The Virtue of the Word of God

Shortly after Alma became the first chief judge among the Nephites, the wicked man Amlici came forth and sought to be king. A great battle ensued between the Nephites and the Amlicites and Lamanites. In that battle the Nephites miraculously withstood their much more numerous enemies, and in the heat of battle Alma went forth against Amlici in a dramatic fashion. Because of Alma’s great faith, “he was strengthened, insomuch that he slew Amlici with the sword” (Alma 2:31). The Nephites subsequently won the day and through physical power—couples with the strength of God—defeated this enemy who was seeking to destroy their freedom and government. Given that experience, I think it is instructive what Alma did a few years later when the Nephites were becoming prideful: he turned to his most powerful weapon. Despite what this story might have suggested, that wasn’t the sword or physical force or a great army. Instead, he gave up his ability to command the army and went forth only with an unseen weapon: the word of God. We read, “And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them” (Alma 4:19). Despite the physical power that he had seen in the battles of a mighty army, he knew that even more formidable of a weapon to change people’s hearts was the word of God. Later as he prepared to go to the wicked Zoramites Mormon commented specifically on this faith of Alma: “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God” (Alma 31:5).

                Alma indeed showed through the rest of his life that he believed in the power of the word of God to make the greatest difference in the world. He taught the people of Zarahemla what had happened to their fathers: “Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them…. 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. And I say unto you that they are saved.” They had their souls changed and empowered by the word of God and were delivered from destruction. He recounted as well how his own father did “believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi” and “there was a mighty change wrought in his heart.” Subsequently he also “preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God” (Alma 5:7-13). It is the word of God that changes hearts. As he taught the Zoramites he compared the word of God to a seed and taught them the effect it could have on them that truly planted it in their hearts: “ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.” He promised us that if we will indeed “nourish the word” it will “take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life” (Alma 32:34, 41). The word of God will enlighten our minds, swell in our souls, and lead us to eternal life. Later as Alma prepared to give the records to his son Helaman he taught him this about the power of the scriptures: “It has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls.” He testified how they had “convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer” (Alma 37:8-9). He showed indeed that he believed this when his son Corianton had gone astray—Alma called him to repentance and shared with him the word of God, leading his wayward son back to the path of righteousness. It is fitting that in his final words in the Book of Mormon before he disappeared from the scene, he asked this to his son Helaman: “Believest thou the words which I spake unto thee concerning those records which have been kept?” With Helaman’s affirmation I think Alma knew that he could leave and the word of God would be preserved and continue to be passed on to bring souls unto God. As we struggle to effectuate change in our own lives and in that of those we love, we can look to Alma’s example and try first on the virtue of the word of God to change our hearts.