I asked two questions about king Benjamin’s people at the end of part one, “Was this their first experience with repentance?” and “Was this their first experience with the Holy Ghost?”
I think the obvious answer is no. The people of king Benjamin had established the church and built a temple many years prior to receiving a remission of their sins as recorded in Mosiah 4:3. They followed Christ by living the same gospel principles we do today. They had faith in Jesus Christ, repented, received baptism for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Book of Mormon says they had prophets and holy men and “…they did speak the word of God with power and with authority…” However, with all this they had never fully completed their baptism covenant by receiving a remission of their sins until the day king Benjamin had gathered them together. They had repented and had experiences with the Holy Ghost but they had never received a remission of sins by fire and the Holy Ghost.
Remember, we learned in part 1 that the Savior taught that a remission of sins comes through the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:2), therefore, we can conclude that a remission of sins and repentance are not the same thing, and “fire and the Holy Ghost” and the gift of the Holy Ghost are not the same. King Benjamin’s people experienced something new, something they had never before experienced. It’s evident from this account that there are dimensions of repentance, and the Holy Ghost being taught in these chapters, that invites our study.
This is a new idea for most of those who are reading this, so I’ll repeat it for emphasis. The Book of Mormon teaches the doctrine of “forgiveness” and the doctrine of “remission of sins” are different, separate kinds of experiences. The Book of Mormon also teaches that the Holy Ghost is manifested in different ways—three to be exact. Continue reading →
