Is there a God?

Is there a God?

Preach My Gospel asks me to make a list of questions of the soul that investigators have asked.  Where would I take them in the scriptures?  My goal was to find it on my own rather than search on LDS.org.  I need to learn how to do this on “the fly”. 

I started in the Topical Guide, but then remembered there are some great lessons in Alma.  I started to “thumb” through and came to the story of Alma teaching Korihor (Alma 30).  I wrote in my margin “Start with this question: Is there a God?”  That would seem a logical start with any investigator.  Find out what his/her foundation is.  Do you believe in a God?  What do you know about Him?  Alma bears testimony that there is a God and that proof of Him is in everything that surrounds us.  “. . . all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.” (Alma 30:44)  Korihor wanted a sign, and this was Alma’s answer.  That wasn’t enough for him.  He wanted something bigger – a sign.  Well, he got it big time!  He was struck dumb and eventually run over and killed by the people.  He did, however, admit that he knew he had been deceived by the devil.  So this experience Alma relates teaches us that not only is there a God, there is a Devil as well.  He is real and can trip us up, if we let him.

Another reference would be Alma’s description of his conversion, aka being born of God in Alma 36:7-23.  He was being quite rebellious to the point of drawing good people away from the church.  An angel of the Lord appeared to him and his friends and he had his conversion moment.  He was struck to the ground with the appearance of an angel and was unable to speak or move his body for three days.  That would have an effect on you.  He finally remembered the things his father had taught him and cried out to Jesus Christ to have mercy on him.  It was instantaneous and he received his strength.  He went forth from that day on preaching of his marvelous experience and the truth of the gospel.  He had been born of God and was filled with the Holy Ghost.

What is the difference between these two experiences? I’ve often asked myself that question.  Korihor admitted his errors and that he had indeed been shown a sign of the truth.  Why was Alma so certain that Korihor would return to his old ways if he had been spared the outcome of his doubts?   Korihor admitted he was wrong, but he never bore testimony of the Savior whereas Alma from the moment he was aware he had been wrong, devoted the remainder of his life to convincing others of the truthfulness of the gospel and preaching of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

I think it is important that part of being born of God involves bearing testimony of that truth to others.  Numerous places in the scriptures make reference to bearing witness.  When Alma (the father of Alma) was baptizing the people in the waters of Mormon, part of their baptismal covenant was to “. . . stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life – (Mosiah 18:8-11).  From reading of Korihor, it sounds like his focus was his own survival – begging for food and help for himself, rather than bearing witness to others of truth.  Could that be the difference in the two?  At least it is one difference.