Book of Mormon Commentary CofC - Odessa, Missouri Community ...

Book of Mormon Commentary
Mosiah Chapter 9
9:43 In answer to this humble prayer, "the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said, Helam, I
baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a
covenant to serve him until you are dead" (44). Then "both Alma and Helam were buried in the water;
and they arose and came forth out of the water... filled with the Spirit" (45).
Alma continued until he had baptized 204 souls, except that after the first baptism, "he did not bury
himself again in the water" (46).
Mos 9:49 And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward.
9:49 The Old Testament does not use the word "church." Jesus declared, "I will build my church" (Matt.
16:19). The Greek word from which this comes is ekklesia, and means a gathering, an assembly, or a
congregation. Notice that Jesus puts this in the future tense, "I will build." Perhaps we should say that
the church did not exist as an organization during Jesus' lifetime in Palestine. It was only a brotherhood
until after the Ascension and Pentecost.
Mosiah's record continues with the statement, "Whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of
God, was added to his church" (Mos. 9:50).
THE CHURCH WAS ESTABLISHED, VER. 51-73
Mos 9:51 And it came to pass that Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest
to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God.
9:51 Alma commanded the priests to "teach nothing" except that which they had received from him or
the prophets. They were to preach "repentance and faith on the Lord" (52, 53). He also commanded
them to keep the Sabbath day holy, and "every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God" (56).
The priests were to "labour with their own hands for their [own] support" (57).
Mos 9:60 And again, Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance,
every one according to that which he had;
9:60 Those to whom much was given from them much would be expected, but it was to be done out "of
their own free will and good desires" (62).
Mos 9:64 And they did walk uprightly before God, imparting to one another, both temporally and
spiritually, according to their needs and their wants.
9:64 The Restoration was not yet a year old when the Lord gave the church a revelation which contains
many of the basic laws of the gospel. In this he said, "Remember the poor, and consecrate of thy
properties for their support, that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which
can not be broken; and inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me, and
it shall be laid before the bishop of my church and his counselors... Every man shall be made
accountable unto me a steward over his own property" (D. and C. 42:8 b, c, 9 b).
This revelation given February 9, 1831, was of far-reaching significance, and still is a fundamental
principle of the gospel. One must have "his own property" or the control of property in order to carry out
the responsibilities of a steward. If he has only an undivided interest in property held in common with all
the other members of the church, he lacks the agency to perform his duties of stewardship.