A Regulation

There is an interesting word used in the Book of Mormon a few times describing the work of the leaders of the Church among the people.  We see it first in the work of Alma after he had given up judgment seat and went about to teach the people.  Speaking of his work among those at Zarahemla as he called them to repentance, Mormon recorded that “Alma had made these regulations” among them (Alma 6:7).  Later after the Nephites defeated Zarahemnah and the Lamanites in Alma 43-44, Mormon recorded this about Helaman the son of Alma: “For behold, because of their wars with the Lamanites and the many little dissensions and disturbances which had been among the people, it became expedient that the word of God should be declared among them, yea, and that a regulation should be made throughout the church.”  So both Alma and Helaman had made a “regulation” among the Church as they tried to bring people in line with what they were supposed to be doing and bring order to the church.  Helaman in particular did a systematic review of the church and the leaders: he “went forth to establish the church again in all the land, yea, in every city throughout all the land which was possessed by the people of Nephi. And it came to pass that they did appoint priests and teachers throughout all the land, over all the churches” (Alma 45:22-23).  This is of course what Alma did as well as he traveled from place to place as recorded in Alma 5-15, preaching the word of God and trying to bring people in line with the doctrine of Christ. 

After this mention of Helaman making this systematic regulation of the Church the great war between the Lamanites and the Nephites started, and the next 15 years or so were somewhat chaotic for the people and the church.  At the end of that, we see Helaman did the same thing as before: “And Helaman did take upon him again to preach unto the people the word of God; for because of so many wars and contentions it had become expedient that a regulation should be made again in the church” (Alma 62:44).  He went forth again seeking to declare the word of God to the people and bring their lives in line with the commandments and revelations.  This was his last act of service to his people, for shortly after making these “regulations” among the people he passed away (Alma 62:52).  In our day this continues, for it is the responsibility of the Twelve and the Seventy to do the same in the worldwide church.  They are to “build up the church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:33-34).  Without a consistent effort of the Lord’s anointed to keep the Saints in line with the revelations of God, we naturally tend to diverge from it.  That’s why we have so many letters from Paul in the New Testament regulating the Saints of his time and why today we have opportunities every six months to hear from the prophets and apostles to get our lives in line with the doctrine of Christ. 

There is perhaps a lesson as well in this for us personally to help us keep our lives in order.  We need to make our own “regulation,” to consistently examine our lives to see if we are in line with the things God would have us do.  We have this scheduled opportunity every Sunday to partake of the Sacrament, review our actions, and repent of those ways that we have gone astray that week.  Helaman’s example shows us that we should never stop seeking to make this “regulation”.  it was the last thing he did in his life for the church, and it should be an ongoing effort for us to personally keep ourselves in line with God’s word as long as we are in mortality.