Unbelief

I was in Alma 7 this morning. It is one of the most important chapters, in my opinion, in describing what it will take for us to gain eternal life. John 17:3 states that, “this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” So, eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ. Alma 7:11-13 explains that for Jesus Christ to KNOW how to succor His people, He would have to experience all things in the flesh and not just learn them in the spirit. So, if we are to truly come to know God and Jesus then we will have to suffer similar things they did so that we might truly succor others. Succor is to “run to or help.” I’ve noticed in my life, especially while serving as a bishop, that the Lord gave me specific circumstances in my life so I could truly know what others were going through and how to help them. The way to help them always included looking at the Savior’s life and realizing that the unjust experience was helping us know what Jesus truly felt like as He was unjustly treated in His earthly experience. So, if someone truly seeks eternal life, to KNOW God and Jesus, that person can expect to be tried by fire. 

So, I was excited to get to these verses but verse 6 caught my attention. It reads, “But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come” (Alma 7:6).

The first thing Alma mentions to the people of Gideon is his hope that they are not in a state of “unbelief.” As I’ve pondered and studied over the Book of Mormon, I have come to realize that the “enemies of Christ” that President Benson said the Book of Mormon will help us identify, include two major culprits; pride and unbelief. They go hand in hand. Unbelief can be tricky to identify in ourselves. Sometimes we know we have it but it requires us to let go of our “beliefs” that we might be open to receiving more light and knowledge, truth. 

There are many examples in the scriptures of the children of God growing from one belief to the next. King Limhi was willing to let go of false traditions of his father and people to be open to listening to Ammon preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Saul, became Paul, because he hearkened, listened and obeyed, to the Lord when He told him he was kicking against the pricks and was fighting against the Lord. Saul was deeply committed to what he “believed.” He was even so entrenched in “believing” he saw things clearly in the word of God that he was “unbelieving” to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah. He had studied the word of God under Gamaliel. The Bible Dictionary says this of Gamaliel, “A Pharisee, a doctor of the law, held in honor with all the people (Acts 5:34). He was a celebrated Jewish teacher who belonged to the more liberal school. His influence carried great weight in the Sanhedrin (5:35–40). Paul had been one of his pupils (22:3).” 

Nephi “believed” so much in the holy word of God, to not kill, that he struggled with “unbelief” to the promptings of the Holy Ghost to kill Laban. 

These are just a couple examples of conversion. I would suggest that all of us are in a state of “belief” at the very moment we are struggling in a state of “unbelief.” The fact that one isn’t translated, in the presence of Jesus Christ or in the presence of Father, as John 14 explains, denotes that we are “unbelieving.” For if we “believed” then we would be exercising faith and following “every word that proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:44). In light of this conversation listen to this great revelation given to the prophet, Joseph Smith:

43 And I now give unto you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life.

44 For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.

45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.

47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father.

48 And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you, which is confirmed upon you for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the whole world.

49 And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin.

50 And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me.

51 For whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin.

52 And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me.

53 And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now.

54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received--

55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.

56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.

57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written--

58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion. (Doctrine and Covenants 84:43-58)

The rest of the section is incredible too but this part specifically points out the gravity of the sin of “unbelief.” 

Nephi, a great prophet in the Book of Mormon warns us by saying, “A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible.” (2 Nephi 29:3-14). Just before this chapter in chapter 28, he gives us a marvelous sermon on “unbelief.” The whole chapter must be read and pondered and prayed over. He sums up some of his thoughts at the end by saying, “Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!  For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have” (2 Nephi 28:29-30).

Ether gives an incredible sermon on “belief” versus “unbelief” in Ether 3-4. After describing the Brother of Jared seeing the Lord, he says this, “For he had said unto him in times before, that if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all things--it should be shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things” (Ether 3:26). He continues to teach us that if we don’t break the veil of unbelief then we will never receive the blessing of seeing what the Brother of Jared saw. If we do truly believe then we will see the beginning and the end, the Lord and all things (Ether 4). 

Is “unbelief” an enemy to Christ? Is “belief” a friend to Christ? Absolutely! Do we all “believe” something? Yes! Are we all in a state of “unbelief?” I would agree with Ether and all the holy prophets, if we aren’t actively in the presence of deity and being shown all things then there is still some “unbelief” that needs to be rooted out of us. Once we come to this realization, Ether 4 is a good place to begin and then we eventually see how all the scriptures are trying to teach us to break the veil of “unbelief” and truly come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. What a great challenge and opportunity!

It’s easy to see “belief” and “unbelief” in others but harder to see in ourselves. In our family scripture study this morning (I had to leave this entry for a moment to do with them) we read, “Behold, we are not of your faith; we do not ‘believe’ that it is God that has delivered us into your hands; but we ‘believe’ that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. Behold, it is your breastplates and your shields that have preserved you” (Alma 44:9). So interesting. We all believe and we all have unbelief. The Book of Mormon teaches us to break away from false traditions and false beliefs and embrace the truth that God and Jesus Christ are waiting to give us. That we might fully embrace the full gospel of Jesus Christ, to come unto Him and be perfected in Him, is my humble prayer for me and all of you, I so invite in the holy name of Jesus Christ, Amen.