Alma 12:1-15
12:1-7 – Amulek had just finished teaching the people and Zeezrom (Z) about the resurrection and the Atonement. With Amulek finished speaking and Z clearly “began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt” by these teachings, Alma, being the fantastic public speaker that he is, seized the opportunity “to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done.” The first issue that Alma addresses is Z being “taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God.” This is the whole point of honest, you can convince anyone of anything, and you can even convince yourself of something, but there is only one truth and God knows it because “he knows all thy thoughts.” If we are to accept that God can know of the truth when we are wronged, then we must also accept the fact that God knows the truth when we are in the wrong. We learned from the last chapter that Amulek knew that Z had no intention of paying him the money that he promised him, if he would deny God that was the first indication that his thoughts were not secrets inside his head that only he knew. The second indication is that Z’s plan “was a very subtle plan… for to lie and to deceive this people that thou mightiest set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out.” It’s interesting because clearly, this plan is pretty much the motivation for most people these days, lie to make some sort of ruckus in order to make money some sort of way. That’s pretty much everyone’s plan, are our times really that different? Did Z really stand up and start acting like a crazy person, making accusations, telling blatant lies, acting like a queen, did the people standing around really not pick up on his true motives, that all he wanted to do was make money? Maybe I’m too cynical? I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem like that big of a revelation to me when A&A tell him that he’s lying and trying to lay a plan, but maybe I’m just missing the point. One interesting point in verse 5 is Alma’s use of the word “thine.” He tells Z that he knows about his plan, and that “this was a plan of thine adversary.” Z was plotting against Alma, but he states that Satan is also Z’s adversary. He doesn’t say “this was a plan made by my adversary,” he says “this was a plan made by your adversary.” This is like what we talked about the other day, how Satan makes his plans and his promises, and plants his seeds, but his only goal, ever is to destroy God and His people. Like even the ones that he’s coaching to be evil, he’s not thinking “my life is so great, I want you to live my life and be great too,” it’s not even a “I feel bad about myself so I’m going to make you feel bad too so that I can feel better,” it’s straight up “I hate God, I hate myself and I hate you and I will do or say whatever it takes to make you disobey God so that you will hate yourself as much as I hate you.” It’s really evil, really awful, and Alma points that out to Z here, “this plan was made to destroy you as much as it was made to destroy me,” and thankfully that message seemed to come out loud and strong to Z. In an October 1993 general conference address entitled "For Time and All Eternity," President Boyd K. Packer taught “The adversary rebelled and adopted a plan of his own. Those who followed him were denied the right to a mortal body. Our presence here confirms that we sanctioned our Father’s plan. The single purpose of Lucifer is to oppose the great plan of happiness, to corrupt the purest, most beautiful and appealing experiences of life: romance, love, marriage, and parenthood. The specters of heartbreak and guilt follow him about. Only repentance can heal what he hurts.” That’s pretty brutal; Satan’s only desire is to take anything that would make us happy and make us watch as it gets washed away. Alma teaches us that the plan is laid “to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction.” He only desires us to be his slaves, that’s all he wants, slaves.
12:8-15 - Z's tune changes real quick, as he "began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God." Z asks specifically about what Amulek had just talked about concerning the resurrection and judgment. It's interesting to me that Alma takes the approach to this question as he does, he answers Z's resurrection and judgment day question by saying "it is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him." It almost seems like he's saying "you're not ready to know that information," but the more I read and thought about it, Alma is talking about the transformation that occurs when one truly becomes converted to the Lord. The concept that Alma goes into is talked about many times throughout the scriptures, basically that "he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full." This is where the "spiritual breathing" comes into play, if we aren't growing spiritually through daily prayer, intense scripture study, regularly taking the sacrament, if not that, then we are spiritually dying, first through apathy, then temptation, then by thoughts, then actions, and finally we are encircled "about with his chains." That's why spiritual protection and vigilance is so important. There are a lot of lessons and articles that reference this concept as the importance of constant learning, and I think one aspect that is critical to remember is that when we think of learning, we usually think of school, sitting down, being lectured, and listening to someone talk to us about stuff that probably doesn't affect us in any way. But the Lord's learning is different, and I don't think that we remember that enough. Our lessons come to us on our level, where we are and in a way that we understand. The lessons are deeply personal, prepared specifically for us at that moment. Interestingly enough, I just checked my email and my mom had sent out an email talking about Principle #4 from Elder Richard G. Scott's book entitled "21 Principles" and she quotes him as saying "Father in Heaven knew that you would face challenges and be required to make some decisions that would be beyond your own ability to decide correctly. In His plan, he included a provision for you to receive help... and it comes to you through the Holy Ghost as spiritual guidance. It is a power, beyond your own capability that Heavenly Father wants you to use consistently for your success, peace, and happiness." I thought "how interesting that she sent that out and I just so happened to read it at the exact moment when it fit into my learning. The Lord is amazing. This is the kind of teaching that God is trying to give us, but when we refuse to take it, then he respects our agency and doesn't force the issue, but when we show that we not only are open to it, but deeply desire it, then he showers his knowledge upon us until, like Alma says, we "know them in full." As far as the "mysteries of God," goes, the IM says "President Joseph Fielding Smith explained that the mysteries of God are simply those divine principles of the gospel necessary for our salvation that are not understood by the world: 'The Lord has promised to reveal his mysteries to those who serve him in faithfulness... The Gospel is very simple, so that even children at the age of accountability may understand it. Without question, there are principles which in this life we cannot understand, but then the fulness comes we will see that all is plain and reasonable and within our comprehension. The 'simple' principles of the Gospel, such as baptism, the atonement, are mysteries to those who do not have the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord.'" The IM continues "The mysteries of God should not be confused with the unworthy pursuit of 'mysteries,' or things that God had not revealed. Speaking of this latter use of the word mysteries, Elder Bruce R. McConkie... explained: 'There is also a restricted and limited usage of the expression mysteries; it is more of a colloquial than a scriptural usage, and it has reference to that body of teachings in the speculative field, those things which the Lord has not revealed in plainness in this day. It is to these things that reference is made when the elders are counseled to leave the mysteries alone.'" I had never considered that children that are of the age of accountability can understand the gospel. I always assumed that it was one of those things that they would just learn later, and I guess that goes for all of us. I guess, like the IM says, baptism and the atonement are not understood by those who "do not have the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord." But like everything else, there is line upon line, we learn and as we show that we are good stewards of the knowledge that we've been given, then we move forward. Good stewards... hmmmm.... Interesting concept. So from hardened or softened hearts and our ability to learn the mysteries of God to what we do with the knowledge once we have it, Alma bridges the gap with "the lesser portion of the word." The IM quotes Elder Dallin H. Oaks as explaining "that is we reject revelation through the Holy Ghost, we limit how much we can learn: 'We teach and learn the mysteries of God by revelation from his Holy Spirit. If we harden our hearts to revelation and limit our understanding to what we can obtain by study and reason, we are limited to what Alma called 'the lesser portion of the word.'" Joseph Smith said something similar, I tried to find it but I can't, that basically says that if someone approaches the gospel from a logical stand point only, then they are missing out on the amazingness and majesty of everything that the Spirit can teach you, something like that. And finally the lesson is completed, when we harden our hearts, we do not allow the Spirit to teach us, and "then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for them we shall be condemned. For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us." We learned from Nephi that the Holy Ghost purifies our hearts after baptism, and that that is a life long process. If we harden our hearts, then we do not allow the Holy Ghost to purify us. But if we soften our hearts and invite the Holy Ghost in, then he works with us until like Nephi we exclaim "O wretched man that I am!" And then when the judgment comes there will be no spot found in our hearts. So Alma was introducing the first steps to becoming acceptable before God at the day of judgment. The more we obey the commandments and recognize and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, the more Christ-like we become and the further we walk away from sin. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin." This is the state we want to be in when we come face to face with God. The IM says "Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that the Judgment is not merely a review of actions taken in mortality, but is instead an assessment of who and what we have become as a result of our actions: 'The prophet Nephi describes the Final Judgment in terms of what we have become: 'And if they works have been filthiness they must needs to filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God...' The same would be true of 'selfish' or 'disobedient' or any other personal attribute inconsistent with the requirements of God. Referring to the 'state' of the wicked in the Final Judgment, Alma explains that if we are condemned by our words, our works, and our thoughts, 'we shall not be found spotless... and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God.' From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts- what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effects of our acts and thoughts- what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become with our Heavenly Father desires us to become." So instead of answer the question in the way that I would have expected, Alma gives us a step by step guide. First we soften our hearts and learn concerning the mysteries of God, then we will speak kind words, do good works, and think pure thoughts. Then we can stand in front of God to be judged. I wonder if Alma is trying to show that the steps are simple and the way is clear, small steps forward, open your heart and let the Holy Ghost purify it.
12:8-15 - Z's tune changes real quick, as he "began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God." Z asks specifically about what Amulek had just talked about concerning the resurrection and judgment. It's interesting to me that Alma takes the approach to this question as he does, he answers Z's resurrection and judgment day question by saying "it is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him." It almost seems like he's saying "you're not ready to know that information," but the more I read and thought about it, Alma is talking about the transformation that occurs when one truly becomes converted to the Lord. The concept that Alma goes into is talked about many times throughout the scriptures, basically that "he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full." This is where the "spiritual breathing" comes into play, if we aren't growing spiritually through daily prayer, intense scripture study, regularly taking the sacrament, if not that, then we are spiritually dying, first through apathy, then temptation, then by thoughts, then actions, and finally we are encircled "about with his chains." That's why spiritual protection and vigilance is so important. There are a lot of lessons and articles that reference this concept as the importance of constant learning, and I think one aspect that is critical to remember is that when we think of learning, we usually think of school, sitting down, being lectured, and listening to someone talk to us about stuff that probably doesn't affect us in any way. But the Lord's learning is different, and I don't think that we remember that enough. Our lessons come to us on our level, where we are and in a way that we understand. The lessons are deeply personal, prepared specifically for us at that moment. Interestingly enough, I just checked my email and my mom had sent out an email talking about Principle #4 from Elder Richard G. Scott's book entitled "21 Principles" and she quotes him as saying "Father in Heaven knew that you would face challenges and be required to make some decisions that would be beyond your own ability to decide correctly. In His plan, he included a provision for you to receive help... and it comes to you through the Holy Ghost as spiritual guidance. It is a power, beyond your own capability that Heavenly Father wants you to use consistently for your success, peace, and happiness." I thought "how interesting that she sent that out and I just so happened to read it at the exact moment when it fit into my learning. The Lord is amazing. This is the kind of teaching that God is trying to give us, but when we refuse to take it, then he respects our agency and doesn't force the issue, but when we show that we not only are open to it, but deeply desire it, then he showers his knowledge upon us until, like Alma says, we "know them in full." As far as the "mysteries of God," goes, the IM says "President Joseph Fielding Smith explained that the mysteries of God are simply those divine principles of the gospel necessary for our salvation that are not understood by the world: 'The Lord has promised to reveal his mysteries to those who serve him in faithfulness... The Gospel is very simple, so that even children at the age of accountability may understand it. Without question, there are principles which in this life we cannot understand, but then the fulness comes we will see that all is plain and reasonable and within our comprehension. The 'simple' principles of the Gospel, such as baptism, the atonement, are mysteries to those who do not have the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord.'" The IM continues "The mysteries of God should not be confused with the unworthy pursuit of 'mysteries,' or things that God had not revealed. Speaking of this latter use of the word mysteries, Elder Bruce R. McConkie... explained: 'There is also a restricted and limited usage of the expression mysteries; it is more of a colloquial than a scriptural usage, and it has reference to that body of teachings in the speculative field, those things which the Lord has not revealed in plainness in this day. It is to these things that reference is made when the elders are counseled to leave the mysteries alone.'" I had never considered that children that are of the age of accountability can understand the gospel. I always assumed that it was one of those things that they would just learn later, and I guess that goes for all of us. I guess, like the IM says, baptism and the atonement are not understood by those who "do not have the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord." But like everything else, there is line upon line, we learn and as we show that we are good stewards of the knowledge that we've been given, then we move forward. Good stewards... hmmmm.... Interesting concept. So from hardened or softened hearts and our ability to learn the mysteries of God to what we do with the knowledge once we have it, Alma bridges the gap with "the lesser portion of the word." The IM quotes Elder Dallin H. Oaks as explaining "that is we reject revelation through the Holy Ghost, we limit how much we can learn: 'We teach and learn the mysteries of God by revelation from his Holy Spirit. If we harden our hearts to revelation and limit our understanding to what we can obtain by study and reason, we are limited to what Alma called 'the lesser portion of the word.'" Joseph Smith said something similar, I tried to find it but I can't, that basically says that if someone approaches the gospel from a logical stand point only, then they are missing out on the amazingness and majesty of everything that the Spirit can teach you, something like that. And finally the lesson is completed, when we harden our hearts, we do not allow the Spirit to teach us, and "then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for them we shall be condemned. For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us." We learned from Nephi that the Holy Ghost purifies our hearts after baptism, and that that is a life long process. If we harden our hearts, then we do not allow the Holy Ghost to purify us. But if we soften our hearts and invite the Holy Ghost in, then he works with us until like Nephi we exclaim "O wretched man that I am!" And then when the judgment comes there will be no spot found in our hearts. So Alma was introducing the first steps to becoming acceptable before God at the day of judgment. The more we obey the commandments and recognize and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, the more Christ-like we become and the further we walk away from sin. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin." This is the state we want to be in when we come face to face with God. The IM says "Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that the Judgment is not merely a review of actions taken in mortality, but is instead an assessment of who and what we have become as a result of our actions: 'The prophet Nephi describes the Final Judgment in terms of what we have become: 'And if they works have been filthiness they must needs to filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God...' The same would be true of 'selfish' or 'disobedient' or any other personal attribute inconsistent with the requirements of God. Referring to the 'state' of the wicked in the Final Judgment, Alma explains that if we are condemned by our words, our works, and our thoughts, 'we shall not be found spotless... and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God.' From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts- what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effects of our acts and thoughts- what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become with our Heavenly Father desires us to become." So instead of answer the question in the way that I would have expected, Alma gives us a step by step guide. First we soften our hearts and learn concerning the mysteries of God, then we will speak kind words, do good works, and think pure thoughts. Then we can stand in front of God to be judged. I wonder if Alma is trying to show that the steps are simple and the way is clear, small steps forward, open your heart and let the Holy Ghost purify it.
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