Alma’s Sermon to the People of Gideon

Following Christ

Alma 7:14–16

Alma exhorts the people to be born again in Jesus Christ, to humble themselves, and trust in and follow Christ to be led to eternal life.

Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.

Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.

Alma 7:17

Alma is pleased that the people of Gideon believe and accept his words.

And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy.

Alma 7:18

Alma again expresses his relief that the people of Gideon are not in the same state of wickedness that the people of Zarahemla were in.

For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye were not in the state of dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.

Alma 7:19–20

Alma knows that the people of Gideon are on the right track, and they are following God’s unchanging path.

For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness;
I perceive that ye are in the path
which leads to the kingdom of God;

Yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight.

I perceive that it has been made known unto you,
by the testimony of his word,

That he cannot walk in crooked paths.

Neither doth he vary from that which he hath said.

Neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left,
or from that which is right to that which is wrong;

Therefore, his course is one eternal round.

Alma 7:21

Filthiness cannot be accepted into the Kingdom of God.

And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.