Mosiah 27 - He Remembereth Every Creature of His Creating

Alma's son Alma and the sons of king Mosiah strayed from the church and sought to undermine the faith of others. "Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them" (Mosiah 27:8-9). Even though they were the children of the prophet and a righteous king, they still stumbled spiritually and actively persecuted the church. While parents have a responsibility to teach their children true principles, ultimately they cannot control and are not responsible for the behavior of their children. 

There is another interesting detail in the account of Alma and the sons of Mosiah. The record states that "he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church" (Mosiah 27:10). Wickedness often operates in the shadows to undermine righteousness. Brazen and direct challenges to righteousness are often less effective than the subtle and gradual temptations to compromise standards in small things. Satan that is described elsewhere in the scriptures as that "being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness" (2 Nephi 9:9). 

Eventually an angel intervened and appeared to Alma and his companions to instruct them to stop undermining the faith of others even it they did not believe themselves. The Angel said, "Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? ... Go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off." (Mosiah 27:13, 16). The angel alludes that his visit is in direct response to the prayers of the faithful members of the church, and teaches us about the role we can have in influencing others for good. 

Faith on Behalf of Others

Each individual that lives on the earth has agency, or the ability to choose their own thoughts and actions. These thoughts and actions are their sole responsibility, and not even God will intervene to force the will of another individual. But to say that each person has sole responsibility for their actions does not mean that we do not have influence to help or hinder others in their spiritual journey. The prophet Alma prayed diligently with faith for his son. As the angel explained to his son Alma, "Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith" (Mosiah 27:14). Alma the younger could have easily chosen to disregard the warnings of the angel, as many thought the scriptures have chosen to do, but instead he heeded the warning and completely reversed the course of his life. The prophet Alma's faith summoned the angel, but it was the faith of Alma the younger that resulted in a changed heart, deep repentance, and a new life. 

Even before Alma the younger woke from the coma induced by the angel's visit, and before Alma had repented of his sins, Alma the elder was able to find joy and comfort in his personal faith in Christ. Seeing his son's condition, "[Alma] rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God. And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him" (Mosiah 27:20-21). He was so confident in the power and work of God that even before he had seen the outcome of the angel's visit he actively testified to those around him. Alma's motivation for his son to wake from a deep sleep and repent was not limited to the welfare of his child, but extended to his desire to strengthen to faith of others as well. "They began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma ... that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God" (Mosiah 27:22). As we consider the wayward loved ones in our lives, we can emulate the example of Alma by knowing the limits of our responsibility, acting with faith within our sphere of influence, maintaining faith in the power of God, and seeking to testify and build the faith of those around us. 

Repentance

It is so easy to gloss over the intense repentance that Alma the younger underwent. Because the timeframe was condensed to a few days there is a temptation to assume that it was easy, or to wish that our own repentance could be expedited in a similar way. But Alma the younger explained that he received forgiveness only "after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death" (Mosiah 27:28). The paradox of repentance is that there is no short cut, and yet it can happen in an instant. Repentance is intense spiritual work that transforms our natures. God gives forgiveness freely and immediately to those who exhibit a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Most of the time involved in repentance has nothing to do with convincing God and everything to do with reorienting our will and desires. 

I love the instruction that the angel gave Alma to aid in his repentance process. He said "Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them" (Mosiah 27:16). Perhaps this is why we are instructed to read the scripture and feast upon the words of Christ, particularly as we strive to repent and change our natures. The scriptures offer models of how God interacted with His people throughout time. The accounts of God's dealings with his people gives of confidence and helps us believe through vicarious example that we can change and be forgiven and do great work as those in the scriptures did. Alma had a similar experience and after he repented was also able to testify that "he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all" (Mosiah 27:30).

Even after Alma was granted complete forgiveness, he continued to be motivated by his desire to make recompense for his mistakes. While God remembers our sins no more, we retain the memory to fuel future righteousness and avoid the same pitfalls. And so Alma and the sons of Mosiah went about "preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them ... zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, ... and thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth" (Mosiah 27:23, 35-36). While we should strive to avoid sin, sin is inevitable. Only Satan would have us despair and quite because we are not perfect; God would have us view our past mistakes as assets that we can use to learn and grow. 

Application Questions

Who in your life could use your faith, prayers, and service in their behalf? 

What can you do this week to repent, or bring your self into closer alignment with God's will?

Are you carrying burdens of guilt or regret for things you have repented of? How can you show greater love for yourself and use past mistakes to encourage instead of burden you?

Image Credit: You Gn