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?