21  As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

Proverbs 26:21 (Emphasis mine) 

8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

Romans 2:8-9 (Emphasis mine)

14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

James 3:14-16 (Emphasis mine) 

 

Alma(1)'s leadership is essential while organizing the church.  L. Gary Lambert explains in more detail. 

 

"Alma's leadership included ordaining lay priests—one for every fifty members—whom he instructed to labor for their own support, and to limit their sermons to his teachings and the doctrine 'spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets . . . nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord' (Mosiah 18:19—20). Alma also required that there be faithful observance of the Sabbath, daily expressions of gratitude to God, and no contention, 'having their hearts knit together in unity and in love' (18:21—23). The priests assembled with and taught the people in a worship meeting at least once weekly (18:25). Through generous donations, everyone cared for one another 'according to that which he had' (18:27—28)" (Emphasis mine)

Alma(1), L. Gary Lambert, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 27, 2011.