The Atonement of Jesus Christ can uplift and purify us today, as Alma and King Benjamin's people can testify. This "preparatory redemption" foreshadows the perfected redemption promised in Doctrine and Covenants 45, when every wound is healed and every obstacle to our eternal joy has been removed.
No More Desire to Do Evil
It's wonderful to discipline ourselves to do what's right, but God has promised something better. He has promised to change our desires. As we draw closer to Jesus Christ, He fills our lives with light, and there is less and less room for darkness.
Being the Father and the Son
Jesus is both the Father and the Son in at least four ways: 1. He submits His will to His Father and He offers us new life. 2. He created the earth, then lived on it. 3. He is completely unified with HIs Father 4. His mortal body was subject to His spirit
Retain the Name
Benjamin invited his people to take upon themselves the name of Christ after they had been spiritually reborn and had made a covenant with God. What more did they need to do? They needed to engage in the relationship. Relationships require effort. They are not static.
His Name
An angel taught King Benjamin that we are saved through faith in the Savior's name. Why His name? Because names represent our essence, and the way we treat people's names reflects our relationship with them.
Mercy
1. God is merciful. 2. He extends "arms of mercy" toward us. 3. The Savior's bowels are filled with mercy because of what He suffered. 4. He earned the right to offer us mercy. We claim that mercy by repenting. 5. Mercy is central to God's plan for us.
Belonging
One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is to assure us that we belong, that because of "the covenants of the Lord," we "are not cast off forever." Jesus taught that we belong to the covenants God made with our ancestors, and that He will not forget us.
The Root and the Offspring
Jesus was a descendant of King David, but was also his progenitor, the source of his life and spiritual strength. Jesus highlighted these contrasting roles of Creator who lived among us by calling Himself "the root and the offspring of David."
Divine Nature
Peter testified that God is willing to share His nature with us, helping us overcome the corrupting inflluences of the world. In truth, we all have a divine nature, in the sense that we are children of God with a potential to become like Him.
Without the Camp
When sacrifices were performed in ancient Israel, the bodies of the animals were burned "without the camp." Jesus was similarly crucified outside of the walls of Jerusalem. We must meet Him there: outside of our comfort zone and our usual social circles.