Post by Nephihah –
As the Chief Judge I’ve far too much responsibility keeping me occupied, than to attempt to follow our High Priest Alma around and write about his preaching to our people. I do from time to time receive his own record of the words he spoke. As you will clearly recognize, Alma is not short on words. As I include his direct words, you will note they are set apart from my personal text. As an example, I’ve included his introduction to a much larger sermon here.
I, Alma, having been consecrated by my father, Alma, to be a high priest over the church of God, he having power and authority from God to do these things, behold, I say unto you that he began to establish a church in the land which was in the borders of Nephi; yea, the land which was called the land of Mormon; yea, and he did baptize his brethren in the waters of Mormon. And behold, I say unto you, they were delivered out of the hands of the people of king Noah, by the mercy and power of God.
And behold, after that, they were brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you, they were in captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of his word; and we were brought into this land, and here we began to establish the church of God throughout this land also.
And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?
Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them.
And now I ask of you, my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, they were not.
Ok, that was Alma at his finest. This was just the introduction. He established who he was – not that it was necessary, here in Zarahemla we all know who Alma is. He confirmed he had authority from God and set a beautiful stage for a powerful discourse which I now have in writing. As my advisors and I read through Alma’s speech, several of us were overwhelmed by the questions alone. We could’t resist but to isolate the questions from the rest of the speech. We found 42 questions tucked inside the speech. We cut them out and decided it might be interesting to include them here. Without any other commentary or answers to the questions Alma posed, our hearts and minds were stimulated to pondering on the questions of the soul. I hope you may have the same experience. I have included all 42 questions here.
- Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers?
- Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them?
- Have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?
- Were they destroyed?
- Were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed?
- On what conditions are they saved?
- What grounds had they to hope for salvation?
- What is the cause of their being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell?
- Did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi?
- Was he not a holy prophet?
- Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them?
- Have ye spiritually been born of God?
- Have ye received his image in your countenances?
- Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
- Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?
- Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?
- Can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
- Do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you?
- Can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?
- Can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?
- Can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?
- Can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?
- How will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness?
- Behold, what will these things testify against you?
- Will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?
- Do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white?
- If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?
- Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God?
- Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble?
- That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?
- Behold, are ye stripped of pride?
- Is there one among you who is not stripped of envy?
- Is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
- Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself?
- And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
- Can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches?
- Will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another;
- Yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren?
- Will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?
- What have ye to say against this?
- For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock?
- And behold, if a wolf enter his flock doth he not drive him out?
Once you spend a little time on these questions of the soul, I plan to share some of the words that carried these questions into my heart.
