LeGrand L. Baker

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In Mosiah 24, the people of Alma were threatened with death if they were caught praying to God, and even though the story does not say so, it is apparent that they were also prohibited from talking about God – or maybe even talking with each other at all. In any case, when the Lord made the covenant with them, he did not tell Alma and let Alma tell the rest. He made the covenant with each one individually.

13     And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort,

[“Comfort” may, of course, be read the way we usually read it: to mean something like the Lord said, “don’t be too concerned, because everything will be OK.” But if one reads the word to mean “empower,” and if the empowerment has to do with sacral kingship and priesthood as “comfort” does in Isaiah 61 and Psalm 23, then the words “be of good comfort” in our verse are a covenant. Verse 14 describes how that covenant will be fulfilled.]

….for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me

[The covenant they made at the Waters of Mormon was that they would give their all in support of each other, the Church, and Kingdom of God. They fulfilled that covenant – or demonstrated that they would fulfill it – when they lived the law of consecration in the wilderness before the Lamanites came and enslaved them.];

….and I will covenant with my people

[those words are a promise that there is another covenant yet to come. We will find that covenant later on in the story.]

….and deliver them out of bondage.

[and that new covenant will come before the people are delivered from bondage. But in the meantime, the Lord describes to each of them individually his covenant of empowerment:

14     And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. [- and there we have the Lord’s reason for letting the Lamanites make them slaves.]

As I understand it, this is the story so far: The Lord let the Lamanites enslave the people of Alma so those saints could testify that the Lord keeps his covenants with his children even when they are under circumstances that would appear to the world as though the Lord had forgotten his people. The Lord said “that ye…” “Ye” is plural. He was using the plural form even though he was revealing his covenant to each person individually. It is significant that he did not say “that ye stand as witnesses of me hereafter” – rather he said, “that ye stand as witnesses for me hereafter.” The only way I can account for that wording is that when they got to Zarahemla their testimony would have a specific purpose. I presume, from the way events turned out, that purpose had something to do with King Mosiah’s surrendering his authority as the spiritual leader of his kingdom, and giving Alma permission to both establish and preside over the Church of Christ.

15     And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

[Their submitting “cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” was the pistis – their token of the covenant. They did not “submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the” Lamanites, but “to all the will of the Lord.”]

16     And it came to pass that so great was their faith [pistis – the token of the covenant] and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again [again to each individual, and not just to Alma], saying: Be of good comfort [a second promise of empowerment], for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

[Under the intense pressure of those circumstances, each individual had to know for oneself that the time had come, so that each person could make the necessary preparations to leave quickly. This time the promise of empowerment was not that their burdens would be light, but that they would have the ability to prepare so quickly for their departure.]

17     And he said unto Alma

[It is significant that the Lord gave different instructions to Alma than to the others. The fact that Mormon differentiates between the revelations that were given “to them” and “to Alma” reinforces the idea that in the first two instances the revelation did not come “to them through Alma” but “to them” individually.]:

….Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people out of bondage. [There is the promised covenant that preceded the deliverance: “I will go with thee -Alma – and because they have a prophet to lead them, I will deliver this people…”]

18     Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering the flocks together.

[Thus, the second covenant of empowerment was fulfilled in a single night. I grew up on a farm, and to me that is an amazing story. Their gathering their flocks and preparing them to move was one thing. Getting all the grain into sacks and then getting it on their pack animals was quite another. It is a wonder that they were able to do all that, and still prepare the necessary meals, pack their belongings, get the children ready – and all that in one night without any previous preparations that would alert the Lamanites.]

19     And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep.

[Thus the promise that they would be delivered. This time they didn’t have to get their overlords drunk, the Lord himself just kept them sound asleep.]

20     And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness.
21     Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens [He kept the first covenant of empowerment], and had delivered them out of bondage [He kept the second covenant of empowerment]; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.
22     And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God.

[As I imagine that scene, I am sure they didn’t all sound like a replay of the confounding of tongues in Babylon. Rather, I suspect that this is one of several places in the Book of Mormon where it is intended to be understood that all the people spoke and/or prayed in unison.]

23     And now the Lord said unto Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people. [That is the way the Lord had saved them before, so his system still worked when he wanted to use it again.]

This conclusion of the story is a further testimony that the Lord had purpose in letting his people be enslaved, just as his strengthening them and then delivering them, testifies that his purpose had nothing whatever to do with punishing them, or making their lives more difficult than they needed to be. This story is also a testimony to us that one’s pain, sorrow, disappointment, and hardship are not the curses of this lonely, dreary world, but they are blessing of empowerment if we will accept them as such and “submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.”

24     And it came to pass that they departed out of the valley, and took their journey into the wilderness.
25     And after they had been in the wilderness twelve days they arrived in the land of Zarahemla; and king Mosiah did also receive them with joy.

Mosiah 23:15-20 — LeGrand Baker — ‘Prosperous’ as a codeword

Mosiah 23:15-20
15     Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should be no contention among them.
16     And now, Alma was their high priest, he being the founder of their church.

In our Church, the Presiding High Priest and the Prophet are the same man. But in the ancient world that was not necessarily so. A prophet is – has always been—one who communes with God and teaches the people what God instructs him to teach. In ancient Israel, during the time of Solomon’s Temple, that was the king, with the Aaronic Priesthood High Priest being in charge of the temple on a daily basis. At the time of King Hezekiah the king appears to have been presiding high priest and Isaiah was the prophet. After the Babylonian captivity, when the Jews returned to Jerusalem, they had no king, and the Aaronic High Priest assumed the temple prerogatives of the king, which included the authority to function in the Holy of Holies.

The Nephites had no king until they built a temple, then a king became necessary because he was the chief actor in the temple drama. Nephi was king and appointed his brothers Jacob and Joseph to be priests and teachers. At the time of King Benjamin the king was both prophet and presiding high priest.

So Mormon’s statement in verse 16 is precisely correct. Alma who lived away from Zarahemla received authority from God to preside over church in that area and to perform the ordinances. He had organized their church, instituted baptism into that church, and had done whatever else was required. Just what that was, Mormon explains in encoded language. He does not intend to say too much, but wants to say enough to make his point.

17     And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God. Therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men.
18     Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness. [“Righteousness” is zedek = the correctness of high-priestly / temple things.]
19     And it came to pass that they began to prosper exceedingly in the land; and they called the land Helam.
20     And it came to pass that they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the land of Helam; and they built a city, which they called the city of Helam (Mosiah 23:15-20).

Here, what appears at first glance to be a redundancy seems to me to be Alma’s carefully worded explanation of what Alma was instructing his people. The code word is “prosper.” To understand that, I use Psalm 45 as background. This Psalm can be read as a three-act play that takes place at the Council in Heaven where Jehovah has just been anointed to be the eternal King of Israel. Now the king is receiving an ordinance and a blessing (see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord for a complete analysis of the Psalm). The blessings reads:

3     Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.
4     And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
5     Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. (Psalms 45: 1- 5.)

Now the examination:

3     Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. [Glory and majesty are names of two separate sets of clothing. One representing priesthood, and the other representing kingship. For example, in Isaiah 61: 10, they are called “garments of salvation” and “robes of righteousness.” In Job 40: 10. They are first called “majesty and excellency,” then “glory and beauty” (in Hebrew poetry the same idea is often repeated in two different ways)]

4     And in thy majesty [royal robes] ride prosperously [that’s the word we are looking for] because of truth [“truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” In other words, truth is what one knows in sacred time.]

…. and meekness [In Psalm 25 the meek are described as those to whom the Lord has revealed his “secret” (sode), and those who keep their eternal covenants.]

…. and righteousness [righteousness is zedek, which I understand to be absolute correctness in temple things: having the right authority, wearing the correct clothing, doing and saying what one ought to say and do with the right words, in the right place, and at the right time];

…. and thy right hand [note which hand] shall teach thee terrible [awesome] things. [Now that one has received those blessings, one has come to know the kind of peace that transcends pain and sorrow, and is thereby invulnerable to the evils of this world. In the blessing in Psalm 45, as in most psalms, that strength is described in military symbolism:]

5     Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

This blessing bestows: 1) the powers of sacral kingship, 2) priesthood authority, and 3) the absolute assurance of God’s protection. That’s all there is. This blessing incorporates a comprehensive covenant, embracing all of the powers and blessings of sacral kingship and priesthood – and there is nothing left to be added except a promise about his posterity, and that is reserved for the conclusion of the psalm.

The first use of “prosper” in the Book of Mormon is when the Lord promised Nephi:

19    And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.
20     And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.
21     And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
22     And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher [king and priest] over thy brethren (1 Ne. 2:19-22).

Here, to prosper is not just an economic blessing, but a spiritual one. Being cut off from the presence of the Lord is the opposite of prosper, so one may deduce that prosper means being brought into the Lord’s presence.

1 Nephi 2: 19-24 are some of the most important verses in the Book of Mormon because they authorize Nephi to become the king and priest to his people and to establish a new dynasty. Those verses have the same pivotal importance to the Book of Mormon history as the story as Samuel’s anointing David to be king has to Old Testament history.

As part of that covenant to Nephi, the Lord said, “And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and be led to a land of promise….thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren.”

When the Lord promised Nephi he would be a ruler and a teacher (king and priest), he used the word translated “prosper” to convey that promise. I presume the reason was because Nephi was familiar with Psalm 45, and the Lord was simply used language Nephi associated with the blessings of kingship and priesthood.

That assertion may not be as reckless as it sounds. One cannot know what Hebrew word was used in the Book of Mormon, but the word used in Psalm 45 is only used three other places in the Psalms and in four places in Isaiah, and all of them have a similar connotation as the promise given to Nephi. The Hebrew word translated ‘prosperously” in Psalm 45 has the connotation of success rather than of wealth. ( In the dictionary at the back of James Strong, ed., The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, #6734.)

One of the other places where it is used is Psalm 1. There it is in conjunction with a promise that is reminiscent of the blessings associated with the tree of life.

1     Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2     But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3     And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)

In the Book of Mormon, but there the phrase that is used to represent the Lord’s promise to Nephi is “prosper in the land.” The first example of that usage is Lehi’s exhortation,

19 O my sons, that these things might not come upon you, but that ye might be a choice and a favored people of the Lord. But behold, his will be done; for his ways are righteousness forever.
20     And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence. (2 Nephi 1:20)

A short time later, Lehi used the phrase again when speaking to his grandchildren:

4     For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence. (2 Ne. 4:4)

Alma used it several times. There is also an intriguing statement in Zeniff’s brief autobiography.

5     And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land – thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years. (Mosiah 10:5)

The thing that makes it intriguing is that in almost every other instance that the phrase “prosper in the land” is found in the Book of Mormon it has to do with either literally or symbolically being in the presence of God. Here he says: “that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land” That first is almost the same phrase the Lord uses when he instructs Moses about the priests’ ordinance clothing: “And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness.” ( Exodus 28:42) There, the clothing is used to symbolically come into the presence of God.

In both the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon, prosperity is an important part of the kingship covenant between Jehovah and Israel. God promises if they will serve him he will cause their flocks and fields to prosper. And it is also a part of the covenant that if they will serve him he will be their God and always be with them. Thus, if they prosper as a nation, their temporal prosperity may be an outward evidence that God is with them. But it is equally apparent from the way Alma uses the phrase that he understands its meaning quite literally. He began his testimony to his son Helaman,

1     My son, give ear to my words, for I say unto you, even as I said unto Helaman, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence. (Alma 38:1)

And he ended his testimony:

17     But behold, my son, this is not all; for ye ought to know as I do know, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence. Now this is according to his word.” (Alma 36: 30. see also Alma 9:13 and 50:17)

As I understand it, the 45th psalm the phrase: “And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness” literally means something like this: “In thy royal, priestly robes ride in the presence of the Lord, because you know the truth of the Council, you keep the covenants you made in the Council, and you keep those covenants in the correct high-priestly manner,” and thy right hand shall teach thee wonderful things.

Now lets return and look again at Mosiah 23:

17     And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God. Therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men.
18     Therefore they did watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness. [zedek = temple correctness]
19     And it came to pass that they began to prosper exceedingly in the land [the same phrase that elsewhere connoted coming into the presence of God]; and they called the land Helam.
20     And it came to pass that they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the land of Helam [Here, “in the land” is modified by the preposition, “of Helam,” So it must be read, “in the land of Helam,” rather than just “in the land.” Their prosperity in Helam has to do with “multiply,” so apparently relates to the increase of their families, cattle, or harvests – but probably all three]; and they built a city, which they called the city of Helam.

It appears to me that there is no redundancy in Mormon’s description. Rather I read it as his very quiet way of saying powerful and beautiful things.

Mosiah 18:9-30 — LeGrand Baker — the covenants of baptism

(When I began writing this, I expected it would be an easy exercise in examining the symbolism of the ordinance of baptism. But it soon developed into an investigation of the ancient and modern practices of re-baptism – and then, in its conclusion, it brought me to new insights about the meaning of the sacrament. I hope it proves to be ad interesting to you as it was to me. )

The meaning of baptism is simple enough that a child can understand it, yet so complex and many faceted that an adult’s intellect is stretched to its edges even to begin to try to comprehend all of its ramifications. (But then, I suppose that is equally true of the other ordinances.) The symbolism of the baptism we receive covers the full range of the meanings of the atonement. Baptism represents the death brought about by Adam’s fall, a subsequent burial, and the resurrection brought about by the atonement. It symbolizes one’s adoption into the family of Christ, and is itself a pattern of a new birth, as the Saviour explained to Nicodemus. It is a cleansing from sin, and therefore denotes the ending of an old life as well as a new beginning. It is an official, somewhat legalistic, token of the covenant that admits one into membership of the Saviour’s Church and Kingdom, and is a necessary prerequisite to receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Because baptism has such a wide range of possible symbolic meanings, the ordinance can be used as a token of a variety of covenants. Consequently, not all baptisms that are preformed by legitimate priesthood authority represent the same things, nor are they always tokens of the same covenants. The most important of all, is of course, for the remission of sins.

When John the Baptist gave Joseph and Oliver the authority to baptize, he was specific about both its meaning and its method:

1    Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins… (JS History 1:69) (Doctrine and Covenants 13:1.)

Joseph used those same words when he described baptism in the Articles of Faith:

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Nevertheless, baptism also came to mean more than that. Joseph’s history records that he and Oliver baptized each other at the time John the Baptist ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood. It also records that soon after that they baptized several other people. The third person baptized in this dispensation was Joseph’s younger brother Samuel. He records:

After a few days, however, feeling it to be our duty, we commenced to reason out of the Scriptures with our acquaintances and friends, as we happened to meet with them. About this time my brother Samuel H. Smith came to visit us. We informed him of what the Lord was about to do for the children of men, and began to reason with him out of the Bible. We also showed him that part of the work which we had translated, and labored to persuade him concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was now about to be revealed in its fulness. He was not, however, very easily persuaded of these things, but after much inquiry and explanation he retired to the woods, in order that by secret and fervent prayer he might obtain of a merciful God, wisdom to enable him to judge for himself. The result was that he obtained revelation for himself sufficient to convince him of the truth of our assertions to him; and on the twenty-fifth day of that same month in which we had been baptized and ordained, Oliver Cowdery baptized him; and he returned to his father’s house, greatly glorifying and praising God, being filled with the Holy Spirit.  {endnote #1}

Not long after that Hyrum Smith and others were also baptized. The circle expanded, and soon Joseph and Oliver were baptizing people who were not members of the Smith family.

We found the people of Seneca county in general friendly, and disposed to enquire into truth of these strange matters which now began to be noised abroad. Many opened their houses to us, in order that we might have an opportunity of meeting with our friends for the purpose of instruction and explanation. We met with many from time to time who were willing to hear us, and who desired to find out the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, and apparently willing to obey the Gospel, when once fairly convinced and satisfied in their own minds; and in this same month of June, my brother Hyrum Smith, David Whitmer, and Peter Whitmer, Jun., were baptized in Seneca lake, the two former by myself, the latter by Oliver Cowdery. From this time forth many became believers, and some were baptized whilst we continued to instruct and persuade as many as applied for information  {2}

In April, 1830, the Lord gave Joseph instructions to organize the Church, and in that revelation he also gave additional instruction about the ordinance of baptism.

37     And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church. (D&C 20:37)

These instructions make it clear that baptism was now to be a token of three distinct covenant relationships. It signified that:

1)   They “are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.”
2)   They have “truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins.”
3)    They “ shall be received by baptism into his church.”

Consistent with those instructions, on April 6, 1830, when the Church was officially organized, the people who had already been baptized for the remission of their sins were rebaptized as members of the church. But those in attendance who had not previously been baptized for the remission of sins, and were being baptized for the first time, were baptized both for the remission of sins and also to become members of the Church. Joseph records,

Several persons who had attended the above meeting, became convinced of the truth and came forward shortly after, and were received into the Church; among the rest, my own father and mother were baptized, to my great joy and consolation; and about the same time, Martin Harris and Orrin Porter Rockwell. {3}

The following statement is interesting as furnishing the names of these six: Names of the six members of the Church as they were organized April 6, 1830

Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, Jun., Hyrum Smith, Peter Whitmer, Jun., Samuel H. Smith, David Whitmer.
Some of these had been baptized previously; but were all baptized on the day of organization.
These names were given to Joseph Knight by Oliver Cowdery.
(signed) Joseph Knight.
G. S. L. City, Aug. 11th, 1862.
Witnesses: G. A. Smith, Robt. L. Campbell, Thos. Bullock, John V. Long. {5}

A short time later, “in consequence of some desiring to unite with the Church without rebaptism, who had previously been baptized,” {4} Joseph received the revelation that is now Section 22. In it we learn that baptism “is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning. (D&C 22:1)

After the organization of the Church, rebaptisms were not at all uncommon. The ordinance was used for a number of important purposes, including a restoration of health. {6}

After the Saints got to Utah, and the United Order was established, people were baptized into that order. Wilford Woodruff reported,

On the 13th of July, [1875] in the evening, according to his journal, there was a priesthood meeting held in the old Tabernacle, where the subject of renewing covenants by baptism was discussed. The whole assembly voted to renew their covenants, and later the Presidency, the Twelve, the Seventies, and the Presiding Bishopric were baptized and entered into a special covenant to observe the rules of the United Order. Among them was this: “We will sustain home industry and patronize our brethren who are in the Order, as far as possible.” This movement became general throughout the Church. {7}

George Q. Cannon later remembered,

Under President Young’s administration, when action was being taken in regard to the United Order, he taught some of the brethren to use the words “into the United Order” in the ceremony of baptism. In the same way the words “for the renewal of your covenants” were used at the time of the Reformation in 1856.

It is always safe, however, for those who officiate in baptisms to confine themselves to the written word. The Lord has given the form, and unless there is some special occasion, when the man holding the keys suggests another form, it is unsafe and unwarranted to depart therefrom. {8}

In 1913, after the United Order had been discontinued, Charles W. Penrose reminded the Saints of the covenants the Saints had made when they entered the United Order through baptism.

A few days ago, in the Historian’s Office, I came across some doctrines and principles, rules of order that were laid down by the President of the Church for the obedience of the people at the time when we, all of us old members, entered into what was called the United Order, by baptism. Certain rules were given to us, and we agreed that we would abide by them. I thought it would be a very good thing to call the attention of the brethren and sisters to some of these rules, which I will do as briefly as I can, so as not to take up too much time; so that we may come back to some of these simple things that you and I covenanted to do, and see how they fit in with the instructions that were given to us this morning by President Smith:

First: We will not take the name of Deity in vain, nor speak lightly of His character or of sacred things….
Rule two: We will pray with our families morning and evening and also attend to secret prayers….
Rule three: We will observe and keep the Word of Wisdom, according to the spirit and meaning thereof….
Rule four: We will treat our families with due kindness and affection, and set before them an example worthy of imitation. In our families and intercourse with all persons, we will refrain from being contentious or quarrelsome, and we will cease to speak evil of each other, and will cultivate a spirit of charity towards all. We consider it our duty to keep from acting selfishly or from covetous motives, and will seek the interest of each other and the salvation of all mankind.” ….
“Rule five: We will observe personal cleanliness and preserve ourselves in all chastity, by refraining from adultery, whoredom and lust. We will also discountenance and refrain from all vulgar and obscene language or conduct….
“Rule six: We will observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, in accordance with the revelation….
“Rule seven: That which is committed to our care we will not appropriate to our own use….
“Rule eight: That which we borrow we will return according to promise, and that which we find we will not appropriate to our own use, but seek to return it to its proper owner….
“Rule eleven: In our apparel and deportment, we will not pattern after nor encourage foolish and extravagant fashions, and will cease to import or buy from abroad any article which can reasonably be dispensed With, or which can be produced by combination of home labor….
“Rule twelve: We will be simple in our dress and manner of living, using proper economy and prudence in the management of all entrusted to our care…. {9}

Apparently Alma organized his church at the Waters of Mormon, and it seems apparent to me that the baptisms performed at the Waters of Mormon incorporated the same kinds of covenants that President Charles W. Penrose enumerated. Now lets examine the discussion of baptism in the Book of Mormon.

Nephi is the first person to discuss baptism in the Book of Mormon, making it clear that he (and so presumably, the righteous in Old Testament times) had been baptized and had the authority to baptize. His explanation of one’s need for baptism and its relationship with the atonement is one of the most explicit in the scriptures.

10    And he [the Saviour] said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?
11    And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
12    And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.
13    Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.
14    But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.
15    And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
16    And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.
17    Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.
18    And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive. (2 Nephi 31:10-18)

Even though baptism is not mentioned after that in the Book of Mormon until Alma’s story at the Waters of Mormon, it is clear that Nephi’s descendants both understood and practiced the ordinance. For example there can be no question but that King Benjamin’s sermon was addressed to a people who have already made temple covenants – that presupposes that they had also been baptized. It seems reasonable to me to believe that the people who went with Zeniff when they returned to the land of Nephi to reclaim their inheritances – that those people would have had the priesthood – and if they had the priesthood they would have performed its ordinances – baptism first of all. Abinadi certainly had the priesthood, and it is quite likely that there were still other people who exercised it in righteousness, even after the beginning of Noah’s apostate reign.

There is abundant evidence that the Nephites had all priesthood authority and ordinances, but before Alma organized his church, (as was also true in much of the Old Testament times) those ordinances were administered under the royal and priesthood authority of the king. There is no evidence that there was a church in America before the time of Alma. So when Alma said he received his authority directly from God, one can surmise that he is referring to his authority to organize the church. (Mosiah 18:13, 17, 26 ) {10} If that is so, then the events at the Waters of Mormon probably had much the same significance as the events over which Joseph presided on April 6, 1830. In both cases, the purpose of the new church was not only to administer the ordinances, but also to give people a structured opportunity to serve one another. Consequently, it seems likely to me that what happened at the Waters of Mormon was not the introduction of the ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins (Alma does not even mention the remission of sins), but rather the organization of the Church of Christ and a baptism into that Church. Alma’s baptismal prayer seems to support that idea.

13    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)

As does Mormon’s explanation of those same events.

17     And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church.
18     And it came to pass that Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Mosiah 18:17-18)

It appears that there were other times in the Book of Mormon when rebaptisms were employed in much the same way they were in the early days of the Church in Utah. For example, after the Church was organized in Zarahemla, there followed a time when people were not so much apostate, as they were lax in keeping their covenants. Alma’s son Alma then left the Judgement Seat, retained only his authority as President of the Church, and went on a campaign of reformation and rededication among Church members.

His sermons in both Alma 5 and Alma 7 suggest that he was urging the Saints to be rebaptized as a token of the renewal of their earlier covenants. (Alma 5:1-62.)

2     And these are the words which he spake to the people in the church which was established in the city of Zarahemla, according to his own record, saying: ….
6     And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? …
14     And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? ….
61     And now I, Alma, do command you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye observe to do the words which I have spoken unto you.
62     I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation, saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life. (Alma 5: 2, 6, 14, 61-62)

If I read that last verse correctly, it appears that he has commanded the members of the Church to renew their covenants by baptism, and that he also invited those who were not members to be baptized also. That reading seems reinforced by his sermon in chapter 7, which was apparently addressed to an assembly of priesthood holders. {11} He used the phrase “my beloved brethren” four times throughout his speech (v. 1, 17, 22, 26), and in one of those he reminds them of their temple covenants.

22     And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received.
23     And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
24    And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
25    And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out  (Alma 7: 14-16).

In the last, which is his blessing, he speaks of their physical, as well as their spiritual, well-being.

26    And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto my word.
27    And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever. And thus I have spoken. Amen. (Alma 7: 22-27)

Notice what else he tells this congregation:

14    Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
15    Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.
16    And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me. (Alma 7: 14-16)

One cannot help but observe that much of what he has said there is incorporated into the sacrament prayers. He also said much in those speeches that were reminiscent of what his father had told the Saints at the Waters of Mormon.

7     And it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.
8    And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9    Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10    Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you? (Mosiah 18: 7-10)

Compare that with what Alma the Younger said to the Saints at Zarahemla:

14     And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? (Alma 5:14)

[And then he defines that in terms of one’s attitude toward other people (these passages need to be read in their full context, but I’ll quote a few here]

29     Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.
30     And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
31     Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved! ……
53    And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches?
54     Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance—
55     Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?
56 And finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they who shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent. (Alma 5:29-56)

Note that there is also a remarkable similarity between these ideas and those “rules” enumerated by President Charles W. Penrose when he described the covenants of the United Order.

So it appears to me that the covenant of baptism at the Waters of Mormon was an induction into the Church of Christ and an introduction into the society of Zion where they would practice the Law of Consecration in the wilderness. (I am not confusing the United Order and the Law of Consecration. Unlike living the Law of Consecration, one cannot be a part of the United Order alone by oneself – it requires a group. But obeying the Law of Consecration is a purely individual matter. Zion is the pure in heart – that is the condition of individuals in a society, not the condition of a society to which one may apply for membership.)

In addition to the ones I have mentioned above, there are at least two other apparent examples of rebaptism in the Book of Mormon.

After Alma organized his church, people became members of that church by baptism. (Alma 6:2, 7:14-15, 62:45; Helaman 5:17, 16:1-2; 3 Nephi 1:23, 7:25, 11:23-27) But when the Saviour came and organized a new Church and Kingdom, he instructed the Saints that they must now be baptized. Apparently that meant that they must be baptized again in order to belong to the new Church.

1     And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, was twelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am. (3 Nephi 12:1.)

The other example of rebaptism in the Book of Mormon is in Moroni.

1     And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized save they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it.
2     Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.
3     And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.
4     And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. (Moroni 6:1-4)

There is a third example also, and it is very important; but it is probably quite different from the ones I have just cited – and at the same time, it throws considerable light on some I have not mentioned. Before the Saviour left his friends in America he said to them: (These verses also need to be read in context!)

13     Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. …
18     And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. … no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; ….
20     Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

Here he was talking to people who had made and kept eternal covenants. To them he has just explained the meanings of the “gospel,” the “word,” and the “commandment.” But if the commandment is relevant to his audience; if “come unto me” means what it usually means, then “and be baptized” is either in the wrong part of the sequence (which it is not), or else he is talking about another baptism altogether (which it is). He elaborates by defining “gospel” a second time: only this time he defines it in terms of their covenants rather than his own:

21     Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do;
22     Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (3 Nephi 27:13-33.)

It is that second definition of “gospel” and the promise that follows that convinces me that the “baptism” he is recommending to them is not a baptism by water. In another place, the Lord explained,

11     Yea, repent and be baptized, every one of you, for a remission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost. (D&C 33:11)

And Mormon was even more explicit when he explained that if we “are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment.” (Mormon 7:10)

Jesus’ baptism was a singular event.

13     Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
14     But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
15     And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
16     And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17     And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:13-17.)

“To fulfil all righteousness” is a very big phrase: “Fulfill” can be read to mean simply to “perform,” and it carries the connotation of satisfying a prerequisite that is necessary to a final goal. “All” means “all,” just as it does in Ephesians 1:3-4. There is no bigger word than “all.” When it stands alone as a noun it means everything there is. When it is an adjective or adverb it means every instance of existence in that category of things. “Righteousness” is Zedek – truth and rectitude in performing and keeping priesthood and temple ordinances and covenants. If the Saviour’s baptism was “to fulfil all righteousness,” it was much more than just an example for us to follow. It was the path by which we also must “fulfil all righteousness.”

It is apparent to me that the Saviour’s baptism was not a baptism for the remission of his sins – Jesus certainly had no need of that – but it was a preliminary coronation ceremony which announced the beginning of his ministry, and was also a formal acknowledge that he was to become King and Priest.

I have analyzed the ancient coronation ceremony elsewhere, so will only briefly describe it here. The only place in the Old Testament where it is described in full is in Isaiah 61 which is a prophecy of salvation for the dead (D&C 138: 42) There can be no question that Isaiah is describing a coronation, because the steps he mentions were essential to the coronation ceremonies of all ancient and modern people. They were used in ancient Israel, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, and are still used in modern England. They are these:

3     To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.(Isaiah 61:3.)

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,” [to invite them to be Zion]

1. “To give unto them beauty [a crown] for ashes [several scholars have pointed out that ashes placed on the head for mourning or repentance are removed by a ceremonial washing. So this reference to replacing ashes by a crown necessarily presupposes a ceremonial washing.]
2. “the oil of joy for mourning.” Kings and priests were anointed with perfumed olive oil.
3. “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” [In verse 10, where a marriage ceremony is celebrated, that clothing is described this way: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,… ]
4. “that they might be called [given the new royal king-name of] trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified [The name connotes eternal life andeternal increase].

It is possible to understand Jesus’ baptismal ceremony as containing all of those elements.

1. Jesus was washed by John’s baptism.
2. Peter explained that “… after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power….” (Acts 10:37-38)
3. When Jesus was baptized, John saw the heavens opened, and he saw something white, that floated like a bird with wings. He testified “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.” (John 1:32) In my imagination, I have invisioned that, not as a bird, but as a royal coronation garment with flowing white sleeves – the garment of light which Adam left in the Garden and which denoted both his priesthood and his kingship.
4. And the Father himself pronounced the royal king-name: “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11, see Psalm 2 for the use of that same new king- name in the ancient Israelite coronation ceremony.)

After prophetically describing Jesus’ baptism, Nephi added,

9     And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.
10     And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?
11 And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do. (2 Nephi 31: -12) {12}

Conclusion

It seems to me that the ordinance of baptism as performed at the Waters of Mormon was probably an induction into the Church, and a covenant that the people would do all they could do to support each other and the Kingdom, rather than only a baptism for the remission of sins. And it further seems to me that it may also have been a token of a covenant that invited them into the Zion society in which they would live the Law of Consecration while they were in the wilderness. If that is so – if one’s baptismal covenants can be so all-encompassing – perhaps it would be appropriate if we would take our own baptismal covenants more seriously.

In this, the last dispensation, when one is baptized, the ordinance is the token of a multi-faceted covenant. It is a cleansing from sin, and an invitation to continually repent that one may remain clean; it is an initiation ordinance that makes one a member of the Church and Kingdom of God; it is a necessary prerequisite for receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost; and it implies a personal covenant that is not at all unlike the covenant that was made by Alma and his people at the Waters of Mormon.

In the church nowadays, we are not rebaptized to renew or remake our covanants, but each Sabbath Day we renew those covenants when we take the sacrament. The blessing on the bread reaffirms our willingness to keep the commandments upon which all blessings are predicated.

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

It seems to me that the blessing on the water is about the consequences of one’s keeping those commandants, and may be also about a second baptism – one of fire and of the Holy Ghost.

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

As I understand it, the sacrament is a reaffirmation of one’s baptismal covenants, but for we who have received our endowments, it is a reaffirmation of those covenants as well. Together these two sacramental tokens of the Saviour’s atonement are a weekly rededication – a kind of culmination – of all the other ordinances and blessings of the gospel combined.

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ENDNOTES

{1} Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, 1953), 1: 44. [Hereafter: “DHC” because we old folks knew this as the Documentary History of the Church.]

{2} DHC 1:51. {3} DHC 1:79.

Mosiah 17:2 — Who was Alma — & — scriptural testimonies of the Saviour — LeGrand Baker

Mosiah 17:2
2    But there was one among them whose name was Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man, and he believed the words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi had testified against them; therefore he began to plead with the king that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart in peace.

Abinadi had come into the city and permitted himself to be arrested because there was a young prince who sat in Noah’s council with whom he was assigned by God to teach. Alma listened and the Spirit taught him that Abinadi’s testimony of the Savior is true. I contemplated the power of that testimony while I was looking through some things I had done 20 years ago. I found this list of scriptures. As I read it and reflected, I decided I wanted to share what I was feeling with my friends. Perhaps as a reflection of the power of Alma’s testimony.

Who was Alma

When Zeniff begins his short autobiography, the very first thing he says is that he has a royal education. “I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land of our fathers’ first inheritance…. (Mosiah 9:1)” So the second circumstantial evidence is that Alma’s grandfather had a royal education (OK, so that bit about their relationship was a leap of logic that needs to be dealt with. Just hang on and we’ll get there.)

The circular evidence that Zeniff was a prince is based on that logical leap, but it is still the strongest evidence of all: Mosiah II could not have given the rule of the Nephite nation to just anyone. Mosiah could never have acknowledged Alma as a legitimate claimant to the Nephite throne if Alma’s grandfather had not also been a legitimate heir to the kingdom.

Now our next problem is to establish that Alma was, in fact, a young Nephite prince. The first evidence is that Mormon tells us so. When Mormon introduces us to Alma, he describes Alma’s heritage with the same words as he describes his own. He writes, “But there was one among them whose name was Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man, and he believed the words which Abinadi had spoken (Mosiah 17:2).”

In a footnote in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, Stephen and I examined the evidence that Alma was a prince — a younger brother of King Noah. There are several indications that Alma was a young prince. Evidence of his age is found when his son Alma II spoke to the people of Zarahemla, saying:

5 And behold, after that, they were brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you, they were in captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of his word; and we were brought into this land, and here we began to establish the church of God throughout this land also (Alma 5:5).

So “they” were brought into bondage, and “we” came out. When Luke wrote “we” and “they” in Acts, it is taken as a key to knowing when he was and was not with Paul’s party. If that same principle can be applied here, it says that when they were brought into bondage Alma II was not with them, but he was when they came out—indicating that he had been born while they were there.

It was customary that a boy be married by the age of 18 to 20, but if one were not a “young man,” he could not sit in the councils of the Israelites, until he was 32, married, and had a child. If Alma II were his father’s oldest child, or at least his oldest son, and born when his father was in his early twenties, then Alma I may have been only in his late teens when he heard Abinadi. That was too young to sit in the king’s Council unless one was a prince.

Another indication of Alma’s high rank (and probably of his popularity among the people) is that Noah did not arrest him, as he would have done a commoner, but rather sent someone to assassinate him.

Probably the strongest evidence is that after he got to Zarahemla and the king’s sons refused to accept the throne, Alma was next in line for the throne. That could only be true if Zeniff, the king of the Nephites in the land of Nephi, were also a Nephite prince, and if Alma were his son and Noah’s younger brother, and, therefore, a legal heir to both Nephite thrones.

After Alma and his people came to Zarahemla and he was made Chief Judge he did not have the title of king, but he did have all of the authority of the royal office, including his status as High Priest of the Church.

In pre-exilic Israel the king was both head of government and the head of the state religion. That is evident by the facts that Solomon dedicated the Temple and offered sacrifices. Later the temple appears to have been the “royal chapel” during the reign of Isaiah’s friend King Hezekiah. We see the same relationship of church and state in the reign of King Benjamin who presided at the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.

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SCRIPTURAL TESTIMONIES OF THE SAVIOUR IN THE BEGINNING

Testimony of Abraham and Moses – – Abraham 3: 22-28; Moses 4: 2-3; Moses 1: 31-33; Moses 2: 27-

Testimony of John – – John 1: 1-5; Joseph Smith Translation, John 1: 1-19,29-33 (pages 807-8 of new LDS Bible); D&C 93: 1-17

TESTIMONIES OF THOSE WHO KNOW HIM BEFORE HE WAS BORN

Enoch – – Moses 7: 2-4, 35-36, 53 Brother of Jared – – Ether 3: 6-18 Job – – Job 19: 23-27
Moses – – Exodus 3: 1-15

Isaiah – – Isaiah 6: 1-13, 7: 14-15, 9: 6-7, 52: 6-10 Jeremiah – – Jaremiah 1: 4-6

Mosiah 16:11 -15 — LeGrand Baker — ‘The qualities of mercy’

Mosiah 16:11 -15.
11    If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation—
12    Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent.
13    And now, ought ye not to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember that only in and through Christ ye can be saved?
14 Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come—
15 Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen.

The dilemma is this: Can God be perfectly merciful and also perfectly just. A masterful explanation of that dilemma is found in Alma chapters 41 and 42. (If they are not fresh in your mind, this would be a good time to read them.) Alma tells his son why it must be so, but what I was trying to explain to Kris and I, and what I would like to explore here, is the question of how it works. I am not going to try to explain how the atonement works – I know that it does, but my knowing that brings me to the very edge of my understanding, and I cannot begin to comprehend how the atonement works.

I will try to express my opinions here as clearly as I can because I don’t want to be misunderstood, but when I do that, it tends to sound a bit dogmatic; so please remember, the things I am about to write are only my opinions, and I am not presenting them as anything other than that.

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The laws of Justice

Justice, without mercy, has the same rules as a chess game – except if one’s opponent were “eternal justice” one would be playing against a power that has an unlimited number of queens – and the game is stacked against any player who makes any mistakes. By that, I do not mean to imply that justice is inherently unfair, if it were, it would not be justice. But I am suggesting that it is just too big for us to cope with, and always has been. The reality is that throughout the whole process of our eternal growth, salvation without the intercession of the Saviour has been absolutely impossible. So, let’s see why that is so.

In chess, if one loses a pawn, the pawn is not recoverable, and all future good moves which would involve that pawn are forever lost. As one loses his bishops, or knights, or rooks, one’s possibilities for success become increasingly more restricted. That pattern continues until there is no option except checkmate.

Justice is like that. It not only closes doors, but it also acts immediately. The very nature of justice insists on immediacy. That relationship between justice and time is something people understand intuitively. There is an axiom in our legal system – “justice delayed is justice denied” – that almost codifies our understanding. There is a very sound reason behind the axiom: delay implies that time can insert ameliorating factors that would divert or cripple justice. In our legal system “justice” is often delayed, but after the delay, when it is exacted, it might be more accurately described as “revenge” rather than as “justice.” For in order for pure justice to be executed, the retribution must not only be immediate but also precisely calibrated to the law that was broken. Otherwise it is not pure justice, but something else.

If we lived in a world controlled by justice, and if we were immediately punished every time we did something bad, our capacity to succeed would be reduced with every punishment. Consequently, every time we sinned we would limit our future opportunities to do good. With each mistake, we would become more restricted until eventually we would have expend all our options except the invitation to go to hell.

The Protestant teaching that God lets imperfect people get into heaven because Christ’s mercy “makes up the difference” is not true. Rather, I believe that because of the atonement, mercy removes the impediments and restraints that would otherwise make it impossible for people to become perfect, thereby enabling them to qualify to get into heaven – but only if they choose to do so.

My understandings of mercy is very different from the Babylonian version. Both insist that we are saved by “grace”; but for them “grace” meant that the god will look the other way, knowing “it is only human to error.” But to me, “grace” means God will enable one to become all that one is willing to be. I think the scriptures justify that position as well. (I have longsince loved this scripture because of its juxtaposition of the words “will” and “may.”)

8    Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved. (Alma 41:8.)

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Redemption through the Atonement

The Saviour conquered the great chaotic monster, death and hell. The idea of this dual monster that presides over chaos pops up everywhere in ancient myth and religion, but nowhere is its meaning better explained than in the Book of Mormon by Jacob.

10    O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
11    And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.
12    And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.
13    O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.
14    Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.
15 And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God (2 Nephi 9:10-15).

The Saviour can save us from spiritual death, because he has paid for every sin ever committed – not just in this world, but in all his creations. The Prophet Joseph testified,

And I heard a great voice bearing record from heav’n,
He’s the Saviour and only begotten of God;
By him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made,
Even all that career in the heavens so broad.
Whose inhabitants, too, from the first to the last,
Are sav’d by the very same Saviour of ours;
And, of course, are begotten God’s daughters and sons
By the very same truths and the very same powers. {3}

The atonement guarantees a resurrection to everyone, but it does not promise permanent redemption to everyone. It enables everyone to return to the presence of God to be judged, but leaves it entirely to the person to choose whether that redemption will be eternal.

Again we turn to Abinadi for instruction.

4    Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state.
5    But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God  (Mosiah 16: 4-5).

The purest kind of love is expressed in the willingness of a parent to help the child be all that it chooses to be – rather than insist that the child become what that the parent believes will make the child most successful. That kind of love is epitomized by the Saviour whose atonement paid the penalty for all our sins, but who does not insist that any of us accept the pain that he suffered on our behalf. He lets one be what one chooses to be – at whatever level of good or bad one finds most satisfying.

Thus, in his mercy, the Saviour guarantees that all people will receive a resurrected body, and that the glory of that body will be consistent with the eternal law the person has chosen to enjoy. One does not usually think that it is by his mercy that we are permitted to choose a lower degree of glory, even though the Saviour has already paid for us to get into the highest. But it is by mercy that we are permitted to choose. Notwithstanding the pain with which he has already paid to take away our sins, the Saviour lets one keep all the sins one does not want to give to him. Because of his mercy, he takes nothing that is not earnestly given, so that in the end, it is justice, not mercy, that codifies one’s choices.

The Saviour’s mercy acts on a very different principle from the one taught by the ancient Babylonians and modern “Christians.” People are not saved by mercy. Mercy is the enabling power. People are saved by grace – and that salvation is a process as one grows from grace to grace. Mercy makes that growth possible, but does not make it unnecessary. The Saviour has accepted the punishment for all of our sins, but he does not deny anyone the right or the power to refuse to avail one’s Self the blessings of his grace.

By his mercy, the Saviour enables one to receive maximum glory in this world and in the world to come – and the glory is always consistent with the law one lives. If it is the same law God lives, then the glory will be consistent with that law. Otherwise, one’s glory will be compatible with the sins one wishes to keep and has chosen to make an eternal part of one’s Self.

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Repentance and the laws of justice

To understand mercy, it seems to me that one must first examine the relationship between justice and repentance. While there are many scriptures that teach us about one’s need to repent, there are two that contain the key ideas that seem to pull all the rest into focus.

7    Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
8    And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—
9    Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice. (Mosiah 15: 7-9)

The key words here are “standing betwixt them and justice.” The implication being that people are able to repent because justice cannot immediately execute its consequences upon them.

The other one is from the story of Aaron, the Nephite prince. We do not know all that Aaron taught the aged Lamanite king about the atonement, but the king’s prayer gives us a remarkable insight. Earlier he had promised Aaron, “I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.” (Alma 22:1-35) But in his prayer he did not echo that sentiment. He did not use the phrase “give up”; in the prayer he said “I will give away…”

17    And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18    O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead. (Alma 22:16-18)

If one can apply the king’s words to the meaning of repentance, “repentance” is not giving up something (as one might do if one were going on a diet, or keeping a New Year’s resolution); “repentance” is giving the ownership of one’s sin to the Saviour. That requires covenants, ratifying ordinances, and changes in the very nature of the repentant. Ezekiel understood that principle in terms of a promise from the Lord.

19    And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: (Ezekiel 11:19.)

“Repentance” is the process of evaluating one’s feelings, rejecting the actions and attitudes that stimulate those feelings that are incompatible with one’s happiness, and giving those sins to the Saviour.

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Mercy makes repentance possible

As I understand it, this is how mercy enables repentance without imposing more salvation on one than one wishes to receive.

What Alma calls our “probationary state” is a kind of suspension – a state of being that is not unlike the one in which Job’s great leviathan moved without restraint in an ocean without walls. In this suspended state, the laws of justice are not obliterated, only the immediacy of their execution is postponed. Here we may make mistakes, but because we do not always instantaneously suffer the consequences of those mistakes, they can become a learning experience rather than a sure source of punishment and debilitation. If one does not like the way such actions make one feel, one can repent – give the sin to the Saviour – and continue the experimentation by which he can come to know good from evil without being burdened by that rejected sin anymore. Under these circumstances, the past sin is not baggage one continues to carry, because it is no longer there. It is not an impediment to one’s progress, because it does not belong to the person any longer, and so is not a viable part of one’s past (except it may continue to have great value as a learning experience).

Here, in this world, we may also do good things. But because we are usually not immediately blessed in a tangible way, we have the opportunity to learn the true nature of goodness and how we wish to respond to it, without the artificial gratification of an immediate and predictable reward. In both cases, this “probationary state” is a learning experience designed to help one define who and what one really is, and who and what one is trying to become, rather than a time of conditioning that molds one into what one “ought to be.”

Because we have physical bodies and live in a physical world, even in this suspended state we have an opportunity to experience the retributive power of a broken law. Physical law teaches us that there are unavoidable consequences which result from incorrect actions. (If you touch a hot stove, you get burned; if you put salt in your eye, your eye hurts) And those same laws teach us that there are unavoidable consequences to correct actions. (If you light a fire, you can get warm; if you put chocolate in your mouth, your mouth likes that a lot.) In those things the laws of justice are immediately applicable. From that we can extrapolate an understanding of the principle that there is a necessary relationship between actions and consequences. However, our responses to those kinds of wise or unwise actions are not the criteria that determine whether we will go to heaven or to hell.

Moral judgements (whether correct or incorrect) are like that in that they have consequences, but are unlike that because the consequences may be a long time coming – so long, in fact, that one may be able to believe the consequences will never come at all. Because there is usually no immediate tangible blessing for goodness, and no immediate spanking for badness, one is not conditioned by their consequences. Therefore, one is able to judge them on their own merits.

To do that, every person has the light of Christ (one’s conscience) that teaches one consequences – discourages bad, and encourages good. Unlike the consequences that always follow when one breaks a physical law, the “response” of one’s conscience can actually come before – as well as after – one does something wrong, and can therefore be a protection against sin. But its power to protect is balanced by the titillation that invites one to do the sin and to receive its consequences. Titillations often have a marked advantage over conscience, because titillations are able to promise immediate gratification. (Money can buy almost anything is this world.) Thus, one’s conscience does not have the power to dictate one’s actions, but only the power to direct one’s inclinations.

One’s conscience may create a tentative desire to avoid the thing that titillates, but ultimately, the bases of the power one exercises to make the final decision is not one’s conscience, but one’s attitude. Attitude overrides “good intentions,” just as it overrides bad intentions, and whether for good or for evil, it is one’s attitude that dictates what one actually does.

I can understand the power of attitude better when I acknowledge that its relevant extremes are not love and hate, but rather they are reverence and contempt. I suspect that one’s revering another person is the essence of true charity, just as it is the source of true joy. And, in contrast, to contemptuously disregard another person’s worth, happiness, or security is at the core of every evil. When contempt is focused, it is hate.

In this physical world, because people are free to act out their attitudes, they can treat others with kindness, or cruelty, or simply not consider them at all. Thus, this earthly environment creates an optimal situation in which one can experiment with one’s own feelings, discover what causes them, and seek to perfect the attitudes and actions that stimulate the gratification one most enjoys. It gives bad people an opportunity to enjoy the sensations of power that come through hurting others; and it gives good people the opportunity to love good people because they are good – and also to be kind to bad people anyway. It gives all people an opportunity to be kind and empathetic – to feel the hurt that others feel, and to rejoice because others rejoice. However, the product of that relative freedom in this world is that innocent people may suffer (and frequently do), and guilty people may not suffer (and frequently don’t). Because mercy prevents the immediate exercise of justice, this world is not a just place – but that was the way it was planned. Its injustice is one of its surest and most powerful teaching tools. People who suffer may be hardened and seek revenge; or they may learn to know empathy and compassion – to transcend pain to embrace peace. For, because of the atonement, whatever evil happens to the people who are wronged in this world, the consequence need not be a canker to the soul. The atonement not only has the power to take away our sins, but it also has the power to alleviate the pain of those whom we have sinned against – and to remove the scars of the sins that others have committed against us.

11    And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me. (Alma 7:11-13.)

But that is not all. In order to make mercy work, the system must guarantee that every person has a full and absolute opportunity to have enough experiences outside the presence of God, that each individual can determine for one’s Self who and what one really is, and what one truly seeks to become.

To pursue the question of how that is done, it seems to me that a little speculation about the nature of the post-earth-life spirit world might be in order. For it is clearly in that spirit world that the great majority of people will finally have sufficient occasion to make up for whatever opportunities they lacked here. Our “probationary state” which leads one to the final judgement must include both one’s experiences in this physical life, and one’s choices and experiences in the spirit world that follows: otherwise the decisions of a final judgement would make no sense whatever.

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For those reasons, a post-earth-life spirit world is necessarily a place where one can be free from all forms of physical intimidation, and where one can receive sufficient information to accept or reject the vicarious ordinances performed in his or her behalf. That spirit world must be a “physical” (as in “all spirit is matter”), cultural, and educational environment, where one is actually as free as one chooses to be – and where the restraints on one’s freedom will be only those which one chooses to impose upon one’s Self.

Thus, by the time this full probationary state is completed, each person will have been fully responsible and entirely capable of defining himself or herself in terms of what gives joy – or if joy is not what one seeks – then in terms of what gives the satisfactions one has chosen to cherish rather than joy.

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Conclusion

If what I have suggested here is correct, it is apparent that the time will come, when mercy no longer prevents the consequences of either good or bad, and justice will have claim on its own; but that justice cannot come into full play and claim its own until one has fully defined one’s Self. Then, because of the atonement, the “own” that justice will claim will be only what is left over after mercy has done its all – that is, justice may claim only the eternal part of one’s person and personality that remains after one has either repented, or chosen not to repent. Thus it will be by the laws of justice that one goes to the Celestial Kingdom, or else goes to some other place.

At the conclusion of this “probationary state” each individual will regain his or her permanent, physical, resurrected body – and the glory of that body will be the same as the law that person lives. Let me suggest how that works:

All matter is energy, and energy is light – the light from which all created things are made is the light of Christ. Which means that our spirit and physical bodies are made of Christ’s light – his aura, as I understand it. I take John’s testimony literally that the Saviour is:

9    The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.
10    The worlds were made by him; men were made by him; all things were made by him, and through him, and of him.

I read “of” to mean of : “all things were made … of him.” I believe that means our resurrected bodies will be made of his light also. If one’s light is pure, like His, then one will be like Him. If it is partly or entirely dark, then one will be different from him.

But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:23.)

I also believe that light, and love, and the power that seals us together eternally are all the same kinds of energy – are actually the same thing. That is, I believe that love is tangible in the same way light is tangible. If one is a person of charity, then the light which constitutes that person’s resurrected body must be compatible with that light which emanates from his own intelligence. If one’s love / light is pure, then one’s body will be pure also.  (D&C 88:14-41.)

Christ’s mercy holds the consequences imposed by justice in abeyance until one has made those decisions for oneself. By his mercy, the Saviour stands between us and justice during our probationary state, withholding from each of us the sure punishments for one’s sins, as well as many immediate blessings for the good things that one does, until one has decided for oneself which sins he wants to keep and which ones he wants to let the Saviour have. After that decision is made, the Saviour no longer stands “betwixt them and justice,” but steps aside, as it were, and lets justice have its full effect – saving all who will be saved – and in precisely the way they have chosen to be saved. Some to one degree of glory, and some to another, but all to be saved according to their own wills, and in accordance to the glory that best express their eternal nature.

Earlier I wrote that delayed justice is not justice but revenge, but that is not true of our final judgement when we stand before the Saviour clothed with resurrected bodies that personify the light – or the darkness – that is in us. The reason the final judgement is not an act of God’s revenge is because the justice meted out there is not a punishment wielded by God, but it is only a final actualization – a formal acknowledgment – of what one really is.

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ENDNOTES

{1} Boyd K. Packer, Teach Ye Diligently (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1975), 357.

{2} Sir E. A. Wallis Budge, Babylonian Life and History (London, The Religious Tract Society, 1925) The “Sir” is because he was knighted in recognition of his being one of England’s greatest biblical scholars. I mention that because of the name of the publishing company. “The Religious Tract Society” published some very scholarly works in its time, but nowadays, if one did not know better, one would question the credibility of a publisher with a name like that.

{3} In February 1843, the Prophet re-wrote the vision that is the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants in poetry form. It was published in the Times and Seasons, February 1, 1843, and republished in the Millennial Star, August, 1843.

Mosiah 16: 10 -11 — LeGrand Baker — resurrection and judgement

Mosiah 16: 10 -11
10    Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—
11    If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation –

Some of the things Abinadi says, seemingly almost in passing, show a profound understanding of the gospel. These two verses are an example of that. If read quickly they simply say that people will be resurrected and judged according to their works. But that is precisely my point. He does not say “judged then resurrected,” the sequence he uses is “resurrected then judged.”

Before Abinadi, Jacob had also taught that the final judgment will follow resurrection:

22    And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day. (2 Nephi 9:22.)

After Abinadi, Alma taught the same thing.

15    Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body? (Alma 5:15.)

In another place Alma was even more explicit. This verse is a classic example of a scripture where the conjunctions create a logical string of ideas that is critical to understanding the meaning of the text. Another example is the conjunction “that” in the sacrament prayers. If you want to do an interesting experiment, recite those prayers without the word “that” and see what the prayers suddenly do not say. Let me show you what “that” and other conjunctions do in this verse.

22    If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, and that  he will come to redeem his people, and that  he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works. (Alma 33:22)

Mormon was also very exacting about the relationship of the resurrection and the judgement.

5    Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.
6    And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat.
7    And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end. (Mormon 7:5-7)

I suppose one of the reasons that sequence first caught my attention is because I was taught something different from that when I was a boy. Then I learned that one would be assigned to the Celestial, terrestrial, or telestial kingdom after, and as a consequence of, the final judgement. So when I found several statements in the scriptures that reversed that order of things, I asked what other implications that sequence might suggest. And that introduced my mind to even more questions. If one is resurrected before the final judgement, then what are the criteria that determines one’s resurrected glory? And after that is determined, what criteria are used to determine one’s final judgement? The answer to that last question, is one’s “works,” but what does that mean? And, is it possible that the quality of the resurrected body one has received before one stands before the Saviour at the final judgement is one of the criterion by which a person will be judged?

As far as I know, the scriptures do not explicitly answer the first of those questions, except by the inferences I have already quoted. But the last question may be answered in section 88 of the Doctrine and Covenants. In these verses, it is the tense of the verbs, rather than the conjunctions that provide the key to meaning.

14    Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead.
15    And the spirit and the body are the soul of man.
16    And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul.
17    And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it.
18    Therefore, it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory;
19    For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;
20    That bodies who ARE [present tense] of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it [the earth] made and created, and for this intent are they [those of the celestial world] sanctified.
21    And they who are not sanctified [present tense] through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit [future tense] another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.
22    For he who is not able [present tense] to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide [present tense] a celestial glory.
23    And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.
24 And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.
25    And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth [present tense] the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law—
26    Wherefore, it [the earth] shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it. [all future tense]
27    For notwithstanding they die, they also shall rise again [future tense], a spiritual [resurrected] body.
28    They who are [present tense] of a celestial spirit shall receive [future tense] the same body which was [past tense] a natural body; even ye shall receive [future tense] your bodies, and your glory shall be [future tense] that glory by which your bodies are [present tense] quickened.
29    Ye who are quickened [present tense] by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive [future tense] of the same, even a fulness.
30    And they who are [present tense] quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then receive [future tense] of the same, even a fulness.
31    And also they who are quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
32    And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received.
33    For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.
34    And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed [present tense] by law is also preserved [present tense] by law and [is] perfected and [is] sanctified by the same.
35 That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still.
36    All kingdoms have a law given;
37    And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom.
38    And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions.
39    All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified (D&C 88:14-39).

What follows seems to be a list of the criteria by which one is finally judged – after the power of the resurrection has cleansed one’s body to the quality of love by which one was quickened during this mortal probation.

40    For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; JUDGMENT goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things.
41 He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever (D&C 88:4041)