What's in the Book of Mormon? Part 2 of 4

About 400 years and 27 pages separate the end of 2 Nephi from the beginning of Mosiah. A few brief books written by Jacob, Nephi's younger brother, and his descendants give us some information about this period, but we really know very little. In contrast, the books of Mosiah and Alma cover about only 80 years but fill 223 pages (about 40% of the Book of Mormon). These books contain amazing stories and sermons given by some of the most memorable characters of the Book of Mormon: King Benjamin, Abinidi, Alma the elder, Alma the younger, Ammon, Amulek, Captain Moroni, Helaman and his 2000 warriors, and others. This post will take a quick look at four themes which are important in both books: our need for a change of heart, God's ability to answer our prayers, war, and missionary work.

One of the central themes of the books of Mosiah and Alma (and the whole Book of Mormon) is our need to have our hearts changed through our own repentance and the atonement of Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Jesus teaches Nicodemus that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) In the books we discuss in this post we see the process of being "born again" happen several times, and I will highlight only two significant episodes. The first comes from chapters 1-5 of Mosiah. King Benjamin was a righteous king who hard worked hard for the welfare of his people. As he neared the end of his life he called his people together to teach them important things about God and themselves. At the end of his speech, he asked if his people believed the words which he had spoken. They responded, saying: "Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." (Mosiah 5:2) The central point of this passage is truly amazing: it teaches us that through Christ, our dispositions can be changed so fundamentally that we no longer have any desire to do bad things. It's not that these people wanted to be out sinning, but were scared of what God would do to them if they did. No, they had become "new creatures" (2 Corinthians 5:17) through Christ, and only had the desire to do good continually. Of course, a change like this takes work to retain, but Christ makes is possible for us to achieve true, lasting changes in our character.

Another person who experienced a similar "mighty change" of heart (Alma 5:13) was Alma the younger. Alma's father, known as "Alma the elder," was a righteous man and a leader in the church. However, we read that Alma the younger "was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people." (Mosiah 27:8-9) Alma the elder prayed "with much faith" for his wayward son (Mosiah 27:14), and in due time the Lord sent an angel to call Alma the younger to repentance. (Mosiah 27:10-17) Alma the younger was so shocked by the appearance that he fell to the ground and could not move. (Mosiah 27:19) However, in his incapacitated state Alma was still conscious, saying that "I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments." (Alma 36:13) In this state of despair Alma prayed for forgiveness, and God forgave him. God's forgiveness filled him with indescribable joy. (Alma 36:18-22) From this moment of conversion on Alma worked tirelessly to "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." (Alma 36:24) Alma taught that this true change of heart, which he had experienced, was available to everyone: "all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters. And thus they become new creatures." (Mosiah 27:25-26) (Other stories of conversion include those of Alma the elder (Mosiah 17-18), the four sons of Mosiah (Mosiah 27), Zeezrom (Alma 15), Lamoni and his people(Alma 18-19, especially 19:33), Lamoni's father and his household (Alma 22), and some of the Zoramites (Alma 31-35).)

This last story is also a great example of our next topic: God's ability to answer our prayers. Alma the elder prayed for his wayward son, and Alma the younger prayed for forgiveness. God answered both of their prayers by granting special assistance or grace. Another great story of how God answered the prayers of his people comes from an earlier chapter in the life of Alma the elder. Alma was once a false "priest" to a wicked king, Noah, but was converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ through the teaching of the prophet Abinadi. He left Noah's kingdom with a group of followers and established a city. After some time the city was overtaken by a hostile group and the people were forced into slavery. In this condition, Alma's people prayed for deliverance, but their captors threatened to kill anyone who prayed. (Mosiah 24:10-11) We read that the people prayed to God in their hearts, and God responded by saying, "Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Mosiah 24:13-14) We read that God did empower the people to "bear up their burdens with ease" (Mosiah 24:15) and that they were soon delivered out of bondage (Mosiah 24:16-22). We should remember that in any situation, God can help us cope with and overcome difficulties in our lives in one of these ways. (For more on prayer, see the entry on the subject in the LDS Bible Dictionary, or see Mosiah 4:2-4, Alma 22:17-27, Alma 31:24-36, Alma 33:3-11, Alma 34:17-27, Alma 36:17-21, Alma 46:11-18)

Moving on, the Book of Mormon, like virtually any record of human history, has its share of wars and contentions. Chapters 43-62 (excluding 45) of the book of Alma cover about 14 years and constitute the most detailed discussion of an ongoing armed conflict in the Book of Mormon. Much of the writing focuses on Captain Moroni, the preeminent military commander of the Book of Mormon. Moroni revolutionized the way battle was conducted in his time by innovations in city fortifications (Alma 49, 50:1-6), use of protective armor (Alma 43:18-21), "stratagem" (Alma 43:27-42. 52, 55), and his ability to rally public support (Alma 46:11-28, 62). Moroni defended his people against many invasions and put down power-hungry coups within his own nation (Alma 46, 51, 59-62).

Though Moroni was "was a strong and a mighty man" and "a man of a perfect understanding" (Alma 48:11), the true source of his success was his righteousness and faith in God. Once, when Moroni was confronted with an enemy within his own nation which threatened to overthrow the government, Moroni wrote down on a banner the things he was willing to fight for: "in memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children." (Alma 46:12) Moroni "did not delight in bloodshed" (Alma 48:11) and only fought when he had to. Even when he had his enemies at a disadvantage he often offered them a way out on the condition that they surrender their weapons of war and promise never to fight his people again. (Alma 44:1-7, Alma 62:27-29) Moroni's leadership and administration were so effective that "there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni." (Alma 50:23)

Lastly, Mosiah and Alma tell the stories of many great missionaries. A missionary is someone who tells other people about God and the gospel, or the "good news" of Jesus Christ's redemption for us. People who have received a true change of heart through Christ's atonement have a strong desire to share what they have learned because they want others to have the joy they have found. As we saw above, Alma the younger received a mighty change of heart, and we read that he spent much of the rest of his life telling others about the gospel. (see Alma 4-5, 7, 8, 9-15, 29, 31-35, 43) Another great missionary was Alma's friend Ammon. Ammon was present when the angel came and called Alma to repentance. He too received a change of heart and spent fourteen years preaching the gospel to a group of people hostile to his own. (Alma 17:4) Some of the people who were converted through his teaching had previously been a violent and war-loving people, but they buried their weapons of war deep in the earth as a sign to God that they would never do violence to others again. (Alma 24:12-19) Other converts declared "that their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to do evil," (Alma 19:33) and were filled with joy. (Alma 19)

The joy found by these converts and others is available to all through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I have found great joy and comfort in my own life as I have sincerely tried to understand and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ in my own life. The Book of Mormon can help you understand Jesus Christ better, and it can help you achieve a true change of heart, similar to that of Alma the younger. If you would like to receive a free copy of the Book of Mormon or talk to current missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, call 1-888-537-7111, click here, or go to mormon.org to set up an appointment.

What's in the Book of Mormon? Part 1 of 4

The Book of Mormon is an amazing book. I have read it several times and I know that it is a book of inspired scripture from God. In this "What's in the Book of Mormon?" series of posts, I will give a brief introduction to The Book of Mormon, sharing what I think are some of the most significant teachings and events from the book.

The Book of Mormon starts with the story of Lehi and his family, a prophet who lived in Jerusalem in about 6o0 B.C. Lehi called the wicked people there to repent, but they rejected him and God commanded Lehi to leave. Lehi traveled through the desert and eventually crossed the ocean to the Americas. The Book of Mormon is (for the most part) the record of Lehi and his posterity; it covers a period from about 600 B.C. to 421 A.D. It contains the writings of prophets, as does the Bible. (For more information, see the official Introduction to the Book of Mormon.)

This post will outline some important teachings from the prophets Lehi and his son Nephi, contained in the books of 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi . I hope my comments will inspire the reader to look directly at the text of these books. I will organize the post around four major themes, which I think are some of the most important themes from these books. The themes are: 1) God speaks to His prophets; 2) Christ is our Redeemer; 3) reading scriptures and keeping records is very important; and 4) the scattering and gathering of the house of Israel.

1) God speaks to His prophets: 1 Nephi in particular is a book in which we see God over and over directing, teaching, and revealing things to His servants the prophets. In the very first chapter of 1 Nephi, Lehi sees a vision of God, the Son of God, and the destruction of Jerusalem. In chapter 8 of this book Lehi sees a vision (known as the vision of the "tree of life") in which he sees symbols of the love of God, the temptations of the Devil, the power of God's word, and the pride of the world. Later, in chapters 11-14, Nephi (Lehi's son, an important prophet) sees a more detailed version of that same vision and the historical events which correspond to the symbols, and in chapter 15 Nephi gives the interpretation of the vision. In addition to visions, God directs Lehi to leave Jerusalem because of the wickedness of the people (1 Nephi 2:1-3), tells him what his sons need to do to prepare for their journey in the wilderness (1 Nephi 3:2-4, 1 Nephi 7:1-5), and guides him as they travel. God instructs Nephi how to build a boat which will carry them to the promised land (1 Nephi 17:7-8, 18:1-4) and gives him other instructions. Other examples could be given of how God reveals things to his people (see 1 Nephi 3:28-30, 4:6, 5:17-22, 10:2-14 17-19, 2 Nephi 5:1-5) In short, this book and the entire Book of Mormon testify that God speaks to His prophets.

2) Christ is our Redeemer: Nephi and Lehi constantly teach that Christ is our Redeemer and the only Way for our salvation. The following are a sampling from some of the many times they teach about Christ: (Lehi) "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit . . . there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved." (2 Nephi 2:6-9) (Nephi) "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do . . . And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:23, 26) Other references include: 1 Nephi 11:21-33, 1 Nephi 19:10, 2 Nephi 1:15, 2 Nephi 9, 2 Nephi 25:13, and 2 Nephi 31:13.

3) Reading scriptures and keeping records is very important: Both 1 and 2 Nephi are written by Nephi from the first person perspective. Three chapters (6, 9, and 19) in 1 Nephi are reflections on why Nephi is keeping the record. In 6:4 and 19:18 he tells us why he is doing it: "For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved;" "And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer." When hard times come to Lehi's family, Nephi relates to the the history of God's dealings with the house of Israel (see 1 Nephi 17:23-43). This story shows that Nephi was an avid student of the scriptures, and could recall and employ them when needed. In 2 Nephi, 16 of 33 chapters (and a few more verses) are quotations from the book of Isaiah, the same Isaiah found in the Bible. (2 Nephi 6:6-7, 7, 8, 12-24, 27; the corresponding chapters and verses in Isaiah can be found Isaiah 3-14, 29, 49:22-26, and 50-52:1-2.) Of the scriptures, Nephi says: "For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard." (2 Nephi 4: 15-16)We would do well to follow his example.

4) The scattering and gathering of the house of Israel: Through both the Bible and other scriptures brought forth by Joseph Smith, we know that God made a covenant with Abraham that through him "all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal." (Abraham 2:11; see also Genesis 12:3) Throughout scripture, the people willing to follow God's prophets have frequently been referred to as "the house of Israel," Israel being Abraham's grandson and a particularly noteworthy prophet. In 1 and 2 Nephi, Lehi and Nephi frequently talk of God's dealings with the house of Israel. They teach that though the house of Israel was (and would be) scattered for disobedience, God is merciful and would gather them in the future. Nephi teaches that being gathered to the house of Israel means coming "to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer." (1 Nephi 10:14) Nephi further teaches that membership in the house of Israel is open to all: "as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel." (2 Nephi 30:2) Other important references include 1 Nephi 1:13, 10:12-14, 15:12-20, 19:15-17, 22:11-12; 2 Nephi 6:5-18, 25:14-18, 29:14, 30; also, see Jacob 5.