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...
Truly Humbled
In teaching the people among the Zoramites, Alma emphasizes the value of humility, regardless of how we come by it. In His estimation, even sore afflictions are a cause to rejoice if they bring us in closer harmony with God. In the case of the poor Zoramites, "he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word" (Alma 32:6). Being persecuted by the wealthy class helped them open their hearts to receive the gospel. While humility is worth it at any cost, Alma emphasizes that we can choose to be humble independent of our circumstances. We do not have to wait for trials of challenges, and can instead choose to be humble on our own, specifically by following the word of God. "And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?" (Alma 32:14). We evidence and strengthen our humility by keeping the commandments as revealed by His prophets, and making covenants with God. "...Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe" (Alma 32:16). The last phrase in this verse implies that our trials can "compel us to know" even before we have a belief.
We cannot choose our trials and as an inevitable part of life we will experience hardship that catch us off guard, humble us to our core, and execrate our growth. The only thing that is in our control is to diligently nourish our belief and exercise our faith so that our heart are well conditioned for humility when we are called upon to suffer.
The Mercy of Faith
Many of us know and love Alma chapter 32 as the chapter on faith, in which Alma shares an analogy of a seed that grows and produces fruit. But in all my readings of this chapter, I have never noticed the two verses that precede Alma discussion of faith.
"And now, how much more cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression? Now of this thing ye must judge. Behold, I say unto you, that it is on the one hand even as it is on the other; and it shall be unto every man according to his work" (Alma 32:19-20).
By asking us to live by faith in this world, God manages our accountability, and shields us from our own failure to live up to the knowledge he gives us. In his mercy, he ensures that our level of knowledge matches our ability to obey. Christ offered the same justification for teaching in parables. "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:10-13). God withholds spiritual knowledge from those who are not ready to receive it so that they are not held to a higher standard of conduct before they are ready.
So you might wonder, wouldn't it be best, then, to have no spiritual knowledge at all and avoid all punishment and accountability? While a lack of spiritual knowledge does insulate us from punishment, Alma taught "that it is on the one hand even as it is on the other." Avoiding knowledge or stunting our own testimony also deprives us of growth and joy. God wants us to learn all that we can about Him and His kingdom and become like Him. He reveals himself and his truth, "line upon line, precept upon precept;" having a belief on His word is the foundational first step. Alma taught "I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word." Because He loves us, he wants our first understanding of him to be limited to a basic belief on his word, which is expanded according to our ability and willingness to obey. I like to think of the difference between belief, faith, and knowledge this way:
- Belief - Intellectual acceptance or willingness to suspend doubt and concede that something is true.
- Faith - Motivation or resolve to act on and test the things that you believe.
- Knowledge - Certainty based on spiritual evidence as an outcome of faith experiments; a testimony.
Application Questions
What daily practices can you implement to maintain humility before God?
How are your trials refining you and bringing you closer to the Savior?
What things do you believe, what things do you have faith in, and what things do you know? How can you act on and build a testimony of the things you believe?
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