Category: Scriptures

Alma 8:8-13 — LeGrand Baker — prayer in behalf of others

Alma 8:8-13
8   And it came to pass that when Alma had come to the city of Ammonihah he began to preach the word of God unto them.
9  Now Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma.
10  Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance.
11  Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto him: Behold, we know that thou art Alma; and we know that thou art high priest over the church which thou hast established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; and we are not of thy church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions.
12  And now we know that because we are not of thy church we know that thou hast no power over us; and thou hast delivered up the judgment-seat unto Nephihah; therefore thou art not the chief judge over us.
13  Now when the people had said this, and withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city, he departed thence and took his journey towards the city which was called Aaron.

This is a story that I suspect every missionary has experienced first hand. Let me tell you mine. The British Mission then had its own 16 lesson mission plan. It took about four months to complete, and the people who joined the Church in those days were so thoroughly converted that very few ever became inactive. My companion and I had tracted out a fine family. The father was an intelligent young man who loved what we taught him, and we became close friends. He was the scout master for his local church. The week he and his wife were to be baptized his minister gathered up all the boys and took them to his house. They begged him to not join the Mormon Church until after they had completed the scouting program. He agreed to wait. He told us that he felt he was making a great personal sacrifice for the sake of those boys. The next time we visited him he asked us to not come back until he contacted us, because his decision was causing tension between him and his wife. We prayed fervently that he would have the strength to do what was right. A few weeks later we saw him on a train. He greeted us with a forced smile. He told us that he had quit his scouts, and that he and his wife were now doing very well——but we should wait a while longer—— then he would invite us to come back to visit them again. His face was haggard and his words were full of hurt. The tension he did not express belied his words he spoke. I never heard from him after that.

There is an eternal principle here: Neither we nor God can force anyone to embrace and live the joy that is the gospel. With that eternal principle comes a question that echoes throughout the scriptures and often torments our personal lives. Mormon tells the story well, and in doing so, pulls the question into the very core of the issue:

10 Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance.

Alma was President of the Church. He “labored much in the spirit”, and wrestled with God in “mighty prayer.” There was nothing casual about his prayers, nor about his intent. So the question is: If he were a prophet, and if he were praying according to the instructions he received from the Spirit, why didn’’t God answer his prayers and “pour out his Spirit upon the people who where in the city.” The answer is: there is no evidence that God did not do precisely what Alma prayed that he would do. The only evidence is that the people did not hear because they refused to listen.

In this life, our spirits are caged within our physical bodies and within the body’’s physical environment——and, apart from death, there is only one way that one’’s soul can reach out beyond the limits of that cage. Within its confines, each of us is entirely alone. In that aloneness, there is no criteria but one’’s Self by which one can judge right from wrong. Using that criterion, one hears what one’’s culture teaches and weighs it against one’’s own perception of one’’s own self interest. That lack of vision makes the cage an incredibly lonely, sterile place. But even though its bars appear strong and impenetrable, they are as thin as paper and can be as transparent as glass. All one has to do to expand one’’s soul far beyond the limits imposed by this physical world is to love the Lord and to love his children. The love is the seed that is planted in one’’s heart that grows to become a tree of life. But because it must flow from deep within one’’s soul, no external pressure——neither by prayer nor by angels——can force its blessings upon another human being.

Consequently, people like Alma must endure an unique kind of sorrow that springs from a different kind of loneliness. Righteous love never imposes itself upon another, yet no righteous soul can be full except within an eternal embrace. When that embrace is rejected, a part of one’’s Self goes missing and cannot be retrieved by force or imposition. I suppose that was true of God, when Enoch asked, “How is it that thou canst weep?”

Alma 8:7 – LeGrand Baker — Cosmic Myth as a Chaismas

I had one of those “ah-ha — why didn’t think of that before” moments not long ago. It was this: The cosmic myth is always in the pattern of a chaismas. In its simplest form it looks like this from the Hymn of the Pearl

The hero prepares to leave home.
        he takes off his coat and toga
                he receives his blessing and assignment
                        he locates the pearl
                                he struggles under great difficulty
                                        he recognizes who he really is
                                 he receives a renewal of the blessing
                        he takes the pearl
                learns he has fulfilled assignment
        he regains his sacred clothing
he returns home.

That version looks better because by making the struggle and the renewal of the blessing concurrent, it is a more accurate representation of reality. But it still has the success happening someplace other than at the focal point. I was thinking of that when I went to church today. Travis Martin was teaching the Gospel Doctrine class. While making a not-too-labored allusion to the cosmic myth he observed that the time in the wilderness was the most important part of the story because that was the time when the Children of Israel had to sort out who they were and what their relationship was with God. His comments helped me realize that the pattern was correct after all.

Modern scholars who recognized in this pattern in ancient literature envisioned the form as an open triangle However it seems to me that it would more accurately depict the ancient’s sense of sacral geometry if we pulled the two ends together so that rather than being a bottomless triangle it became a circle – the eternal round. That appeals to me because then both the cosmic myth and the chaismas could be seen as the triumph of the human soul in an expression of geometric perfection.

Alma 7:22 – LeGrand Baker – awake, arise, and walk, as covenant words

I went home teaching yesterday to a man and his wife who have been my neighbors and friends for more than 20 years. Her 90-year-old father died last week. She told us the circumstances of his death, and made an observation that I have been thinking about ever since. I would like to share it with you.

She said she had been with her father most of the day, and when he was resting well, she slipped out to get a little rest and something to eat. She returned in about an hour to find that he had died. She said, “When I looked at him I hardly recognized him. He didn’t even look like himself.” Then she made this observation that I cannot stop thinking about: “I hardly recognized him because his spirit had left his body. Isn’t it interesting? We look at each other and think we see only the physical person, but we also see the spirit within that body. Isn’t it amazing how much of the spirit we can see, and how unlike that person the body appears to be when the spirit is no longer there.”

It’s like President McKay said, “Every man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is. Every person is a recipient of radiation.” (David O. McKay,“Radiation of the Individual,” The Instructor, October, 1964, p. 373-374)

When the spirit is gone, the body is not what it was before.

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Alma 7:22 – LeGrand Baker – awake, arise, and walk, as covenant words

Alma 7:22
And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received.(Alma 7:22)

Verse 22 shows that not only Alma, but also the people in his audience are very sophisticated in their understanding of the temple rites and the temple language. Here he unites three concepts in a way that they are not often used together elsewhere in the scriptures. The words are awake and walk.

Once again, please remember that there is no dictionary of sacral code words, so everything I write here is only my personal opinion. I am arriving at my definitions based on a combination of what the Hebrew or Greek words mean and also on the way the English translation of those wards is used in the scriptures.

I would like to examine the uses of awake, arise, and walk, and then return to our verse and observe how Alma uses awake and walk.

Paul uses the words the same way: “arise” brings one to a newness of life; “awake” suggests becoming mentally or spiritually alert after sleep—aware of the light.

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. (Ephesians 5:14. Scriptures that use “arise” to represent the resurrection are Malachi 4:2 & D&C 43:18) The word awake is often associated with the word arise. In some scriptures:

“Awake” suggests an invigoration, an alertness, an aliveness of spirit.

“Arise” suggests an the animation of the physical body—of becoming a new person.

It is sometimes associated with the resurrection. But more frequently in the scriptures word arise was used in conjunction with covenant making, and is used to suggest that one becomes a new person after one has made a new covenant.

Walk suggests ascending the mountain i.e. the temple (receiving the ordinances and making the covenants.) It also suggests living one’s life in accordance with the covenants, laws, and statutes of God.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

One stands to make a covenant, so the word “arise” often denotes making a covenant and later keeping that covenant.

Speaking of the Prophet Joseph, Isaiah said

7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth, to servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful [in keeping his covenants]. (1 Nephi 21:7, see Isaiah 49:7)

While it is possible this is a reference to earthly kings, it is far more likely that it is a reference to sacral kings who rise to make and keep their covenants.

One of the best examples of standing to make a covenant is found in a story told in both Kings and Chronicles. King Josiah had ordered a remodeling of the temple. Those working on the project discovered a scroll, and took it to the king.

1 And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
2 And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.
3 And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.(2 Kings 23:1-3, see 2 Chronicles 34:29-33)

At first glance, Alma’s encounter with the angel does not remind one of a covenant, yet, it follows the covenant formula: Alma was commanded to rise, and the conditions of the covenant were given: If he continues to act that way, he will go to hell.

8 But behold, the voice said unto me: Arise. And I arose and stood up, and beheld the angel.
9 And he said unto me: If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God. (Alma 36:8-9)

The Saviour at the temple at Bountiful used the same formula:

14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. (3 Nephi 11:14)

He used the same covenant formula when he discussed baptism in this dispensation:

10  But, behold, the days of thy deliverance are come, if thou wilt hearken to my voice, which saith unto thee: Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on my name, and you shall receive my Spirit, and a blessing so great as you never have known. (D&C 39:10)

The Saviour used the same formula when he instituted the sacrament among the Nephites.

1 And it came to pass that he commanded the multitude that they should cease to pray, and also his disciples. And he commanded them that they should not cease to pray in their hearts.
2 And he commanded them that they should arise and stand up upon their feet. And they arose up and stood upon their feet.
3 And it came to pass that he brake bread again and blessed it, and gave to the disciples to eat.
4 And when they had eaten he commanded them that they should break bread, and give unto the multitude.
5 And when they had given unto the multitude he also gave them wine to drink, and commanded them that they should give unto the multitude.
6 Now, there had been no bread, neither wine, brought by the disciples, neither by the multitude;
7 But he truly gave unto them bread to eat, and also wine to drink.
8 And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled.(3 Nephi 20:1-8)

The covenant is in the last verse.

In a revelation given through Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio, in December, 1835, the Lord tied the word “arise” directly to keeping one’s covenants.

3 And arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows, which you have made and do make, and you shall be blessed with exceeding great blessings. (D&C 108:3)

In a revelation given in Far West, Missouri, the Lord employed the full range of the words:

2 Let them awake, and arise, and come forth, and not tarry, for I, the Lord, command it.(D&C 117:2)

Later, he used the a similar sequence of ideas in the covenant formula:

103 And again, verily I say unto you, if my servant Sidney will serve me and be counselor unto my servant Joseph, let him arise and come up and stand in the office of his calling, and humble himself before me. (D&C 124:103)

In another revelation given through Joseph Smith at Far West, the Lord uses “arise” but in place of “awake” he says, “and shine forth”

5 Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations (D&C115:5)

To “shine forth” is not substantially different from Isaiah’s to “sing” in the following early example of the use of the combination of “awake” and “arise.” Taken out of context it is about the resurrection, but in context it is part of the words of a song that declares, “Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us” (v. 12) Everything in the song it speaks of a spiritual awakening, so one is left unsure whether this is a prophecy of the resurrection or a symbolic representation of the newness of life one experiences after one repents. In either case, “arise” represents a newness of life, and “awake” is the quickening of the soul. In the phrase “awake and sing, “sing” is the defining word.

19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. (Isaiah 26:19)

Lehi uses these representations of spiritual invigoration and physical resurrection to invite his sons to come out of their state of apostate darkness.

14 Awake! and arise from the dust [as in receiving a newness of life], and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth. (2 Nephi 1:14)

Moroni uses Lehi’s words in somewhat the same way. This verse is found in a series of verses designed to evoke one’s recollection of the drama associated with the cosmic myth.

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled. (Moroni 10:31)

Both of the above are drawn from Isaiah 51 & 52 where Isaiah contrasts “thou hast laid thy body as the ground” with “awake…aries…put on thy beautiful garments.”

Isaiah’s words are:

23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over. (Isaiah 51;23)

1 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.(Isaiah 52:1-2, see 2 Nephi 8:23-25)

When the Lord quoted those same words in the Doctrine and Covenants he tied them to covenant making and covenant keeping.

14 For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments.
15 Therefore, I give unto you this commandment, that ye bind yourselves by this covenant, and it shall be done according to the laws of the Lord. (D&C 82:14-15)

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Walk” is often used to denote keeping one’s covenants.

There are two Hebrew words (Strong 1980, 3212) that are translated “walk” in the Old Testament scriptures I have quoted below, but they both have the same meaning: to go, walk, come, leave, die, live, manner of life (fig). In all of these instances the meaning suggested by their contexts is also the same: “manner of life.” In these contexts, “walk” means to receive the ordinances and covenants, or to live according to the ordinances and covenants one has received.

Here are some examples:

15 And he [Jacob] blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day.
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. (Genesis 48:13-16)

Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. (Exodus 16:4)

17 And Moses’ father in law said unto him,…
20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.(Exodus 18:17, 20)

In Leviticus, which is the handbook for the Aaronic Priesthood, to “walk” means to live according to one’s covenants.

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God.
3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
4 Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God.
5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:1-5)

and

2 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
3 If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
4 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. (Leviticus 26:1-4)

In his great farewell speech to the Israelites, Moses reviewed the Ten Commandments, then concluded with this covenant.

32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. (Deuteronomy 5:4-33)

Throughout this great sermon, Moses reiterates the covenant. He uses “walk in his ways” to indicates one must keep one’s covenants.

6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
7 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; (Deuteronomy 8:4-7)

Moses taught the Israelites what it meant to “walk in all his ways.” The Saviour later paraphrased this, and called it the first and great commandment.

12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

There is no instance in the five books of Moses where the word “walk” is used with any meaning other than to perform the ordinances of the temple, to keep God’s commandments, or to keep one’s covenants. But in Joshua, the word “walk” has a new connotation. The first thing one does to create sacred space is to measure and define its boundaries. “Walk” is sometimes used to denote measuring by stepping off, or pacing. An example is in the beginning of the story of Job, where Satan tries to claim this earth as his own by “going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” (Job 1:7-8) Similarly, before Joshua brought the children of Israel into the promised land, he first sent in spies with these instructions:

And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh. (Joshua 18:8. Also in Psalms 48 to walk is to designate sacred space.)

The notion of covenant making and covenant keeping is not lost in this use of “walk,” for when one designates sacred space (in this instance Joshua is going to divide it among the tribes by casting lots), there is an implicit covenant that one will keep God’s commands so the space will remain sacred. Joshua made that covenant explicit when he later instructed three of the tribes:

But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Joshua 22:5)

Near the end of king David’s reign, he made his son Solomon his successor to the throne.

1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
3 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
4 That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel. (1 Kings 2:1-4)

God appeared to Solomon at the beginning of his reign and promised him both wealth and wisdom. This is part of that account:

5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day…
13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. (1 Kings 3:5-15)

Solomon’s building the Temple was the necessary to his keeping that covenant:

9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
10 And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
11 And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,
12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.(1 Kings 6:9-14)

Before delivering the dedicatory prayer of the Temple, Solomon thanked the Lord for keeping his covenants with David:

22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
23 And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:
24 Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.
25 Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.
26 And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. (1 Kings 8:22-26)

Then Solomon dedicated the Temple:

54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
55 And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying,
56 Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
57 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us:
58 That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers.
59 And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require:
60 That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else.
61 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. (1 Kings 8: 54-61)

The Psalms where the words of the ancient Israelite temple ceremony. One of the most beautiful, and certainly the most famous, is the 23rd Psalm, which reviews the entire ceremony. If one reads the word “walk” to mean keeping one’s covenants notwithstanding the pressures of this world, the entire psalm takes on a new level of meaning. This psalm, like other examples of the cosmic myth, is divided like a three act play.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
[Then comes act 2—the lonely, dreary part]
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and [act 3] I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (Psalms 23:1-6)

Another of my favorites is Psalm 82. This is the charge given to the members of the Council in Heaven by Elohim. The Hebrew word translated “judgeth” means the same as the English “judge.” It means to condemn, exonerate, or to choose—as in judging an apple pie contest. The phrase that they “walk in darkness” means the people know neither the ordinances nor the covenants. There are three voices in this psalm. the first is that of the narrator or chorus (as in a Greek play), the second is Elohim who gives instructions to the members of the Council, and the third is that of the members of the Council who make a covenant that they will follow God’s instructions. Here also, standing is an important part of their covenant making.

[The narrator says]

God standeth in the congregation of the mighty;
he judgeth [chooses] among the gods.

[Elohim, the Father of the Gods, then gives these instructions to the members of the Council in Heaven who are preparing to come to the earth. The word “persons” in verse 2 means faces, as in appearances, or facade. God is telling the members of the Council that when they go to their second estate, they must not judge people by their appearances.]

How long will ye judge unjustly,
and accept the persons [faces] of the wicked?
Defend the poor and fatherless:
do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy:
rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
They know not, neither will they understand;
they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
I have said, Ye are gods;
and all of you are children of the most High.
But ye shall die like men,
and fall like one of the princes. [that is, fall in battle, like Abinadi]
[The Council then covenants that they will do their part so God can accomplish his purposes.]
Arise, O God [the word is elohim, meaning the gods], judge the earth:
for thou shalt inherit all nations. (Psalms 82:1-8)

One can insert Psalm 82 into Abraham 3: 23 without breaking the cadence of the story:

And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth [chooses] among the gods…… [He gives instructions, then the members of the Council covenant that they will do their part so God can accomplish his purposes. They say:] Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. And God saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

Here are a few lines from other psalms.

Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth:
unite my heart to fear thy name. (Psalms 86:11)

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk,
O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. (Psalms 89:15)

I will sing of mercy and judgment:
unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.
O when wilt thou come unto me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. (Psalms 101:1-2)

In the Holy of Holies of Solomon’s Temple, there stood the great throne of God. One either side were two cherubim whose eagle wings overarched the throne. At the end of the coronation ceremony, after he was anointed, the king sat upon this throne to show that he was a legitimate son and heir of God and could serve as God’s representative on the earth. Isaiah refers to those ordinances when he writes:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

The Lord placed those words in a covenant setting when he said to the Prophet Joseph:

18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen. (D&C 89:18-21)

Nephi used the symbolism of “walk” and “path” to mean keeping one’s covenants. Here is just one example.

8 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.
9 I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation. (2 Nephi 33:8-9)

Mormon used “walk” in the same way it is used in the Old Testament.

5 And king Benjamin lived three years and he died.
6 And it came to pass that king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him. (Mosiah 6:5-6)

Here is Mormon’s description of king Noah’s apostasy:

1 And now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father.
2 For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness. (Mosiah 11:1-2)

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Returning to Alma 7:22

“Awake” is a command to be spiritually animated, to be alert and aware, to sing.

“Arise” suggests a newness of life. As when one makes a new covenant, one receives a new name, and thereby becomes a new person. ,

“Walk” suggests the same idea as path and way. It is the steps (ordinances and covenants by which one climbs the “mountain” (temple). Then, after one comes out of the temple, “walk” is the word that connotes one’s living according to those ordinances and covenants. “Walk” may also denote measuring in order to define sacred space.

And that brings us full circle to the words of Alma to the people of Gideon:

9 But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth…..
19 For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight.
20 I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.
21 And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.
22 And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received. (Alma 7:9, 19-22)

To emphasize the significance of Alma’s words, let me structure verse 22 a little differently:

And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you
that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God,
that ye may walk blameless before him,
that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received. (Alma 7:9, 22)

In verse 22, where Alma combined the meanings of the words “awaken,” “walk,” and “walk” he was calling on a remarkable precedent. It seems to me that the phrase, “that ye may walk blameless before him,” is a reference to keeping their covenants. The Lord gave a similar commandment to Zion’s Camp:

And this shall be our covenant—that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord. (D&C 136:1-6)

I suspect that in the next phrase, “that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received”, “walk” has a somewhat different meaning: it is about ongoing priesthood responsibility. The precedent for this use of walk is found when the Lord gave the Holy Land to Abraham for a home for his family—forever. Within the promise is the instruction that Abraham should “walk through the land” to designate it as sacred space. It is a key to the meaning of the Abrahamic Covenant.

14 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes [i.e. become alert, as in awake], and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.(Genesis 13:14-18)

Alma’s words, “that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God … that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received,” suggests to me that he was calling their attention to the same charge that the Lord had given to Abraham: “ Lift up now thine eyes… Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it” to make it sacred space.

If Alma were calling on the Lord’s words to Abraham as the precedent for his appeal to the people of Gideon, the command would have been this: “that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received”—that you may make your homes and your community sacred space.

Alma 7:14-16 — LeGrand Baker — the many uses of re-baptism

Alma 7:14-16
14      Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
15      Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.
16      And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.

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This is one of the most powerful statements in the scriptures about the necessity and efficacy of baptism, yet it presents some intriguing questions. In addressing those questions it testifies of the consistency of the Lord’s methods of repairing a wayward church and, more especially, of the need for a living prophet and of the continual necessity that the Saints always follow that living prophet. The reason is that circumstances change, and while the principles of the gospel are an eternal constant, the cultures in which the gospel is taught and practiced are not the same. Consequently, in our living Church, practices have changed as the needs of the Saints and the external cultural norms have changed. This is not only true in this dispensation, but it was also true in earlier dispensations. Our passage in Alma 7 seems to be an evidence of that.

Everything about Alma’s sermon connotes that he was speaking to a temple-worshiping, temple-worthy group of priesthood holders. His repeatedly calling them “my beloved brethren” insists upon that, as does his appraisal of their spirituality in verses 8-19.

For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye were not in the state of dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified. For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight. (Alma 7:18-19)

Those are words one would speak to a congregation of people who have made and are keeping temple covenants. Yet it is in that context that he urges them to be baptized.

The story is that Alma had laid aside his political duties in order to focus his attention on the affairs of the church. What we are seeing here is a reformation within the church, led by its prophet, where people were asked to use the ordinance of baptism as a token of a covenant that they now assert their renewed commitment to living the gospel. Now, to avoid being called a heretic for writing this, I wish to do the following:

A. To show examples of re-baptism as an evidence of re-commitment in this dispensation, and then to show when and why the practice of re-baptism was discontinued in this dispensation.

B. To show other evidences of the practice of re-baptism in the Book of Mormon .

C. To conclude by observing that without a living prophet to direct the affairs of the church, even people who have an understanding of the gospel would have neither the wisdom nor the authority to pass their understanding on to their next generation.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

A. To show examples of re-baptism as an evidence of re-commitment in this dispensation, and then show when and why the practice of re-baptism was discontinued in this dispensation. To do that, I think it is best to simply allow others who have more authority to speak for me.

The first example of re-baptism in this dispensation was on April 6, 1830, the day the Church was organized. The Prophet Joseph and others who had already been baptized for the remission of sins were baptized as members of the church. Since that time, both necessary purposes of baptism are accomplished by a single ordinance, just as confirmation as members of the church and giving the gift of the Holy Ghost are also done in the same ordinance.

Names of the six members of the Church as they were organized April 6, 1830— Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, Jun., Hyrum Smith, Peter Whitmer, Jun., Samuel H. Smith, David Whitmer. Some of these had been previously baptized; but were all baptized on the day of organization. { 1 }

President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote:

After the arrival of the Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley, and subsequently for a considerable period, all those who entered the valley were baptized anew at the request of President Brigham Young who, with the Council of the Twelve, set the example to the people who were gathering from all parts of the world. { 2 }

The Encyclopedia of Mormonism gives a succinct explanation of re-baptism in this dispensation.

Re-baptism is rare among Latter-day Saints in modern times. Historically, however, many members were rebaptized as an act of rededication. This was first practiced in Nauvoo and was continued in the Utah Territory. Re-baptism served as a ritual of recommitment but was not viewed as essential to salvation. Members often sought re-baptism when called to assist in colonization or to participate in one of the united orders. On some occasions, the Saints were rebaptized as they prepared for marriage or entrance into the temple. Early members also rebaptized some of the sick among them as an act of healing. Because of misuse by some Church members, all such practices of re-baptism were discontinued in 1897. {3}

Elder James E. Talmage explained why the practice was discontinued.

Repeated baptisms of the same person are not sanctioned in the Church. It is an error to assume that baptism offers a means of gaining forgiveness of sins however oft repeated. Such a belief tends rather to excuse than to prevent sin, inasmuch as the hurtful effects may seem to be easily averted. { 4 }

Elder Melvin J. Ballard explained why it is no longer necessary

If there is a feeling in our hearts that we are sorry for what we have done; if there is a feeling in our souls that we would like to be forgiven, then the method to obtain forgiveness is not through re-baptism, it is not to make confession to man, but it is to repent of our sins, to go to those against whom we have sinned or transgressed and obtain their forgiveness, and then repair to the sacrament table where, if we have sincerely repented and put ourselves in proper condition, we shall be forgiven, and spiritual healing will come to our souls. It will really enter into our being. You have felt it. I am a witness that there is a spirit attending the administration of the sacrament that warms the soul from head to foot; you feel the wounds of the spirit being healed, and the load is lifted. Comfort and happiness come to the soul that is worthy and truly desirous of partaking of this spiritual food. Why do we not all come? Why do we not come regularly to the sacrament service and partake of these emblems and perform this highest worship we can give to our Father in the name of his beloved Son? It is because we do not appreciate it. It is because we do not feel the necessity for this blessing. Or it is because, perhaps, we feel ourselves unworthy to partake of these emblems. { 5 }

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

B. To show other evidences in the Book of Mormon of the practice of re-baptism.

In the above instances of re-baptism in our present dispensation, the re-baptism was not for the remission of sins—only the person’s initial baptism was for that. Their subsequent baptisms were tokens of their re-commitment to live the principles and covenants of the gospel, and to support the Saints and the Kingdom of God. There are several evidences of re-baptism in the Book of Mormon and some are much stronger than the one in Alma 7. One is in Third Nephi. Rodney Turner observed:

Following their rebaptism in water, the Nephite twelve were, in like manner, “filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire. { 6 }

This is the rationale that supports his conclusion:

Baptism appears to have been a common practice among the Nephites before the Saviour came. An example is that those who were converted by Samuel the Lamanite were baptized by Nephi Heleman’s son. (Helaman 163-4) Later, Nephi’s son, Nephi, also baptized persons who had repented for the remission of their sins. (3 Nephi 7: 24-26) However, when the Saviour came, he called that same Nephi from the congregation, “and the Lord said unto him: I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven. (see 3 Nephi 1:18-28) Still later, we learn “that Nephi went down into the water and was baptized. And he came up out of the water and began to baptize. And he baptized all those whom Jesus had chosen.” (see 3 Nephi 19: 9-13)

One cannot tell whether this re-baptism was a reaffirmation that those baptized would keep their covenants, or if it was an act of joining the new church the Saviour had established with the twelve disciples at its head, just as those who had already been baptized were rebaptized on April 6, 1830. My opinion is that it was the latter.

Four hundred years later, Moroni was clearly describing a re-baptism. The telling thing about this passage is its second sentence: he wrote: “Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized save they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it.” There, the people who are being baptized are”elders, priests, and teachers.” That is, they are people who had already received the priesthood. Since persons who have not been baptized cannot be ordained to the priesthood, it is understood that these priesthood holders must already have been baptized once before, and that the baptism Moroni was writing about was a token of re-commitment.

1   And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized save they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it.
2   Neither did they receive any unto baptism save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.
3   And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.
4   And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. (Moroni 6:1-4)

It appears to me that the baptism at the Waters of Mormon was the same sort of thing. King Noah’s apostasy had not been around long enough corrupt everybody. It was still in its first generation when Abinadi taught Alma. It seems likely that many of their contemporaries would have been baptized by proper authority for the remission of sins, before Noah tried to enforce his own new standards and rules. After escaping an attempted assassination, Alma had been given authority to organize a new church, had taught others what Abinadi had taught, and those who were ready to become members of Alma’s church were gathered at the Waters of Mormon to be baptized into that church.

What Alma was doing was not just extraordinary, it was downright revolutionary. We know virtually nothing about the organization of the Church in Old Testament times. The only reference to a church in pre-exilic Israel is where Nephi says of Zoram, “And he, supposing that I spake of the brethren of the church, and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he did follow me.” The writers of Kings and Chronicles tell us almost nothing about the organization of the people whom they call “the prophets,” though it is apparent from the stories of Elijah and Elisha that there was some sort of organization. Jewish synagogues did not come into existence until during or soon after the Babylon captivity. Most scholars believe that before the Babylonian captivity, the formal organization of religion was under the direction of the king. That is, that the ruler held the joint office of king and priest—he was the person responsible for both the physical and spiritual well-being of his people. But during king Noah’s reign, this new ruler who was supposed to be the spiritual leader of his community had become blatantly and brazenly apostate.

If treason is, by definition, actively defying one’s king, and trying to set up an opposing kingdom in his place, then every true prophet might be called treasonous, because every true prophet represents a challenge to the kingdoms of this world. Noah did not send an army to the Waters of Mormon because he didn’t agree with Alma’s preaching. He sent them because Alma asserted that Noah had abdicated his royal religious prerogatives by his own apostasy. That, in the eyes of Noah, was treason, and the penalty for treason is death. As Benjamin Franklin observed to those who voted for independence: “Gentlemen, if we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately.” That was equally true of Alma and those who were gathered with him at the Waters of Mormon.

Noah’s apostasy was of his own making. That is, it was still in its first generation when Abinadi challenged the king’s authority. So it is likely that many people in the kingdom (perhaps even young Alma himself) had already been baptized for the remission of their sins by someone with proper authority. Alma was youthful prince (Mormon makes a point of that when he introduced him by telling us that he was royalty: “he also being a descendant of Nephi.”) What the young man did was assert his own rights to the royal religious leadership; and, under authority given him by God, organize a church that was independent from the control of the apostate king. It appears to me (still my opinion) that the account of the events at the Waters of Mormon is about the formal organization of Alma’s church, and (as in the story of the organization of the church in 1830) that the baptisms performed there were a token of covenants that related to membership in that church. This seems all the more likely since the doctrine of remission of sins was neither a part of Alma’s sermon, nor was it mentioned in the unique and explicit words of the baptismal prayer. Alma asked his friends:

8   Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9   Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life. (Mosiah 18: 8-9)

He then explained the covenant associated with the baptism:

10   Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you? (v. 10)

The words of the baptismal prayer were:

13  Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world. (v. 13)

It is my opinion that these baptisms at the Waters of Mormon were also re-baptisms, not for the remission of sins, but for entrance into the Church of Christ that Alma had been authorized to establish.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

C. To conclude by observing that without a living prophet to direct the affairs of the church, even people who have a knowledge of the gospel would have neither the wisdom nor the authority to pass it on to the next generation.

If my analysis of the accounts of re-baptisms in the Book of Mormon is correct, then it seems to me that it invites two conclusions: first, the prophets in the Book of Mormon understood that baptism was necessary to salvation, and second, that they also understood that authorized baptism could be used to represent a number of different covenants—and that leads to a third, and very important conclusion: that even an ordinance as fundamental as baptism can be confusing. It has much symbolism (new birth, death, burial, resurrection, adoption, cleansing, remission of sins, to fulfill all righteousness), can also have many purposes (the remission of sins and formal acceptance of the blessings of the atonement, taking upon ourselves the name of the Saviour, entrance into the church, and the variety of other uses we have discussed here). Thus, precedent alone cannot teach one the meaning of baptism: therefore (and this is the whole point), although baptism for any purpose may be an essential part of the framework for salvation, it must be performed under the direction of one who holds the keys, by one who has the proper authority, and in the proper covenantal context. Given the complexity of its great spectrum of meanings and purposes, one must conclude that without the guiding hand of a living prophet, even the best intentioned people could make a muck of the whole concept of baptism without the controlling hand of a living prophet. The first of the Beatitudes in the Book of Mormon reads:

1  Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am. (3 Nephi 1:1)

Baptism and every other principle and ordinance of the gospel moves on that single hinge: “Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed to the brethren.” Take that away and there is nothing left at all.

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ENDNOTES

{ 1 } Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1951), 1:76 footnote.

{ 2 } (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-1956), 2: 333.

{ 3 } (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992, p. 1194.)

{ 4 } (James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981), 130.

{ 5 } Melvin J. Ballard, Improvement Era, 1919, Vol. Xxii. October, 1919 No. 12.

{ 6 } Rodney Turner, “The Three Nephite Churches of Christ” in Paul R. Cheesman, ed., The Book of Mormon: The Keystone Scripture (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1988. “Rebaptism” is italicized in the original.), 114.

Alma 7:11-13 — LeGrand Baker — the value of experience

 Alma 7:11-13
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

 – – – – – – – – – –

One of the most powerful words in the English language is a conjunction we rarely use in our everyday speech the way it is used in the scriptures, and so we often pretty much ignore it when we read it that way. The conjunction is “that.” Please read the following carefully (I have removed “that”) as an example of its importance and of its structural use.

3 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it;—- they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father,—- they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, —- they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen. (Moroni 4:3.)

Now look at it this way, and observe the structure that is created by the repetition of the word “that”:

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to

bless and sanctify this bread
to the souls of all those who partake of it;
that
they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and
witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father,
that
they are willing to
take upon them the name of thy Son, and
always remember him,
and keep his commandments which he hath given them,
that
they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
(Moroni 4:3.)

 When we look at our verse 13 we discover the same kind of logical sequence: one idea building on the other.

Now the Spirit knoweth all things;

nevertheless
the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh
that
he might take upon him the sins of his people,
that
he might blot out their transgressions
according to the power of his deliverance;
and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

 Alma is saying that even though the Saviour “knoweth all things,” if he had not actually suffered in the flesh, he could not have taken upon him the sins of his people, and therefore he could not have caused their transgressions to cease to exist.

The implication seems to be that even the Creator God had to experience physical sorrow and physical pain in order to blot out our sorrow, our pain, and our sins.

If experience in this world is that important for him, then surely it is for us also. We can feel sorry for those who hurt, but we can only feel empathy for those who hurt in the same way we have already hurt.

Like so many of the prophets, Paul walks us through the sequence of faith (pistis=the tokens of the covenant), hope (living as though the covenants were already fulfilled), and charity (what we are when the law of consecration is what we do). But unlike the others, he adds a condition to “hope” that gives it a much broader meaning:

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:1-5)

 Christians sometimes tend to overlook Ecclesiastes because of its poetic imagery, but there is much wisdom there. Here, for example, is a discussion of experience that is spoken by one who understands, but who sees experience as producing futility rather than hope.

12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18)

 He is correct in many ways. Wisdom brings grief and knowledge brings sorrow. All one has to do is read the prophets’ warnings to discover how true that is of them. In addition to that, human wisdom opens the windows of instability and foolishness, but it also screams out the question: “Is this all there is?” The answer is imbedded in experience.

One whose heart has not been torn in pieces by betrayed love, can not experience in his own soul the agony of such sorrow felt by others. One who has not experienced great physical pain can not even will himself to understand the pain of others. A person who has not felt the clutching grasp and weighty drag of temptation can never sense the agony of one who slipped and fell. Similarly, one who has not experience the comfortableness of requited love, cannot know the peace and fulfillment another person can bring to one’s own sense of self. Just as one who has not been in the presence of the Saviour cannot know the fullness of the joy of his love. It is through experience that we gain the power and the wisdom to bless and to be blessed. Experience is not only the key, it is the only key to wisdom — as the ancients defined wisdom — knowing, understanding, and loving as God knows, understands, and loves.

Thus the Saviour could explain to the Prophet Joseph:

7 Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? (D&C 122:7b-8)

Alma 7:4-5 — LeGrand Baker — the reality of Joy.

A friend Lincoln called me this week to tell me he is being baptized. He said to me that I “had a big part in that.” After our brief telephone conversation my soul overflowed with joy, and I just sat here and treasured the feeling. That was a new kind of experience for me. The feeling of joy is not new, but just sitting quietly and consciously appraising and appreciating that feeling was something I had never done before. I truly love that young man. The love was not weakened by the reality that we were separated by many miles just then. My love and his came together in a moment, and, for me, it expressed itself as the overflowing joy I experienced.

There is a strange phrase, repeated twice in Alma 7:5. The words are “joy over you.” Taken out of context that phrase might mean that one rejoices in another’s subservience, but in context it means something very different from that: Alma said to the people of Gideon:

4   But blessed be the name of God, that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me the exceedingly great joy of knowing that they [the people at Zarahemla] are established again in the way of his righteousness.
5   And I trust, according to the Spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla, for behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much affliction and sorrow. (Alma 7:4-5)

The same idea is found in the New Testament where the Saviour said:

7  I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. …
10  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:7,10.)

In one of his commentaries, Mormon introduces his story of the Nephite missionaries by describing their joy.

8  And this is the account of Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their incomprehensible joy , and the reception and safety of the brethren in the land of Jershon. And now may the Lord, the Redeemer of all men, bless their souls forever. (Alma 28:8)

It sees that was the kind of joy Alma was talking about. A little further on in his sermon to the people of Gideon, Alma says to them,

17  And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy. (Alma 7:17)

So I have been reflecting on the nature of joy, and would like to tell you some of my thoughts.

The two most dominant characteristics of human life in the world that is now our home are: (1) that each of us is alone; and (2) that each of us is burdened with the need to eat, to find physical and mental rest, and to experience pleasure and avoid pain. How much money one has may change the focus of those needs, but ultimately, our experiences here are about the same. We will all die, and when we do the pain will pass, but the experiences — and the way we responded to them — will remain part of us. I have an aunt who was quite wealthy, who felt that her social position required that she not admit to her friends that she was a member of the Church. Her life was a relentless quest to demonstrate that she had purpose and worth. Her tragedy was that she sought to establish her eternal value on ephemeral successes that people only briefly cared about. Like her, for many of the people who live on this earth, the phrase “a lonely, dreary world” is the best way to describe our existence. I suspect that most of the sin that happens in this world comes from an uninformed or unscrupulous attempt to overcome the loneliness and dreariness of this life. That is unfortunate, but is also a testimony of the need for missionary work among the dead.

In reality — whether this world’s reality or the next — the loneliness can only be overcome by love, and the dreariness must be vanquished by hope, which is the assurance of eternal love. In many places in the scriptures love is called joy. That is reasonable to me, because, as far as I can tell, they are the same thing. Love describes what one gives to others. Joy describes what remains behind for one’s Self.

Neither love nor joy can be described that simply. For example, Alma’s discussion of Joy is quite complex.

It seems that Alma is doing what we all so often do. That is, he is using the same word to represent two different concepts. “Joy” is the word he uses to describe his feeling “after wading through much affliction and sorrow.” But “joy” is also the word that he uses to represent his feelings toward the righteous people of Gideon who caused no such sorrow. I suspect the difference is this: In the first instance, joy seems to be a description of an event that followed his sorrow. In the second, joy is not an event, rather it is a quality of life. I have observed that the scriptures frequently use that word both ways.

Because all normal humans experience mood swings, we usually think of joy as representing the times when our moods are high. Thus, for people who live in a lonely dreary world, joy is an event to be sought after and remembered.

But for Latter-day Saints, as one learns more and more how to live by the Spirit, the opposite becomes true. Joy as the quality of life that admits to, but is independent from, those normal human mood swings. When joy is the norm, sorrow becomes only an event. For such people, when joy is described as a special event. It is often called “exceedingly great joy.”

I would like to examine the scriptural meaning of Joy as a quality of life.

Optimistic personalities tend to slide over difficulties more easily than people who are more pessimistic. But optimism is not the sort of thing I am discussing here. What I am talking about is the kind of joy that displaces loneliness and sorrow, notwithstanding one’s propensity to be either optimistic or pessimistic. That kind of joy was the power that sustained the Saviour, Abinadi, the Prophet Joseph, and the “ordinary” people who died — and those who nearly froze to death — in the pioneer handcart companies. It is the kind of joy that comes from the Holy Ghost — that gives meaning to his name, the Comforter.

Lehi pointed out that there must be opposition in all things. He also said “man is that he might have joy.” Those are both eternal truths, though I don’t suppose anyone enjoys experiencing the negative side of that equation. We often quote different parts of what Lehi said as though they were independent thoughts, but notice how he welds them together into a single coherent unit:

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. …. And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. …. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nephi 2)

I take it that “captivity and death” is something like a never-satisfied need to overcome loneliness and dreariness by seeking in one’s self to validate and display one’s purpose and worth — a tragic kind of ever learning, but never coming to the knowledge of the truth.

I take it that absolute freedom is knowing the Saviour so that one can define one’s Self in terms of the Saviour’s love, and loving others with that same kind of love — knowing one’s Self, the Saviour and others in truth — in sacred time — as we are, as we were, and as we are to be. Only knowing in truth empowers one to experience — to be a personification of — liberty and eternal life.

And I take it that the ultimate consequence of exercising such freedom is to have joy in this life and to be able to say, with Lehi, “the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.”

Mostly from my reading D&C 88 and 93, I concluded some time ago that we are made of the light that emanates from the Saviour’s person, and are sustained by the love that also emanates from the Saviour. His truth, light, and love fill the imensity of space. So they either occupy the same space at the same time, or his truth, light and his love are simply different words that describe the same thing. So if light is tangible, love must be also. I wrote about that not long ago, and included a quote from President McKay that talks about the goodness that radiates from each person. My understanding of what President McKay wrote is that the light/love that one radiates envelops one’s person and defines one’s Self. It is that light-love-extension of one’s Self that communicates with others. If that is so, then love/light is a tangible thing. Even though it is more refined than most eyes can see, it is something we can feel when we are in the presence of others. When one feels it within one’s Self, we call it joy.

If what I have written it true, then truth, light, love, and joy are simply different words that describe the same thing. As a single unit, they are called peace, and one who exudes those qualities is called a peacemaker in the Beatitudes, and peaceable in Moroni 7. That describes the essence of what such people really are, and is therefore the dominant quality of their lives.

When one walks alone in this lonely, dreary world, one’s path winds through the valley of the shadow of death. For such people, sorrow, uncertainty, and aloneness are the conditions of life. Then happiness and joy are the treasured events that break the monotony of the toil.

But when one has the hope of a testimony of the Saviour, then joy, love, and peace are the condition of one’s life. For such a one, sorrow is only an intruding event. Thus Alma reports that he experienced sorrow because the people of Zarhamla did not keep the Lord’s commandments. That event for Alma was followed by one of great joy when the people repented. But the normal continuity of the quality of Alma’s life was the joy exemplified in his relationship with the people of Gideon.

The psalmist acknowledged this dichotomy when he wrote,

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy,
because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous;
with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. (Psalms 5:11-12.)

The commandment is: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (Luke 10:27)

When that love is a shared reality, each person rests within the light and beneath the canopy of the other’s love. Then Alma’s words are not a metaphor but a reality when he expressed his joy over the people of Gideon.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I do not know that is what Alma meant when he spoke those words, but that is what his words caused me to think about. In order to confirm and refine my thoughts, I did a scriptural word search on joy, and found dozens of references. I disregarded the ones that said things like “we had great joy when we won the battle,” and kept only the ones that seemed to talk about the two kinds of joy Alma was expressing.

Then I discovered there were three, and divided them into these categories: Joy as a condition of life and exceedingly great joy. The third category associates joy with the temple — which is credited in the scriptures as being the root of true joy. The scriptures in that last group usually do not actually contain the word temple, but they do contain temple code words, like mountain, path, way, prosper, garments, and so forth. Rather than burden you in this little essay by quoting bunches of those scriptures, but still wanting to share them with you, I have included them as an attachment. If you have the time to consider them, I think you will find it worth your while. I have also added President McKay’s statement on the back of this letter.

(For a further discussion see: Helaman 12:24 — LeGrand Baker — grace for grace.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

ATTACHMENT:

“Radiation of the Individual”

by President David O. McKay

The Instructor, October, 1964, p. 373-374.

     “Every man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is. Every person is a recipient of radiation. The Saviour was conscious of that. Whenever He came into the pres­ence of an individual, He sensed that radiation — whether it was the woman of Samaria with her past life: whether it was the woman who was to be stoned, or the men who were to stone her; whether it was the statesman, Nicodemus, or one of the lepers. He was conscious of the radiation from the individual. And to a degree so are you. and so am I. It is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us.
     “As individuals, we must think nobler thoughts. We must not encourage vile thoughts or low aspirations. ­We shall radiate them if we do. If we think noble thoughts; if we encourage and cherish noble aspirations, there will be that radiation when we meet people, especially when we associate with them.
     “As it is true of the individual. so it is true of the home. Our homes radiate what we are, and that radiation comes from what we say and how we act in the home. No member of this Church — husband, father — has the right to utter an oath in his home, or ever to express a cross word to his wife or to his children. You cannot do it as a man who holds the priesthood and be true to the spirit within you by your ordination and your responsibility. You should contribute to an ideal home by your character, con­trolling your passion, your temper, guarding your speech, because those things will make your home what it is and what it will radiate to the neighbor­hood.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

SCRIPTURES THAT TALK ABOUT JOY

In these scriptures, “joy” is greater than the feeling of joy that is the norm of one’s life:

1 Nephi 16:4-6, Isaiah 66:5, Matthew 28:5-9, Luke 6:20-23, Luke 24:33-41, 1 Nephi 8:11-12, 1 Nephi 19:11, Enos 1:1-4, Mosiah 4:3-4, Mosiah 4:11, Mosiah 4:20-21, Mosiah 5:2-5, Alma 13:21-22, Alma 16:15-17, Alma 17:1-2, Alma 26:10-13, Alma 26:30-31, Alma 26:35-37, Alma 27:17-20, Alma 27:25-26, Alma 28:14, Alma 29:1-17, Alma 30:34-35, Alma 32:6-7, Alma 56:1-57, Alma 57:25, Alma 57:35-36, Alma 62:1, Helaman 5:43-49, Helaman 6:3-4, Helaman 7:1, Alma 19:1-7, Alma 19:13-14, Helaman 16:13-14, 3 Nephi 4:31-33, 3 Nephi 10:10-11,

These scriptures suggest that joy is not an ephemeral thing that comes on occasion and then pass away, but a permanent condition of the soul:

Alma 33:1-13, Alma 22:15, Alma 48:11-13, Helaman 3:32-35, Alma 4:11-14, Psalms 30:2-12, Job 38:1-7, 2 Nephi 9:17-20, [Nephi’s words echo the sentiments of the 16^th Psalm Neither insist on delaying that joy until after this life, but rather suggest that joy is a condition of this life as well] Psalms 16:9-11,

These scriptures identify joy with the temple, but most do not mention the temple. Rather joy is associated with temple code words.

(1 Nephi 2:19-24.)

[In both the Psalms and the BofM, “prosper” is a code word, whose opposite is to be cut off from the presence of the Lord.]

19 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.

20 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.[the land of promise is also code]

21 And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.

22 And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler [king] and a teacher [priest] over thy brethren.

(2 Nephi 1:20-21.)

20 And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

21 And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;

(Alma 38:1-3.)

1 My son, give ear to my words, for I say unto you, even as I said unto Helaman, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence.

2 And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end.

3 I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites.

(Isaiah 61:1-3.)

[from the context of D&C 138:42, we learn that Isaiah 61 is about vicarious temple work for the dead. This is the only place in the Old Testament where the ancient Israelite coronation ceremony is described. It is significant to me that in that description, Isaiah uses the same kind of contrasting ideas as Lehi when he writes that there must be opposition in all things.]

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

[To comfort is to bring about an end of sorrow. Here Isaiah writes that comfort is given through empowerment, and the empowerment is the coronation ceremony used in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel, and modern England. As is shown in v. 3, the ceremony consisted of a washing, anointing, clothing, and receiving a new name. The Saviour paraphrased this promise of coronation in the Beatitudes when he said “Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.]

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes [Ashes signify sorrow or repentance. The removal of the ceremonial ashes required a ceremonial washing], the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

[verse 10 is a marriage hymn sung by the dead.]

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

(Isaiah 55:8-13.)

[there is always a new name associated with a new covenant, such as when we are baptized we take upon us the name of the Saviour. That is what happens in v. 13]

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

(Matthew 25:20-23.)

20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

21 His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

23 His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

(John 15:1-11.)

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

(John 17:9-15.)

[to “come unto Christ” is a temple experience, abiding in his presence is a perpetuation of that.]

9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

(1 Nephi 13:37)

37 And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.

(2 Nephi 8:1-3.)

[This sounds like Abraham 1:2, where Abraham says, “finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness,”]

1 Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.

2 Look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah, she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him.

3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

(Isaiah 51:1-3.)

1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

(2 Nephi 27:28-30.)

[Ipresume the “meek” and the “poor” mentioned here are the same as those referred to in the Beatitudes and in D&C 88: 17-18 “…it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it. Therefore, it {the earth} must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory”]

28 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.

29 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

30 And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

(Isaiah 29:18-19.)

18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

(Mosiah 3:1-4.)

1 And again my brethren, I would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you; for behold, I have things to tell you concerning that which is to come.

2 And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel from God. And he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me.

3 And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy.

4 For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.

(Mosiah 3:13.)

13 And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.

(Isaiah 52:7-10.)

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

(Mosiah 12:21-23.)

21 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;

22 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;

23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;

(Mosiah 15:29-31.)

29 Yea, Lord, thy watchmen shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

30 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

31 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

(Alma 31:36-38.)

36 Now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words, that he clapped his hands upon all them who were with him. And behold, as he clapped his hands upon them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

37 And after that they did separate themselves one from another, taking no thought for themselves what they should eat, or what they should drink, or what they should put on.

38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.

(3 Nephi 12:10-12.)

10 And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake;

12 For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

(Alma 36:17-26.)

17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

22 Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.

23 But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.

24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;

26 For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God.

(Psalms 43:4.)

4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.

(Psalms 5:11-12.)

11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joy ful in thee.

(Psalms 27:6.)

[This can be taken as nice poetry, or it can be taken as having a literal meaning. Notwithstanding the Law of Moses, the required sacrifice then was the same as it is now: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. (Ps 34:18, 51:19)]

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

(Psalms 21:1-2.)

[This psalm appears to be a prayer spoken before the veil. It begins:]

1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips.

[The person then comes into the presence of the Lord and receives a promise of personal invulnerability. As is often so in the Psalms, that promise in couched in military terms.]

Alma 7:1 — LeGrand Baker — Alma’s ‘language’

Alma 7:1
1    Behold my beloved brethren, seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to address you in my language; yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment-seat, having had much business that I could not come unto you. (Alma 7:1)

Every once in a while, one bumps into a statement in the Book of Mormon that seem to make no sense. The way we usually handle it is to superimpose our own preconceptions upon it, and read on without ever noticing that we have come head-on with an incredibly meaningful insight. This verse contains one of those. The words say: “therefore I attempt to address you in my language; yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the words of my mouth.” That sounds funny, but we can read it as, “I’m glad to be here so I speak to you personally.” It works, so we read on, not noticing the bump.

The truth is, it doesn’t make much sense the way Alma said it, unless we assume the people of Zarahemla and the people of Gideon spoke different languages. Historically there was some possible truth to that. The people of Zarahemla did speak a different Hebrew dialect when they were discovered by Mosiah I. Then he taught them to speak, read and write his kind of Hebrew. But that was four generations before Alma II came to Gideon. By that time it is extremely unlikely that there was actually a language barrier between the two communities.

So one might ask, “If Alma didn’t mean that, why did he say it?” I suspect the answer is not found in the words he used, so much as in the way he used them—and probably not so much in his ability to speak, but rather in his audience’s ability to listen.

This audience is markedly different from the one to whom he spoke in Zarahemla. There were members and non-members of his church in that audience. But the one at Gideon is a priesthood meeting. That is made clear by his addressing them as “my beloved brethren.” In the Book of Mormon that phrase is almost always used referring to a priesthood congregation and the sermon is almost always temple-covenant setting. This is a temple covenant audience. That is clarified in the last verse where Alma says, “may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon… your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever.” (v. 27) (A fun exercise is to collect all the places in the Book of Mormon that refer to temple marriage.)

More about Alma’s audience can be found in v. 17-19 & 26. Those verses also help one understand what Alma meant by “my language.” And again the definition of the language is found in the identification of the audience. While the following verses do not actually talk about the language itself, they do say why Alma is so comfortable in speaking that language in the company of those men.

17  And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy.
18  For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye were not in the state of dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.
19  For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight.….
26  And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence and heed which ye have given unto my word (Alma 3:17-19 & 26).

So we have in these two sermons expressing two contrasting sentiments, spoken to two different kinds of audiences. The question is: Why did Mormon select these two sermons, and why are their differences important for us to know?

I am not privy to Mormon’s thinking, but I would like to venture a guess.

The undergirding fact of the Book of Mormon is that Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni know us. They know our opportunities and our challenges, and above all else, they knew that we have the fulness of the gospel with all of its requisite priesthood ordinances, covenants, and blessings. Knowing that probably answers our question.

Mormon selected stories and sermons from primary sources that stretched over a thousand years of Nephite history. He used only the stories that fit into his sub-textual order that was patterned after the ancient Israelite temple rites of the New Year’s festival. But he arranged those stories in their obvious chronological order to create a wonderfully profound history for anyone to read. He inserted sermons into that history to fit correctly in the sub-textual order.

In the chronology by the time we get to the book of Alma, Mormon has brought the people out of the wilderness where the first generation of church members had covenanted to live the law of consecration. Now their children and grandchildren are living comfortably and peacefully in Zarahemla and its environs. That is the context of Alma 5 and 7. It seems to me that the two sermons he chose to insert into the history at this point fit perfect into its sub-textual context — especially if the story and the sermons are addressed to us. For those of us who try to get by and believe that the Lord will somehow let us into the Celestial Kingdom because we keep enough of the commandments to have a current temple recommend, Alma 5 is very applicable. For those of us who seek to live all the covenants made and understood by the fathers, Alma 7 is a statement of hope.

I suspect that’s why Mormon placed these contrasting sermons for us to read side by side.

Alma 5:61-61 — LeGrand Baker — Book of Life in John’s Revelation

We begin with Alma 5:61-21.There are three things in these verses that strike me as especially important. One is Alma’s conclusion where he reiterates the authority with which he speaks to the members of the Church, but does not impose himself upon those who are not members of the Church:

61 And now I, Alma, do command you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye observe to do the words which I have spoken unto you.
62 I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation, saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life.

The other two are: (1 ) his references to the temple text in Isaiah 52, and (2) these words: “For the names of the righteous shall be written in the book of life, and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand.” This is the only place in the Book of Mormon where the phrase “book of life” is used.

I would like to discuss both of those last two.

– – – – – – – – – – – –

(1 ) ALMA’S REFERENCES TO THE TEMPLE TEXT IN ISAIAH 52,

Alma’s charge: “be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things,” is a paraphrase of Isaiah’s

Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.(Isaiah 52:11)

Isaiah 52 is probably the most frequently quoted scriptures in the scriptures. It is quoted in every one of the standard works except the Pearl of Great Price whose Old Testament portions pre-date Isaiah. (Lamentations 4:15; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18; 1 Nephi 13:37; Mosiah 12:20-23, 15:14-18; 3 Nephi 20:29-46; Moroni 10:28-34; D&C 128:19.) The most recognizable phrase from that chapter is, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings.” Abinadi equates the persons described here to the Saviour, the prophets, and those who follow the prophets. I believe it is the promise of sacral kingship to the righteous. The mountain would of course be the mount in Jerusalem where the Temple stood. The feet probably refer to the king’s using the Ark of the Covenant as his footstool when he sat upon the throne of Jehovah in the Holy of Holies after his coronation at the conclusion of the New Year festival. A related verse that is deleted from the Bible’s Isaiah chapter 49, but is restored in the First Nephi version reads:

13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. (1 Nephi 21:13)

So, it is apparent to me that Isaiah 52 is about the ordinances that consecrate priests and sacral kings. If that is correct, then Alma’s using Isaiah’s temple text in the context of his own speech consists perfectly with the message he is delivering:

57 And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous, that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith: The names of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people;
58 For the names of the righteous shall be written in the book of life, and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand. And now, my brethren, what have ye to say against this? I say unto you, if ye speak against it, it matters not, for the word of God must be fulfilled. (Alma 5:57-58)

The Good Shepherd is the Saviour, and following him suggests both ritual and personal attitudes and actions. “Be ye separate” is an invitation to become Zion—notwithstanding the “real world” that is all around us. “Touch not their unclean things” is part of Isaiah’s temple text.” “Name” has a covenant referent because new covenants always have new names. “For the names of the righteous shall be written in the book of life, and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand,” is the conclusion of his sermon, and carries the whole burden of what has gone before it.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

(2) THE BOOK OF LIFE

The major source of information about the book of life is found in Revelation. About that, the Prophet wrote:

6 And further, I want you to remember that John the Revelator was contemplating this very subject in relation to the dead, when he declared, as you will find recorded in Revelation 20:12—And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which werewritten in the books, according to their works.
7 You will discover in this quotation that the books were opened; and another book was opened, which was the book of life; but the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works; consequently, the books spoken of must be the books which contained the record of their works, and refer to the records which are kept on the earth. And the book which was the book of life is the record which is kept in heaven; the principle agreeing precisely with the doctrine which is commanded you in the revelation contained in the letter which I wrote to you previous to my leaving my place—that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven. (D&C 128:8-7)

With that as a key, that is, knowing that “the book which was the book of life is the record which is kept in heaven,” one is now equipped to analyze what is written about it in Revelation. It is first mentioned as part of the seven letters the apostle John wrote to the seven churches.

Understanding that in the full context of all seven letters is important:

In the first letter, John commends the Ephesians for their obedience:

3 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. (Rev 2:2-3).

Then he promises:

7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (v. 7)

The sacrificers of the Smymains is the subject of the second letter:

9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty….
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (v. 9-11)

He accused the people of Pergamos of eating things sacrificed unto idols, and of committing fornication. Then he promised:

17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (v. 17)

To the church in Thyatira he wrote: wrote:

19  I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; (v. 19)

He promised them sacral kingship:

26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
28 And I will give him the morning star.
19 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (v26-29)

To the church in Sardis he wrote:

4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Rev. 3: 4)

To them he promised:

5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (v. 5-6)

To the people in Philadelphia he defined the Saviour in terms of the sealing powers:

7 These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (v. 7-8)

To them he promised:

10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world….
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (v. 10-13)

To the Laodiceans he wrote:

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (v. 19-20)

And he promised.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (v. 21-22)

After this, the Book of Revelation frequently mentions that one’s inclusion in the book of life is a major criterion upon which one is judged. (Revelation 13: 8; 17:8; 20:11-15; 21:27; 22:19)

In D&C 132:19 the Lord uses the same criterion to define those who will go to the Celestial Kingdom. The Lord opens the revelation that is section 88 with different words, yet that difference seems to help to clarify the meaning of the book of life:

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you who have assembled yourselves together to receive his will concerning you:
2 Behold, this is pleasing unto your Lord, and the angels rejoice over you; the alms of your prayers have come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded in the book of the names of the sanctified, even them of the celestial world. (D&C 88:1-2.)

Alma’s words are perfectly consistent with what the other scriptures say about the book of life.

58  For the names of the righteous shall be written in the book of life, and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand. And now, my brethren, what have ye to say against this? I say unto you, if ye speak against it, it matters not, for the word of God must be fulfilled. (Alma 5:58)

It is interesting, perhaps significant, that there is no reference to the book of life in our Old Testament. That makes Alma’s reference to the book of life the oldest we have in the scriptures. Yet, because he mentions it without describing what it is, it is apparent that both he and his listeners were well acquainted with its meaning. That is just one more evidence that the brass plates contained a much richer and more comprehensive understanding of the gospel than our Old Testament, and gives further credence to the notion that the earliest version of the Law of Moses focused on the Saviour and his atonement.

Alma 5:44 — LeGrand Baker — meaning of ‘Christ Jesus’

Alma 5:44
44 For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come.

Two weeks ago, Kirt wrote:

       I have a question that maybe someone in the project can answer for me. The name of the Savior being presented in the scriptures as “Christ Jesus” instead of “Jesus Christ” has often subtly caught my attention. Following the Gospel Doctrine lesson on Alma 5, my curiosity was peaked because Alma uses the name of the Savior in this reverse order in verse 44. “For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come.” This, in fact, is the only verse in the Book of Mormon that sequences the name Christ before the name Jesus. It is stated as such numerous times in the New Testament – In many places, the name “Christ Jesus” is mentioned in the same verse as the name “Jesus Christ,”
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:1-3.)
And
1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:1-2.)
The fact that the two sequences appear so close to each other in these verses seems to indicate that the writer has a purpose in differentiating between the two titles. One pattern I’’ve noticed is that the title “Christ Jesus” is often preceded by the word “in,” possibly identifying the Savior as the covenantal source. Beyond that, I’m at a loss. Any guidance would be appreciated.

– – – – – – – – – – – – My response:

“Jesus” is the Greek form of “Joshua” – a Hebrew word that means “Jehovah-saved” (Strong # 3091). So the name “Jesus” is a combination of his pre-mortal name (Jehovah) and his post-mortal title (“the one who saved,” or “Saviour”). Elis Rasmussen, my friend and neighbor, who is a former Dean of Religion at BYU, translates “Joshua” or “Jesus” as simply “Saviour,” and The LDS Bible dictionary gives the same definition.

From the New Testament, we learn that Jesus was given that name by the angel who spoke to Mary.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. (Luke 1:30-31.)

But from the Book of Mormon, we learn that this was his name or name-title before he was born.

A name-title is a name by which someone is known, but which is actually a title rather than a name. For example, “the President,” or “Mr. President” are name-titles of anyone who serves as president of the United States. “The Prophet Joseph” is a name-title. “Jehovah” is the covenant name that Abraham’s God taught Moses, and is used as a token of God’s covenantal relationship with the nation of Israel. After the Lord made that covenant with Moses, “Jehovah” was used in the Old Testament as the Saviour’s name-title. It is also the name-title we use to refer to the Saviour in his pre-mortal role at the Council in Heaven.

When the Saviour introduced himself to the Brother of Jared, he said,

14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters. (Ether 3:14.)

And Nephi learned that name from an angel.

19 For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (2 Nephi 25:19.)

That statement by Nephi is very interesting because both the words “Messiah” and “Christ” are used together. That may be a clue to the answer to Kirt’s question. “Messiah” is the name-title used in the prophecies of the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon; while “Christ” is the New Testament name-title used to describe the Saviour’s fulfillment of those prophecies. It would be interesting to know if Nephi used the word “Messiah” twice in that passage and if the second one were translated “Christ” for the sake of modern readers.

“Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Messiah.” Both words mean “the anointed one,” and is a reference to an anointing with olive oil, which was the culmination of the coronation ceremonies of both kings and high priests in ancient Israel. (Isaiah 61:3; 2 Kings 11:12; Exodus 29:22; Exodus 40:13; Leviticus 21:10. In some of the psalms and other Old Testament passages the anointed king of Israel is referred to as the “messiah.”)

The scriptures testify of the Saviour’s having received such a royal anointing in the pre-mortal existence. (Psalm 45:7-8, quoted by Paul in Hebrews 1:9; Isaiah 61:1 clarified and quoted by Joseph F. Smith in D&C 138: 42). And Peter testifies that the Saviour received an anointing in this world at the time of his baptism. “…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power…”(Acts 10:38)

There are a number of reasons to believe that “Jesus Christ” is a name-title, rather than a given name.

It is apparent from the gospels that “Jesus Christ” was not the name by which the Saviour was know when he walked on the earth as a man.

Matthew opens his gospel with the words, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” ( Matthew 1:1). Mark opens his with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;” (Mark 1:1) but otherwise, the name-title “Jesus Christ” is not found in any of the synoptic gospels. Luke does not use it at all. John uses it only twice. Once as part of a very formal statement which is the testimony of John the Baptist.

15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:15-17)

And the other as an equally formal statement by the Saviour himself.

1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. (John 17:1-5)

Before his resurrection, the name-title “Jesus Christ” is not used in the New Testament, except for the two instances in John. Rather, every time the Saviour is referred to by the authors of the gospels, they call him “Jesus.” Within the gospels others refer to him as the “son of David,” which is a reference to his inherited kingship, and may be roughly equivalent to “messiah”; and the Saviour refers to himself as the “Son of Man” – which appears also to have been equivalent to “Messiah” because it establishes his relationship to his Eternal Father, the Man of Holiness.” (Moses 6:57)

All that suggests that to his contemporaries in and around Jerusalem, his name was “Jesus,” and it was not until after his death and resurrection that the title “Christ” was added by his apostles as a name-title.

So it seems safe to assert that “Christ” (Messiah) was not a part of Jesus’ given name, but is his royal name-title that signifies that he is the Anointed Son of His Father and heir to his Father’s throne. From that, I assume that the words “Jesus Christ” means “Jesus the Anointed One,” and is thus an acknowledgment of his earthly, and eternal, kingship and priesthood.

What I am now going to suggest is that while “Jesus Christ” is his name plus his title, that when the words are reversed – “Christ Jesus” – that combination is actually a different name-title. That is, that in the reversed “Christ Jesus,” the word “Jesus” is intended to convey the actual meaning of the word Joshua – “Jehovah saves” – and therefore the phrase “Christ Jesus” means “the Anointed Jehovah who saved” – and I suppose that, in turn, should be understood to mean “The anointed King and High Priest, Jehovah who saves” or more simply, “the Anointed Saviour.”

Now, having made that assertion, let me demonstrate by showing the context in which Alma, Paul, and Peter used the words in that reversed order.

As Kirt mentioned, the phrase “Christ Jesus” is found only once in the Book of Mormon. It is spoken by Alma, and its context is his first address to the saints at Zarahemla after he had given the powers of government to another Chief Judge, and so is now acting only as Prophet and President of the Church. This statement is his formal claim to authority:

44 For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God [a priesthood title that seems always to be associated with the pre-mortal Council, and therefore with a sode experience], which is in Christ Jesus [meaning “the anointed King and High Priest, Jehovah who saves”]; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come. (Alma 5:44.)

If I have read that correctly, “Christ Jesus” – a name-title which suggests eternal kingship and priesthood – would actually be more accurate than “Jesus Christ” because the latter is the name- title used to denote the resurrected Saviour.

At the beginning of Ephesians, Paul uses these name-titles the same way:

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ [Jesus who is anointed] by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus [the anointed King and High Priest, Jehovah who saves.” Paul uses that name-title the same way Alma does, for, as the next verses show, Paul’s context is also the pre-mortal Council.] :
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:1-2)

Here Paul uses still a third name-title. “Lord” in the New Testament is always translated from Strong 3962 which means “supreme in authority” (the same connotation as “Jehovah”). So it appears that “the Lord Jesus Christ” is meant to be an abbreviated history of the Saviour and his authority: “The Supreme authority at the Council – Jesus the man who saved – who is the anointed heir to his Father.” The correctness of that interpretation seems to be reinforced in the next verse where Paul uses the name-title again to designate the Saviour’s relationship with his Father:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who [the Father] hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places [that is, at the Council in the temple on Kolob] in Christ [the Anointed One]:
4 According as he [the Father] hath chosen us in him [the Saviour] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Ephesians 1: 1-4)

 If I have read that correctly, Paul’s giving the Saviour the series of four different name-titles (Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, and Christ) is not just interesting, but the way Paul uses them is an important part of the message Paul has to convey.

Peter seems to be using the name-titles the same way, only we find his testimony at the conclusion of his letter rather than at the beginning.

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

One might be able to read the whole history of mankind in that sentence: “But the God of all grace [the Father], who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus [that call occurred at the Council where the Savour was “Christ Jesus”], after that ye have suffered a while [this lonely world], make you perfect, stablish, strengthen [all in this world], settle (“consolidate” – Strong 2311) you [next world].

11 To him [the Father] be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10-14.)

 In America, the President of the Church called a special assembly of extraordinary people and delivered a message about the eternal meaning of charity and its power to bind us to each other, to the Saviour, and to his Father. (Moroni 7) The way I read these words of Peter, they are written by the same authority, to the same audience, with the same message – illuminating that message by the words “Christ Jesus” at its beginning – and at its conclusion also.