Alma 5:19-20

I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances? I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?

Trying to be faithful but making mistakes is very different from intentionally sinning and becoming subject to Satan.  The atonement will not apply to those who intentionally and persistently disobey and refuse to repent. The Lord will save only those who are willing to be saved.

Alma 5:15

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?

When we keep the eternal goal in mind, it is easier to make good mortal choices.

Alma 5:13

And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved.

After we receive a witness from the Holy Ghost, we must stay humble, trust in God, and stay faithful to keep it. President Ezra Taft Benson explained: “Repentance means more than simply a reformation of behavior. … True repentance is based on, and flows from, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. True repentance involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson 1988, 71).

Alma 5:11-12

Behold, I can tell you—did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them? And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.

Alma's formula for changing our life: Listen to the prophet of God, believe the Word of God, and have faith in the Son of God. The result: God will change us.

Alma 5:7

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.

This verse reminds us that the people of wicked King Noah, who were converted by young Alma's father, were pretty wicked themselves. The lesson to be gained here is that they didn't change themselves. The scripture says the Lord changed their hearts, awakened them, illuminated their souls. All they had to do was repent and let him in. He will do the same for us if we let him.

Alma 4:19

And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.

To bear down is to apply a steady pressure in order to get something to move. Pure testimony is a witness born from the heart in all sincerity, untainted by rhetoric and swelling words and sophistry. It is plain truth, exactly what you know and nothing more. No embellishment, no mystery, no fluff. Alma's objective was to apply constant pressure on the people with his plain, simple testimony of what he knew to be true from personal experience in the hopes moving the people towards repentance. This is always the role of a prophet. How grateful I am for the prophets who have touched my life for nearly fifty years.

Alma 4:13-14

Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ’s sake, who should come according to the spirit of prophecy; Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.

A recurring theme in the Book of Mormon is the principle of retaining the remission of our sins through selfless service in caring for the poor. We do not buy our way into heaven with good deeds, but we please our Father when we learn to have compassion and use the gifts he has given us to bless others. We show our desire to serve him through our service to others, and he rewards our desires with mercy.

Alma 4:3

And so great were their afflictions that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was the judgments of God sent upon them because of their wickedness and their abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty.

When afflictions awaken us to our duty, they are not a curse but a blessing. Hard times are sometimes our best times.

Alma 3:27

For every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. And thus endeth the fifth year of the reign of the judges.

To "list" is to desire. Our intentions and desires play a huge role in determining the outcome of our lives. We all sin, but not all of us want to. Mercy and redemption are offered to those who want to be obedient but fail because of mortal weakness. Justice is served to those who enjoy sin and purposefully disregard the commandments of God. It is not how many sins or the magnitude of the sins we commit but the genuine desire of our heart that is weighed in the balance. Christ can overcome every sin for us, but only if we want him to.

Alma 1:30

And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.

This is why God prospers his righteous followers, so they can use their prosperity to bless others. He loves to give to us when we give to others.

Alma 1:28

And thus they did establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions.

Peace is not the absence of trouble. It is attitude with which we meet our troubles. It is trusting in God and exercising faith despite our circumstances.  It is being grateful in all things, even the things we don't like.

Alma 1:4

https://bycommonconsent.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/nehor.jpg

And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.

This verse recounts the false testimony of Nehor the Anti-Christ. Half truths are the weapons of Satan to confuse and blind those who are not careful. It is true that God created all people. And it is true that Christ has atoned for all sins of all people for all time. What is not true is that redemption is guaranteed to everyone with no effort on their part. We must participate in our own salvation. Each must work out his own salvation with fear and trembling, meaning with humility and effort. Anyone CAN be saved, but not everyone WILL be saved.

Mosiah 29:20

But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.

The result of faith is mercy. The ultimate end of mercy is deliverance, although the immediate result might be more trials. We must always remember in whom we trust and add patience to that trust. Without patience, trust is just a wish.

Mosiah 27:32

And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them.

Just because we repent and turn our lives around does not mean everything will run smoothly from now on out. Sometimes our hardest times and greatest trials can come just at that point when we think we've got our game together. We are finally doing the right things. We are going to church, paying our tithing, attending the temple, and serving in our callings. We think we are making solid progress, and then the roadblocks appear, and the storms rage, and everything we do seems to go wrong. These are not the times to despair but to persevere. The blessings come after the trial of our faith. Trials are just tests, they are not judgments or punishments. If God didn't think we could stand the heat, he wouldn't put us in the furnace.

Mosiah 27:29

My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.

"Snatch" is an interesting verb. Alma uses it twice in this chapter and once in the next chapter to describe the process by which his guilt was removed. It means to quickly seize something in an eager way. God is eager to forgive us. He is quick to forgive at the first sign of repentance. If we feel like it takes an eternity to repent of our sins and gain God's acceptance, it is not God who is slow, it is us. He will forgive us far faster than we will forgive ourselves.

Mosiah 27:28

Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.

"Everlasting" does not mean that the burning guilt has no end, but rather, it is God's burning, for "Everlasting" is one of his names. Guilt, like pain, is a good thing when it tells us that something is wrong and needs to be tended to. The world wants to feed us painkillers that simply mask the symptom (sometimes called "searing our consciences"). But Christ offers more than mere relief. He offers healing. He offers to make us like new again.

Mosiah 27:27

I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.

Alma knows what can happen to us when we are intentionally disobedient to God. Remember, Alma did not sin in ignorance. He willfully rebelled. He was not going to be cast off because he made mistakes, but because he purposely chose wickedness when he knew better. Christ's atonement covers our mistakes, but if we refuse to let him help us, we will be as if no atonement had been made. The good news of the gospel is that we choose the outcome of our life.

Mosiah 27:25

And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;

God's desire is to save all his children. Christ has been empowered through the atonement to cover every single person and every single sin. No one has to miss the opportunity to be redeemed. We just have to choose Christ, give him our sins, and let him change us. We just have to stop being stubborn and proud, start being obedient, and let it happen. We are all his children by virtue of God being the Father of our spirits. But to become a son or daughter of God requires a different kind of birth --a rebirth from carnal to spiritual, from natural to sanctified. It is not so much what we do as what we choose to become.

Mosiah 27:14

And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.

Prayers on behalf of others work. They unlock the power of God. They don't necessarily change God's will, but they have an impact. Things happen with prayer that might not happen or might happen differently without prayer. I do not understand completely how it works or why it works, but I am convinced by many evidences that prayer for others does indeed work.

Mosiah 24:29-30

Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also. Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.

We are not condemned for sin but only for refusing to repent. The atonement has made it possible for us to learn from our mistakes without being condemned by them. The plan of salvation is genius, but it works only because Christ became our Savior.

Mosiah 26:24

For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand.

Our task and our goal is to come to know Christ. If we know him, we will not deny him; and if we do not deny him, he will not deny us.

Mosiah 26:18

Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine.

When we covenant to bear the name of Christ through baptism, we identify with him. We become as much like him as we can. Through his grace and because of his atonement, we develop Christ-like attributes until, eons from now, we become indistinguishable from him. We will be called by his name and we will not be ashamed to answer to it. Just as children carry the family name of their father, so we as children of Christ will carry his name.

Mosiah 26:15

Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi.

We are blessed when we choose to believe God's word without physical evidence or proof. He is pleased when we take his word on faith and give it a chance to work in us. The Spirit will deliver all the evidence we need once we demonstrate our willingness to try the word.

Mosiah 26:14

And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him.

How does one pour out his whole soul? He exposes his deepest, honest thoughts, concerns and desires. He holds nothing back and hides nothing in a secret chamber of his heart. He shows God everything there is to know about himself. He leaves no sin unconfessed, no weakness unexplored, no hidden thoughts unexamined. In the end, he gives up his whole heart and soul to God. He offers every good thing and even every bad thing in his heart to the Lord and asks Him to take it all and do with it what He will. Because the soul is the body and spirit combined, to offer one's whole soul is to submit temporally and spiritually to God. He can have everything, all one's time, energy, strength, talent, and work and all one's loyalty, faith, devotion, courage, and desires. When one truly offers his agency to God, submits himself fully and completely, leaving nothing tethered to the natural man, he has poured out his whole soul. Such a one can most assuredly ask and receive, seek and find, knock and be opened to. When we hold nothing back, God holds nothing back.