This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Helaman 13-16, which includes the story of Samuel the Lamanite.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters in the Book of Mormon.
Helaman 13
“Tolerating improper behavior without loving correction is false compassion and reinforces the common notion that wickedness might in fact be happiness. Samuel the Lamanite clearly countered this notion: ‘Ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head’ (Helaman 13:38).”
— Brother M. Joseph Brough, then the second counselor in the Young Men general presidency, April 2017 general conference, “His Daily Guiding Hand”
“Our Heavenly Father knows the way for you to enjoy happiness and peace; the principles of the gospel mark the way. They are a gift to you, His children.
“On the other hand, Satan will try, at every step of the way, to lead you off course. His objective is to make you unhappy and miserable like he is. Vast sums of money are spent each year to package and disguise sin and evil to make them appear enticing, attractive, even harmless. However, regardless of appearances, ‘wickedness never was happiness’ (Alma 41:10) and never will be. Never find yourselves in the position of the Nephites just a few years before the birth of the Savior. They ‘sought … for that which [they] could not obtain … for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head’ (Helaman 13:38). You cannot find happiness in sin and iniquity.”
— Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1989 general conference, “Running Your Marathon”
“Notwithstanding the fact that through its misuse, political, economic and personal liberty are lost, free agency will always endure because it is an eternal principle. However, the free agency possessed by any one person is increased or diminished by the use to which he puts it. Every wrong decision one makes restricts the area in which he can thereafter exercise his agency. The further one goes in the making of wrong decisions in the exercise of free agency, the more difficult it is for him to recover the lost ground. One can, by persisting long enough, reach the point of no return. He then becomes an abject slave. By the exercise of his free agency, he has decreased the area in which he can act, almost to the vanishing point.
“Samuel, the Lamanite prophet, speaking to those who so persisted, said: ‘In the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day … and say: …
“’O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came unto us. …
“’Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls. … O Lord, canst thou not turn away thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in those days.
“’But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure’ (Helaman 13:32, 36-38). …
“Just as following wrong alternatives restricts free agency and leads to slavery, so pursuing correct alternatives widens the scope of one’s agency and leads to perfect liberty.”
— President Marion G. Romney, second counselor in the First Presidency, October 1981 general conference, “The Perfect Law of Liberty”
Helaman 14
“Samuel the Lamanite taught, ‘If ye believe on [Christ’s] name ye will repent of all your sins’ (Helaman 14:13). Repentance is a precious gift from our Heavenly Father that is made possible through the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son. It is the process that the Father has given us by which we change, or turn, our thoughts, actions and our very being so that we become more and more like the Savior. It is not just for big sins but is a daily process of self-evaluation and improvement that helps us to overcome our sins, our imperfections, our weaknesses and our inadequacies. Repentance causes us to become ‘true followers’ of Christ, which fills us with love and casts out our fears. Repentance is not a backup plan just in case our plan to live perfectly fails. Continual repentance is the only path that can bring us lasting joy and enable us to return to live with our Heavenly Father.”
— BYU–Pathway Worldwide President Brian K. Ashton, then the second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, October 2016 general conference, “The Doctrine of Christ”
“Samuel the Lamanite prophet taught that ‘whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness’ (Helaman 14:18). …
“As parents and leaders we need to watch over our members and families, helping them to stay away from those things that could lead them to a spiritual death. We also seek to rescue those who are now dead as to the things that are spiritual …
“The spiritual healing of those who have been dead as to the things pertaining to righteousness comes about through the power of the Atonement, conversion to the truth and adherence to the principles of righteousness.”
— Elder Francisco J. Viñas, General Authority Seventy, April 2010 general conference, “Things Pertaining to Righteousness”
“One of the great prophets of ancient times was Samuel the Lamanite. I like the way he taught. He was plain and straightforward in his manner of speech. He did not mince words, nor did he leave the people wondering what he meant.
“As he spoke from the walls of Zarahemla, calling the Nephites to repentance, he told them bluntly that if they refused to live the gospel, condemnation would come upon them, and he made it clear that they would have no one to blame but themselves.
“’Remember, remember,’ he said, ‘that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself’ (Helaman 14:30).
“Then he said that, since we have free agency, we can choose the good or the evil, life or death; but he declared that in the end we shall most certainly receive exactly what we ourselves have chosen.
“Should we not determine how well we are really living the gospel? And should we not remind ourselves that now — in our mortal lives — is the time of our probation, and that now is the time of planting for whatever kind of harvest we hope to receive?”
— Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1982 general conference, “Believers and Doers”
Helaman 15
“I am grateful for millions of Church members who today are coming unto the Savior and pressing forward on the covenant path in the last wagons of our contemporary wagon trains — and who truly are no less serviceable. Your strong faith in Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and your unpretentious, consecrated lives inspire me to be a better man and disciple.
“I love you. I admire you. I thank you. And I commend you.
“A statement in the Book of Mormon by Samuel the Lamanite best summarizes my feelings for you.
“’Behold that the more part of them are in the path of their duty, and they do walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes. …
“‘Yea, I say unto you, that the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth’ (Helaman 15:5-6).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2023 general conference, “In the Path of Their Duty”
“For many of us, conversion is an ongoing process and not a onetime event that results from a powerful or dramatic experience. Line upon line and precept upon precept, gradually and almost imperceptibly, our motives, our thoughts, our words and our deeds become aligned with the will of God. Conversion unto the Lord requires both persistence and patience.
“Samuel the Lamanite identified five basic elements in becoming converted unto the Lord: (1) believing in the teachings and prophecies of the holy prophets as they are recorded in the scriptures, (2) exercising faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, (3) repenting, (4) experiencing a mighty change of heart, and (5) becoming ‘firm and steadfast in the faith’ (see Helaman 15:7-8). This is the pattern that leads to conversion.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2012 general conference, “Converted Unto the Lord”
“I have great confidence in the young women of the Church. Through your habit of daily scripture study, you will be ‘led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written’ (Helaman 15:7). You will be the mothers and leaders who will help prepare the next generation with gospel understanding and testimony. Your children will be men and women of faith who will continue to build the kingdom of God on the earth because of what you teach them from the scriptures.”
— Sister Julie B. Beck, then the first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, April 2004 general conference, “My Soul Delighteth in the Scriptures”
Helaman 16
“Prophets, like watchmen on a tower, have the special mandate to be the Lord’s mouthpiece and declare what He has revealed to them. The Lord requires His prophets to be men of faith, men of integrity and men who are fearless.
“Samuel the Lamanite, for example, showed his complete commitment to Jesus Christ when he stood upon a wall and declared to the Nephites the things the Lord had put into his heart.
“It is remarkable to me that Samuel boldly testified of truth — even when the Nephites ‘cast stones at him … and … shot arrows at him as he stood upon the wall’ (Helaman 16:2). We see this boldness in prophets, seers and revelators today.”
— Elder Isaac K. Morrison, General Authority Seventy, in the September 2024 Liahona article “The Prophet Leads Us to Jesus Christ”
