Alma's Church - waxing proud brings scorn

After a battle with Amlicites which brings on a war with Lamanites, many Nephites are killed and the crops are destoyed. The people humble themselves and many join the Church of God. After about a year things become extremely prosperous, ... and the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches... which they had obtained by their industry (Alma 4:6). Having the things of the world has always been a strong elixir. What do these members do with their prosperity? They are lifted up on pride of their eyes [and] they began to wear very costly apparel (v.6). They like to show others that they can afford the nice things. They like the feeling of being above others.

But, it doesn't stop there. After being "lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world, ... they began to be scornful, one towards another..." Don't judge me for liking nice things! To scorn is to deride; to make a mock of; to ridicule as contemptible. The proud members were scorning the humble members for doing something that they didn't like.

What were the humble members doing? They may have been just as industrious as the others. I believe they were holding to the teaching that to believe in Christ means to only use riches to help others. They didn't use their riches to buy nice things. They freely gave of their substance to create an equality among men. They did this because they believed it and it feels right.

Jacob gave was the first who give the mandate. King Benjamin repeats the mandate and Alma and Alma the Younger make it a requirement for continuing membership in the church. What is the mandate? Here it is. In Jacob 2:16 Jacob ties pride with the destruction of the soul, "O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!"

He then gives the mandate,(v.17)"Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you."

Jacob then clarifies that we must first seek for the kingdom of God. He talking about receiving the change of heart, the rebirth. He says (v.18) "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God." It is definitely hard to be free with substance until you have cast off the natural man!

Jacob then reasserts the mandate. We read (v.19)"And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted." After we are self sufficient and then are blessed with riches, the sole purpose of these riches is to help others. This mandate is passed done from one generation to another until Alma uses it as one of the tenants in establishing the church of God.

Let's get back to Alma 4. The last part of verse 8 say, "and they began to persecute those that did not believe according to their own will and pleasure." Anybody who speaks against this new doctine of acquiring wealth for personal enjoyment without regard to those around them was persecuted. The proud look good; they are look confident; they don't understand the things of the Spirit. They like how they look; they like how they feel. My industry got me where I am now. Its mine. I earned fair and square. Thus, I can wear nicer things than YOU. You are judging me for wanting nice things!

But they still want to come to church. They still want to be part of the community of believers. Isn't it interesting that the wearing of costly apparel in Book of Mormon times indicated to spiritual leaders of the church that the member was walking in the pride of his or her heart! We say in our day that one can't use the same measuring stick because you can't tell what is in the heart. I agree to a point since we, as a church, might not be sufficiently instructed regarding what the living the gospel really requires of those who choose to follow their savior. But, I sometimes wonder if unknowingly walk in the pride of our hearts. We have been so steeped in a competitive dog eat dog (American) paradigm that we can't comprehend anything else. On the surface it (dog eat dog) seems like a fair way to do things. But Christ isn't about fair, He's about love. And love demands treating each other as if we are each other's brother and sister. That we share freely. That we desire our brother to be like unto us. Christ wants equality. When we become part of the ransomed hosts these disires of brotherhood, love and temporal equality feel natural and desirable to us. The natural man thinks all this is foolishness.

Alma then gives a discourse in Zerahemla that helps everyone who reads it measure their own pride and discipleship. I will tackle this on another day!

Send me you comments! -Scott

40 Years in the Wilderness

I have had a feeling or impression for many years that the outward rules and commandments of the Church are in a way like the Law of Moses in the Book of Mormon. This isn't an exact comparison since Christ has already come but I think it fits. Like the Law of Moses, we keep the 'check list' as it were until the time comes that we are told by the prophets to modify our position. We can move ahead a follow Christ more fully but we also continue to do those things that are intended to point us to Christ. Sometimes these things are a little strange but many aspects of the Law of Moses were strange.

I have noted down the following verses. Sometimes I will substitute phrases like, "outward commandments' or 'outward rules' in place of the Law of Moses in these verses. I believe, as these verses say, that everything the Church does points us toward Christ.

It sometimes feels, to me, like we the Church stepped back a pace a hundred years ago and began to teach 'school master' teachings to help our ancestors prepare to come unto Christ. Maybe we have been wandering, figuratively speaking, 40 years in the wilderness. I have noted that talking of Christ has increase dramatically over my life time.

Here are the verses:

> Alma 25:16 Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses;
> but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus
> they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon
> the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come.
>
> Alma 25:15 Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient
> that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled.
> But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of
> Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and
> believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that
> he should be revealed unto them.
>
> 2 N 25:24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of
> Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall
> be fulfilled
>
> Jacob 4:5 And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our
> souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness,
> even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto
> the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of
> God and his Only Begotten Son.
>
> Jarom 1:11 Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did
> labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence;
> teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading
> them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though
> he already was.
>
> 3 Nephi 15:2 And it came to pass that when Jesus had said these words he
> perceived that there were some among them who marveled, and wondered what he
> would concerning the law of Moses; for they understood not the saying that
> old things had passed away, and that all things had become new.

It seems very reasonable to me that Christ would have His Church move forward at pace commensurate to the spirtual level of main body of saints. Introducing higher laws too soon would not be in the best interest of the Church's progress in the last days. The Lord clearly explains in Jacob 5:

[65] And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard.

[66] For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard....[73] And there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off and to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof.

As we become more righteous, the time will come when greater things will become the standard. As always, these laws will probably be introduced slowly at first.

Alma's Church: Foundations

It seems that it wasn't uncommon to have a tradition of having all things in common for the people of the Book of Mormon. Alma seems to have made this a main tennant of the church he orgainized. There are two roots in the Book of Mormon to having all things in common that I wish to explore: Jacob 2 and Mosiah 4.

Four hundred and sixty years before Alma organized his church, Jacob rebuked his people with the following in Jacob 2:17-18:

Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

Here Jacob exhorts his brethren to be free with their substance so everyone can be rich. Substance mean wealth in any form. "Think of your brethren like unto yourselves". Jacob doesn't want any personal amassing of wealth. He says in verse 19 that if we really have a hope in Christ, we can do nothing but help others with our surplus wealth. But, it appears that our inclination or desire to give away our substance is brought about by whether or not we have sought the kingdom of God. The natual man cannot even comprehend giving freely. He considers it foolishness. And he never will know the blessings and miracles that he might have received if he had faith. And receiving the blessings is proof (in some twisted way) that Jacob's just doesn't work.

In Mosiah 4:22-23, King Benjamin, forty years before the establishment of Alma's church tells his people that one of the results of rebirth in the Christ is use your substance as if it were a gift:

And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done. I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.

King Benjamin is saying that the rich man will perish if he doesn't use his gift of making wealth to help others. You can't even judge the person who you know messed up his temporal situation. It just doesn't matter. Since your substance isn't yours anyways, the Lord's requirement being blessing with this temporal gift is to give it all away. Many get distressed at this idea these days - but to King Benjamin it show true discipleship.

Let's look at verses 17-18:

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just— But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God. For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

This earler verse tells us that we are all beggars - or at least people who have had the change of heart. Christ gave you the gift of redeeming love so love others in the small way that you can. Not everyone has the same gift in this life. Some have spiritual gifts and others have temporal gifts. To withhold your temporal gift is like a person with gift of healing to withhold his gift from you when you are sick!

Alma new the doctrine and organized his church of believers according to that doctrine. The members - and the whole nation were blessed because of this order that they followed. They were delivered from the hands of the Lamanites over and over again. They were prospered in all ways. They had the strength of the Lord!