Comments on Alma 7 The tone on this chapter is quite different from that of ch. 5. Here, Alma is addressing the church in Gideon, and they have not been having the problems the church in Zarahemla has. The result is his message is less one of repentance and more one of enduring to the end. The doctrinal content is also different. Here, Alma takes to preaching to them about Christ and his mortal ministry. We would therefore assume the church in Gideon is able to accept and perceive such a thing, where the church in Zarahemla was not. Alma's comments generally follow what we would refer to as the First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel: Faith in Jesus Christ (v. 7-13), Repentance, Baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost (v. 14-16), and enduring to the end (v. 22-25). v1-2 Alma addresses the church and explains to then he could not visit them previously because his time was entirely too consumed by his position as chief judge (v. 1). Had he not given up that position he would not be visiting them now (v. 2). v3-6 Alma is much relieved that the church (v. 3-4) is not in the same bad situation as was the church in Zarahemla (v. 5), overwhelmed with pride and worshiping their wealth (v. 6). v7-13 Alma wants to tell them about things which will come, but the most important is that advent of the Savior (v. 7), which will be in the flesh but not among the Nephites (v. 8). The Spirit impels Alma to preach that the kingdom of God is close at hand because the Son of God will soon be born (v. 9). He shall be born to a woman named Mary in the land of Jerusalem, and she will conceive by the Holy Spirit (v. 10). He will suffer all kinds of afflictions (v. 11) and take death upon himself so he may know how to relieve his people in their times of need (v. 12). The Holy Spirit may know everything, but the Son will have the experience of taking the people's sins upon Himself in the flesh so that He may deliver them from sin (v. 13). This is an experience, and therefore firsthand knowledge, the Holy Spirit lacks. v12 "he will take upon him death", Christ is the only mortal to have authority over physical death as he never sinned. He did not have to die, having power from his Father to avoid it if he so chose. Thus, he could have lived forever, and never died. But, he had to die in order to be resurrected. He was the first one resurrected because nobody else before him deserved to be resurrected. Since he never committed any sin while in his flesh, he was the first one to have earned and deserved a resurrected body. Then, as a result of his Atonement, others were forgiven for their sins and transgressions and therefore deserved resurrection as well. This makes Jesus the second Adam, cf. 1 Cor. 15:45. The first Adam was perfect in the flesh and enjoyed God's presence, but the Fall took him out of God's presence and brought about physical death. Jesus is the reverse of this. He started out not being God's presence and being in a mortal condition, but he overcame this and obtained a perfect flesh body which took him back into God's presence. The first Adam corrupted his flesh and took the human race out of God's presence, the second Adam puts the human back into God's presence by giving them a perfect flesh body. v14-16 All people must have faith in the Lamb of God, repent, be baptized, and be born anew to spiritual things or they cannot join the kingdom of heaven (v. 14). Alma tells them to abandon all their sins which drag them down and show God they are willing to keep His commandments by being baptized (v. 15). However does this and keeps the commandments from that point on will have eternal life (v. 16). v17-21 Alma perceives by the Spirit and is pleased that the church knows and believes that things he has just said in v. 7-16 (v. 17), because that means they are not in the bad situation the church at Zarahemla was in (v. 18). He sees they are in the straight paths of righteousness which lead to the kingdom of God (v. 19). He sees they know God's ways are not crooked but straightforward and consistent (v. 20), and His kingdom is not filthy (v. 21). v20 "one eternal round", this phrase is used five times in the Scriptures, cp. 1 Ne. 10:19, Alma 37:12, D&C 3:2, D&C 35:1. Nephi apparently coins the phrase in 1 Ne. 10:19, unless he got it from some other source presently unknown to us. The spiritual concept is that the Lord is persistent and eternal where man is wavering and temporal. We might assume the idea came from their knowledge of astronomy and the revolution of the sun, moon, and perhaps even planets, cf. Hela. 12:15. But, aside from any injection of astronomy, Semites see things in cycles from a religious standpoint from the Biblically endorsed religious and festal calendar. v22-25 Alma now exhorts the church to endure to the end by walking blamelessly before God (v. 22). He encourages them to be humble and submissive to God, keeping His commandments, and petitioning Him by prayer for all their needs (v. 23). He tells them to have faith, hope, and Christlike love, and if they do they will always do good works (v. 24). Alma then blesses them that the Lord will keep them from sin so they may end up in the kingdom of Heaven as did their righteous fathers (v. 25). Notice in these verses Alma is presenting the opposite case of some of things he railed on the church at Zarahemla about. Contrast v. 22 with 5:27 and contrast v. 25 with 5:21-24. What was a hostile question in ch. 5 becomes a positive blessing in ch. 7. Alma has the same concerns and doctrinal views, their application simply shifts based upon the audience. v22 This verse, taken with the statements in v. 27, strongly suggest Alma is addressing a body of male Priesthood holders. The call to "awake..to a sense of your duty to God...that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which you have been received" sounds very much like he is talking to people who hold the Priesthood, cp. v. 8, 4:20, 5:44, and 2 Ne. 6:2. v26-27 Alma closes by once again expressing his happiness over their religious zeal (v. 26), and he gives them a blessing of peace and prosperity on their land and families which is contingent upon their good works (v. 27). v27 The way Alma lists things off, especially "your women and your children", suggests he was addressing males. Copyright © 2001 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. 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