Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
To help counter the growing pride in the church, the prophet Alma travelled throughout the land encouraging the people to be humble and keep the commandments. His first instruction to the people was to ask the members of the church if they had "sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell" (Alma 5:6).
How does our appreciation and understanding of God's dealings with our predecessors help us to be righteous? Moroni also framed this kind of remembrance as the key to gaining a testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon: "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts" (Moroni 10:3).
Alma goes on to specifically detail the ways in which the Lord had blessed previous generations of the people of Alma. "Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them ... I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love ... he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved" (Alma 5:7, 9, 13).
When we believe that God can change our hearts, help us awake and escape darkness, illuminate and expand our souls, and be humble we are more likely to turn to Him and rely on His power. We are more willing to submit to His plan for us because we can see how following His plan has played out for people in the past and appreciate the grand arc of his design for us. Second only to personal experience, we learn best by observing others. This principle is articulated in one of my favorite books on management, Influencer: The Power to Change Anything. The authors explain that when we are trying to persuade someone to have more personal motivation to do something, particularly something that seems counterintuitive or unpleasant that they are not willing to try on their own, having relatable and trusted people vicariously share their experiences is a helpful approach. When we read the records of our ancestors or ancient people in the scriptures who tried to follow God's plan, we can imagine ourselves in their positions, try on the principles of the gospel through them, and find greater motivation to change.
The people of Alma had undergone a significant spiritual transformation and waned in their commitment. My own conversion and level of commitment to living the gospel naturally ebbs and flows. The questions that Alma posed to his people is a checklist I have used multiple times to emerge from spiritual valleys and assess my standing before God. He asked those of the church (Alma 5:14-16, 26-30):
- Have ye spiritually been born of God?
- Have ye received his image in your countenances?
- Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
- Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?
- Do you look forward with an eye of faith?
- [Do you] view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption?
- [Can you imagine standing] before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?
- Can you imagine ... that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
- If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love ... can ye feel so now?
- Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God?
- Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble?
- [Could ye say] that your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ?
- Are ye stripped of pride?
- Is there one among you who is not stripped of envy?
- Is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
In closing Alma makes a passing comment that seems obvious, but provides great insights into the expansiveness and inclusiveness of God. "For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil. Therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil" (Alma 5:40-41). God is the source of all goodness and light and claims all people who do His will. I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds unique priesthood authority to organize and direct God's kingdom on earth, but it is ludicrous to imagine that Mormons have a corner on the market of goodness. The criteria for being favored of the Lord is not to simply be a member of the right church, but to do good.
Application Questions
What stories from the scriptures and the lives of your ancestors build your faith? How does your appreciation and understanding of God's dealings with your predecessors help you to be righteous?
Looking through the list of questions Alma poses, is there one area in which you would like to improve?
Image Credit: rdonar
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