Joy and Peace of Conscience

In part of what we might call Alma’s soliloquy, he said, “He that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience” (Alma 29:5).  In this list of opposites Alma seems to be suggesting that the opposite of joy is remorse of conscience; or, in other words, that joy is defined by peace of conscience.  I really like that way of thinking about joy—true joy can only come to us if we are at peace with ourselves and our standing before God.  When our souls are agitated by our own misdeeds, we cannot truly have joy.  We see this very thing in the story of the people of King Benjamin.  After he taught them of the Savior, we read, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come” (Mosiah 4:3).  They had joy because they received a remission of their sins and they had peace in their conscience.  King Benjamin emphasized this again a few verses later in the same chapter, “Ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls” (Mosiah 4:11).  Exceedingly great joy comes from having a conscience at peace because of the remission of our sins through Jesus Christ.

               Alma emphasized this principle again as he told his sons about the forgiveness he received from the Lord.  Alma told his experience of how he came to the Savior and was forgiven in these words to Helaman, “And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.  And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!” (Alma 36:19-20).  To Shiblon he said, “I receive a remission of my sins. But behold, I did cry unto him and I did find peace to my soul” (Alma 38:8).  Joy came to him as he received peace in his soul and a remission of his sins.  From that point on he sought to bring this same joy that comes through repentance to the Nephites: “I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Alma 36:24).  Alma had spent many years in his youth trying to find happiness in the things of the world, but only as he repented and received a remission of his sins—gaining a true peaceful conscience—did he find the joy that he was looking for.  His message to all of us is that if we want joy, we must have peace in our hearts, and if we want peace we must receive a remission of our sins through Jesus Christ.  As he exclaimed to Helaman after describing his release from the spiritual bondage of his sins: “There can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy” (Alma 36:21).  In the words of Isaiah, “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked,” but “joy and gladness shall be found [in Zion]” where the “pure in heart” dwell (Isaiah 57:21, 51:3; D&C 97:21).