“Can You Look Up to God with a Pure Heart and Clean Hands”

Monte S. Nyman

The Psalmist proclaimed that only those who “hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully” would stand in the holy place of the Lord and receive righteousness from the God of Salvation (Psalms 24:3–5). Perhaps Alma was reflecting upon this Psalm in the above questions (Alma 5:19). It was most probably recorded upon the plates of brass. A pure heart shows a cleanliness of thoughts. Clean hands display a life of good works or righteous actions. For those who have Christ engraven in their countenances (v. 19), death “shall be sweet unto them” (D&C 42:46), and they will look forward to standing before God to be judged (Alma 5:15). Those who yield to the devil will have their countenances darkened and beyond salvation (v. 20). Since all have stains to one degree or another those whose garments are washed and purified, receive that cleansing “because of their faith in the Lamb of God” (1 Nephi 12:12) and “the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end” (3 Nephi 27:19).

Book of Mormon Commentary: The Record of Alma

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