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...
Alma concludes his conversation with Corianton by teaching about justice and mercy, and encouraging his son to repent. He prefaces his comments by talking about the fall of Adam and Eve. Because they partook of the forbidden fruit, "our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will" (Alma 43:7-8). As fallen man, we are separated from God. We all sin and we will all die. While uncomfortable and even dangerous, this mortal state is essential for us to grow.
Alma described this process of growth as becoming "subjects to follow after [our] own will." Usually when we think of "subjects" we think of subordinates of a king or queen; people who are subjected to the rule and authority of a monarch. In other contexts, we could be subject to inspection, subject to change, subject to approval, or subject to availability. This is not how Alma uses the word. Alma uses the word "subject" as the antonym of "object," like the subject of a sentence. The subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that is doing or being something. Because of the fall of Adam and Even, we are agents with the ability to choose, act, do, and be for themselves, or as Alma puts it "to follow after [our] own will." Alma is not levying a criticism, but describing a divinely appointed and essential condition of our life on earth. We are not objects at the affect of our circumstances, but subjects free to shape and create the life we choose.
Along with this gift of agency, God granted us a way to repent and period of time to work out our salvation. Alma taught Corianton, "there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God" (Alma 43:4). This process of personal transformation takes time, and God suspends any final judgement as we stumble, fail, and rise in this life. Too often we are impatient with our own progress and can become discouraged by our lack of growth, but God takes an eternal perspective and is willing to watch and assist patiently for us to come to ourselves and follow Him. There is no one more anxious for our wellbeing and exaltation that He, and he is willing to wait and see with us. We must simply use our time well, and be kind to ourselves.
This source of patience and hope is rooted in the atonement of Jesus Christ. God is able to be merciful and forgiving because the demands of justice have already been satisfied. Alma taught, "all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence. And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also" (Alma 43:14-15). Because this price has already been paid, all people will live forever in a perfected body and meet God again before the final judgement. Beyond these guaranteed blessings, we can enjoy the full glory that God has prepared for His children by repenting. If we humbly try our best to follow God, "mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God" (Alma 43:23).
Having addressed a number of Corianton's doctrinal questions and concerns, Alma encourages him to repent: "And now, my son, I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance" (Alma 43:29). To be clear, Alma is not telling Corianton to experience self-loathing, shame, or despair, and carefully couches his instruction to "let your sins trouble you" within the caveat that is should be "that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance." There is a range of unpleasant and self-destructive emotions that can accompany our sins and mistakes, none of which come from God. Instead, my favorite term for regret for sin is "Godly sorrow," which I interpret to mean an awareness of the gap between where we are and where God wants us to be, coupled with a drive to improve. Satan has manufactured a slew of counterfeits for this emotion intent on discouraging and derailing us, but we can know if our sorrow for sin is clean or counterfeit based on how it prompts us to think about ourselves and what it encourages us to do.
I am particularly struck by Alma's final instruction to Corianton. Coronation had committed serious sexual sin and led away many potential converts and members by his indiscretions, and yet Alma reiterates his calling to preach the gospel: "And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people. And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness, that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them" (Alma 43:31). When we sin, when we fail to live up to our expectations for ourselves, and when we fall short of the glory of God it is easy to let shame and despair derail us. We might think that our prior callings, gifts, and blessings are null and void. But here we see a touching example of how God and his representatives stand ready to reinstate what we may have forfeited, and encourage us to continue in our divine mission on earth. God knew all the ways that we would fail before He ever sent us here. He has prepared a way for us to repent and recover and stands ready to forgive. The work has been done and the way has been paved, we simply have to choose to walk to path back to Him.
Application Questions
Are there areas in your life where you feel trapped or stuck? How can you work to become the subject of your life instead of the object of your circumstances?
How do you use your gifts of time and agency to come closer to God?
What good thing(s) would you do if feelings of guilt and unworthiness were not in the way?
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