Belief, Joy, and Agency Collide

Alma 30 is an instructive—and unsettling—chapter. It forces an honest question: do we truly understand what strict obedience means?

Even those who embrace the gospel often assume there’s more flexibility than “strict” implies. Not because God is a tyrant, but because a casual approach slowly pulls us off the path. One small step into the wilderness, then another, until we’re farther away than we realized. President Hinckley’s talk about hinges comes to mind. Beware slippery slopes!

Korihor’s arguments sound surprisingly modern. He insists that no one can know of things to come, or of things we cannot see. He reduces morality to power—might makes right—and preaches that what we do ultimately doesn’t matter.

That idea made me pause. If everything I believe were suddenly proven false—no pre-existence, no afterlife—would I abandon my efforts to do good? I don’t think so. Living a righteous life makes me happy. Helping others makes me happy. Being industrious and creative bring me peace and joy. Even without eternity, I wouldn’t choose evil. Goodness still works.

Joy plays a role here. We can fake happiness, but joy comes from within. When your heart has been touched by the Spirit and you feel true joy, you are changed. I don’t think you ever fully go back.

Korihor, however, reaches a moment of stunning irony when he asks for a sign that there is no God. The result is predictable. When he is struck dumb, he finally admits he had been deceived—by a being he could see – the devil. After denying the unseen, he trusted a visible lie. Alma refuses to remove the curse, leaving Korihor in the Lord’s hands.

What follows is both tender and tragic. Korihor survives only by the kindness of others, begging from house to house. There is good in people. Yet he is ultimately run down and killed—another reminder that agency cuts both ways.

The chapter ends with the familiar phrase, “And thus we see…” As I read, my thoughts turned to those—especially my own children—who no longer believe in God or Jesus Christ. What does their future hold?

I don’t know how it will unfold, but I trust this: every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ. (Philippians 2:10–11)  Every means all. They once knew. They will know again. God does not lie, and because He does not lie, I can hold both truth and hope at the same time.