Lesson 27: Alma 30 - 31

Before diving into the scripture block, I'd like to start by reflecting on a couple of scriptures in conjunction with one another. The first is Mormon 8:35.

Behold, I speak unto you as if you were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.

What significance does this scripture have? Why would Moroni tell us this? He and his father compiled the records which make up the Book of Mormon. They saw our day, they knew what we would need to survive the ills and temptations facing us. The Book of Mormon is for US! It addresses the things we need specifically in our day. With that in mind, let's look at the second scripture: Helaman 3:29-30.

Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a straight and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked- And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

Again, there is great power here as we reflect upon what these words mean. The scriptures (AKA the word of God) will divide asunder (destroy and make more clear to us) all the cunning, snares and wiles of the devil. Now you may ask (as I did) what the heck is a wile? A wile is the use of tricks to deceive someone (Wile E. Coyote). Therefore, as we study and ponder the Book of Mormon and apply its teachings, we can avoid the traps and tricks that Satan sets for us and thus preserve the life of our spirits and safely return to live with our God. If we are careful to liken all scriptures unto ourselves, we will be able to see the traps we may already unknowingly be in and escape them. What an amazing blessing! So as we study this block of scriptures let us understand and apply this important principle.

I would like to present two principles that we will consider as we study these chapters. Keep them in your mind and let them guide your ponderings.

1. Satan appeals to the natural man to our destruction.
2. We must reject pride and unbelief to stay spiritually safe.


Enter Korihor. Anti-Christ.  Doer of Satan's work.  And, thanks to Mormon, leaker of some of the cunning and snares and wiles of the devil.  He does a marvelous job of presenting to us what I will call the "Articles of Unbelief" or the "Doctrines of Unbelief."  Again, it will be important to see how you may be caught up in these traps rather than how others may be.  Initially, that may be hard, but as you ponder and pray and seek to have the spirit reveal to you how you may believe some of these Articles of Unbelief you will be able to shift your thinking.

Articles of Unbelief

1. Alma 30:13 - O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.
Sometimes it is easier to see how you buy into this belief by seeing the opposite.  Years ago I was living in Samoa with my pregnant wife and 1.5 year old son.  Due to economic reasons the company I was working for had to lay off half of the therapists.  I requested to be one of these because I didn't really want my wife to have birth to our second in a third world country.  However, this presented an interesting situation for us.  We would be traveling back to the states with no job, no house, no health insurance and a baby on the way. This is where it would be very possible to believe the doctrine that we cannot know of anything which is to come.  However, my wife and I knelt in humble prayer pleading with the Lord to help us in the situation.  Both of us felt a clear response from the Father, "Don't worry.  Everything will be ok.  I will provide from you."  Had we believed Korihor's doctrine, departing from Samoa back to the states would have been a panic filled period of our lives.  Yet, the Lord, in his mercy, told us of things to come.  There weren't a lot of specifics, but the important message that He would provide for us and that everything would be ok was very peaceful.  Within weeks of arriving back in the states, my wife was able to get a job that was able to provide excellent health insurance effective immediately.  About a month and a half later, I got the job of my dreams, and a month and a half after that we were able to purchase a beautiful home in an amazing neighborhood.  Man CAN know of things to come.  We know that Christ will come again and that we will be resurrected when we die.

2. Alma 30:15 - Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.
I believe there are miracles that happen around us every day.  Just because I don't see the Savior with my eyes doesn't mean that I cannot see the works of his hands in my life or in the lives of those around me every day.  Often, doubt prevents us from seeing things that are actually there, simply because we refuse to see them.  I do not have to see a bear or a mountain lion to know that it is there.  Its tracks will give me ample evidence that it exists.  There is loads of evidence that there is a Christ, we just have to be willing to look at all the things that are already there.

3. Alma 30:16 - Ye look forward and say that ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so.
This is a belief that is common amongst atheists and agnostics.  They will simply explain away any "spiritual" manifestation as some sort of derangement of the mind.  Now it would be very easy to look at how others buy in to this doctrine of unbelief, but more important is to see how we do this ourselves.  As you look into your own beliefs and experiences, perhaps an example from my own life may be of assistance.
The first time I read the the Book of Mormon all the way through I was 14 years old.  I remember being excited to finish it and take Moroni's promise.  I knelt down beside my bed and said a simple prayer asking my Heavenly Father if the book was true.  And then I knelt there and listened, and waited.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but after a few minutes of waiting for an answer a very simple "yes" came into my mind.  I accepted that as my answer and was happy to be able to say I knew the Book of Mormon was true.  I didn't need any powerful manifestation to prove to me it was true and my 14 year old self was satisfied.  However, my 16, 17 and 18 year old self was not satisfied.  I began to question if I had really received an answer from God or if I had made myself believe I had heard a "yes" simply because that is what I wanted to believe.  I started to believe I had made it all up, that my "answer" was the effect of a "frenzied mind."
How often do we question answers or instruction we have received from the Lord.  When we do, it is the adversary sticking this doctrine of unbelief in our mind, thus sowing the seed of doubt.

4. Alma 30:17 - every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength
I have believed this one so many times in my life.  When I believe that I must "do it on my own," I have bought in to this doctrine.  When I sin or am faced with one of my many weaknesses, I am tempted to rely on myself and the arm of the flesh.  However, this denies the enabling power of the atonement to lift us, support us and make us more than we will ever be able to do for ourselves.

5. Alma 30:17 - whatsoever a man did was no crime.
Justification and Rationalization reign supreme with this doctrine.  I cannot even count how many times I have rationalized in my mind that there was nothing wrong with what I was doing while at the same time the spirit was whispering in my ear to the contrary.

6. Alma 30:18 - telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.
This doctrine destroys hope.  It also seeks to convince man that there are no consequences for the things he does.

7. Alma 30:28 -  that they should, if they did not do according to their words, offend some unknown being, who they say is God—a being who never has been seen or known, who never was nor ever will be.
The adversary would have us question that the Father and the Son have ever shown themselves to anyone.  This is one that he has used on many to make them disbelieve the testimony of Joseph Smith and his experience in the Sacred Grove.

8. Alma 30:43, 45, 48 - If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words. Yea, I will deny, except ye shall show me a sign. I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe.
I don't know many people who haven't asked for a sign in one way or another.  I know I have done it several times in my life, particularly when my faith was lacking.  It is clear that this is not the Lord's pattern for revealing truth.  Signs are not shown to give faith, but granted to those who have exercised it.

How do we receive these teachings?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is often, "Very well."  As we are becoming more clear about some of the traps that Satan lays for us, let us also be conscious of how we receive the tricks he throws at us.  Korihor went about teaching the articles of unbelief to many people and was received in many different ways.  As you look at the following verses, take time to think about how you may receive Satan's tricks.

Korihor first came to the people of Zarahemla.  These are the people to whom Alma visited several years previous to Korihor.  We find his teaching to them in Alma 5.  He had to use harsh words and deep questioning to help them see how they had fallen into unrighteous practices and had not utilize faith in Christ and his word.  The following is how they received his teaching: (vs 18)

And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms—

They accepted his teachings.  They liked it because it justified the carnal mind.  They could do what they wanted.  We often do this, totally unaware that we have lowered our guard.  Alexander Pope said it well:

Vice is a monster of so frightening face,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
But seen too often, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then tolerate, then embrace.
(An Essay On Man)

Now lets look at how the people of Ammon (the same ones from the last lesson), who had sacrificed so much for their faith, received him: (vs 19-21)

Now this man went over to the land of Jershon also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, who were once the people of the Lamanites. 

But behold they were more wise than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, who was a high priest over that people. 

And it came to pass that he caused that he should be carried out of the land.

 What did they do?  They immediately stopped him and prevented him from teaching further.  They kicked him out of their land.  They didn't allow those traps to take seed at all.  How can we do this in our own lives?  These doctrines are taught all around us.  They are accepted freely by many in our country and communities. Do we support it?  Do we listen to it and say, "Oh, they make sense." Or, "That is a good point."  At times I am afraid we do.  We allow these doctrines to creep into our own beliefs because we are so busy looking at how bold they are in others beliefs that we fail to recognize the small seeds growing within our own minds.

The people of Gideon, the people Alma preached to just after his bold mission to Zarahemla, (Alma 6-7) were much like those of the people of Ammon: (vs 21-22, 29)

And he came over into the land of Gideon, and began to preach unto them also; and here he did not have much success, for he was taken and bound and carried before the high priest, and also the chief judge over the land. 

And it came to pass that the high priest said unto him: Why do ye go about perverting the ways of the Lord? Why do ye teach this people that there shall be no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings? Why do ye speak against all the prophecies of the holy prophets? 

Now when the high priest and the chief judge saw the hardness of his heart, yea, when they saw that he would revile even against God, they would not make any reply to his words; but they caused that he should be bound; and they delivered him up into the hands of the officers, and sent him to the land of Zarahemla, that he might be brought before Alma, and the chief judge who was governor over all the land.

These people too, refused to listen to his doctrine.  They tried to reason with him and teach him truth, but when they saw that he would not listen, they removed his toxic teachings from their lives.

Now I want to point out one interesting thing that the high priest, Giddonah, says to Korihor.  

"Why do ye teach this people that there shall be no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings?"

 The Articles/Doctrines of Unbelief do just that.  Interrupt your rejoicings.  You will find that any time you find your joy and rejoicing waning or halted, on one way or another you have bought into one of these Articles of Unbelief.  They are all designed to turn us away from Christ, the author of our Hope and Joy.  I know that Christ lives.  His atonement is real and it works.  Without it, we would be lost.  With it, we are forgiven, made clean and are able to "sing the song of redeeming love."  Pride and unbelief will make us blind to these traps and tricks of the adversary.  He will lead us into danger and destruction.  Satan is cunning and he desires your misery.  He will not support you, just as he built Korihor up and then let him fall.

And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.

Lesson 26: Alma 23 - 29

I am a big believer in not trying to present so much information in a lesson that very little is actually taught.  The scripture block for this lesson has so many powerful lessons and teaching that it would be impossible to give it all justice in the 30-40 min allotted time.  Therefore, I have only selected one principle to explore more fully.  I invite you all to study all the chapters on your own.

Throughout our study for this lesson, I would ask you to keep the following questions in your mind:

What am I converted to?
What are the weapons of my rebellion?


We enter this lesson after the remarkable missionary efforts of Ammon and Aaron and their brothers and brethren.  We can remember in chapters 17-22 the miraculous conversions of King Lamoni as well as his father, the king of all the Lamanites.  Such conversions of key figures opened the doors the conversion of thousands of people who had been described as

a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people; a people who delighted in murdering the Nephites, and robbing and plundering them; and their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold and silver, and precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own hands.  Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols

With this background, the results of the missionary work are more miraculous.  Lets look in Alma 23:6.  As you read the following passage, focus on the things that stand out to you as remarkable or important.  Write them down or hold it in your mind.

And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them—yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.

There are many things that may stand out to you and that we could discuss.  I would like to discuss three things here that stand out to me:

1.  "Working miracles in them"
It may be easy to read and miss this statement, but it is important to note. While many miracles were happening around these people (the king falls down, maybe dead and is then miraculously raised), more important is what is actually happening inside of them.  I believe that our own heart being softened is a miracle.  Having our mind illuminated with light and truth is a miracle.  Having our faith increased is a miracle.  These miracles happen because of the power of God as we receive a knowledge of the truth through the Spirit.

2.  "Converted unto the Lord"
There are so many things in the Church that we may be converted to.  We may be converted to the missionaries who taught us the Gospel.  We may be converted to the social structure of the Church.  We may be converted to tithing.  This list goes on and on.  However, it is all for naught if we are not converted to the Lord.  It is only through Him that we are able to be forgiven of our sins, made clean and enter into the Father's presence.  It is only through Him that our weakness may be made strong.  It is only through Him that we may entirely overcome the power and temptations of the Adversary.  He is mighty to save.  All else is meant to guide us to Him and purify our souls that we may be pure like Him.

3.  "Never did fall away"
The parable of the sower speaks of seed sown on stony ground.  They are those who receive the word with gladness, but when the sun comes up they are scorched and they quickly fall away.  We all probably know someone, it may be ourselves, that have had wonderful experiences with the spirit, but when difficulties come, old patterns of behavior reign supreme.  The trial may seem too hard to endure, or it asks that we have to change our hearts and lives too much.  Christ does not ask for a portion of our heart, for he cannot simply accept a portion of our heart into heaven while the other part is unclean and unwilling to change and live as God does.  These Lamanites made a full change and did not just slide back into their old ways when things got hard.  Take the time to look into your own heart and determine if it is fully changed that it will never go back to its previous sin.

I am sure that in our hearts, all of us desire that we might be true and faithful and "never fall away."  To learn how we might be like these Lamanites who, once converted to the Lord, never turned back.  Verse 7 is instructive here.  Read the following verse for what they did to ensure such an enduring conversion.

For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God anymore, neither against any of their brethren.

As a group, they became a righteous people.  It is essential to remember that the Gospel is not about individuals.  While we may have to stand alone in righteousness at times, there is great power in creating a God-like community.  It is called Zion.


The next statement is key.  "They did lay down the weapons of their rebellion."  There are two parts to this.  They did not fight against God, or man.  What does it mean to lay down the weapons of rebellion?  In part, to these people, it was their weapons of war.  However, as we can see from this verse, it was not just that.  Any way in which they rebelled against the commandments of God or fought against their fellow man, was a weapon.  Before reading further, take a moment to ponder and think about what the weapons of your rebellion are.  How do you fight against the commandments?  How do you fight against your fellow man (brother, sister, neighbor, co-worker, person who just cut you off on the freeway)?


To start, we may look at some very general, but violent, weapons of rebellion:

• Pride
• Fear
• Doubt
• Idleness
• Selfishness
• Procrastination
• Appearance
• Curiosity

 This list could go on.  I invite you to look deeper into your heart and explore more personal weapons.  If you have an addiction to pornography, an unfiltered internet might be a weapon.  If you have Word of Wisdom problems, a bar might be a weapon.  If you have a computer/video game addiction, any gaming console or device may be the weapon of your rebellion.  You must learn to know yourself.


These Lamanites knew themselves.  They had murdered and plundered for their whole lives.  Having weapons is not a sin.  However, for them, it was a gateway into falling back into their sinful life.  They knew they could not hold onto them without returning to sin.


When we remove sinful behavior/thoughts/desires from our lives, if we leave that part empty we invite ourselves to pick up new/different weapons of rebellion.  We must be conscious of what we put in the place of the weapons of rebellion we lay down.  Again, let us read the example of these Lamanites.  They chose to actually bury their weapons deep in the earth, and Alma 24:19 states why.  Pay close attention to the phrase "rather than."

And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God,and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.

As you identify the weapons of your rebellion, start identifying your "rather than's." What will you do instead of your behaviors?  Will you have patience with your kids and speak with kind words rather than yell and scream and tell them everything they are doing wrong?  Will you read your scriptures at night for 30 min. rather that watch the latest sitcom?

I want you to place yourselves in the shoes of these Lamanites.  They had made a decision to not use their weapons anymore.  This probably seemed like a really good idea at the time.  They were probably sure of themselves and pleased with the decision to commit to the Lord.  And then this big group of angry Lamanites decides that they are not too happy that they chose to follow the teachings of the Nephites.  So angry in fact, that they decided to come against them to battle.  To kill them.  With weapons.  I can imagine myself thinking... "Well, maybe it would be ok to grab my sword in self defense, that's not a sin, right?"  And then after defending myself, the excuses for using it again would start to enter, and subtly and gradually, that sword would be strapped to my belt and I would be back in my old ways.

This is the amazing thing about these group of converts.  Knowing that a mortal threat was coming, what do they do to maintain their freedom from sin?

Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they maybe kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at theday that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby. 

And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall ago to our God and shall be saved. 

And now it came to pass that when the king had made an end of these sayings, and all the people were assembled together, they took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man’s blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth.

There is an enemy coming  who would seek to take our lives.  He is subtle and insidious.  Are you willing to make such a sacrifice to be converted to the Lord and never fall away?  This is the main principle I hope we can all take away from this lesson: 


Being converted to the Lord requires sacrifice.

When these Lamanites, now voluntarily distinguished as Anti-Nephi-Lehites, threw their weapons deep into the earth, it was a sacrifice on many levels.  The obvious one is the possible sacrifice of their lives.  However, this was also a material sacrifice.  It is quite possible that many family heirlooms and precious weapons were buried in that pit.  Things that had more meaning than simply an instrument for war.  And yet, either way, the sacrifice was made willingly to keep the covenant they had made with the Lord.

As you recognize the sacrifices that you must make to bury the weapons of your rebellion, be aware that some might seem more challenging than others.  Some might require you to explain to others why you are no longer doing something.  This may be awkward or embarrassing at times.  It may require humility.  However, this is how we come to the Lord.

What are you willing to sacrifice to be converted to the Lord?

Also, we must keep in mind the effect that this great sacrifice of the Anti-Nephi-Lehites had on others.  In the process of the massive slaughter where upwards of a thousand people were killed without raising a hand to defend themselves, a great miracle occurred.  These hardened, bloodthirsty Lamanites were pierced in their hearts.  Not by any man made weapon, but by guilt and the Spirit of God.  It pierced them so deeply that they too laid down the weapons of their rebellion and fell to the earth in sorrow and remorse.  That day, a greater number of people were brought to repentance than were sent to their Maker.

The powerful message here is that of the power of significant sacrifice.  There is probably nothing else that would have brought those Lamanites to their knees in repentance than the ultimate, fearless sacrifice of those they were killing.  The same is true for us.  If we desire our own example to have the power to bring others to desire to change and come unto Christ, it cannot based in half-hearted sacrifice.  It will only be through the serious sacrifice of consecrating our lives and wills to the Lord that will pierce the hearts of those with whom we come in contact.

A last word.  The Lord would have us be separate from the world.  The people of Ammon exemplified this.  Read the following to see how they were distinguished from those around them:

And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.

They were not only distinguished from the Lamanites, but also from the Nephites.  They were perfectly honest and upright in all things.  They were firm in their faith of Christ.  They did what was necessary to retain a remission of their sins.  They buried the weapons of their rebellion.  We too must distinguish ourselves from the world around us, be willing to sacrifice the weapons of our rebellion that we may be converted to the Lord and never fall away.

A Challenge to Me

I was approached last week by a member of my ward with a challenge.  To preface the challenge I must state that I am the Gospel Doctrine teacher in my ward.  I teach every other week and I have good fortune to be teaching from the Book of Mormon this year.  He approached me we some appreciation for lessons taught in past weeks, however, because of a new calling, has not been able to attend Gospel Doctrine.  He said, "I miss your lessons and have always felt uplifted by them.  Will you blog your lessons so those who are unable to attend Gospel Doctrine could still benefit from the lessons they are missing?"

I thought about this.  By no means to I wish to create a loyal following or bring glory and honor to my own name.  This was my main concern for doing so.  Also, I cannot speak as a representative for the Church.  However, I do want to help bring light and knowledge to those who may not be able to attend Sunday School for one reason or another.  So I have decided to take the challenge.

The following posts will be the basic context and format for which I teach my lessons every other week.  I rely on comments from class members, so this will be a bit different.  I invite those who read to comment and allow the lesson to grow for all other readers.  I also invite all to not just read the posts.  Ponder the words and questions.  Study the scriptures presented.  Write insights.  Set goals.  Come unto Christ