Benjamin became king following the reign of his father, Mosiah, who led the Nephites from the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla. With the aid of other holy prophets, King Benjamin established peace throughout the land in his day. At the beginning of the book of Mosiah, King Benjamin is nearing the end of his illustrious life. His final sermon is one of the most stirring and significant sermons in the Book of Mormon.
“Note that the main story in the book of Mosiah is told in the third person rather than in the first person as was the custom in the earlier books of the Book of Mormon. The reason for this is that someone else is now telling the story, and that ‘someone else’ is Mormon. With the beginning of the book of Mosiah we start our study of Mormon’s abridgment of various books that had been written on the large plates of Nephi. (3 Nephi 5:8–12.) The book of Mosiah and the five books that follow—Alma, Helaman, 3 Nephi, 4 Nephi, and Mormon—were all abridged or condensed by Mormon from the large plates of Nephi, and these abridged versions were written by Mormon on the plates that bear his name, the plates of Mormon” (Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 173).
King Benjamin spoke of giving his people a name to distinguish them “above all the people which the Lord God hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem” (Mosiah 1:11); a name that would never “be blotted out, except it be through transgression” (v. 12). What was the name King Benjamin wanted to give his people? (see Mosiah 5:7–12).
In Mosiah 2:9–18, King Benjamin briefly reported his stewardship to the Nephites. His words lead to pondering on how few political leaders in the history of the world could stand before their people and say, “I can answer a clear conscience before God this day” (v. 15). King Benjamin’s son Mosiah, another great prophet-king, later said, “If ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you” (Mosiah 29:13).
King Benjamin’s comment about service to fellowmen (see Mosiah 2:17) suggests in beautiful simplicity the doctrine taught by the Savior: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).
Regarding service to others, Elder Antoine R. Ivins said: “The great value, I believe, that the Church has for us is the opportunity it gives us to serve, for, after all, the great benefits of life come from service. Generous, open-hearted, full service to our fellows, I believe, is the thing which brings us the greatest happiness. We can serve our families and gain happiness by it; we can serve our friends and gain happiness by it; but if we would be happy we must serve and serve generously, and I believe myself that the greatest happiness that comes to me from observing the standards of the Church and meeting my obligations to it is the spiritual values that I get out of that service. I would like to be able to say that I always serve for the sheer love of service. I don’t know whether I can honestly say that or not, but I hope I can. I would like to suggest that all of us who serve, serve for the same motive, out of sheer joy and love of service. I would that every man who accepts a responsibility in a priesthood quorum would accept it because of the opportunity for service which it offers him; not that he be a good deacon so he may be the president of his quorum. Not that he be a good priest that some day he may be made president of the elders’ quorum. Not to be a good bishop, that when the stake is reorganized he may become the president of the stake, because if he serves with that motive, there is very likely to be a day of disappointment for him, but if he serves because he loves to, if he serves because he loves his fellows, then whether the other things come or not, he is never disappointed” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1948, pp. 47–48).
“I believe that one of the greatest sins of which the inhabitants of the earth are guilty today is the sin of ingratitude, the want of acknowledgement, on their part, of God and his right to govern and control. We see a man raised up with extraordinary gifts, or with great intelligence, and he is instrumental in developing some great principle. He and the world ascribe his great genius and wisdom to himself. He attributes his success to his own energies, labor and mental capacity. He does not acknowledge the hand of God in anything connected with his success, but ignores him altogether and takes the honor to himself; this will apply to almost all the world. In all the great modern discoveries in science, in the arts, in mechanics, and in all material advancement of the age, the world says, ‘We have done it.’ The individual says, ‘I have done it,’ and he gives no honor or credit to God. Now, I read in the revelations through Joseph Smith, the prophet, that because of this, God is not pleased with the inhabitants of the earth but is angry with them because they will not acknowledge his hand in all things” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, pp. 270–71).
“We are not our own, we are bought with a price, we are the Lord’s; our time, our talents, our gold and silver, our wheat and fine flour, our wine and our oil, our cattle, and all there is on this earth that we have in our possession is the Lord’s. . . .
“. . . There is no man who ever made a sacrifice on this earth for the Kingdom of heaven, that I know anything about, except the Savior. He drank the bitter cup to the dregs, and tasted for every man and for every woman, and redeemed the earth and all things upon it. But he was God in the flesh, or he could not have endured it. ‘But we suffer, we sacrifice, we give something, we have preached so long.’ What for? ‘Why, for the Lord.’ I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for the man who feels that he is making sacrifice for God. We are doing this for our own happiness, welfare and exaltation, and for nobody else’s. This is the fact, and what we do, we do for the salvation of the inhabitants of the earth, not for the salvation of the heavens, the angels, or the Gods” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 176–77).
The prophets are among the most effective in using symbolism. King Benjamin’s comment about his people’s blood not coming upon him (see Mosiah 2:27–28) is a metaphor for his not being held accountable for the behavior of the people, since he had taught them all of the things that the Lord required of him (see Jacob 1:18–19). His allegorical statement about the choirs in heaven (see Mosiah 2:28) is another example of revealed spiritual truths. King Benjamin longed to be among those who, after their mortal probation, could by deed and by word praise God in a heavenly anthem (see 1 Nephi 1:8).
King Benjamin clearly defined the consequences of sin (see Mosiah 2:36–40). When a person knows what is right and does not do it, he not only violates the actual law but also puts himself in a state of opposition to God. This person becomes “an enemy to all righteousness” (v. 37), one of the problems of the natural man (see Mosiah 3:19).
The testimony of King Benjamin and of all the prophets is that one really serves himself as he serves the Lord. Sin leads to misery, suffering, and loss of agency (see 2 Nephi 2:27–29, Alma 41:10, D&C 19:15–20).
“Eternal punishment, or endless punishment, does not mean that those who partake of it must endure it forever. ‘It is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment. Again, it is written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my name’s glory. . . . Behold, the mystery of godliness, how great is it! For, behold, I am endless, and the punishment which is given from my hand is endless punishment, for Endless is my name. Wherefore—Eternal punishment is God’s punishment. Endless punishment is God’s punishment.’ [D&C 19:6–12.]
“The laws of God are immutable, and from this explanation we learn that the same punishment always follows the same offense, according to the laws of God who is eternal and endless, hence it is called, endless punishment, and eternal punishment, because it is the punishment which God has fixed according to unchangeable law. A man may partake of endless torment, and when he has paid the penalty for his transgression, he is released, but the punishment remains and awaits the next culprit, and so on forever” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:228).
The word natural, when applied to man, is used differently in the scriptures than it is by the world. Usually natural, or by nature, indicates an inherent part of our makeup, something we are born with. The scriptures, however, clearly teach that natural man means fallen or sinful man.
Though born innocent (see D&C 93:38), all men, through the fall of Adam, are born into a fallen world. Knowing good and evil (see Moses 4:11, 5:11) and living in this imperfect state, all men sin (see Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8–10) and experience a resultant “fall” and spiritual death (see Moses 6:49, 55, Alma 42:9). In other words, it is through transgression of God’s law that one becomes a “natural man” (see Mosiah 16:2–3, Alma 42:10–12, D&C 20:20). Hence, a natural man is an enemy to God until he qualifies for the cleansing influence of the Atonement by living the commandments of God (see Mosiah 3:11–12, 19). Man then becomes a new creature, being born again, and becoming spiritually alive (see John 3:3–8, Mosiah 27:25–26) and worthy to be known as a friend of God (see John 15:14).
■ How is the Words of Mormon a good example of the omniscience of God? (see headings to Doctrine and Covenants 3, 10).
■ As you reflect upon what you have studied so far in Mosiah, it should be evident that every person is indebted to God. What has God done for us? (see Mosiah 2:20–21, 23–24; 3:7, 11). What does God require of us in return? (see Mosiah 2:17, 22, 31–34). Recalling Nephi’s declaration in 2 Nephi 25:23, is it any wonder that we are saved by grace after all we can do?
As you study this portion of the Book of Mormon, you will learn what is required to become a son or daughter of Jesus Christ. You must ask yourself if you are willing to pay the price to receive this glorious blessing. And then, as King Benjamin counseled, “If you believe all these things see that ye do them” (Mosiah 4:10).
From a historical perspective, you will learn about King Mosiah sending Ammon to the land of Lehi-Nephi. There Ammon discovered Limhi and his Nephite colony were in bondage to the Lamanites.
“Since the fall, all men have become carnal, sensual and devilish by nature. (Moses 5:13; 6:49; Alma 42:10; Mosiah 16:1–4; D. & C. 20:20.) In this fallen state they are subject to the lusts, passions, and appetites of the flesh. They are spiritually dead, having been cast out of the presence of the Lord; and thus ‘they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God.’ They are in a ‘carnal state’ (Alma 41:10–11); they are of the world. Carnality connotes worldliness, sensuality, and inclination to gratify the flesh” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 113).
Helaman 12:7–8 shows how people “in their own carnal state [are] even less than the dust of the earth” (Mosiah 4:2). The dust obeys God’s commands, but carnal man rebels against them.
“Some years ago, President Marion G. Romney and I were sitting in my office. The door opened and a fine young man came in with a troubled look on his face, and he said, ‘Brethren, I am going to the temple for the first time tomorrow. I have made some mistakes in the past, and I have gone to my bishop and my stake president, and I have made a clean disclosure of it all; and after a period of repentance and assurance that I have not returned again to those mistakes, they have now adjudged me ready to go to the temple. But, brethren, that is not enough. I want to know, and how can I know, that the Lord has forgiven me also.’
“What would you answer one who might come to you asking that question? As we pondered for a moment, we remembered King Benjamin’s address contained in the book of Mosiah. Here was a group of people asking for baptism, and they said they viewed themselves in their carnal state:
“‘. . . And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; . . .
“‘. . . after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience. . . .’ (Mosiah 4:2–3.)
“There was the answer.
“If the time comes when you have done all that you can to repent of your sins, whoever you are, wherever you are, and have made amends and restitution to the best of your ability; if it be something that will affect your standing in the Church and you have gone to the proper authorities, then you will want that confirming answer as to whether or not the Lord has accepted of you. In your soul-searching, if you seek for and you find that peace of conscience, by that token you may know that the Lord has accepted of your repentance. Satan would have you think otherwise and sometimes persuade you that now having made one mistake, you might go on and on with no turning back. That is one of the great falsehoods. The miracle of forgiveness is available to all of those who turn from their evil doings and return no more, because the Lord has said in a revelation to us in our days: ‘. . . go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth [meaning again] shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.’ (D&C 82:7.) Have that in mind, all of you who may be troubled with a burden of sin” (Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places, pp. 184–85).
“Somebody recently asked how one could know when he is converted. The answer is simple. He may be assured of it when by the power of the Holy Spirit his soul is healed. When this occurs, he will recognize it by the way he feels, for he will feel as the people of Benjamin felt when they received remission of sins. The record says, ‘. . . the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, . . .’ (Mosiah 4:3.)” (Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Oct. 1963, p. 25).
When King Benjamin spoke of man’s nothingness (see Mosiah 4:5), he was speaking of man’s utter dependence upon God. Man must rely upon God for everything: life and breath, food and the ability to produce it, health and strength, salvation and eternal life. Without God and the Atonement, man is, in a very real sense, nothing. Humility comes from realizing our dependence upon the Lord.
“Without it [the atonement of the Savior], no man or woman would ever be resurrected. From Adam’s time to the time of Jesus, men died—millions of them. But not a single one of them ever came out of the grave as a resurrected person until that glorious morning when Jesus was resurrected. Without his victory over death, they never would have come out of their graves, worlds without end. It took the atonement of Jesus Christ to reunite the bodies and spirits of men in the Resurrection. And so all the world, believers and nonbelievers, are indebted to the Redeemer for their certain resurrection, because the Resurrection will be as wide as was the Fall, which brought death to every man.
“There is another phase of the Atonement which makes me love the Savior even more and fills my soul with gratitude beyond expression. It is that in addition to atoning for Adam’s transgression, thereby bringing about the Resurrection, the Savior by his suffering paid the debt for the personal sins of every living soul that ever dwelt upon the earth or that ever will dwell in mortality upon the earth. But this he did conditionally. The benefits of this suffering for our individual transgressions will not come to us unconditionally in the same sense that the Resurrection will come regardless of what we do. If we partake of the blessings of the Atonement as far as our individual transgressions are concerned, we must obey the law.
“. . . When we commit sin, we are estranged from God and rendered unfit to enter into his presence. No unclean thing can enter into his presence. We cannot of ourselves, no matter how we may try, rid ourselves of the stain which is upon us as a result of our own transgressions. That stain must be washed away by the blood of the Redeemer, and he has set up the way by which that stain may be removed. That way is the gospel of Jesus Christ” (Marion G. Romney, “We Cannot Rid Ourselves of Our Transgressions,” New Era, Apr. 1983, p. 47).
In Mosiah 4:11, King Benjamin equates receiving a remission of sins with four things: coming to a knowledge of the glory of God, knowing of His goodness, tasting of His love, and receiving great joy in our souls. How do these things relate to what Nephi saw as the interpretation of the tree of life? (see 1 Nephi 11:8–23).
King Benjamin also explained what we can do to retain a remission of sins (see Mosiah 4:11): always remember the greatness of God, be humble by remembering our dependence upon God, call on the name of the Lord daily, and stand steadfast in the faith.
King Benjamin said that those who do these things will grow in the knowledge of the glory of God.
King Benjamin described the following characteristics of people who are filled with the Spirit of God: they will seek to live peaceably with one another (see Mosiah 4:13); they will fulfill their sacred family responsibilities (see vv. 14–15); they will succor the needy (see v. 16). (The word succor means to give aid, help, or relief.)
In verse 14 King Benjamin also teaches that fighting and quarreling between brothers and sisters is not necessarily a normal and healthy part of child development. Such contention may be normal for the “natural man,” but King Benjamin warned that the source of such contention is the devil.
Read Mosiah 4:16–25. What did King Benjamin say about the rationalization to not give aid to the needy because their condition is their own fault? How are we all beggars?
King Benjamin said that the rich should give to the needy, and the poor should not covet. We often think of coveting only as desiring something someone else has, but basically coveting is setting one’s heart on the things of the world more than on the things of God. Martin Harris was warned against coveting his own property (see D&C 19:26). We can even be guilty of coveting or holding back what we haven’t received (see Mosiah 4:25). Coveting is an attitude toward material things, whether they belong to someone else, whether they are our own possessions, or whether they are just material things in general.
“As we travel and visit the people throughout the world, we recognize the great temporal needs of our people. And as we long to help them, we realize the vital importance of their learning this great lesson: that the highest achievement of spirituality comes as we conquer the flesh. We build character as we encourage people to care for their own needs.
“As givers gain control of their desires and properly see other needs in light of their own wants, then the powers of the gospel are released in their lives. They learn that by living the great law of consecration they insure not only temporal salvation but also spiritual sanctification.
“And as a recipient receives with thanksgiving, he rejoices in knowing that in its purest form—in the true Zion—one may partake of both temporal and spiritual salvation. Then they are motivated to become self-sustaining and able to share with others.
“Isn’t the plan beautiful? Don’t you thrill to this part of the gospel that causes Zion to put on her beautiful garments? When viewed in this light, we can see that Welfare Services is not a program, but the essence of the gospel. It is the gospel in action.
“It is the crowning principle of a Christian life” (Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Oct. 1977, pp. 123–24; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, p. 77).
President Joseph F. Smith, speaking about the “mighty change” recorded in Mosiah 5:2, said: “What a glorious condition was this! a condition in which the Lord God Omnipotent, by the power of His Spirit, had wrought a mighty change in the hearts of that people, that they no longer had any desire to do evil, but were filled only with a fervent desire to do that which was good. This was indeed a great change, and yet it is precisely that change that comes today to every son and daughter of God who repents of his or her sins, who humble themselves before the Lord, and who seek forgiveness and remission of sin by baptism by immersion, by one having authority to administer the sacred ordinance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. . . . I speak of the influence and power of the Holy Spirit that I experienced when I had been baptized for the remission of my sins. The feeling that came upon me was that of pure peace, of love and of light. I felt in my soul that if I had sinned—and surely I was not without sin—that it had been forgiven me; that I was indeed cleansed from sin; my heart was touched and I felt that I would not injure the smallest insect beneath my feet. I felt as though I wanted to do good everywhere to everybody and to everything. I felt a newness of life, a newness of desire to do that which was right. There was not one particle of desire for evil left in my soul. I was but a little boy, it is true, when I was baptized; but this was the influence that came upon me, and I know that it was from God, and was and ever has been a living witness to me of my acceptance of the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1898, pp. 65–66).
Joseph Smith said: “Faith comes by hearing the word of God, through the testimony of the servants of God; that testimony is always attended by the Spirit of prophecy and revelation” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 148). This was the pattern followed in the conversion of King Benjamin’s people (see Mosiah 5:4). Following this conversion, the people said they were willing to enter into a covenant relationship with the Lord to do his will (see v. 5).
President Joseph Fielding Smith spoke on how Jesus Christ could be called our Father:
“If we speak of Jesus Christ as being our Father, we are not making any mistake because, spiritually, he begot us. No question about it—he united spirit and body, providing a resurrection for every living thing. We do not make any mistake in speaking of the Savior as our God, as our Father, and also as the Son of God because he received all authority. Jesus declared the Father conferred all authority upon him, and so he becomes to us a Father. Moreover, he begot us spiritually in the resurrection. . . .
“. . . We are his sons and daughters. He is a Father to us because he begot us and saved us from death, uniting spirit and body. What is a father but one who gives life?” (The Fatherhood of Christ [address to seminary and institute of religion personnel, Brigham Young University, 17 July 1962], pp. 5–6).
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Elohim—Our Heavenly Father |
Our Earthly Father |
Jesus Christ—Our Savior and Spiritual Father |
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1. We were born of an eternal Heavenly Father. |
1. Each of us had an earthly father who gave us mortal life and thus became our physical father. |
1. Jesus Christ is he who gives us immortality beyond the grave through the Resurrection. Since that is true for all men, he is the Father of all the family of God. |
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2. We acquired spiritual qualities and characteristics from God. |
2. We have acquired earthly qualities and characteristics from him. |
2. We can be spiritually reborn through the sanctifying influence of the Atonement; hence, for all who will repent, be baptized, and endure faithfully to the end by following the Spirit, Christ becomes their father. |
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3. All of us are now spirit sons or daughters of God and have part of his divine nature in us. |
3. We bear his name and have part of his nature in us. |
3. Through rebirth we acquire distinct Christlike qualities, partake of his divine nature, and become his son or daughter. |
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4. Can you see the reasonable basis for belief that you can become a God like he is by progressing here and hereafter? |
4. Consider the reasonable truth that you possess many of his characteristics and can become like him. |
4. We now take upon ourselves a new name, even the name of Jesus Christ. Do you understand that you have the qualities and power to become like him through this “mighty change” called spiritual rebirth? |
“We see that we take upon us the name of Christ when we are baptized in his name, when we belong to his Church and profess our belief in him, and when we do the work of his kingdom. . . .
“There are other meanings as well, deeper meanings that the more mature members of the Church should understand and ponder as he or she partakes of the sacrament.
“It is significant that when we partake of the sacrament we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We witness that we are willing to do so. (See D&C 20:77.) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the most important sense.
“What future event or events could this covenant contemplate? The scriptures suggest two sacred possibilities, one concerning the authority of God, especially as exercised in the temples, and the other—closely related—concerning exaltation in the celestial kingdom. . . .
“Willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ can therefore be understood as willingness to take upon us the authority of Jesus Christ. According to this meaning, by partaking of the sacrament we witness our willingness to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and to receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Savior when he chooses to confer them upon us. . . .
“. . . Our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ affirms our commitment to do all that we can to be counted among those whom he will choose to stand at his right hand and be called by his name at the last day. In this sacred sense, our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ constitutes our declaration of candidacy for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Exaltation is eternal life, ‘the greatest of all the gifts of God’ (D&C 14:7)” (Dallin H. Oaks, in Conference Report, Apr. 1985, pp. 102–3, 105; or Ensign, May 1985, pp. 80–81, 83).
King Benjamin named his son after his father. We might, therefore, refer to King Benjamin’s father as Mosiah I and to King Benjamin’s son as Mosiah II. It was Mosiah I who was commanded by the Lord to take those who would follow him and depart out of the land of Nephi into the wilderness because of the wickedness of the Nephites (see Omni 1:12). The book of Mosiah, however, is named after Mosiah II. He is the one who kept the record.
Using the map “Significant Journeys in the Book of Mormon” locate the city of Zarahemla (A) and Zeniff’s colony in the land of Lehi-Nephi (B). Also locate the following journeys between Zarahemla and the land of Lehi-Nephi:
The ill-fated expedition (1)
Zeniff’s expedition (2)
The expedition of forty-three men to find Zarahemla (3)
Alma’s escape (4) to the Waters of Mormon (C) and the establishment of the city of Helam (E)
Ammon’s expedition to find Zeniff’s colony (5)
Limhi’s escape to Zarahemla (6)
Alma’s escape to Zarahemla (7)
The following material can be used to help you with this exercise:
| 1. The ill-fated expedition: |
| a. Read Omni 1:27–28. About 200 B.C. a large number of Nephites wanted to possess the land of their inheritance. | |
| b. Read Mosiah 9:1. Who was the man sent to spy on the Lamanites? | |
| c. Read Omni 1:28 and Mosiah 9:2. What caused the contention among the group after Zeniff made his report? | |
| d. What was the fate of this expedition? | |
| 2. Zeniff’s expedition: |
| a. Read Omni 1:29 and Mosiah 9:3. Why did Zeniff organize a second group to go to the land of Nephi? | |
| b. Why did Zeniff’s expedition meet with much affliction? (see Mosiah 9:3). | |
| c. Read Mosiah 9:4–7. Zeniff entered into a treaty with the Lamanites. The Lamanite king (Laman) commanded the Lamanites who inhabited the land of ________________ to evacuate. See the approximate location on the map. | |
| d. Read Mosiah 7:9. Who was the first king of this new colony? | |
At this point it will be helpful to understand who the kings were during the period 200–121 B.C. Identify the kings of the land of Zarahemla and the land of Lehi-Nephi by reading the references on the map “Kings—200–121 B.C. ” and then filling in the names.
Following Zeniff’s death, his son Noah was appointed to succeed him as king. Noah was an unrighteous man who had many wives and concubines and led the colony into a state of wickedness. He put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father and appointed new ones who would sustain him in his self-indulgent ways.
When the prophet Abinadi called attention to his sins, Noah had him killed, but not before Abinadi delivered a scathing rebuke and prophesied of Noah’s death (see Mosiah 17:11–20). Present in the court of Noah that day was a young priest named Alma, who had been appointed by Noah. Believing the words of Abinadi, he pleaded with Noah to spare him, but the other priests prevailed. Alma was forced to flee, and while in hiding he recorded the words of Abinadi.
| 3. The expedition of forty-three men to find Zarahemla (see Mosiah 8): |
| a. Who was the successor to wicked King Noah? | |
| b. Forty-three men were sent into the wilderness. What was the purpose of this expedition? | |
| c. What did this group discover? (see vv. 8–9). | |
| d. What did they think they had found? (see Mosiah 21:26–27). | |
| 4. Alma’s escape to the Waters of Mormon and the establishment of the city of Helam: |
| a. Abinadi’s words helped to convert Alma, one of the priests of Noah. How did King Noah react to Alma’s conversion? (see Mosiah 17:3). | |
| b. Alma fled to the Waters of Mormon. Locate this on the map “Significant Journeys in the Book of Mormon.” Who joined Alma before he left this location? (see Mosiah 18:1–7, 30). | |
| c. Why did Alma and his followers have to leave the Waters of Mormon? How many fled with Alma into the wilderness? (see vv. 30–35). | |
| d. Where did Alma’s colony stop, and what did they name their city? (see Mosiah 23:1–5, 19–20). | |
| 5. Ammon’s expedition to find Zeniff’s colony: |
| a. Read Mosiah 7:2–3. Why did Mosiah II send sixteen strong men to the land of Lehi-Nephi? | |
| b. Who was their leader? | |
| c. Ammon learned about the expedition of the forty-three men and their discovery of twenty-four gold plates. How did Ammon say these records could be translated? (see Mosiah 8:12–18). | |
| 6. Limhi’s escape to Zarahemla: |
| a. Ammon and his brethren, and King Limhi and his people, studied diligently to find a means of escaping from the Lamanites. Who proposed the plan for escape? (see Mosiah 22:3–4). | |
| b. What was the plan? (see vv. 5–8). | |
| c. What happened to Limhi’s group after the escape? (see vv. 10–13). | |
| 7. Alma’s escape to Zarahemla: |
| Alma’s colony was discovered by the Lamanite army who became lost while pursuing Limhi’s group. The Lamanite king appointed the leader of King Noah’s priests to rule Alma’s colony (see Mosiah 23:25–39). What did the Lord do to enable Alma and his people to escape? (see Mosiah 24). | |
In Mosiah 8:15–21, Ammon told of the great benefit that comes to men through having a seer among the people. Because a seer has the gift of seeing both the past and the future as well as revealing hidden things, he “becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings” (v. 18). Such hidden things might include impending judgments on a city, nation, or people; warnings about the consequences of sin; explanations of blessings for obedience; and definitions of important gospel principles. In an age of doubt, fear, and uncertainty such as we live in today, to have one who can “see” the course which leads us to peace and joy is a blessing to be treasured.
■ Why is King Benjamin’s sermon so powerful? (see Mosiah 2–5). How can these teachings help you become a better person?
■ What is meant by becoming a son or daughter of Jesus Christ? (see D&C 25:1).
■ Cross-reference Mosiah 4:14–15 and Doctrine and Covenants 68:25–28. What responsibilities do parents have? What might be the consequences of a parent neglecting his or her duty?
■ A group of Nephites, led by Zeniff, fell into bondage to the Lamanites. Why did this happen? (see Mosiah 7:25). What is the relationship between the actions of the people in the land of Lehi-Nephi and the actions of the Saints in Missouri? (see D&C 101:2, 6–9).
Zeniff established a Nephite colony in the Lamanite land of Lehi-Nephi and was succeeded as king by his wicked son Noah. The prophet Abinadi boldly testified of Christ and warned Noah and his people of the judgments of God that would come upon them if they did not repent. Abinadi was put to death by Noah and his wicked priests, but not before he delivered some of the greatest teachings found in the Book of Mormon.
Zeniff and his people left Zarahemla to return to the land of Nephi during the reign of Mosiah I, the father of King Benjamin (see Omni 1:12). Many years later, during the reign of King Benjamin’s son Mosiah II, Ammon went to the land of Nephi to see what had happened to Zeniff’s people because they had not been heard from for so long (see Mosiah 7:1–2). This is not the Ammon who was one of the four sons of Mosiah II.
Concubines in the Old Testament “were considered to be secondary wives, that is, wives who did not have the same standing in the caste system then prevailing as did those wives who were not called concubines” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 154). Concubines had full protection as wives and did not violate the law of chastity when the marriages were approved by the Lord (see D&C 132:34–43). In the time of King Noah, however, the word concubine referred to the wicked practice of a man living with more than one woman, in or out of marriage, without God’s approval.
The word whoredoms refers to any perversion of the laws of chastity and virtue.
In Mosiah 11:3–15 we get a vivid picture of the depravity engaged in and encouraged by King Noah.
The metal ziff (see v. 3) is now unknown. In Hebrew this term means brightness, referring to metallic brightness (see v. 3b). The term is also used in Daniel 2:31 and 4:36, where it is translated as “brightness.”
Mosiah 11:15 indicates that King Noah was a winebibber. The word imbibe means to drink or absorb; therefore, a winebibber is one who indulges in excessive wine drinking. Today we would use the word drunkard to describe this kind of person.
The Lord told Nephi that if the day ever came that the Nephites rebelled against the commandments, the Lamanites would be given power to scourge the Nephites “to stir them up in the ways of remembrance” (see 1 Nephi 2:21–24). What happened to King Noah’s people was a literal fulfillment of this prophecy.
Nephi told his wicked brothers that “the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center” (1 Nephi 16:2). This is why King Noah and his priests sought the life of Abinadi, just as the Jews in Jerusalem had sought to take away Lehi’s life (see 1 Nephi 1:19–20), and the wicked people of Zarahemla would seek to kill Samuel (see Helaman 16).
False prophets and corrupt priests so often flourish among a wicked people because they soothe the conscience. They not only teach that there is no wickedness in the people’s actions, but they actually approve these acts as acceptable to God (see 2 Nephi 28:8, Helaman 13:24–28).
Mosiah 12:2–7 foreshadows what was to happen to King Noah and his people. Abinadi’s prophecy about King Noah is fulfilled in Mosiah 19, and the prophecy about the people is fulfilled in Mosiah 21.
When the wicked priests took Abinadi before King Noah they used flattery to influence the king’s judgment against the prophet (see Mosiah 12:9–16). They then used the same tactics that the Sanhedrin would use on the Savior. They attempted to “cross [Abinadi]” in his words in order to find something to accuse him of (see Mark 14:55–64).
King Noah’s priests challenged Abinadi with a statement from Isaiah. Abinadi showed that their ignorance of Isaiah’s words was due to their wickedness. He later explained that Isaiah’s words as quoted in Mosiah 12:21 referred to the Savior, and in verse 22 to those who were called to bear witness of the Savior (see Mosiah 15:10–18).
Abinadi knew that he would be protected and live long enough to fulfill his ministry and deliver the message the Lord had sent him to deliver (see Mosiah 13:3).
The Prophet Joseph Smith also received this assurance. Joseph Smith, Sr., called his children to his bedside shortly before his death to give them his final blessing. To Joseph, Jr., he said: “‘Joseph, my son, you are called to a high and holy calling. You are even called to do the work of the Lord. Hold out faithful and you shall be blest and your children after you. You shall even live to finish your work.’ At this Joseph cried out, weeping, ‘Oh! my father, shall I?’ ‘Yes,’ said his father, ‘you shall live to lay out the plan of all the work which God has given you to do. This is my dying blessing upon your head in the name of Jesus. I also confirm your former blessing upon your head; for it shall be fulfilled. Even so. Amen.’” (in Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, pp. 309–10).
At the funeral of Elder Richard L. Evans, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “No righteous man is ever taken before his time” (“Funeral Services for Elder Richard L. Evans,” Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 10).
Some may wonder how Abinadi could have read the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. It should be remembered that the brass plates Nephi obtained contained the five books of Moses (see 1 Nephi 5:10–11). This record, which would have contained the Ten Commandments, had been passed down by Nephite prophets and record keepers. Evidently the contents of the brass plates were known to Noah and his priests because they quoted from Isaiah and referred to the law of Moses (see Mosiah 12:20–24, 28).
In setting before the priests of Noah the relationship of the law of Moses to the coming Messiah, Abinadi quoted what is now Isaiah 53. A careful analysis of this Messianic writing reveals that Isaiah had a clear understanding of the mission and suffering of the Savior more than seven hundred years before His birth.
On 30 June 1916 the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles set forth a detailed statement on the Father and the Son. In this exposition Christ, the literal son of God the Eternal Father, is represented as the Father in three ways:
He is the Father as Creator. Christ is referred to in many scriptural passages as “the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth” (see Mosiah 15:4, 16:15, Alma 11:38–39, Ether 4:7).
He is the Father of all who accept his atoning sacrifice and covenant with him to obey his everlasting gospel. There are numerous scriptural passages that express this relationship (see Mosiah 5:7, 15:10–13, Ether 3:14, D&C 25:1, 34:1–3, 39:1–4).
He is the Father by divine investiture of authority. This means that the Savior is the fully authorized and commissioned representative of his Father, and as such can speak and act for the Father.
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve explained divine investiture of authority as follows: “In all His dealings with the human family Jesus the Son has represented and yet represents Elohim His Father in power and authority. This is true of Christ in His preexistent, antemortal, or unembodied state, in the which He was known as Jehovah; also during His embodiment in the flesh; and during His labors as a disembodied spirit in the realm of the dead. . . . Thus the Father placed His name upon the Son; and Jesus Christ spoke and ministered in and through the Father’s name; and so far as power, authority, and Godship are concerned His words and acts were and are those of the Father” (in James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, p. 471; the entire statement, “The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Twelve,” is found on pages 466–73 of The Articles of Faith).
After explaining the relationship of the law of Moses to the coming Messiah, Abinadi interpreted the words of Isaiah that the wicked priests quoted (see Mosiah 12:21–24). Abinadi said that Isaiah spoke of those who are the seed of Christ.
Abinadi taught that because Christ would break the bands of death, or have power over death, He would hold the keys for the resurrection of all people (see Mosiah 15:20). Abinadi taught that there would be a first resurrection at the time of Christ’s resurrection (see vv. 21–23).
Concerning this first resurrection, Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “To those who lived before the resurrection of Christ, the day of his coming forth from the dead was known as the first resurrection. . . . To those who have lived since that day, the first resurrection is yet future and will take place at the time of the Second Coming” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 639). Elder McConkie also wrote that “the righteous dead who lived from the day of Adam to the time when Christ broke the bands of death ‘were with Christ in his resurrection.’ (D. & C. 133:54–55.)” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 639).
Abinadi taught that those who died without a knowledge of the gospel before Christ’s resurrection could also “have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life” (Mosiah 15:24). These people would have the gospel preached to them in the spirit world and would be able to receive all of the blessings given to those resurrected at the time of the first resurrection, even though they would not be resurrected until a later time (see D&C 137:7).
Those who willfully rebel against Christ have no part in the first resurrection. Abinadi explained that willful rebellion refers to those who have known the gospel but have forsaken it (see Mosiah 15:26–27).
Compare what Abinadi said about little children having eternal life (see Mosiah 15:25) with Moroni 8 and Doctrine and Covenants 137:10.
“Among all the glorious gospel verities given of God to his people there is scarcely a doctrine so sweet, so soul satisfying, and so soul sanctifying, as the one which proclaims—
“Little children shall be saved. They are alive in Christ and shall have eternal life. For them the family unit will continue, and the fulness of exaltation is theirs. No blessing shall be withheld. They shall rise in immortal glory, grow to full maturity, and live forever in the highest heaven of the celestial kingdom—all through the merits and mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah, all because of the atoning sacrifice of Him who died that we might live” (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Salvation of Little Children,” Ensign, Apr. 1977, p. 3).
In Mosiah 15:28–31 Abinadi testified that Isaiah’s prophecy quoted by the wicked priests (see Mosiah 12:21–24) would come to pass. Abinadi testified that the word of the Lord would be declared to all the earth, and that Zion would be established.
Mosiah 16:13–15 contains Abinadi’s concluding message to the wicked priests. Note how Abinadi centered his testimony on the Atonement, and how he indicated that salvation is merited only through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Even the priests’ claim that they were obedient to the law of Moses was a rationalization of their own wickedness; if they had truly kept the Mosaic law, it would have taught them of and brought them to Christ.
“One of the wicked priests of King Noah is a man named Alma, who is a descendant of Nephi. When first introduced in the Book of Mormon, Alma is a young man in the process of being converted by Abinadi. (Mosiah 17:2.) Much of the religious history of the Nephite nation for the next three hundred years is concerned with this man and his descendants. Alma not only begins a religious revival among his own people, but later he is given power by King Mosiah to establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla. (See Mosiah 25:19.)
“Still later we read that Alma’s son (also called Alma) succeeds his father as the religious leader of the people and also becomes the first chief judge over the Nephite nation. Other descendants of Alma the elder who become great religious leaders of the Nephites include his grandson (Helaman); great-grandson (Helaman, the son of Helaman); great-great-grandson (Nephi, the son of Helaman who is the son of Helaman); and great-great-great-grandson (Nephi the second, who is also the chief disciple of the resurrected Jesus Christ). Abinadi may have felt that he had failed as a missionary; so far as the record indicates, his only convert was Alma. However, as mentioned above, the missionary efforts of Abinadi affected the religious life of the Nephites for hundreds of years” (Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 187).
King Noah indicated that he was condemning Abinadi because Abinadi said that “God himself should come down among the children of men” (Mosiah 17:8). The real reason is shown in King Noah’s statement that he would spare Abinadi if he would recall all the words he had spoken against the king and his people (see v. 8).
One of the methods of the guilty is to destroy those who have exposed their guilt. Abinadi’s words condemned Noah and his people for their sinful ways, so Noah sought the life of Abinadi. Truly, as Nephi said, “The guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center” (1 Nephi 16:2).
“In the gospel sense, martyrdom is the voluntary acceptance of death at the hands of wicked men rather than to forsake Christ and his holy gospel. It is the supreme earthly sacrifice in which a man certifies to his absolute faith and to the desires for righteousness and for eternal life which are in his heart” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 469).
■ How would Abinadi measure up if a missionary’s success was determined by the number of baptisms he performed? Why was Abinadi a successful missionary?
■ Who are the seed of Christ? (see Mosiah 15:10–13).
■ Who did Abinadi say would come forth in the first resurrection? (see vv. 21–26).
The Lord is bound when we do what he says, but when we do not do what he says, we have no promise (see D&C 82:10). The Nephites in the land of Lehi-Nephi found themselves in bondage to the Lamanites because of their failure to keep the commandments of God. Eventually, “they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions” (Mosiah 21:14).
God did not deliver the Nephites immediately after they humbled themselves. They continued to languish under the abusive treatment of the Lamanites for a while longer. Their joyful release came, however, when the Lord felt it was time to recognize their humble petitions and deliver them out of bondage.
Baptism symbolizes the death of the old, sinful person and the rebirth of the new, spiritual person through faith in Christ and sincere repentance. The baptismal font is symbolic of the grave, where we are “buried with [Christ] by baptism into death” (Romans 6:4; see also D&C 128:12–13).
At baptism we covenant to take upon us the name of Christ (see D&C 20:37) and thus become his sons and daughters. In Mosiah 18:8–10 Alma explained what the baptismal covenant means in practical, everyday terms. If we truly take upon us the name of Christ, we are willing to—
As we faithfully strive to live these covenants and obligations, the Lord in return promises that we will—
“We may conclude that Alma held the priesthood before he, with others, became disturbed with King Noah. Whether this is so or not makes no difference because in the Book of Mosiah it is stated definitely that he had authority.
“‘And when he had said these words, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world’ [Mosiah 18:13].
“If he had authority to baptize that is evidence that he had been baptized. Therefore, when Alma baptized himself with Helam that was not a case of Alma baptizing himself, but merely as a token to the Lord of his humility and full repentance” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:203).
Alma baptized 204 individuals in the waters of Mormon, “and they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward” (Mosiah 18:17). Alma ordained a priest for every fifty members and commanded these priests to teach the people “concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (v. 17). The priests were to teach only what the prophets had taught (see v. 19); they were to teach faith, repentance, baptism, love, and unity (see vv. 20–21), and they were to keep the Sabbath day a holy day of worship (see v. 23).
The priests were to “labor with their own hands for their support” (v. 24) and were not to be paid for their work in the Church, but “for their labor they were to receive the grace of God” (v. 26). If there were members who wished to give “to those priests that stood in need” (v. 28), such generosity was encouraged.
Alma had to teach these principles because the people under King Noah were in a state of apostasy. Those principles had always been taught in the Church of Jesus Christ.
Alma taught his people some of the basic principles of the law of consecration (see vv. 27–28). While there is no evidence that the law of consecration was formally established among them, it is evident that this small group of converts had the spirit of Zion in their hearts.
“Some may ask, ‘How do I obtain these righteous feelings in giving? How do I overcome giving grudgingly? How do I obtain the “pure love of Christ?”’ To those I would say: Faithfully live all the commandments, give of yourselves, care for your families, serve in church callings, perform missionary work, pay tithes and offerings, study the scriptures—and the list could go on. As you lose yourself in this service, the Lord will touch and soften your heart” (Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Oct. 1981, pp. 131–32; or Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 93).
Chapters 19–22 of Mosiah are taken from the record of the Zeniff colony. These chapters contain a detailed account of the events that led to the state of bondage in which Ammon found Limhi’s people and also to their eventual deliverance. Note what finally leads to their deliverance. Contrast this event with the end of King Noah and his priests in fulfillment of Abinadi’s prophecies.
Mosiah 21:23 brings the reader back to the sequence of events in Mosiah 7–8. The scriptures from Mosiah 9 to Mosiah 21:23 are a flashback taken from the record of the Zeniff colony.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave the following insight about patience:
“The necessity of our having this intriguing attribute is cited several times in the scriptures, including by King Benjamin, who clustered the attributes of a saint, and patience was a charter member of that cluster (see Mosiah 3:19; see also Al. 7:23).
“Patience is not indifference. Actually, it is caring very much, but being willing, nevertheless, to submit both to the Lord and to what the scriptures call the ‘process of time.’
“Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than his. Either way we are questioning the reality of God’s omniscience, as if, as some seem to believe, God were on some sort of postdoctoral fellowship. . . .
“We read in Mosiah about how the Lord simultaneously tries the patience of his people even as he tries their faith (see Mosiah 23:21). One is not only to endure—but to endure well and gracefully those things which the Lord ‘seeth fit to inflict upon [us]’ (Mosiah 3:19), just as did a group of ancient American Saints who were bearing unusual burdens but who submitted ‘cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord’ (Mosiah 24:15). . . .
“The Lord has twice said: ‘And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life’ (D&C 101:38, italics added; see also Luke 21:19). Could it be that only when our self-control has become total do we come into true possession of our own souls?” (“Patience,” Ensign, Oct. 1980, p. 28).
Mosiah 24 contains the account of the deliverance of Alma’s people from Amulon and his evil companions. Mormon’s insights and commentary on the significance of this event help us understand the lesson we can learn from it. Note especially verses 10, 12, and 16, and compare them with Mormon’s comments in Mosiah 23:21–22.
■ The following exercise is designed to let you see in an actual historical setting the workings of the principles you have just studied. Note that the people of King Limhi were still out of tune with the Lord when they were forced to turn to him; therefore, “the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities” (Mosiah 21:15). The people of Alma, however, had attuned their lives long before their need arose, and so the Lord could help them directly.
| Two Escapes | |||
|
Limhi’s People |
Alma’s People |
||
| In bondage to: | (Mosiah 19:25–28) | (Mosiah 23:36–39) | |
| The plan: Natural or miraculous? | (Mosiah 22:1–8) | (Mosiah 24:16–17) | |
| The escape: Natural or miraculous? | (Mosiah 22:9–13) | (Mosiah 24:18–25) | |
■ What do you think made the difference in the way the Lord answered the prayers of each group?
| Limhi’s People | Alma’s People | |
| Review Mosiah 7:25–28, 20:20–21, 21:1–16. | Review Mosiah 18:8–11, 23:21–23, 24:12–16. | |
One of the greatest miracles happens when a person changes from a life of sin to a life of righteousness. Alma the Younger is an excellent example of this. As you study his experience, you will learn what it means to be born again.
Alma the Younger also received the records from King Mosiah, was appointed the first chief judge over the Nephites, and became the high priest in charge of the Church.
Mosiah’s grandfather, Mosiah I, led a group of righteous Nephites out of the land of Lehi-Nephi during a time when the main body of the Nephites were wicked and either being absorbed or destroyed by the Lamanites. These righteous Nephites traveled north and discovered the people of Zarahemla (see Omni 1:12–15). Nothing more is heard of the Nephites left behind in the land of Lehi-Nephi. Apparently they either joined with or were destroyed by the Lamanites.
Years later many more Nephites were killed during the recolonizing of the land of Lehi-Nephi under Zeniff, Noah, and Limhi.
The value of keeping records is shown over and over again in the Book of Mormon. Records, as Alma said to Helaman, “have enlarged the memory of this people . . . and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls” (Alma 37:8).
The Lord promised Nephi, “and inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren” (1 Nephi 2:22). This promise seems to have extended over many generations.
There is a distinction between what is a sin and what is a crime. A sin is a violation of a law of God, while a crime is a violation of a public law. An act can be both, but many times it is not.
Alma sought King Mosiah’s help in dealing with sinful beliefs and practices being spread among the people. Mosiah, however, could not involve the government in Church matters. Even though the beliefs of some people were evil, Nephite law allowed them to believe as they chose (see Alma 30:7–11). In this sense, the people had committed no crime.
As the head of the Church it was Alma’s responsibility to judge such people, so he turned to the Lord for instructions. Mosiah 26:15–32 contains the revelation of the Lord to Alma. The Lord explained the need to forgive the repentant and to excommunicate the rebellious in maintaining the good name of the Church. This stance was reaffirmed in our dispensation when the Lord revealed that the Church could not punish a member beyond excommunication for any sin or crime committed (see D&C 134:10).
The Lord is fully acquainted with every person. The kind of knowing referred to in Mosiah 26:24–27 involves obeying the Lord’s commandments and becoming like him (see 1 John 2:3–6). Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:
“To know God in that full sense which will enable us to gain eternal salvation means that we must know what he knows, enjoy what he enjoys, experience what he experiences. In New Testament language, we must ‘be like him.’ (1 John 3:2.)
“But before we can become like him, we must obey those laws that will enable us to acquire the character, perfections, and attributes that he possesses.
“And before we can obey these laws, we must learn what they are; we must learn of Christ and his gospel. We must learn ‘that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.’ (Mosiah 3:18.) We must learn that baptism under the hands of a legal administrator is essential to salvation and that after baptism we must keep the commandments and ‘press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.’ (D&C 93:36.)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1966, p. 79).
Having become like Christ we can know Christ, and the Savior then knows us. “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13).
A confession of sins is required as part of the repentance process. The Lord said, “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them” (D&C 58:43).
All sins are to be confessed to God. Confession to proper priesthood leaders is also necessary for those sins that jeopardize one’s standing or membership in the Church, so that proper Church action can be determined to help the sinner receive forgiveness. Only God can grant forgiveness of sins, but priesthood leaders can rightly determine what action needs to be taken to help the sinner, to preserve the good name of the Church of Jesus Christ, and to see that justice is done.
“Although there are many ecclesiastical officers in the Church whose positions entitle and require them to be judges, the authority of those positions does not necessarily qualify them to forgive or remit sins. . . .
“The bishop, and others in comparable positions, can forgive in the sense of waiving the penalties. In our loose connotation we sometimes call this forgiveness, but it is not forgiveness in the sense of ‘wiping out’ or absolution. The waiver means, however, that the individual will not need to be tried again for the same error, and that he may become active and have fellowship with the people of the Church. In receiving the confession and waiving the penalties the bishop is representing the Lord. He helps to carry the burden, relieves the transgressor’s strain and tension, and assures to him a continuation of Church activity.
“It is the Lord, however, who forgives sin” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 332).
“There are cultists who claim that the Church might sever a person from the Church but could not affect his eternal status or take from him the Holy Ghost or his priesthood or temple blessings. This is but wishful thinking, for the Lord has pledged to acknowledge the acts of his servants, and his Church is his kingdom. And when the person is excommunicated by the bishopric, the high council, or the higher councils, it is as though the Lord had personally with his own voice pronounced the penalty.
“That this kind of authority, reaching in its effects from this life into the future phases of eternity, was to be a feature of the Church of Jesus Christ is clearly shown by the Savior’s words:
“‘And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
“‘And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ (Matt. 16:18–19.)” (Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 331).
Speaking about a man who said he had prayed for the visitation of angels, President Wilford Woodruff said:
“I said to him that if he were to pray a thousand years to the God of Israel for that gift, it would not be granted, unless the Lord had a motive in sending an angel to him. I told him that the Lord never did nor never will send an angel to anybody merely to gratify the desire of the individual to see an angel. If the Lord sends an angel to anyone, He sends him to perform a work that cannot be performed only by the administration of an angel. I said to him that those were my views. The Lord had sent angels to men from the creation of the world, at different times, but always with a message or with something to perform that could not be performed without. I rehearsed to him different times when angels appeared to men. Of course, I referred to the angel visiting Joseph Smith. The Revelator John said that in the last days an angel would fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwelt on the earth. The reason it required an angel to do this work was, the Gospel was not on the earth. The Gospel and the Priesthood had been taken from among men. Hence God had to restore it again.
“Now, I have always said, and I want to say it to you, that the Holy Ghost is what every Saint of God needs. It is far more important that a man should have that gift than he should have the ministration of an angel, unless it is necessary for an angel to teach him something that he has not been taught” (“Discourse Delivered at the Weber Stake Conference,” Deseret Weekly, 7 Nov. 1896, p. 1).
“We are talking about being born again. This matter of being born and having a family relationship is purely a matter of definition. We were born first as the spirit children of God, our Heavenly Father. We lived with him for an infinite period. Our lives did not commence when we started out this mortal existence. This mortal sphere is simply a change of status for the eternal spirit that had lived for an infinite period in the presence of God, our Heavenly Father. Birth is a change of status. It is a new way of living.
“We are living here in mortality, and if we come to Christ and start living his laws and change our way of existence, we are born again. Paul expresses it by saying that we crucify the old man of sin. (See Romans 6:6 and Ephesians 4:22.) We die as pertaining to the things of this world and we become alive in Christ. We become members of his family.
“When Alma the younger had his glorious experience and was born again—without any question he had been baptized in his youth but he had not been born again, he had not exercised the power to become a son of God—when this finally came, he received from the Lord the pronouncement that all mankind, men and women, people of every nation and kindred and tongue, had to be born again if they were to become inheritors of peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come. And then he was counseled that they had to become new creatures. They had to become a new creation by the power of the Holy Spirit; their lives had to be changed. (See Mosiah 27:24–31 and Alma 5.) And that change is one in which people become alive to the things of righteousness; they die as pertaining to carnality and things that are vulgar, as to things that lead contrary to, and away from, the Lord, our Heavenly Father” (Bruce R. McConkie, Households of Faith, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 1 Dec. 1970], p. 4).
“As far as we degenerate from God, we descend to the devil and lose knowledge, and without knowledge we cannot be saved, and while our hearts are filled with evil, and we are studying evil, there is no room in our hearts for good, or studying good. Is not God good? Then you be good; if He is faithful, then you be faithful. Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, and seek for every good thing.
“The Church must be cleansed, and I proclaim against all iniquity. A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of the things of God” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 217).
“The people of Limhi brought to Mosiah a record, ‘. . . engraven on plates of ore,’ which record Mosiah translated by the aid of ‘two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow,’ and which gave an account of the Jaredites. In translating this record Mosiah kept from going forth to the people that particular part forbidden of the Lord to be revealed until after he was lifted up upon the cross. These sacred revelations given to the brother of Jared were kept from the Nephite people, as well as many other things, until after the resurrection of Christ [see Alma 63:12]. After the appearing of the Savior to the Nephites, the vision of the brother of Jared was revealed to the Nephites. When Moroni made his abridgment of the record of Ether, he copied on his record the vision of the brother of Jared. At the command of the Lord, however, Moroni also sealed up the greater things in this vision and the ‘interpreters’—which were the same ‘two stones’ had by the brother of Jared, so that this vision should not be made known even in our day among the Gentiles, in the day of their wickedness [see 2 Nephi 27:8]; ‘. . . until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.’ So we today do not have the fulness of the account written and sealed up by the brother of Jared and again sealed by Moroni. This part of the record the Prophet Joseph Smith was forbidden to translate. We have, then, received but the ‘lesser part.’
“Joseph Smith received with the ‘breastplate’ and the plates of the Book of Mormon, the Urim and Thummim, which were hid up by Moroni to come forth in the last days as a means by which the ancient record might be translated, which Urim and Thummim were given to the brother of Jared” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:161–62).
“I have a complete confidence in the aggregate wisdom of the . . . people if they are given and made to understand the facts. The wisdom of the mass is always greater than the wisdom of the individual or of the group. The few may be more subtle, more agile-minded, more resourceful; they may for a time push to the front and scamper ahead in the march; they may on occasion and for a time entice us down the wrong highway at the crossroads. But the great slow-moving, deliberate-thinking mass plods along over the years down the Divinely appointed way. Led astray, they slowly, cumberously swing back to the right road, no matter what the toil or the sacrifice may be, and when they start the return, they crush whatever lies in their path. So has humanity come up through the ages” (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., in Jerreld L. Newquist, comp., Prophets, Principles, and National Survival, p. 110).
“With free agency there comes responsibility. If man is to be rewarded for righteousness and punished for evil, then common justice demands that he be given the power of independent action. A knowledge of good and evil is essential to man’s progress on earth. If he were coerced to do right at all times, or were helplessly enticed to commit sin, he would merit neither a blessing for the first nor a punishment for the second. Man’s responsibility is correspondingly operative with his free agency. Actions in harmony with divine law and the laws of nature will bring happiness, and those in opposition to divine truth, misery. Man is responsible not only for every deed, but also for every idle word and thought” (David O. McKay, “Free Agency . . . the Gift Divine,” Improvement Era, Feb. 1962, p. 86; emphasis added).
The change in government instituted through King Mosiah was viewed as so significant that from that point on the Nephites recorded their time from the beginning of the reign of the judges. Until this point, the Nephites had kept track of time from the year Lehi left Jerusalem.
■ What are some events that could trigger the beginning of a spiritual rebirth in a person? (see Mosiah 4:1–2, Alma 32:6–13, Helaman 5:43–52).
■ Why did the Lord send an angel to appear to Alma and the sons of Mosiah? (see Mosiah 27:14).
■ Why were judges chosen to rule over the people in place of a king near the end of King Mosiah’s reign? (see Mosiah 29).