That They Might Cross Him

Reading the Book of Mormon over the last couple months I became aware of a phrase that described the evil designs of those who were fighting against the servants of God. Several times they would "question him, that they might cross him." I was intrigued by this and decided to look into this practice. My initial search led me to the following three Book of Mormon scriptures and five New Testament scriptures:

Mosiah 12: 19
19 And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.
About 148 B.C.

Alma 10: 16
16 And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict the words which he should speak.
About 82 B.C.

Hel. 9: 19
19 Nevertheless, they caused that Nephi should be taken and bound and brought before the multitude, and they began to question him in divers ways that they might cross him, that they might accuse him to death—
Between 23 and 20 B.C.

Matthew 22:15
15 ¶ Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

Mark 12:13
13 ¶ And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

Luke 11:53-54
53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

Luke 20:20
20 And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

John 8:6
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

Abinadi, Amulek, Nephi, and even Jesus Himself, were all subjected to this age old legal parlor trick. You get someone worked up with false accuasations or "trick questions" and if you are able to find a misstatement in their words you then lay aside the original accusation and accuse them of blasphemy, heresy, lying—or in our modern parlance—contempt, misconduct, or perjury.

These evil designs have been around for a long time, and they are with us today. Hopefully we can be aware of these and see them for what they are, and call people out as did the Savior and His prophets when conspiring men seek to cross us in our words.

Stand Fast in Liberty

There is a peculiar phrase that is used in the Book of Mormon on several occasions:

• Mosiah 23:13 "And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king over you." —Alma



• Alma 58:40 "But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come." —Helaman



• Alma 61:9 "And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free."
  • • •
  Alma 61:21 "See that ye strengthen Lehi and Teancum in the Lord; tell them to fear not, for God will deliver them, yea, and also all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them free. And now I close mine epistle to my beloved brother, Moroni." — Pahoran

What does it mean to "stand fast in liberty?"

I believe this means that we need to not only respect, honor, and value the blessings of liberty, but also promote freedom and fight tyranny. We must always be vigilant against the subtle and blatant attacks against our freedom. Our great country is moving down an extremely dangerous path, and there are many powerful people who will push the nation down that path even faster if we do not band together and push back.

How serious is this situation?

"Let us never forget that today we are in the biggest battle ever staged. Our opponent is socialism-the Welfare State-and the penalty of failure is enslavement. We must keep keep strong spiritually, morally and economically as individuals, families, communities and as a nation. Only in this course is safety." -Elder Ezra Taft Benson February 28, 1962

"I have been on both sides of the Iron Curtain several times. I have talked to these godless leaders face to face. I say to you with all the sincerity of my soul that since 1933 this godless counterfeit to the gospel has made tremendous progress towards its objective of world domination, for over one-third of the human family are now under totalitarian subjugation. Today we are in a battle for the bodies and souls of men. It is a battle between two opposite systems: freedom and slavery, Christ and anti-Christ." —Elder Ezra Taft Benson April 12, 1977

I am a firm believer that God made man to be free and that the devil and his angels seek to enslave mankind. I have seen first hand the ill effects of welfare misused. The Lord has commanded us to care for the poor among us, and the counterfeit that satan has set up to deceive and snare mankind is the government run Welfare State. The purportedly benevolent purposes for which the statist seeks his power and control are a diabolical ruse.

Man is to be free, he is to have liberty, and he is meant to use his agency to determine his own destiny. The soul of man is crippled and weakened when he becomes ensnared by the dole. The war on poverty can only be won by instilling the laws of the celestial kingdom, and when man rejects that law he is left to himself and his puny efforts only worsen and deepen the problem.

May God bless America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. And may we as Americans seek to be a righteous example of light and truth to our fellow man throughout the world so that in due time they might also enjoy the blessings of liberty and "stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free."