Sing Redeeming Love

As Alma the Younger described the experience of his father and those who were converted with him at the Waters of Mormon, he said to the people at Zarahemla, “And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love.”  (Alma 5:9).  His friend Ammon similarly referred to this idea of singing redeeming love later when he described those Lamanites who had been converted unto the Lord: “Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us” (Alma 26:13).  So what does this really mean to sing redeeming love?  And how do we know when we can sing the song of redeeming love?

             In both Alma and Ammon’s description of singing redeeming love was a reference to those who had been converted and were loosed from the pains or chains of hell.  To sing redeeming love seems to be the deep expressions of gratitude for the Savior that these people felt when they were forgiven of their sins and their lives were turned over to God.  This was I believe the same experience that the people of King Benjamin had when they pled for a remission of their sins and received it: “And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words 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.”  They “tasted of his love” and “received a remission of [their] sins, which cause[d] such exceedingly great joy in [their] souls.”  They tasted—and surely we could say equally that they “sang”—of His love as they received a remission of sins and were purified.  To keep tasting of that love King Benjamin instructed them to remember the greatness of God and to call “on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come.”  He promised, “And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins” (Mosiah 4:3,11-12).  To keep singing that song of redeeming love, to keep rejoicing, we must continue to be redeemed by receiving a remission of our sins through Christ.      

               We too sing of His love in one of our hymns: ’Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love.  We proclaim, “'Tis sweet to sing the matchless love, Of Him who left his home above, And came to earth--oh, wondrous plan--To suffer, bleed, and die for man!”  In the chorus it describes His love that we sing about: “For Jesus died on Calvary, That all thru him might ransomed be. Then sing hosannas to his name; Let heav'n and earth his love proclaim.”  Alma asked his audience at Zarahemla this question: “My brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” (Alma 5:26)  Perhaps we might find the answer to that question for ourselves as we consider how fully our heart sings with this hymn—do we indeed sing hosanna to his name and yearn that heav’n and earth his love proclaim?  At this Easter season, I give thanks that indeed Jesus died on Calvary that all thru him might ransomed be!