Alma 32-35: Faith
When reading Alma 32 this week, it made me think of a conference talk by President Packer, one of my all time favorites: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1980/10/the-choice?lang=eng
Some thoughts to go with it:
If the purpose of life is to come to know God, and our trials remind us of our dependence on God, then trials are moving us towards the goal of our mortal existence.
Where as a life without bumps in the road would bring complacency, independence, or self-sufficiency, stalling us in our progression.
So if difficult circumstances compel us to be humble, how do we choose to go to our knees when our circumstances don't compel us to go there?
This helps explain a somewhat puzzling quote by President Packer: "perhaps the hardest test [is a life of] ease and luxury..."
There is more equality in our trials than we sometimes suspect
Jesus taught the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8.
If we combine the three, this is what the thorns mean:
struggle pride cycle is real.
Nothing changed in Korihor's soul, because nothing happened in his soil.
He said "I knew it all along". I find this fascinating. He had knowledge, yet he lacked faith. Faith is a condition of the heart, where knowledge is a condition of the mind. God wants both!!
Sure God could plant a fully grown tree in every patch of ground, but he doesn't… he scatters seeds, so that we can learn about our soil through the process. So that we can learn something about seeds through the process. So that we can learn something about the plant, the fruit, even the sower himself.
Growth is what he is after. If perfect knowledge is what God wanted, he could have provided it.
It's perfectly fitting that immediately after this chapter on building faith, we focus on the need for a time to develop faith before perfect knowledge comes.
Alma 32:21 and Moroni 7:33 show that there are two types of faith:
V22 First: he wants our belief. Because it says something about our heart, something about our soil.
The word belief has taken a hit in our culture. In fast & testimony meeting we get up there and say "I know ____, I know___, I know___". If someone gets up and says "I believe___" it might make our ears perk up and wonder "oh….. They don't know yet…lacking a little faith still I guess."
But could it be that he that claims to know is the one who trying to shortcut their way to perfect knowledge? Maybe he who claims to believe is doing as James said, letting patience have her perfect work.
Ok I'm not bashing anyone who says "I know" at church. Spiritually speaking, we can say we know because of the power of the holy ghost. But next time you're about to say I know this or that... think to yourself if you have put forth the faith hope and works to develop that belief into that firm knowledge. If not, if you have put faith, hope, and works on the shelf while using the shortcut "I know", let us resurrect the words "I believe", lets put that faith, hope and works back in the proving grounds, until that belief can undoubtedly be turned into "I know".
Elder Holland "Lord I believe" https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng
Elder holland met a young boy who said to him "I don't know if I can yet say that I know the church is true.. but I do believe it." It was so apologetic, like I'm sorry I don't have the right vocabulary word yet. Holland said he hugged that boy till his eyes popped out. "I told him with all the fervor of my soul that belief is a precious word, an even more precious act, and he need never apologize for 'only believing'."
V26-27 "awake and arouse your faculties".
When you want to go up a steep hill, you need to use the lowest gear possible, something to help you to just, start, moving. Then - you can shift up. It will require a little more muscle, but you will be making much more progress per peddle. Then you continue your momentum as you keep shifting up.
Some thoughts to go with it:
If the purpose of life is to come to know God, and our trials remind us of our dependence on God, then trials are moving us towards the goal of our mortal existence.
Where as a life without bumps in the road would bring complacency, independence, or self-sufficiency, stalling us in our progression.
So if difficult circumstances compel us to be humble, how do we choose to go to our knees when our circumstances don't compel us to go there?
This helps explain a somewhat puzzling quote by President Packer: "perhaps the hardest test [is a life of] ease and luxury..."
There is more equality in our trials than we sometimes suspect
Alma 32
Jesus taught the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. 
If we combine the three, this is what the thorns mean:
- The cares of this world
- The deceitfulness of riches
- The lusts of other things
- Pleasures of this life
If we are active in educating our desires, before the world educates them for us, we can cut this pride cycle in half, choosing humility and repentance even as we are blessed and prosper. This "choosing to be humble", is my main take away from this week.
V9 COVID-19 has in a way cast us out of our synagogues and been a wake up call to our spiritual growth. How have you grown since? Has it caused you to sink your own tap roots a little deeper, instead of living off of the water of others?
V15-16. Choosing to be humble is like planting a seed and helping it grow, where as being compelled to know is like planting a full grown tree. Perhaps either way will yield fruit in the end, but in the latter, we haven't learned a thing about our soil, the seed, the plant, or even the sower.
Nothing changed in Korihor's soul, because nothing happened in his soil.
He said "I knew it all along". I find this fascinating. He had knowledge, yet he lacked faith. Faith is a condition of the heart, where knowledge is a condition of the mind. God wants both!!
Sure God could plant a fully grown tree in every patch of ground, but he doesn't… he scatters seeds, so that we can learn about our soil through the process. So that we can learn something about seeds through the process. So that we can learn something about the plant, the fruit, even the sower himself.
Growth is what he is after. If perfect knowledge is what God wanted, he could have provided it.
It's perfectly fitting that immediately after this chapter on building faith, we focus on the need for a time to develop faith before perfect knowledge comes.
|
Faith --> perfect knowledge |
Let belief grow into knowledge |
|
Work --> reconciled will |
Let righteous acts grow into righteous reflexes |
Alma 32:21 and Moroni 7:33 show that there are two types of faith:
- faith of what is to come
- faith that causes things to happen
The 1st usually leads to the 2nd.
The word belief has taken a hit in our culture. In fast & testimony meeting we get up there and say "I know ____, I know___, I know___". If someone gets up and says "I believe___" it might make our ears perk up and wonder "oh….. They don't know yet…lacking a little faith still I guess."
But could it be that he that claims to know is the one who trying to shortcut their way to perfect knowledge? Maybe he who claims to believe is doing as James said, letting patience have her perfect work.
Ok I'm not bashing anyone who says "I know" at church. Spiritually speaking, we can say we know because of the power of the holy ghost. But next time you're about to say I know this or that... think to yourself if you have put forth the faith hope and works to develop that belief into that firm knowledge. If not, if you have put faith, hope, and works on the shelf while using the shortcut "I know", let us resurrect the words "I believe", lets put that faith, hope and works back in the proving grounds, until that belief can undoubtedly be turned into "I know".
Elder Holland "Lord I believe" https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng
Elder holland met a young boy who said to him "I don't know if I can yet say that I know the church is true.. but I do believe it." It was so apologetic, like I'm sorry I don't have the right vocabulary word yet. Holland said he hugged that boy till his eyes popped out. "I told him with all the fervor of my soul that belief is a precious word, an even more precious act, and he need never apologize for 'only believing'."
V26-27 "awake and arouse your faculties".
This discovery will not come to the casual dabbler. The lord requires EFFORT. Awake, arouse, exercise... these are action words. Waiting for a sign is a lazy short cut. Buying a lottery ticket vs building a career.
It's kind of like someone sayingg "the gym isn't true", as they sit on the couch. Except, it is true for everyone exercising inside the gym. Christ will never be real to you until you "exercise a particle of faith".
That particle will be different for everyone.
THE BIKE
When you want to go up a steep hill, you need to use the lowest gear possible, something to help you to just, start, moving. Then - you can shift up. It will require a little more muscle, but you will be making much more progress per peddle. Then you continue your momentum as you keep shifting up. What is your lowest gear?? Something that doesn't require hardly any effort, it almost comes automatically, but it does allow you to feel a particle of faith... some inkling of God, of something bigger than yourself.
Next time you feel that inkling, that particle of faith, that momentum.. recognize it, and try to shift up!
It's important for you to know what that next gear is. Maybe it's simply being in nature, surrounded by Somebody's creations. Maybe it's gratitude, love, prayer, church, scriptures, repentance, make covenants, keep covenants, etc. Write down your "gears", rank them, and next time you sense the momentum, shift up! And see how you feel. Then shift up again.
V1 after hearing Alma's words, the people want to know how they should plant the seed, or the word of Christ, in their hearts, and how they should exercise their faith.
Alma 33
Okay we just finished a chapter all about the experiment of faith.
If God's goal is for me to have faith, there needs to be just enough evidence to confirm my faith, but not enough evidence to obviate my faith. Not enough evidence, and the experiment could never be proven. Too much evidence, and it could not be disproven. We need just enough exclamation points to confirm what we're learning. Just enough question marks to keep our learning alive. Just enough evidence to make faith plausible, not so much to make faith unnecessary. Heavenly Father walks this line so perfectly. V1 after hearing Alma's words, the people want to know how they should plant the seed, or the word of Christ, in their hearts, and how they should exercise their faith.
Alma gives the primary answers: pray and search the scriptures. These are not primary answers because they are so simple and only meant for children. Much like how all colors can come from the three primary colors, all other building blocks of faith can come from praying and searching the scriptures.
Alma 34
V2 I like Amulek's response: "I think that it is impossible that ye should be ignorant of the things which have been spoken". I hope it is impossible for my friends to be ignorant of my testimony of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the son of god. He atoned for our sins. He conquered sin and death. He rose again. He is still eager to be a part of our lives and minister to our every need.
V5 The Great Question
V10 There's a whole book written on this one verse. "The Infinite Atonement" by Tad R Callister.
V15-17 How much faith do I need? "Faith unto repentance". It's not just about acquiring faith, it's exercising that faith. God doesn't just want you to know that He is real, but He wants you to become like Him. Faith is meant to lead you to repentance, to change, to be better today than you were yesterday.
V31-33 The time is now. Don't delay.
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