The holy order of God is the priesthood under which prophets and priests in the record were called, ordained, and authorized to teach. Jacob describes himself as called of God and ordained after the manner of this holy order, having been consecrated by his brother Nephi (2 Nephi 6:2). Alma the Younger names the order as the priesthood after which the Lord ordained priests to teach his commandments to the people, identifying it as the order of his Son (Alma 13:1). Alma elsewhere calls it the order “which is in Christ Jesus” (Alma 5:44).
Alma the Younger held this priesthood himself: after giving up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, he confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to testify of the word (Alma 4:20). He taught at length about the order, calling it a high priesthood held by many who were ordained on account of their faith and repentance (Alma 13:10). Alma describes the order as eternal and patterned on the Son of God himself — “from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity” — so that those ordained thereby become high priests forever after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten (Alma 13:7, 9). Alma further specifies that those called to the order were ordained to teach the commandments “that they also might enter into his rest,” and that many who were sanctified “entered into the rest of the Lord their God” (Alma 13:6, 12); the ordinances of the order were given so that the people might look forward to the Son of God for a remission of sins “that they might enter into the rest of the Lord” (Alma 13:16). Those so called were sanctified, their garments washed white through the blood of the Lamb (Alma 13:11). Melchizedek received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God, preached repentance, established peace, and was called the prince of peace as king of Salem (Alma 13:18).
Those ordained after the order preached the word according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation (Alma 43:2), and the church had peace and prosperity when the people heeded those whom the order had ordained, sent forth to preach (Alma 49:30). Alma exhorts his hearers to walk blameless before God and after the holy order of God after which they have been received (Alma 7:22). Moroni states that it was by faith that those of old were called after the holy order of God (Ether 12:10).