Alma's Authority

I’ve heard the question posed before about where Alma got his authority to baptize and organize a church.  He was one of the wicked priests of King Noah who believed the words of Abinadi, repented of his sins, and then suddenly started preaching.  He gathered those who would listen to him to the waters of Mormon where he taught and baptized them.  He also “ordained priests” and did other things to organize themselves into a church (Mosiah 18:18).  Since we focus a fair amount on the fact that Joseph Smith received the authority to organize the Church of Christ again on the earth, I think it is a fair question to ask where Alma got his authority and Priesthood power to administer ordinances and organize the Church.  As far as I understand it, the Book of Mormon never tells us exactly where he got his authority while among the people of King Noah.  But I think the text gives us confidence that he did indeed have it.  

                Upon close examination of the text surrounding the actions that Alma took in relation to the Church, it seems that Mormon wanted us to know that Alma had authority.  Again and again we read that he performed actions with authority given from God, even if it is not specified where or how he got that.  When he baptized he used the words “having authority from the Almighty God” to perform the ordinance (Mosiah 18:13).  Mormon further commented that each convert was “baptized by the power and authority of God” (Mosiah 18:17).  Mormon clarified that “having authority from God” Alma ordained priests and that those priests did teach the people “with power and authority from God” (Mosiah 18:18, 26).  After the people of Alma’s new church left King Noah they founded their own city with Alma at their head.  As their Church continued to grow Mormon wrote that “none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God” (Mosiah 23:17).  Later after Alma and his people had joined the people of Mosiah, Alma baptized the people of King Limhi, and it appears that King Mosiah was in full agreement of this action: “King Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla; and he gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over every church” (Mosiah 25:19).  In the next chapter we read that “King Mosiah had given Alma the authority over the church” (Mosiah 26:8).  So from that time forth Alma’s authority was clear—he had received it from King Mosiah.  And the fact that King Mosiah gave Alma this authority to me shows that he had no problem with the actions Alma had performed prior to the arrival of his people.  He recognized Alma’s authority over the church he had established when he arrived in the land of Zarahemla.

                It may be that Alma’s authority amidst the people of King Noah came from an angel who ordained him when he was writing down the words of Abinadi.  Or it may be that Alma already had authority because he was a priest of King Noah and had started out as a legitimate priest, so he had no need of getting new authority (just repenting and forsaking his sins).  Ultimately it doesn’t really matter, and the important point is that he did have authority from God to establish the church and perform the ordinances.  And how grateful we are that he did and that he left such a legacy of service for us to follow!