Alma 5:28-33

28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.

29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.

30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?

31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!

32 Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!

33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you. (Alma 5:28-33)

As we have seen, pride will eventually lead to the fall of the Nephite civilization. Throughout the scriptures, we are warned to avoid pride.

“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4).

“Only by pride cometh contention” (Proverbs 13:10).

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

“He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions [GR obsessed with questions] and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings [GR wicked suspicions]” (1 Timothy 6:3-4).

“And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever” (1 Nephi 12:18).

We are to strip ourselves of envy. The Guide to the Scriptures tells us, “[a]ccording to the scriptures, to desire something that belongs to another is wrong.” If we do not, we are not prepared to face God.

We are to avoid mocking a brother or cause him to be persecuted. “Fools make a mock at sin” (Proverbs 14:9).

Those in the great and spacious building mocked the righteous. “And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit” (1 Nephi 8:27).

“Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you” (Jacob 6:8).

If any are guilty of these things, they are not prepared for salvation and must repent.

“Though human volition is required for the essential step of repentance to be taken, the step would not exist were it not for the grace of God. Repentance helps to make us more perfect, and the perfection process could not take place without it; however, the perfecting aspect of repentance is not any work we perform but “the grace of the Lord through the Atonement.” Mormon doctrine tells us that without repentance there can be no exaltation.”[1]

“Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it” (Alma 5:32).

“For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

“The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

“Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man” (Psalm 5:4-6).

The invitation to repent is given to us all. “And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name” (Alma 19:36).

His arms of mercy are extended to all who will repent. If they repent, He will receive us.

“But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” (2 Nephi 1:15).

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts” (Jacob 6:5),

“Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me” (3 Nephi 9:14).

“The arm of mercy. The first is the image of the arm of mercy extended. The phrase ‘arm of mercy’ is not in the Old Testament. The closest phrase that suggests such an image is in Psalm 94:18: ‘When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.’ Mercy can also be extended (see, for example, Psalm 109:12), but it seems to be used in the same sense as show mercy.

“The phrase occurs eight times in the Book of Mormon. It appears first when Jacob explains Zenos’ allegory of the olive tree: ‘While his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts’ (Jacob 6:5). If read in context, this phrase is a continuation of the hand imagery that Jacob had introduced three verses earlier: ‘The day that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune his vineyard’ (6:2).

“The image of the arm of mercy also occurs in Mosiah 16:12; Alma 5:33; 19:36; 29:10; and 3 Nephi 9:14. Each time, the Lord is offering ‘to all people who will repent and believe on his name’ (Alma 19:36) the chance to take full advantage of the Atonement. For example, ‘Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you’ (Alma 5:33).”[2]

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[1] Work, Worship, and Grace, David L. Paulsen and Cory G. Walker, FARMS Review 18/2 (2006): 112.

[2] The Image of the Hand of God in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament, David Rolph Seely, Maxwell Institute Website.