Alma argues that this understanding of resurrection, while perhaps possible, is nevertheless incorrect. The importance of this part of his discussion is that such reasoning would allow the religious philosophers proposing such a thing to declare themselves attached to tradition (the scriptures) but to deny the need for the Atoning Messiah. They would be able to say that the resurrection already occurs when the spirit lives, and thus there is no need for the future Atoning Messiah. Alma is not just arguing theology here, but he is continuing to remove the points Corianton would have used to justify his apostasy.