Faithful in Keeping the Commandments of God

Mormon gave us this description of Alma before his conversion: “And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king.” He lived in violation of the commandments of God, or as he described later to Helaman: “I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments” (Alma 36:13). But after his visit by an angel and his repentance, he committed his life to living by the commandments and helping others to do the same. Soon after his great change of heart, he “did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God” (Mosiah 27:10, 33). Throughout the rest of his days, he urged his people to keep the commandments of the Lord. He had seen the other side—he knew what it meant to not keep the commandments—and he knew that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).

              We see throughout his teachings a focus on keeping the commandments of the Lord. To the people of Zarahemla he questioned how they would feel before the Lord having “set at defiance the commandments of God” (Alma 5:18). He encouraged the people of Gideon, “Show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism. And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life…. [be] diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times” (Alma 7:15-16, 23). He lamented to the people of Ammonihah, “Behold, O ye wicked and perverse generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea, how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God…. Behold, do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again it is said that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord” (Alma 9:8, 13). He also taught them that men were called and given the Lord’s priesthood so that they could “teach his commandments unto the children of men” (Alma 13:6). To his son Helaman he promised, “I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land. I do know, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence” (Alma 36:1, 30). He similarly pleaded with Helaman again in the next chapter, “O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God. And he said: If ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land—but if ye keep not his commandments ye shall be cut off from his presence” (Alma 37:13). He said something very similar to Shiblon, “My son, give ear to my words, for I say unto you, even as I said unto Helaman, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence…. I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments” (Alma 38:1-2). He yearned for his sons to keep the commandments of the Lord, and he also pleaded with Corianton to mend his ways and start to observe the laws of God. Alma was fully committed to the commandments of the Lord, and his example should inspire us likewise to be firm in following the commandments that the Lord gives us. We can all strive to have these words given to him by the angel likewise apply to us: “Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him” (Alma 8:15).