Alma 38

Alma 38:7 The Lord in His Great Mercy Sent His Angel to Declare unto Me:

This is the third time in which Alma documents his conversion. ¹

Alma 38:9 Christ Is the Word of Truth:

According to David Lamb, in Alma 38:9 we find an interesting statement as Alma exhorts his middle son, Shiblon, “Behold, he [Jesus Christ] is the Word of Truth . . .” This is one of those simple verses which we frequently read over, never fully understanding exactly what has been said and never really taking enough interest to research the matter in an effort to find out. Yet this verse, like many other such verses, is a statement of notable worth and deserves closer examination. Though Jesus is referred to throughout the scriptures as the “truth,” it is only in this passage that we find him directly referred to as the “Word of Truth.” What does Alma really mean when he says that Jesus is the “Word of Truth?” Is this phraseology figurative, or is it possibly literal? Exploring the “learning of the Jews” sheds light on the matter. By taking a close look at the Hebrew language we find that the word “truth,” in Hebrew, literally represents Jesus the Messiah. The Hebrew word for “truth” is amt but pronounced “emeth.” How is this associated with Jesus the Messiah? The first letter in the Hebrew alphabet is aleph. It means “the beginning.” The last letter in the Hebrew alphabet is taw and means “the end.” The middle letter, mem, is the first letter in the Hebrew word Mashiah which means “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” Aleph      The Beginning Mem      Messiah Taw      The End Genesis 1:2, Revelation 1:8, 1:11, 21:6 and 22:13 all bear witness to the fact that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the “beginning and the end.” (Note: Alpha and Omega are the Greek equivalents of the Hebrew Aleph and Taw.) While we can say that Jesus is the “beginning and the end” of many things, he is in particular the beginning and the end of time itself. He was present at the beginning of time. He will be present when time, as we know it, comes to an end, and, according to Hebrews 9:26, he came to earth as the Messiah in the “meridian of time.” Like our Lord, truth was not created; it existed before time was created. It will still be in existence after time ends, and it was personified by the Messiah in the meridian of time. Alma’s statement is profound; in Hebrew, Jesus is literally the “Word of Truth.” ²

Alma 38:9 There Is No Other Way . . . Man Can Be Saved, Only in and through Christ:

Why was Jesus uniquely qualified to be the Savior? Why is there “no other way . . . man can be saved, only in and through Christ” (Alma 38:9)? According to Jeffrey Marsh:

First, he alone was uniquely obedient to the way of our Father in Heaven (Hebrews 4:15; 9:14; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:19; Mosiah 15:5; D&C 20:22)

Second, he was foreordained, chosen from the beginning (1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8; Ether 3:14; Moses 4:2; Abraham 3:27)

Third, as the Only Begotten Son of God, he inherited God’s power over death (John 10;17-18; 2 Nephi 2:8; Mormon 7:5) He could lay down his life and take it up again. No one else has had power to do that.

Fourth, his atonement is universal. It affects all mankind (2 Nephi 9:7) and all of the Father’s creations (D&C 76:40-43).³