Alma 12

Another great chapter that should be read carefully and thought about. Undoubtedly, we do not have all that Zeezrom said to Alma and Amulek or all they said to him. But what we are told is that Zeezrom tried to trap them in their own words and make them look like liars and false priests. But through the Spirit (the gift of discernment that priesthood leaders experience from time to time), Alma and Amulek were able to perceive his thoughts and purposes and expose them. Zeezrom soon realizes he is contending with more than he thought and begins to fear that what they have been saying, especially about judgment, is true. Now he begins to question them with what looks like a desire to know to the truth.

Alma teaches some very important principles in this chapter and I'll outline them.

1. A knowledge of the truth is given only to the degree that we are obedient to the amount of truth we have received. When we are obedient to what we know, God gives us more. If we aren't, what we have is gradually taken away until we can potentially lose all knowledge of gospel principles and truth. If asked, such people couldn't explain the principles and doctrines of the gospel.

2. There are three things that we will be judged on, our words, our thoughts and our works (He must have read King Benjamin's speech). There are consequences for all three. If are are based on wickedness in these three areas, there must be justice or life would not be fair. If we are trying our best, the consequences justice demands for our bad words, thoughts and deeds are taken care of by the Savior.

3. There were two trees in the Garden of Eden, each one that affected the life span of Adam and Eve. The plan was for them to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil so that they could progress towards becoming like God. Eating this fruit would cause them to become mortal and give them the opportunity to grow through choosing between good and evil. Because they became mortal, and we with them, they naturally sinned and suffered physical death. The plan of salvation allowed for them (and us) to be redeemed from sin and death if they lived righteously.

4. Satan's initial plan was to get Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of life so that there would be no death for Adam and Eve, no children, and as a result, no mortal life for the rest of us. If Satan could get them to eat both, starting with the tree of knowledge of good and evil, then he would cause them to live forever in a state of sin and Satan would have destroyed God's plan for his children to become like him.

5. Since Satan's plan was thwarted, and men became mortal, from time to time God spoke to great, righteous men, or he sent angels to them and made known the truth and purposes of life and the plan of salvation so they could teach the people and give them the opportunity to choose allowing them (as Lehi taught) to act upon the truth and control their lives or to be acted upon and be controlled by life. That is the crux of free agency. When we use it correctly, we are left with the freedom to act. When we misuse it, we lose agency and circumstances then control us and we lose our agency.