BOM Alma 11

BOM Alma 11 May 24, 2016

 

 

Churchyard in England?
An abandoned and forgotten churchyard  (Wikimedia Commons)

 

Today’s reading is Alma 11.

 

I’ve already posted recently — here and then here — about Nephite “coinage” as it’s set forth in this chapter, so I won’t return to that topic.

 

One of the high points of Alma 11 is Amulek’s strong testimony of the resurrection in verses 43-45:

 

The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.  Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.  Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption.

 

I’ve always been personally touched by the promise that not even a hair of our heads will be lost, but I’m struck by the frank physicality of the resurrection as Amulek describes it.  We Latter-day Saints may take such a “materialistic” understanding of resurrection for granted; we should recall that many Christians and Christians do not, or, at least, aren’t sure about the character of “resurrected” bodies.

 

Another thing to note:  The Book of Mormon contains far stronger statements of the oneness of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost than does the New Testament.  This passage represents one such statement.

 

 


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