And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him. When he was constrained to slay Laban was it the Spirit or the Holy Ghost that constrained him?Īnd it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. Nephi also spoke of the Spirit and the Holy Ghost but never in the same breath. Notice that he also identifies the Spirit as the source for his revelations, not the Holy Ghost.Īlma did speak of the Holy Ghost at times, too, such as during his famous lecture on faith:ģ7 And now, my beloved brethren, I desire that ye should remember these things, and that ye should work out your salvation with fear before God, and that ye should no more deny the coming of Christ ģ8 That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.
And now I do know of myself that they are true for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?Ĥ6 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true.
Who was it that Alma claimed to be teaching him gospel truths, the Holy Ghost or the Spirit?Ĥ5 And this is not all. Was it the Holy Ghost or the Spirit that was communicating God’s will to Alma?īut Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day. Alma said that he was constrained not to do so.
For example, when he and Amulek was forced to watch the execution of the women and children (whom Amulek was a neighbor of) Amulek wanted to use the power of God to save them from death. If we look closely at Alma’s writings we see that he was aware that there was a difference.
They are separate entities and it is helpful to know the difference and how to recognize each. The Holy Ghost and the Spirit are widely misunderstood and confused.