Mosiah 5:1 he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they
believed
Neal A. Maxwell
“So
concerned was Benjamin with his major sermon that he sent among the people to
see if they really believed in his words (see Mosiah 5:1). Benjamin was much
more concerned over connecting with his spiritual constituency than with his
political constituency. He was continually concerned about communicating. For
example, Benjamin did not want his people to forget the name by which they were
called (see Mosiah 5:14). Illustratively, too, he was anxious to complete the
covenant with them, yet he concluded it only when he was sure that their hearts
had been touched and that they understood clearly what he had taught (see
Mosiah 5:6-7). Such is the great teaching style of this remarkable man whose
sermon we celebrate.” (John W. Welch, and Stephen D. Ricks, King Benjamin’s
Speech: Made Simple, p. 3)
Mosiah 5:2 the Spirit…has wrought a mighty change in us
The mighty change spoken of
is the same transformation from carnal to spiritual that occurs when we are
born again. Because of denominational inferences, latter-day saints don’t refer
to themselves as “born again Christians,” but the Book of Mormon teaches us
that this mighty change must take place in order for us to enter into the
kingdom of God (Mosiah 27:26).
In order to explain the
doctrine of being born again, we begin with the interview between Nicodemus and
the Savior:
‘Except a man be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto
him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into
his mother’s womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit’ (Jn 3:3-7).
The usual explanation of
this doctrine is that one must be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
by the laying on of hands in order to enter the kingdom of God. This “Sunday
School answer” doesn’t totally explain the concept because it is possible to
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost without being born of the Spirit. The former
is an ordinance; the latter is a spiritual transformation. The two can occur at
the same time, but they usually don’t. Let’s take the people of Benjamin for
example. These people were presumably already baptized. Yet, they are blessed
with a spiritual transformation based upon their faithfulness and the covenant
that they made at the time of Benjamin’s speech. Therefore, the spiritual
rebirth did not transform them from carnal to spiritual at the time of their
baptism. This event occurred later, and it is the same for many members today.
They are born again not at the time of baptism and confirmation but after they
have made the decision to humble themselves before the Lord and promise to do
his will.
The next concept which
requires elucidation is the timing of being born again. Often the scriptures
speak of this happening over a relatively short time period of a day or two.
Benjamin’s people, Alma, Enos, and king Lamoni are examples. However, the vast
majority of members make this mighty change
over a longer time period—sometimes over months or years. Bruce R. McConkie
said, “(For most of us) this process is usually slow. The unusually quick ones
make their way into scripture.” (BYU Speeches of the Year, 1976). The
process, whether it takes a day, a year, or a decade, is characterized by a
spiritual transformation—‘changed from their carnal
and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming
his sons and daughters. And thus they become new creatures’ (Mosiah
27:25-26). Joseph Smith said, “the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a
Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of
Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a
new creation by the Holy Ghost.” (Teachings, p. 150).
The Spirit changes the very
nature of the individual such that they have no more
disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. They receive his
image in their countenances and feel to sing the
song of redeeming love (Alma 5:14, 26). This is attended by the
manifestations of the Spirit. The gift of tongues was present on the day of
Pentecost. The people of Benjamin declared that they had the spirit of
prophecy, saying, were it expedient, we could
prophesy of all things (v. 3). Nephi declared that the baptism of fire
is followed by the ability to speak with the tongue
of angels (2 Ne 31:13), which is also a representation of the spirit of
prophecy.
Finally, we become the sons
and daughters of Christ, spiritually begotten by his eternal sacrifice (v. 7).
He forever becomes our Father and our God. In this context, one must ask how appropriate
it is to refer to Jesus as our elder brother? Certainly, in the pre-mortal
existence, He was our elder brother, but if we have been born again, he can be
our elder brother no longer. By virtue of the atonement he becomes the Father
of our spirits, for behold, this day he hath
spiritually begotten you (v. 7).
Bruce R. McConkie
“Mere
compliance with the formality of the ordinance of baptism does not mean that a
person has been born again. No one can be born again without baptism, but the
immersion in water and the laying on of hands to confer the Holy Ghost do not
of themselves guarantee that a person has been or will be born again. The new
birth takes place only for those who actually enjoy the gift or companionship
of the Holy Ghost, only for those who are fully converted, who have given
themselves without restraint to the Lord. Thus Alma addressed himself to his ‘brethren of the church,’ and pointedly asked them
if they had ‘spiritually been born of God,’
received the Lord's image in their countenances, and had the ‘mighty change’ in their hearts which always
attends the birth of the Spirit. (Alma 5:14-31.)” (Mormon Doctrine, p.
101)
Bruce R. McConkie
“When
the Holy Ghost falls upon a worthy recipient, it has the effect of pouring out pure
intelligence upon him; all is calm and serene; the still small voice speaks
peace to the spirit within man; and the sanctifying, cleansing power of the
Spirit begins to manifest itself. (Teachings, pp. 149-150.)” (Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, vol. 1, p. 142)
Joseph F. Smith
“What
a glorious condition was this! a condition in which the Lord God Omnipotent, by
the power of His Spirit, had wrought a mighty change in the hearts of that
people, that they no longer had any desire to do evil, but were filled only
with a fervent desire to do that which was good. This was indeed a great
change, and yet it is precisely that change that comes today to every son and
daughter of God who repents of his or her sins, who humble themselves before
the Lord, and who seek forgiveness and remission of sin by baptism by
immersion, by one having authority to administer this sacred ordinance of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. For it is this new birth that was spoken of by Christ
to Nicodemus as absolutely essential that men might see the Kingdom of God, and
without which no man could enter into the Kingdom. Each of us can remember,
perhaps, the change that came into our hearts when we were baptized for the
remission of our sins…The feeling that came upon me was that of pure peace, or
love and of light. I felt in my soul that if I had sinned-and surely I was not
without sin-that it had been forgiven me; that I was indeed cleansed from sin;
my heart was touched and I felt that I would not injure the smallest insect
beneath my feet. I felt as though I wanted to do good everywhere to everybody
and to everything. I felt a newness of life, a newness of desire to do that
which was right. There was not one particle of desire for evil left in my soul.
I was but a little boy, it is true, when I was baptized; but this was the
influence that came upon me, and I know that it was from God, and was and ever
has been a living witness to me of my acceptance of the Lord.” (Conference
Reports, Apr. 1898, p. 65)
Mark E. Petersen
“That
birth of the spirit means something more than most of us normally realize.
Through proper teaching, a conviction is born in our soul. Faith develops.
Through it we see how important it is to become like Christ. We see ourselves
as we are in contrast to a Christlike soul. A desire for a change-over is born
within us. The change-over begins. We call it repentance. Through our faith and
as part of our conversion or change from one state to another, we begin to see
sin in its true light. ... We strive with all our souls to become like the
Savior. (Address to seminary and institute of religion personnel, BYU, July 11,
1956.)” (Daniel
Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p.117)
Mosiah 5:2 no more disposition to do evil
“The
‘mighty change’ associated with the new birth
results in an educated conscience, educated desires, educated and bridled
passions. Alma spoke of the ancient
Saints who had received the priesthood of Melchizedek, and who, through their
faith and obedience, ‘were sanctified, and their garments
were washed white through the blood of the Lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their
garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon
sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great
many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.’
(Alma 13:11-12; italics added)
Likewise, after Ammon had preached to King Lamoni and his subjects, ‘they did all declare unto the people the selfsame thing -
that their hearts had been changed; that they had no more desire to
do evil. And behold, many did
declare unto the people that they had seen angels and had conversed with them;
and thus they had told them things of God, and of his righteousness.’
(Alma 19:33-34; italics added.) The Saints of God in all ages lift up their
voices unto the heavens as did Nephi: ‘O Lord, wilt
thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver
me out of the hands of mine enemies?
Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?’ (2
Nephi 4:31.)”
(McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol.
2, p. 175)
Mosiah 5:3 were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things
As a manifestation of the
Spirit, the people were given the spirit of prophecy, which is no more than the testimony of Jesus (Rev 19:10). A similar
manifestation of the Spirit attended the baptisms of Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery, “No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery, than the Holy Ghost fell
upon him, and he stood up and prophesied many things which should shortly come
to pass. And again, so soon as I had been baptized by him, I also had the
spirit of prophecy, when standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this
church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of
the children of men. We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the
God of our salvation.” (History of the Church, vol. 1, p. 42)
Mosiah 5:5, 8 we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God
By virtue of the righteous
covenant made, the people are called the children of Christ, they promise to be obedient unto the end, and they receive his
name. This was the desire of Benjamin even before he began his sermon, I will give this people a name, that thereby they may be
distinguished above all the people which the Lord God hath brought out of the
land of Jerusalem (Mosiah 1:11). At the most fundamental level, it is
clear that every newly baptized member of the Church effectively does the same
thing by taking upon them the name of Christ. However, the relationship between
covenant making and receiving a new name has a deeper meaning to endowed
members of the Church. This is the pattern being established by Benjamin.
Mosiah 5:7 the children of Christ, his sons and his daughters
All the inhabitants of the
earth are the spiritual offspring of their spiritual Father and Mother. When
born into mortality, each of us receive a set of mortal parents. But the world,
through the fall of Adam, has separated us from God. We have become, thereby,
carnal, sensual, and devilish (Mosiah 16:3). Through our separation from God,
we have, in effect, died a spiritual death (the first, spiritual death). In
order to come alive to things of the Spirit, we must be born again, not
according to the flesh as Nicodemus thought, but according to the Spirit.
This spiritual rebirth is
not without parentage. The Lord, Jesus Christ, becomes the Father of our
Spirits. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father
and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they
who shall believe on my name; and they shall become by sons and my daughters
(Ether 3:14). When we receive Him as our Redeemer, He will receive us as a son
or daughter of Christ, as many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the sons of God (Jn 1:12). The people of
Benjamin had, indeed, received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and
Redeemer. Therefore, his atonement, which had not yet been accomplished, frees
them from the captivity of sin—as Benjamin says, under
this head ye are made free (v. 8).
Just as we have a father of
our mortal bodies, we have a Father of our born-again spirits. Of this, the
book of Hebrews makes reference:
‘For whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure
chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not?
But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore we have had
fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them
reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits, and live? (Heb 12:6-9)
Joseph Fielding Smith
“The
Son of God has a perfect right to call us his children, spiritually begotten,
and we have a perfect right to look on him as our father who spiritually begot
us.
“Now
if these critics would read carefully the Book of Mormon, they would find that
when the Savior came and visited the Nephites, he told them that he had been
sent by his Father. He knelt before them, and he prayed to his Father. He
taught them to pray to his Father, but that did not lessen in the least our
duty and responsibility of looking upon the Son of God as a father to us
because he spiritually begot us.” (Conference Reports, Oct. 1962, p. 21)
Mosiah 5:8 under this head ye are made free
“’I am the way, the truth, and the life,’ Jesus
taught his disciples; ‘no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me’ (John 14:6).
‘If ye continue in my word,’ he said
on another occasion, ‘then are ye my disciples
indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’
(John 8:31-32). In a modern revelation
that same Lord said: ‘I, the Lord God, make you
free, therefore ye are free indeed’ (D&C 98:8). In and through Jesus
Christ people are made free-free from sin, from ignorance, and ultimately from
the effects of a fallen state and all the limitations of the flesh. Christ comes, Lehi testified, to ‘redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the
fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for
themselves and not to be acted upon.’ (2 Nephi 2:26.) Through the
blessings of the Atonement, the obedient are free to enter the divine presence
and partake fully of all that the Father has.” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal
Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 2, p. 177)
Mosiah 5:8 take upon you the name of Christ
When you take upon yourself
the name of Christ, it means that you become his representative, that you have
committed to serve him unto the end of your lives and that you recognize that
he is the source of your salvation. In this context, any actions on our part,
which show disrespect to that great name, tarnish the image of the Church in
the eyes of others, and prove that we are, as usual, unprofitable
servants. We need to realize the great responsibility that rests on our
shoulders when we take upon ourselves the holy name of Christ. As David O.
McKay explained, “To be the representative of the risen Lord is the greatest
honor that can come to man.” (Conference Reports, Apr. 1950, p. 179)
Charles W. Penrose
“Do
not be afraid to use reverently the name of Christ. He uses it continually. We can
read about it in the Book of Mormon. The Church was the Church of Christ, and
in the last days the Church is to be called by that name. You may think perhaps
that is a matter of little importance. Perhaps it is so to you; but I have
found in my experience, from the beginning of my membership in this Church,
that there is power in that name. ‘In my name they
that believe shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues,’
and so on. There is power in the name of Jesus Christ. Demons tremble at that
name. They recognize it. But when we, in a slip-shod way, use the name of
Jesus, and say nothing about Christ, I don't know that it has so much power and
influence.” (Conference Reports, Apr. 1920, p. 29)
Carlos E. Asay
“A
number of years ago, two missionaries walked along a street in a large city in
Europe. It was a lovely morning, and their enthusiasm for life was reflected in
their brisk walk and jovial moods. When one missionary was least expecting it,
the other kicked his companion’s heel and sent him stumbling forward. Both
laughed boisterously over the little trick and merrily went on their way.
Later, when the kicking elder had relaxed his guard, the companion returned the
favor with added vigor that almost caused a serious fall on the pavement. Once
again, however, they laughed and continued down the sidewalk.
“The
next day they tracted along that same street. At one door, a lady appeared and
extended a warm greeting. Quickly the senior companion announced, ‘We are
representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a-‘ At that point, the woman
interrupted the elder by saying: ‘No, you can’t be representatives of the Lord.
Representatives of the Lord would not walk down the street laughing and joking
like two little schoolboys, as you did yesterday.’
“In
this instance, the missionaries did not match the message they were bearing.
Their actions betrayed their purpose and mocked the one they represented.” (The
Seven M’s of Missionary Service, pp. 66-7)
Mosiah 5:9 the right hand of God
After the final judgment,
the Lord will divide the sheep from the goats. The sheep are placed on his
right hand, and the goats are placed on his left. As the Lord has said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me (Jn 10:27). As Benjamin explains, [the righteous] know the voice by which [they] shall be called (v. 12). The goats on the left
don’t know the voice of the good shepherd, For how
knoweth a man the master whom he has not served (v. 13). Therefore, they
must be called by some other name (v. 11)
because they are not worthy of the name of Christ.
Apparently, it is always
better to be on the right hand of God. “The right hand denotes power or
strength. The scripture generally imputes to God’s right hand all the effects
of his omnipotence, Ex 15:6, Ps 17:7; 20:6; 44:3.” (Reynolds and
Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 2, p. 80) This is the eternal position of the Son of Man, who
said to the Sanhedrin after his unlawful arrest, Hereafter
shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God (Lu
22:69).
Mosiah 5:12 retain the name written always in your hearts
This chapter is filled with
temple imagery. We have already discussed how Benjamin established a covenant
with the people and gave them a new name, the name of Christ (v. 8). Now, he
instructs them never to forget the name but to retain it always in their
hearts. He instructs them further to know…the name
by which he shall call you. Lastly, the benevolent king promises his
people that if they do these things, the Lord God Omnipotent, [will] seal you his (v. 15). Accordingly, it should be no
surprise to us that the location for this sermon was the temple of Zarahemla
(Mosiah 1:18).
Mosiah 5:12 know the voice by which ye shall be called
Spiritual discernment requires
that we recognize the voice of the Spirit and that we recognize the voice of
the Good Shepherd, for my sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me (Jn 10:27). If we do not learn to hearken
to his voice during our mortal sojourn, we have no hope that we will know the voice in the hereafter.
Brigham Young
“How
are we to know the voice of the Good Shepherd from the voice of a stranger? Can
any person answer this question? I can. It is very easy. To every philosopher
upon the earth, I say, your eye can be deceived, so can mine; your ear can be
deceived, so can mine; the touch of your hand can be deceived, so can mine; but
the Spirit of God filling the creature with revelation and the light of
eternity, cannot be mistaken-the revelation which comes from God is never
mistaken. When an individual, filled with the Spirit of God, declares the truth
of heaven, the sheep hear that, the Spirit of the Lord pierces their inmost
souls and sinks deep into their hearts; by the testimony of the Holy Ghost
light springs up within them, and they see and understand for themselves. This
is the way the Gospel should be preached by every Elder in Israel, and by this
power every hearer should hear; and if we would know the voice of the Good
Shepherd, we must live so that the Spirit of the Lord can find its way to our
hearts.”
(Discourses of Brigham Young, ed. by John A. Widstoe, p. 431)
Brigham Young
“…we
can receive the Spirit of eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, by which
we may know the voice of the Good Shepherd, whenever and wherever we hear it.
And as we know the voice of the Good Shepherd, so shall we learn to distinguish
it from the voice of a stranger--the voice of the evil one. We can then clearly
understand the things that are of God, and the things that are not of Him, and
be able to see and judge all things as they are, for, ‘He
that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.’
(1 Cor 2:15)” (Journal
of Discourses, vol. 10, p. 302)
M. Russell Ballard
“When
my ministry is over, it won’t be any talk that I’ve given in the Tabernacle
that will make much difference or will be very important in the sight of the
Lord. What will be important, I think, is that I hear the voice and respond to
the prompting, that the Spirit might direct me that I might be an instrument in
the hands of the Lord to do His will and His bidding.” (Church News, Jan.
16, 1988)