The Book of Mormon and the New Testament both contain stories of miraculous conversions. Both Alma and Saul were fighting against the church when a heavenly intervention changed the course of their lives. In both cases, we have an account of the experience written by a narrator (Mormon and Luke) and two subsequent accounts in their own words. Here is a comparison of their stories:
| Topic | Alma | Saul |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-vision activities | His goal was to “destroy the church of God” (Mosiah 27:10, Alma 36:6). | “He made havoc of the church,” by finding and arresting church members (Acts 8:3, Acts 22:4, Acts 26:10-11). |
| The vision | As he was traveling with a group of friends, an angel appeared to him (Mosiah 27:11, Alma 36:6, Alma 38:7). | As he and a group of friends approached the city of Damascus, they were surrounded by “a light from heaven” (Acts 9:3, Acts 22:6, Acts 26:13). |
| Immediate impact | Alma and his friends fell to the ground (Mosiah 27:12, Alma 36:7). | Saul and his friends fell to the ground (Acts 9:4, Acts 22:7, Acts 26:14). |
| A question | The angel asked, “Why persecutest thou the church of God?” (Alma 27:13). | He heard the voice of Jesus asking, “Why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4, Acts 22:7, Acts 26:14). |
| A warning | The angel told him that as he tried to destroy the church, he was destroying himself (Mosiah 27:16, Alma 36:9). | Jesus told Saul, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 9:5, Acts 26:14). |
| Partial perception | Alma only heard part of the message; his friends heard the rest (Alma 36:11). | The men with Saul saw the light but may or may not have heard the voice (Acts 9:7, JST Acts 9:7, Acts 22:9). |
| Temporarily disabled | Alma was unable to talk or move for two or three days after the vision (Alma 27:19, 23, Alma 36:10). | Saul could not see for three days following that experience (Acts 9:9, Acts 22:11). |
| Healed | Alma’s father fasted and prayed for him to be healed (Mosiah 27:22). | Ananias visited Saul and healed him (Acts 9:17, Acts 22:12-13). |
| Born again | When he recovered, Alma testified that he had been “born of God” (Mosiah 27:23-24, Alma 36:23). | Saul was baptized (Acts 9:18, Acts 22:16). |
| Sharing the gospel | Alma and his friends worked hard to preach the gospel after that (Mosiah 27:32, Alma 36:24). | Saul immediately began to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:20-22, Acts 26:19-20). |
| Enduring to the end | He was persecuted but remained faithful and was supported by God (Mosiah 27:32-33, Alma 36:27). | He was persecuted in Damascus and in Jerusalem (Acts 9:23-25, Acts 26:21). |
These experiences are dramatic, partly because they happened so quickly and partly because the change was so significant. Few of us will have a sudden change of heart like Alma and Saul experienced. Elder David A. Bednar said:
For many of us, conversion is an ongoing process and not a onetime event that results from a powerful or dramatic experience. Line upon line and precept upon precept, gradually and almost imperceptibly, our motives, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds become aligned with the will of God.
“Converted unto the Lord,” General Conference, October 2012
Nevertheless, I think we can learn a lot from these two experiences about our own process of conversion. Here are some ideas:
- God has the ability to intervene when we are off-course. We should be ready to accept those interventions and change when needed.
- A well-placed question can open our minds to things we may not have considered before.
- Thinking about the consequences of our actions can motivate us to change.
- When we have a spiritual experience, we may not always fully understand it.
- We may need some time after a life-changing experience to assimilate what we have learned and to understand its implications.
- When we are converted to Christ, we want to testify of Him. We are willing to work hard for Him and to endure suffering as we carry out His work.
I’m grateful for the examples of Alma and Saul, which give me a rapid overview of my own longer process of conversion. I will strive to follow their example by being willing to change, by pondering the implications of my spiritual experiences, and by testifying of Jesus Christ.