Alma 47-48

Alma 47

Summary of Events:

Amalekiah is a cunning, lying, treacherous snake—and he is good at it! Remember how he escaped from Moroni? Well, he runs to the Lamanites, as expected, and succeeds in “stirring up the Lamanites to anger against the people of Nephi” and the king declares war against the Nephites again. However, most of the Lamanites remember how the Nephites beat them in the last war (plus they made a covenant not to go to war against the Nephites again) and they are scared to death, so they band together and refuse to go to war against the Nephites. Of course this angers the king, and he puts Amalekiah in charge of the part of the army that IS willing to go to war and sends them off to force the rebels to fight.

Amalekiah has no intention of helping the King. In fact, his only desire is to become the king. So at night, when his army is camped at the base of the mountain where the refuse-to-fight Lamanite army is entrenched, Amalekiah sends a secret embassy to the leader of the refuse-to-fight army, whose name is Lehonti, requesting to speak with him. Amalekiah tells Lehonti to come down with his army and surround the king’s army, and Amalekiah will surrender his army IF… IF… Lehonti will make Amalekiah 2^nd in command over the army. Yeah...don’t put a treacherous, power-hungry monster as 2^nd in command because that is not where he will stay. Sure enough, when Lehonti becomes captain of the merged Lamanite army, “Amalekiah caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died (v. 18).” And now Amalekiah is #1 in control over the entire Lamanite army.

Amalekiah leads the army back to the capitol city to see the king, who thinks Amalekiah has fulfilled his orders. After the triumphal entry of the army, Amalekiah’s guards bow before the king, and as the king puts forward his hand to raise them up, they stab him to the heart. Dead. The king’s guards are freaked out, and flee, and Amalekiah and his guards raise a cry that the servants of the king have killed him. They convince everyone—including the queen—because the servants appear guilty because they fled. And before you know it, Amalekiah is king of all the Lamanites and even marries the queen.

Spiritual Application:

Biggest lesson of this chapter: beware of slow and subtle influences that convince you to do things or become someone you never intended. It may seem like Amalekiah accomplished his destructive designs with whirlwind speed, but that’s because this is a summary! Really he was slow, and subtle, and intentional. When he first asked Lehonti to come down from his mountain (spiritual translation: down from the high moral ground where they were “fixed in their minds with a determined resolution that they would not [do something they knew was bad] (v. 6))", Lehonti refused. Amalekiah sent a messenger 3 times, and Lehonti refused. So finally Amalekiah went up just below Lehonti’s camp and asked him to “just come down a little” (see the spiritual application there?) and he could even bring his guards with him. And when Lehonti agreed to “just come down a little” that was the beginning of his demise. And notice how Amalekiah later killed Lehonti: he had “one of his servants administer poison by degrees to Lehonti (v. 18).” Little by little, so subtly that Lehonti didn’t even recognize he was being poisoned until it was too late. We need to constantly be on our guard for any influences in our lives that are trying to convince us to slowly come down from our principles or values. In our current society, these influences are everywhere. Can you recognize any in your life?

Alma 48

Summary of Events:

In the previous chapter we heard all about Amalekiah’s cunning climb to power over the Lamanites, and now he is not satisfied with being king over just the Lamanites, and he wants to rule over all the Nephites, too, so he has been stirring up the Lamanites to go to war against the Nephites.

But in the meantime, over with the Nephites, Captain Moroni has also been at work. "Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God (v 7)." Moroni has been busy preparing his armies. They are building forts and walls around the cities, “and in their weakest fortifications [Moroni] did place the greater number of men.” (v. 9) Moroni is a deeply-good guy—motivated by freedom, and love, and faith.

Spiritual Application:

Chapters 47 and 48 give a stark contrast between good and evil. Consider all the deception and murder Amalekiah committed to gain his own selfish designs. And now compare that to Moroni:

11 And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.

 13 Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.

 17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

Can you think of any higher praise a person could receive? Moroni is an incredible hero—physically, intellectually, and spiritually. But at the same time, the important take-away from these accolades given to Moroni is that he is not a one-of-a-kind hero whose goodness can never be replicated. Right after these verses above, we read that, “he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God (v.8).” Any of us can choose to be men or women of God that shake the powers of hell. 

So I think the greatest value from Alma 47 and 48 comes when we ponder—do I have any tendencies or desires similar to Amalekiah? How about Moroni? How can I become more like Moroni and be on the team that helps to shake the powers of hell?

Alma 45-46

Alma 45-46

Summary of Events:

Alma is old now, and he passes the sacred records to his son Helaman to keep, blesses all his sons, and then disappears from the land. The people speculate that he was taken up by God, like Moses was. So now we won’t hear from Alma anymore (even though we are still in the book of Alma) and will hear from his son, Helaman, instead.

Helaman and the other leaders of the church need to clean things up, because order and adherence seem to have gone by the wayside during the war. Their regulation efforts are not received happily by all, and “there arose a dissension among them, and they would not give heed to the words of Helaman and his brethren.” (45:23) And it gets bad… real bad. So bad that the dissenters gather together and want to wage war against the Nephites in order to get their leader—a big, bad dude named Amalekiah—crowned as king. Remember there are no kings of the Nephites anymore. They have a system of judges (more like a democracy) put in place by King Mosiah before he died. Having a king—especially a bad and greedy king like Amalekiah—would be really bad news. He has convinced all the “lower judges” of the land to support him because he has promised them positions of power if he becomes King. 

Amalekiah’s destructive influence infuriates Captain Moroni. God had just helped the Nephites win a dangerous war, and so quickly they are rebelling, and this group of dissenters is threatening the liberty of the Nephites. So Moroni takes action:

12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.

13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren…

19 And when Moroni had said these words, he went forth among the people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had written upon the rent part, and crying with a loud voice, saying:

20 Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.

21 And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together with their armor girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God; or, in other words, if they should transgress the commandments of God, or fall into transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord should rend them even as they had rent their garments.

I’ve always thought this would make a really great scene in a movie. Go Moroni!—rallying the people to remember what is important and what is right. He succeeds in gathering together a large army to defend against Amalekiah’s Army, and Amalekiah gets scared and his army turns on their heels and runs toward the land of the Lamanites to join forces.

Moroni won’t have any of that! The Lamanite army is much bigger than the Nephites’, and he knows Amalekiah will succeed in riling them up to come to war against the Nephites again.  So Moroni chases Amalekiah and his men, and succeeds in stopping them… except Amalekiah and a few of his men escape (and you can bet this isn’t the last time we hear from Amalekiah). But for now, Moroni's men and Amalekiah’s men who are willing to truce and rejoin the cause of liberty, return home and maintain peace in the land for 4 more years.

Spiritual Application

• “Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one (46:8).” Anytime the Book of Mormon says “thus we see…” it is essentially highlighting a spiritual application. This one is kind-of a downer, but it’s reality and we will see it over and over again in the Book of Mormon. People have a tendency to forget miracles, answered prayers, and other spiritual experiences, and then they backslide into old ways. It is preventable, but it takes consistent work and nurturing, like regularly praying, reading scriptures, and yes even going to church.
• “Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men (46:9).” Who are the individuals you allowing to influence your life?—and are they a good influence or a destructive influence? Beware, because one person can powerfully affect your life in ways you might not recognize.
• Moroni takes a hard edge with these dissenters. We could accuse him of being mean or unloving, but we know Moroni isn’t either of those things. Moroni saw the bigger picture—how the dissenters would destroy the liberty and happiness of all the other people if they were left unchecked. So he took a stand, even though I’m sure it made him wildly unpopular with the dissenters or the sympathizers of the dissenters. I believe it is possible to be a loving person while standing strong against popular movements in society that you believe are harmful.

Alma 43-44

THE WAR CHAPTERS

Alma 43 marks the beginning of what is known as the “War Chapters” of the Book of Mormon. Through the rest of Alma we will read about a long and destructive war between the Nephites and the Lamanites. 

These chapters tell history more than they teach doctrine, and sometimes people have a hard time seeing their spiritual value. However, I think every chapter contains symbolic lessons we can apply toward our personal “wars” in life. As the New Testament says, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) 

So for the war chapters, I will summarize the events in the chapter, and then will highlight some of the spiritual applications that I can see.

Ok, here goes!

Alma 43

Summary of Events:

The Lamanites launch an attack on the Nephites! Led by a man named Zarahemnah, their motive is hatred toward the Nephites and a desire for power. The Nephite armies, on the other hand, are led by one of the greatest heroes in the Book of Mormon—Captain Moroni. He is only 25 years old, but he is a big guy, a smart guy, and a good guy. So good, actually, that in Alma 48 it says, “If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.”

The Lamanite army outnumbers the Nephite army by more than 2 to 1, but Moroni has prepared his men with armor, whereas the Lamanites are basically in leather loin clothes. Strengthened by their armor, their God, and their righteous desires for liberty, the Nephites are able to surround and overwhelm the Lamanites, and Moroni orders his men to hold their fighting… (the suspense! Keep reading chapter 44...)

Spiritual Insights:

• The first place the Lamanites attacked was “upon the weaker part of the people (v 24).” But Moroni had sent messengers to the prophet asking for tips, so he was warned ahead of time and was prepared with his armies when the Lamanites came. Satan works in the same way—he will strike our weaknesses first. If we can be aware of our weaknesses—and especially turn to the prophets, scriptures, and people we trust for advice and warning—we can be prepared against spiritual attacks and temptations when they come.
• Protect yourself with spiritual armor! You may be outnumbered by bad influences, but if you have on the armor of God, you can handle it.

Ephesians 6: 11-17

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day... 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Alma 44

Summary of Events:

The Nephites have surrounded the Lamanites, and Moroni tells Zarahemnah they will let the Lamanites leave in peace if they will give up their weapons and covenant to never attack the Nephites again. Zarahemnah willingly gives up his sword but refuses to make a promise he knows he won’t keep. Moroni is angry and returns Zarahemnah’s sword saying, “We will end the conflict (vs 10).” 

Zarahemnah is ticked, and rushes forward with his sword to try to kill Moroni, which is pretty stupid
if you ask me because Moroni is surrounded by his men, all of whom are decked-out in armor. One of Moroni’s soldiers strikes Zarahemnah’s sword to the ground and swipes off the top of his scalp. Eeweew! Zarahemnah retreats back to his army, and the soldier lifts up the scalp piece on top of his sword and displays it for the Lamanite army, threatening they will all fall to the ground like the piece of scalp unless they surrender and covenant never to attack again. 

Many of the Lamanites come forward to surrender and covenant, and they are allowed to leave in peace, but many Lamanites remain stubbornly with Zarahemnah. And so the battle resumes, and the Nephites dominate as predicted. Eventually Zarahemnah and the rest of the men surrender and make the promise to leave the Nephites alone. So everyone goes home…. For now.

Spiritual Insights:

• Always give credit to God for your victories, like Moroni did. God will always be on your side as long as you are on His.
• But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith. 4 Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.(vs. 3-4)

• Even though Zarahemnah is greedy, stubborn, and hateful, the man at least has honor. I’m impressed that he refused to make a promise he knew he wouldn’t keep, even though it would have saved his life. Ok, so he gives in when it gets really bad later on, but still I think there is a lesson of honor and integrity here.
• Never attack a really good guy who has God on his side, plus a whole lot of armored soldiers.

Alma 42

Alma 42

Have you ever wondered how God can extend mercy and demand justice at the same time? Often those two qualities can seem contradictory. Alma explains this complicated but beautiful principle to his son, Corianton.

13… Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God.

15 And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore [Christ] atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.

The answer is a mediator between us and God—His Son Jesus Christ—who would pay our debts for us if we agree to accept Him as our new “creditor” and follow His terms. The primary term the Savior requires is repentance.

 13 Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice.

Those who will accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and repent of their sins allow God to be both merciful and just at the same time. God extends mercy and forgiveness because Jesus Christ has paid for their sins and pleads on their behalf. Justice is still served because someone—Jesus Christ—paid the price for the sins of those who meet his terms of repentance and faithfulness. What a beautiful, brilliant, and hopeful plan!

Corianton is bothered by the idea of justice. Why does anyone have to receive punishment for their sins, anyway? How could a loving God do that? Well, Alma explains this concept, too. God gave us laws—we all understand the value and purpose of laws. And what good is a law that isn't enforced?

 17 …How could there be a law save there was a punishment?

 20 And also, if there was no law given against sin men would not be afraid to sin.

22 But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God.

 23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement…

 24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.

 25 What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God.

Jesus Christ has already paid the price. He stands waiting and wanting to help me receive mercy from God. It is my choice whether I will follow Him and repent of my sins in order to qualify for this mercy that is so generously extended toward me. It’s my choice.

27 Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.

Alma 40-41

Alma 40

Alma teaches Corianton about what happens to our souls after death. He summarizes everything in these verses:

21…there is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

 23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.

All mankind will be resurrected—meaning the spirit/soul is restored to the body, but this time the body is perfect, complete, and immortal. That is a free gift from Jesus Christ as a result of his atonement and resurrection. And after each person is resurrected, she/he will stand before God to be judged to determine where they will go through eternity, based on how they lived their lives and the person they have become. But in between the time of death and resurrection, there is a waiting period for every soul. Alma describes this waiting period:

 11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

 12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

 13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness...and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

 14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.

There is a lot we don’t know about life after death, but I am grateful to know we all will live again after we die. Losing loved ones is the most painful experience in life because we miss them and love them, but I believe with all my heart that we will see them again. I don’t have any doubt that there is life after death, and that helps to take away my fear of death. This life is just one important step in our journey to become more like God, and I think the next step after this life will be beautiful and exciting for those who live well in this life.

Alma 41

Alma teaches Corianton about the Restoration in this chapter —meaning, the resurrection (when every spirit is re-joined with its immortalized body after death), and what happens to souls after they are resurrected.

Alma says that people who desired good and did good in life are restored to good, and people who desired evil and did evil are restored to evil. Makes sense, right? And it’s comforting to know that God doesn’t just judge us by our actions, but also by the desires of our hearts.

 3 And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.

 4 And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame…

 5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.

 7 … they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.

This last verse is important to me, because ultimately we will be our own judges. No one will think they are dealt an unfair verdict in the end. We will be restored to the state where we feel most comfortable.

Alma also says we can never find happiness by living wickedly, or doing things that are wrong or contrary to God’s commandments. Period. While worldly thrills and pleasures may bring instant or temporary satisfaction, it never lasts, and it never develops into true happiness.

10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.

11 And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.

So if you want to be happy, then basically you should live the golden rule, because the good you send out into the world will return to you. I believe this applies after this life, and DURING this life, too.

 13 O, my son…the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.

 14 Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.

Alma 38-39

Alma 38

“…There is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.” (vs. 9)

Alma continues his fatherly counsel, but this time to his son Shiblon, who is also faithful like Helaman. Shiblon went with his dad to preach to the Zoramites, and was imprisoned and even stoned in his efforts, so we know he is invested! Alma says, “…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 (vs. 2).”

Even good boys need counsel and warning from their fathers. The first point Alma drives home is that Christ is the only way we can be saved (see vs. 9 above). This is the most important thing he could understand. Then Alma has 3 other points to share with Shiblon:

(1) And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (vs 5)

I believe this—it is my source of peace and motivation when I’m going through difficult times. Keep in mind that Alma is saying this to someone who has been imprisoned and stoned! I believe the Lord will always help us through our trials, and we will even be better off because of them, if we put our trust in Him. The only thing that isn’t promised is the timing… usually our patience is tested in the process!

(2) See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength. (vs 11)

I see pride lead to downfall for so many individuals and families. People start to make dumb decisions that lead to even dumber decisions when they think they know better than God.

(3) …also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love.

This third point reminded me of a lesson I heard as a teenager at church about Love vs. Lust. It opened my eyes and helped me to understand what love really looks like, and how lust masquerades as love but will actually extinguish true love. It is important to be able to identify the difference between the two.

LOVE	LUST
Puts the other person’s needs first	Is driven by personal desires
Enduring, eternal	Fleeting, temporary
Nurtures friendship and respect	Just wants physical fulfillment
Causes you to be your best and feel your best	Makes you feel anxious and easily upset
Wants to work through problems	Resents effort and personal discomfort
Invites the Spirit of God	Drives away the Spirit of God
Protects	Manipulates
Forgives	Blames
Sacrifices	Takes
Is Confident	Is Jealous
Shows respect through appropriate restraint	Driven by passion
Grows with time and nurturing	Requires increasing excitement to not get bored
Survives sickness, sorrow, poverty, disappointment	Leaves when the going gets tough

Alma 39

Alma now speaks to his third son, Corianton.  The previous two talks were happy and uplifting because the sons were good boys committed to the gospel. Corianton isn’t a “bad boy”—after all, he went to preach the gospel to the Zoramites along with the rest of his brothers—but he made some big mistakes.

The first of Corianton’s sins was pride: “thou didst go on unto boasting in thy strength and thy wisdom.” (vs. 2) But this isn’t the worst of it—his greater sin was sleeping with a prostitute in the land of the Zoramites, which is ungodly at any time, but especially shocking as a missionary. Alma speaks to him about the severity of his actions:

5 Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?

7 And now, my son, I would to God that ye had not been guilty of so great a crime. I would not dwell upon your crimes, to harrow up your soul, if it were not for your good.

8 But behold, ye cannot hide your crimes from God; and except ye repent they will stand as a testimony against you at the last day.

9 Now my son, I would that ye should repent and forsake your sins, and go no more after the lusts of your eyes, but cross yourself in all these things; for except ye do this ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

The happy news is that people who make mistakes of any kind—including sexual sins—can repent. The Lord loves to forgive when we are sincere!

I’d never realized this before, but the topics of pride and lust/love are what Alma spoke to Shiblon about in the previous chapter. These topics were clearly on Alma’s mind because of Corianton’s recent transgressions and he wanted to warn his other son to avoid these pitfalls.

Corianton was able to repent because of Jesus Christ. You may have noticed that the Book of Mormon prophesies frequently and gives specific details about the coming of Jesus Christ, even mentioning him by name. The time period is about 74 B.C. How could they know this stuff?? Alma will explain, because Corianton was skeptical on the topic:

15 And now, my son, I would say somewhat unto you concerning the coming of Christ. Behold, I say unto you, that it is he that surely shall come to take away the sins of the world; yea, he cometh to declare glad tidings of salvation unto his people.

17 … Behold, you marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand. Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming?

18 Is it not as necessary that the plan of redemption should be made known unto this people as well as unto their children?

19 Is it not as easy at this time for the Lord to send his angel to declare these glad tidings unto us as unto our children, or as after the time of his coming?