THEOLOGY

LECTURE EIGHT

On the doctrine of Christ

Of Charity

How Charity is Obtained

Alma the younger’s teachings on the Word of God

1. We continue in this lecture to show how charity is obtained through Alma the younger’s analogy of the word of God in his teachings to the Zoramites as recorded in Alma, chapter 32, in the Book of Mormon.
2. The Zoramites were a wicked and a hardened people. Their wickedness was considered to be an abomination before the Lord. This was due to their “perverting the ways of the Lord” or taking true teachings and wresting (or twisting) them into something that leads men away from God instead of leading men to God.
3. They had become idol worshipers. Their leader, Zoram, had even gathered his followers together to one part of the land to further control them with the intent of perverting the ways of the Lord—something we often witness in modern day cults.
4. Enough people had gathered to Zoram’s movement to cause concern to the rest of the Nephite population. They feared that an alliance might form between the Zoramites and the Lamanites, which would strengthen their enemy and weaken their own forces.
5. In addition, the Zoramites felt they were a chosen and an elect people, yet they had twisted worship into a once a week event. One at a time, they would ascend onto a high place in their worship center and, with arms outraised and in a loud voice, pray the same prayer, over and over, which included perverted teachings such as: “there shall be no Christ”; that the god to whom they prayed “wast a spirit”, “art a spirit”, and “wilt be a spirit forever”; and that their god had “elected” them to be his “holy children”. Further, they believed that the entire rest of the population was “led away” by “foolish traditions” which “bind them down to a belief of Christ”, causing “their hearts to wander far from “thee their god”.
6. To this hardened and perverted population, Alma determined to try the convincing power of the word of God; for, as Alma recorded, “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.” Alma 31:5
7. Alma built his teachings to this hardened and lost people upon a foundation of hope and faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement.
8.  “And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word. And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned.” Alma 32:21-23
9. We should note the similarity of how the word is imparted to men in Alma’s message as compared to Nephi’s teachings. Yes, men take hold upon it by hope and faith, but the word is imparted by “angels unto men”. Angels are the messengers of God. They can be what we think of as literal angels from the throne of God, or they can be prophets and ministers amongst us—angels in mortal guise. Remember that even Christ in his mortal ministry was persecuted, rejected, judged, and killed by those who could not see that the Son of God was amongst them in the flesh.
10. Alma continues: “Now, as I said concerning faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge. But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.” Alma 32:26-27
11. Here we see Alma is calling upon a lost and fallen people, caught up in pride and idolatry, imploring them to exercise faith in his words, the words of Christ delivered by a prophet, a messenger, an angel of God. And what is it that they should exercise faith to do?
12. “Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.” Alma 32:28-29
13. Often this analogy is misunderstood. Some believe that the seed is faith. It is not. The seed is the Word of God and the Spirit of the Lord which testifies of the same. Faith must be exercised to do the planting; but it is the Word of God which we must plant in our hearts. We must open up, humble ourselves to try something difficult, something new, something that might go against our traditions or false beliefs.
14. Alma continues, but now with a focus on nourishing that which was planted:
15.  “And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit. But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.” Alma 32:37-38
16. There are only two ways: We either nourish the tree so that it can get root and grow, or we neglect the tree so that it withers away.
17. The withering comes from without—the “sun cometh and scorcheth” the tree. Just as the mists of darkness covered the path to the tree of life in Lehi’s dream, barring the way for any who would not hold to the rod of iron which ran next to the path, causing them to lose their way, we can see here in Alma’s analogy that those who do not nourish the tree will lose what was planted due to neglect when the sun’s scorching rays appear.
18. This teaches us that we all have an active role in this process. We cannot sit back, do nothing, and hope to partake of the tree of life. No one is carried to the tree of life against their will. No one grows a tree of life from the seed (or word of God) in their hearts without planting and nourishing. To partake of the tree of life requires active effort.
19. There is a great purpose in this which we will touch on in the following lecture.
20. Alma then defines the two possible outcomes—the result if we neglect the tree and the result if we nourish the tree. This is the first place where we see in this teaching that Alma clarifies that the tree of which he is teaching is actually the tree of life.
21. First, we see the result for those who neglect the tree. “Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof. And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.” Alma 32:39-40
22. If we do not nourish the tree, then we can never taste of the fruit. The way is barred to us and we are left to ourselves because our “ground is barren”.
23. Second, Alma speaks of the results we can expect if we faithfully nourish the tree, allowing it to get root to withstand the scorching rays of the sun: “But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.” Alma 32:41-43
24. Once again, we see that the Word of God is the way to the tree of life! Whether it be compared to a rod of iron leading to the tree of life as in Lehi’s dream or to a seed planted in our hearts which grows up into the tree of life it is the same. And the result is the same. We are allowed to partake of the fruit which is “most precious”, “sweet above all that is sweet”, “white above all that is white”, and “pure above all that is pure”.
25. As we partake we “are filled”, that we “hunger not” neither do we “thirst”.
26. We receive charity, or the fruit of the tree of life, the pure love of God. We become a new creature in Christ. We are born again. We no longer have “faith” in this process, for we have now “reaped the rewards of our faith”, which include the knowledge through personal revelation that we are clean and sanctified before God by and through the atoning blood of the Savior, Jesus Christ.
27. Often in our classrooms the teaching or lectures end with the final verse (v43) of chapter 32. But if we turn to chapter 33 we see how clearly Alma expounds to the Zoramites what it is that they should do and upon whom they should place their faith. First note their confusion following Alma’s words as they “…sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should believe in one God, that they might obtain this fruit of which he had spoken, or how they should plant the seed, or the word of which he had spoken, which he said must be planted in their hearts; or in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith.” Alma 33:1
28. Alma plainly teaches them first that they can worship God anywhere—they need not be in a building made of man’s hands.
29. He then turns to the scriptures, sharing the words of Zenos and Zenock regarding the Son of God, so that they might know upon whom they should rest their faith.
30. Alma then turns to one of the best-known types of the Savior presented by a prophet of God—Moses and the brass serpent. “…he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live. But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them. O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish? If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works. And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen.” Alma 33:19-23
31. See how plain and precious is the way? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to redeem his people. He suffered and died for us to atone for our sins. For surely “with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5. He rose from the dead to bring to pass the resurrection, without which we would be forever unable to return to his presence, to stand before him, to be judged by him.
32. “O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness. O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.” 2 Nephi 9:8-10
33. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the Word of God, the gospel and doctrine of Jesus Christ, which Alma admonished his listeners to plant in their hearts. It is this Word which, if properly nourished, can become a tree of life in each of us, making our burdens light and filling us with the joy of God’s plan and His love, charity.
34. “And even all this can ye do if ye will.” Alma 33:23