This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Mosiah 11-17, which includes Abinadi’s teachings to King Noah and his priests.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders and scholars about these chapters.
Mosiah 11
“As a priest in King Noah’s court, Alma was accustomed to a life of privilege. He received support for his living through the people’s taxes. He enjoyed a position of power and prominence. He was one of those who ‘were lifted up in the pride of their hearts’ (Mosiah 11:5). Yet when Alma learned about the Savior’s coming into the world — of His teachings, suffering, death and Resurrection, and that Jesus Christ is ‘the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death’ (Mosiah 16:9) — he was ready to change. He was even ready to die if necessary.
“Surrounded by opposition and life-threatening dangers, Alma courageously pleaded with King Noah to let Abinadi depart in peace. Alma’s actions came from his heart; he had felt the love of the Savior extended to him through the Lord’s prophet Abinadi.”
— Elder Edward Dube, a General Authority Seventy, in the June 2016 Liahona article “Experiencing a Change of Heart”
Mosiah 12
“There is a need — not to leave homes forever, but for a time — then return and reap the rich harvest of the faithful labor. Your children and grandchildren will be blessed. The power of good will go out from Zion. ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace’ (Mosiah 12:21).
“Can you imagine any more Christlike service than to secure the harvest?”
— Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, then a General Authority Seventy, April 1992 general conference, “A Prisoner of Love”
Mosiah 13
“As Alma and ‘all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began’ (Mosiah 13:33) have taught and testified of the coming of the Messiah and His mission to redeem His people, so do we join in bearing testimony of Him and His sacred work ‘to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39). Surely when we begin to understand the magnitude of His sacrifice and service to us individually and collectively, we then cannot consider anything else to be of more importance or to approach His significance in our lives.”
— Elder Cecil O. Samuelson Jr., then a General Authority Seventy, October 2004 general conference, “Perilous Times”
“The people of King Noah were afraid to touch Abinadi because the Spirit of the Lord was with him. ‘His face shone with exceeding luster,’ and he spoke ‘with power and authority from God.’ Abinadi declared that he would finish the message that God had sent him to deliver — and then it wouldn’t matter what King Noah and the people did to him (see Mosiah 13:1–9). …
“My brethren of the priesthood, what a powerful example Abinadi should be to all of us! He courageously obeyed the Lord’s commandments — even though it cost him his life! Prophets of all dispensations have willingly put their lives on the line and, with courage, have done the will and proclaimed the word of God. …
“Brethren, as bearers of the priesthood of God, let us follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ and His prophets, past and present. It may not be required of us to give our lives as martyrs, as did many of the prophets. What is required is our obedience to the Lord’s commandments and our faithfulness to the covenants we have made with Him.”
— Elder Robert D. Hales, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1996 general conference, “If Thou Wilt Enter Into Life, Keep the Commandments”
“The stern, short statements of the Ten Commandments have always held me in awe. They become more sharply etched when I see some of the acts of people. …
“Abinadi told those present with King Noah that he perceived that these Ten Commandments were, to quote him, ‘not written in your hearts’ (Mosiah 13:11).
“But there they stand, the immutable word from the great meeting of Moses with his Maker amid the thunderings and lightnings of Sinai.
“In our day the necessity of following the Ten Commandments is all the more urgent.”
— Elder S. Dilworth Young, an emeritus general authority, October 1978 general conference, “‘He Hath Showed Thee, O Man, What Is Good’”
Mosiah 14
“[Jesus Christ] can heal us and lift us up because He has the ability to do it. He took upon Himself all the pains of body and spirit so that His bowels would be filled with mercy in order to be able to help us in all things and to heal us and lift us up. The words of Isaiah, as cited by Abinadi, put it beautifully and movingly:
“‘Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. …
“‘He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed’ (Mosiah 14:4-5).”
— Elder Walter F. González, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2019 general conference, “The Savior’s Touch”
“Sometimes we become the lightning rod, and we must ‘take the heat’ for holding fast to God’s standards and doing His work. I testify that we need not be afraid if we are grounded in His doctrine. We may experience misunderstanding, criticism and even false accusation, but we are never alone. Our Savior was ‘despised and rejected of men’ (Mosiah 14:3). It is our sacred privilege to stand with Him!”
— Elder Robert D. Hales, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2013 general conference, “Stand Strong in Holy Places”
Mosiah 15
“Spiritual submissiveness is not accomplished in an instant, but by the incremental improvements and by the successive use of stepping-stones. Stepping-stones are meant to be taken one at a time anyway. Eventually our wills can be ‘swallowed up in the will of the Father’ as we are ‘willing to submit … even as a child doth submit to his father’ (see Mosiah 15:7; Mosiah 3:19). Otherwise, though striving, we will continue to feel the world’s prop wash and be partially diverted.”
— Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2002 general conference, “Consecrate Thy Performance”
“Have you ever asked yourselves who these people are, who preach the gospel of peace and whose feet are so beautiful upon the mountains?
“Abinadi, in the Book of Mormon, gives us the explanation. ...
“Says Abinadi: ‘I mean the holy prophets ever since the world began. … These are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth! ...
“‘And behold,’ Abinadi continues, ‘this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people’ (Mosiah 15:13–18). ...
“The prophets, then, are the servants of Jesus Christ and have been from the beginning of time. And because they are His servants and preach His gospel of peace, behold, how beautiful upon the mountains are their feet.”
— Elder Mark E. Petersen, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1972 general conference, “Another Prophet Now Has Come!”
Mosiah 16
“We will be judged according to our actions, the desires of our hearts and the kind of person we have become. This judgment will cause all of the children of God to proceed to a kingdom of glory for which their obedience has qualified them and where they will be comfortable. The judge of all this is our Savior, Jesus Christ. His omniscience gives Him a perfect knowledge of all of our acts and desires, both those unrepented or unchanged and those repented or righteous. Therefore, after His judgment we will all confess ‘that his judgments are just’ (Mosiah 16:1).”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2020 general conference, “The Great Plan”
“When he was just 10 years old, Joshua Dennis spent five days trapped in the pitch-black darkness of an abandoned mine. When rescuers finally heard his faint cry for help and pulled him out of the horrible darkness, he was disoriented, cold and exhausted. Much to their surprise, he wasn’t afraid. Josh spent his time sleeping, yelling for help and praying. ‘Someone was protecting me,’ he explained. ‘I knew people were going to find me.’
“Joshua’s simple but profound faith had been nurtured by his parents, who taught him that he had a Heavenly Father who knew where he was at all times. They taught him he had been born with the Light of Christ within him. … Josh experienced what Abinadi taught when, speaking of Christ, he said: ‘He is the light and life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened’ (Mosiah 16:9).”
— Sister Virginia U. Jensen, then the first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 2000 general conference, “‘Lead, Kindly Light’”
“There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the ‘light that is endless, that can never be darkened’ (Mosiah 16:9). It is the very Son of God Himself. … To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His ‘more excellent ministry’ with a future of ‘better promises’ (Hebrews 8:6). He is your ‘high priest of good things to come’ (Hebrews 9:11).”
— Then-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1999 general conference, “‘An High Priest of Good Things To Come’”
“The great prophet Abinadi gave this warning: ‘But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God’ (Mosiah 16:5).
“The devil is strongly against man’s repenting and preparing himself for the kingdom of heaven. The devil’s mission and goal is to destroy man’s potential godliness and his preparation to be again with his Heavenly Father. Repentance will stop the devil and keep him from entering the hearts of men.”
— Elder Bernard P. Brockbank, then an Assistant to the Twelve, October 1974 general conference, “The Divine Power of Repentance”
Mosiah 17
“There are other examples in the scriptures of those who caught the vision of the gospel and then went out to act upon that vision. The prophet Alma gained his vision when he heard Abinadi boldly teaching and testifying before King Noah. Alma acted on Abinadi’s teachings and went about teaching the things he had learned, baptizing many who believed on his words (see Mosiah 17:1–4; 18:1–16). …
“In our own day, many young men, women and senior couples have answered the call of a prophet of God to serve missions. With faith and courage, they leave their homes and everything that is familiar to them because of their faith in the great good they can do as missionaries. As they act on their vision to serve, they bless the lives of many and, in the process, change their own lives.”
— Elder O. Vincent Haleck, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2012 general conference, “Having the Vision To Do”
“When Abinadi fearlessly taught the gospel of Jesus Christ to the wicked King Noah and his priests, only Alma recognized the truth. Alma then had to demonstrate great faith in the words of Abinadi as he sought to bring about a mighty change of heart. This change of heart strengthened his conversion with a desire to forsake his sins. The conversion of each member of the Church is not unlike that of Alma (see Mosiah 17).
“We come out of the world into the kingdom of God. In the conversion process, we experience repentance, which brings about humility and a broken heart and contrite spirit, preparing us for baptism, remission of sins and receiving the Holy Ghost. Then, over time and through our faithfulness, we overcome trials and tribulations and endure to the end.”
— Elder Robert D. Hales, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1997 general conference, “‘When Thou Art Converted, Strengthen Thy Brethren’”
