Alma 18
Reading Assignment for class on Jan. 24: Alma 18
Learning Activities:
- What impresses you about how Ammon taught King Lamoni?
- Watch this video for additional ideas we can learn from Ammon about doing missionary work.
Ammon Teaches King Lamoni
Alma 18:36-39 (Consider adding one or all of these quotes to your scriptures)
When Ammon taught Lamoni, “he began at the creation of the world,” and then he taught “concerning the fall of man” (Alma 18:36). Finally, he “expounded unto them [the king and his servants] the plan of redemption,” particularly “concerning the coming of Christ” (Alma 18:39). Likewise, Aaron taught these doctrines to Lamoni’s father (see Alma 22:12–14).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–1985) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called these foundational doctrines—the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement—the “three pillars of eternity” and the “greatest events that have ever occurred in all eternity.” He explained:
“If we can gain an understanding of them, then the whole eternal scheme of things will fall into place, and we will be in a position to work out our salvation. …
“… These three are the foundations upon which all things rest. Without any one of them all things would lose their purpose and meaning, and the plans and designs of Deity would come to naught” (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Three Pillars of Eternity” [Brigham Young University devotional, Feb. 17, 1981], 1, speeches.byu.edu).
President Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how each component of the plan is essential:
“The plan required the Creation, and that in turn required both the Fall and the Atonement. These are the three fundamental components of the plan. The creation of a paradisiacal planet came from God. Mortality and death came into the world through the Fall of Adam [see 2 Nephi 2:25; Moses 6:48; Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 6:49]. Immortality and the possibility of eternal life were provided by the Atonement of Jesus Christ [see 2 Nephi 2:21–28]. The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement were planned long before the actual work of the Creation began” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Creation,” Ensign, May 2000, 84).
In addition to teaching the same doctrines, Ammon and Aaron used a similar approach in their teaching. They taught with simplicity, in a way their hearers could understand (see Alma 18:24–30; 22:7–11). They taught from the scriptures (see Alma 18:36–39; 22:12–14). Their teachings led others to pray (see Alma 18:40–41; 22:15–18).
“Before we can comprehend the Atonement of Christ, … we must first understand the Fall of Adam. And before we can understand the Fall of Adam, we must first understand the Creation. These three crucial components of the plan of salvation relate to each other. …“The Creation required the Fall. The Fall required the Atonement. The Atonement enabled the purpose of the Creation to be accomplished. Eternal life, made possible by the Atonement, is the supreme purpose of the Creation” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Atonement,”Ensign, Nov. 1996, 33, 35).
