The Testimony of Amulek

I am impressed with Amulek’s testimony of Jesus Christ. Despite having only recently been converted to the gospel through an angel and the teachings of Alma in his home, he boldly stood before the people of Ammonihah and testified of the Savior. He said that the Son of God “is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are; he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last; And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.” After teaching about His redemptive spiritual powers, Amulek boldly declared truths about the resurrection of Christ which will enable all to rise again. This was perhaps foreshadowing the deaths of those believers in Ammonihah who, according to Amulek’s teachings, would still rise triumphant through Christ and live again. Amulek declared, “Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death…. Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil” (Alma 11:39-40, 42, 44). Not only would Christ rise from the grave, but all men and women would likewise overcome physical death to stand resurrected before the judgment bar of Christ. Amulek, though relatively young in the gospel, knew the most important part: the sufferings, death, and resurrection of Christ will save us from physical death and can redeem us through our repentance.

               We further see Amulek’s powerful witness of Jesus Christ in his teachings to the Zoramites. He was at this point more seasoned in the gospel, and his words focused on the pivotal nature of the atonement of the Savior. He declared, “Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it. For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.” Like Jacob had before him—and perhaps Amulek had studied Jacob’s words—Amulek bore witness that the Savior’s atonement was infinite in scope and power. He said, “And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal. And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.” Amulek understood that the take away for each of us, knowing of Christ’s infinite sacrifice, is that we need to repent so He can fully redeem us: “Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you” (Alma 34:8-9, 14-15, 17). This chapter is that last that we have with Amulek’s teachings, but many years later Helaman (the son of Helaman) summarized Amulek’s teachings on the Savior this way: “And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins. And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance.” Similarly, Aminadab taught the Lamanites, “You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you” (Helaman 5:10, 41). Amulek was a powerful witness of Jesus Christ to the Nephites of his days, and his testimony continues to invite us to likewise repent and have faith in Christ and His redeeming power.