Alma 23-24

Reading Assignment for class on Mon., Jan. 29: Alma 23-24

Learning Activities:

1) Read this introduction to get some context:

Introduction

Following his conversion, the king of the Lamanites proclaimed religious liberty among his people. This proclamation allowed Aaron and his brethren to preach the gospel and establish churches in Lamanite cities. Thousands of Lamanites were converted and never fell away. These converted Lamanites made a covenant to lay down their weapons of war, and they distinguished themselves from the unconverted Lamanites by calling themselves Anti-Nephi-Lehies. When the unconverted Lamanites attacked them, some of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies sacrificed their lives to keep their covenant.

2) Ponder: What does it mean to lay down your weapons of rebellion? (Alma 23:7)

3) Read this quote from Elder Bednar and add it to your scriptures:

“To set aside cherished ‘weapons of rebellion’ such as selfishness, pride, and disobedience requires more than merely believing and knowing. Conviction, humility, repentance, and submissiveness precede the abandonment of our weapons of rebellion. Do you and I still possess weapons of rebellion that keep us from becoming converted unto the Lord? If so, then we need to repent now” (David A. Bednar, “Converted unto the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 108–9).

4) Write this truth in your scriptures by Alma 24:15-18 and then put Pres. Kimball's quote in your notes:

To remain clean after we have repented and received God’s forgiveness, we must avoid circumstances that may lead us to sin.

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985):

“In abandoning sin one cannot merely wish for better conditions. … He must be certain not only that he has abandoned the sin but that he has changed the situations surrounding the sin. He should avoid the places and conditions and circumstances where the sin occurred, for these could most readily breed it again. He must abandon the people with whom the sin was committed. He may not hate the persons involved but he must avoid them and everything associated with the sin” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 171–72).