Mosiah 18:7-11

8  And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, 

    as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, 

           and to be called his people, 

    and are willing to bear one another's burdens, 

          that they may be light;
9  Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; 

          yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, 

     and to stand as witnesses of God at all times 

         and in all things, 

         and in all places that ye may be in, 

              even until death, 

     that ye may be redeemed of God, 

              and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, 

     that ye may have eternal life—
10  Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
11  And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.

Mosiah 18:8-11 (Emphasis mine)

(Note - poetic form in verses 8-9 found in The Book of Mormon - A Reader's Edition by Grant Hardy, pg. 219)

 

After Alma(1)'s preaching, he had quite a congregation.  They met at the Waters of Mormon to hear the gospel preached.  In one sermon, Alma(1) challenged them to be baptized.

There are many who believe they have the right to determine who is a true Christian.  (Christ, not man, is the Shepherd.  

11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:11-15 (Emphasis mine)

27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 10:27 (Emphasis mine)

Christ knows his sheep; no man has the right say in who is and who isn't a follower of Christ.)

I've asked some of these people to show me anywhere in the Bible where it gives a list of what a Christian could be.  They come up with some examples, but also fall back on extra-Biblical beliefs to support them.  Here, Alma gives us the best set of qualifications to be a follower of Christ.  They are clear, simple, and straightforward.

Here's what Alma(1) tells us is the requirement for baptism.

• Desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people.
• Willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light.
  Willing to mourn with those that mourn.
• Comfort those that stand in need of comfort.
• Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death.

Alma(1) makes clear the requirements to be a believer.  As you can see from this list, more than just a belief in Christ is expected.  As disciples, much is expected of us.

But Alma(1) doesn't leave it there.  He tells us that we will receive great and precious gifts as disciples.

• Ye may be redeemed of God.
• Be numbered with those of the first resurrection.
• Ye may have eternal life.

These are some very powerful promises we are given in return for being baptized and following Christ.  

Then Alma(1) asks, "If this is your desire, then what do you have against being baptized?"  (v11)

The people promptly replied "This is our desire!" (v12).

James Faulconer writes about the importance of baptism in the Book of Mormon.

"Only in the Book of Mormon do we have a clear presentation of the obligations that come to us through the covenant of baptism. Alma says to be baptized is to witness that

ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light; yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life. (Mosiah 18:8–9)

"To read the Book of Mormon is to learn that to be baptized and to renew that covenant at the sacrament table is to covenant that we will imitate Christ in bearing the burdens of and comforting our brothers and sisters and in being witnesses of God—which are probably two ways of saying the same thing: On the one hand, to bear the burdens of others and comfort them is to imitate, though in a very small way, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; so it is to bear witness of God. On the other hand, It is to comfort in the sense suggested by the Latin roots of that word: 'to strengthen.' That both giving comfort and bearing witness are required of those who enter the covenant of baptism can be inferred from the New Testament, but only the Book of Mormon makes them explicit." (Emphasis mine)

With Real Intent, James E. Faulconer, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 20, 2011.  

John Welch discusses the background of the teaching and practices of the Nephites.  Here's what he specifically says of baptism. 

"Most of the Book of Mormon is about a group of Israelites who were guided by prophets, had the doctrines and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but lived the law of Moses until the coming of Christ ... Many details about the religious teachings and practices of these people are found in the Book of Mormon.

"During the centuries before Christ, Nephite prophets had taught the fullness of the gospel and prepared the people for the coming of Jesus Christ ... some [of these teachings] can be traced back into ancient Israel; others were introduced at various times through inspiration or revelation:

"... 2.  Covenantal baptisms were performed from the beginning of the record, notably by Alma(1) at the waters of Mormon (Mosiah 18). His baptismal prayer sought sanctification of the heart as the covenantor promised to serve God 'even until death' so that he or she might be granted eternal life through the redemption of Christ (Mosiah 18:12—13). Alma(1)'s group remained intact even after they took up residence among other Nephites, and those Nephites who submitted to baptism 'after the manner he [had baptized] (sic) his brethren in the waters of Mormon' belonged to this church (Mosiah 25:18)." (Emphasis mine)

Religious Teachings and Practices in the Book of Mormon. John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 22, 2011.

So, through revelation, the principle of baptism was practiced among the Nephites.

As to the tradition of baptism, Hugh Nibley writes about an ancient practice practiced by the Arabs today.

"Their records are full. They keep their records on lead plates, because lead plates are preserved in the water. The water won't destroy them. The Mandaeans at the mouth of the Euphrates and the Tigris down there are the marsh Arabs today. They have a great thing about lots of baptizing and purification. They have the same garments we do, etc. They go through all that, and they have these records there. They say they came originally from the Jordan, and their baptisms are continued from the Jordan there. That goes back to the time of Christ. So you find these people all over the place, and this is the pattern that's being followed in the Book of Mormon. It's a very old one. You can parallel it many places. And it's in such detail. It's so interesting the way it comes out in the case of Alma, because he had been tipped off. Abinadi knew the record and all this sort of thing." (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 36: Mosiah 16-18, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 22, 2011.

16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Mark 16:16 (Emphasis mine)

37  ¶ Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:37-38 (Emphasis mine)

37  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38  And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39  And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

Acts 8:37-39 (Emphasis mine)

2  He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?  And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3  And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized?  And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4  Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts 19:2-5 (Emphasis mine)

And so we learn about the importance of baptism and the qualifications of someone to be baptised.