Mosiah 26:28-31

28 Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day.

29 Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also.

30 Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.

31 And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor’s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation.

The Lord told Alma those who won’t hear His voice will not be “received into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day” (Mosiah 26:28).

Jacob told the Nephites something similar. “And wo unto the deaf that will not hear; for they shall perish” (2 Nephi 9:31).

The Lord told Joseph Smith…

“For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated.

“Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear:

“And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people” (D&C 1:2, 11, 14).

Alma was told to judge the church members who had sinned against God. They were to be judged according to their sins. The sincerely repentant person will confess their sins. The Lamanites who were converted by the sons of Mosiah confessed their sins. “And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him” (Alma 17:4).

There were those who rejected the prophesies of Christ’s birth. But, after the signs were given, we read, “they soon became converted, and were convinced of the error which they were in, for it was made known unto them that the law was not yet fulfilled, and that it must be fulfilled in every whit; yea, the word came unto them that it must be fulfilled; yea, that one jot or tittle should not pass away till it should all be fulfilled; therefore in this same year were they brought to a knowledge of their error and did confess their faults” (3 Nephi 1:25).

After confessing their sins and repenting, Alma was told he should forgive them. The Lord will also forgive them.

Whenever His people sincerely repent, they will be forgiven of their sins. “But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven” (Moroni 6:8).

David asked the Lord to “[h]ave mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1).

Peter taught, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

“If we will sincerely repent, God really will forgive us, even when we have committed the same sin over and over again. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: ‘However many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made … I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.’”[1]

Alma was also told we should forgive each other for any trespasses. Paul wrote,

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:13-14).

If we don’t forgive others who repent, we are brought under condemnation.

“Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

“I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men” (D&C 64:9-10).

“When we are truly humble, we pray for forgiveness and forgive others. As we read in Mosiah, Alma taught that as often as we repent, the Lord will forgive our trespasses. On the other hand, as indicated in the Lord’s Prayer, when we do not forgive others’ trespasses, we bring ourselves under condemnation. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, through repentance our sins are forgiven. When we do not forgive those who trespass against us, we are in effect rejecting the Savior’s Atonement. Holding a grudge and refusing to forgive and refusing to humbly approach our relationships in a Christlike manner truly brings us under condemnation. Holding a grudge is poisonous[2] to our souls.”[3]

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[1] Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It, Elder J. Devn Cornish, October 2016 General Conference.

[2] As Nelson Mandela said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies” (in Jessica Durando, “15 of Nelson Mandela’s Best Quotes,” USA Today, Dec. 5, 2013, usatoday.com).

[3] The Eternal Everyday, Elder Quentin L. Cook, October 2017 General Conference.