Alma 5:14-25

After having reminded the people of the Lord's hand in bringing many to freedom, Alma(2) begins to question the people.

14  And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God?  Have ye received his image in your countenances?  Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

Alma 5:14 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) is asking the people if they have been truly converted; have they truly accepted the gospel in their lives.

We all must be "spiritually ... born of God."  Paul tells us:

6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Romans 8:6 (Emphasis mine)

14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (Emphasis mine)

22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Galatians 5:22 (Emphasis mine)

Then he asks an interesting question - "Have ye received his image in your countenance?"  What does this mean.  Here are a few thoughts.

"Thus Alma the Younger points to the transformation of his father as he himself pleads for the mighty spiritual change to come into the hearts of his own people.

I ask of you my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? (Alma 5:14)

"The Lord's image in one's countenance? Alma had seen it (see Alma 36:5—27, especially v. 22). He knew his father had seen it on a courageous prophet who was willing to suffer in the pattern of his Redeemer to the last moments of his life.

Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even as Moses' did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord. (Mosiah 13:5; emphasis added"

"What Meaneth the Words That Are Written?", Ann N. Madsen, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 18, 2011.

"Some murmurers seem to hope to reshape the Church to their liking by virtue of their murmuring. But why would one want to belong to a church that he could remake in his own image, when it is the Lord’s image that we should come to have in our countenances? (See Alma 5:19.) The doctrines are His, brothers and sisters, not ours. The power is His to delegate, not ours to manipulate! (Ensign, November 1989, 83, as quoted in The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book, ed. Cory H. Maxwell [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997], 69.)" (Emphasis mine)
Accessed on the Maxwell Institute website August 18, 2011.

In the April 1979 session of General Conference, Elder Loren C. Dunn said:

"Alma was making sure that the members of the Church had not just received the gift of the Holy Ghost, but also had truly received the sanctifying and cleansing power of that great Spirit. He said the way you can tell is when you become refreshed spiritually, as if you had been born anew. He said that the feelings and attitudes of your heart will be truly changed for the good. That your very appearance will begin to take upon itself the image of Christ.

"What a great and powerful friend is this gift of the Holy Ghost! Certainly all who will turn to the Savior and abide by his laws will be healed by this Spirit (see 3 Ne. 9:13). They will have the mind of Christ (see 1 Cor. 2:16), they will be 'partakers of the divine nature' (2 Pet. 1:4), they will begin to have the image of Christ in their countenances (see Alma 5:14). Truly the gospel comes, as Paul said, not only in word, 'but also in power,' the sanctifying, cleansing, soul-enlarging power of the Holy Spirit (1 Thes. 1:5)." (Emphasis mine)

15  Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?  Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption braised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?

Alma 5:15 (Emphasis mine)

Where is our faith?  Do we have faith in God?  Do we look forward to the day when we stand before God to be judged?  

Alma(2) is telling us the day will come when those questions will have to be answered; we will have to answer as we stand in the presence of God.

7  But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
8  And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

Psalms 9:7-8 (Emphasis mine)

4  He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
5  Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
6  And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself.  Selah.

Psalms 50:4-6 (Emphasis mine)

36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37  .

Matthew 12:36-37 (Emphasis mine)

1  THEREFORE thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

Romans 2:1-3 (Emphasis mine)

10  But why dost thou judge thy brother?  or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?  for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Romans 14:10-12 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) then asks the people to imagine a few things.

16  I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
17  Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you?
18  Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?

Alma 5:16-18 (Emphasis mine)

Imagine, Alma(2) asks, standing before the Lord and hearing those marvelous words - "Come unto me ye blessed" (verse 16).  Those have to be the most wonderful words the Lord could say to us directly.

34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25:34 (Emphasis mine)

But then he asks - do you imagine you can lie to the Lord and you will be saved?  Imagine being brought before the Lord knowing you had lived a life of wickedness.  You will remember your wickedness and you will be filled with guild and remorse. 

You will not be able to lie to the Lord because you will know of your unworthiness.  The Lord won't have to remind you.  You will know.

19  I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?  I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?
20  I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?
21  I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.
22  And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness?  Behold, what will these things testify against you?
23  Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?
24  Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white?
25  I say unto you, Nay; except ye make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning, ye cannot suppose that such can have place in the kingdom of heaven; but they shall be cast out for they are the children of the kingdom of the devil.

Alma 5:19-25 (Emphasis mine) 

 

Alma(2) tells us that the only way we can be saved if our garments are washed white in the blood of Christ.  How can garment washed in blood stay white?

Again I turn to Hugh Nibley.

"But we go on; [Alma] is talking about this. As I said, this is very rich imagery. You can imagine these things, and then he says [verse 21]: 'There can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers.' Now there is a strange paradox: Washed in the blood of the lamb. Have your garments been washed white in his blood? Well, how can blood wash garments white is the point...

"... After they have ... slain the pascal lamb, then Aaron and his sons appear before the people with their garments splattered with blood, which shows that the atonement has been made. The blood has been shed, after the similitude. That means that the people's own blood has been washed white. This is explained here, how blood can wash you clean. He's going to tell us. Notice that your garments are stained with filth; they're bloody. That's the blood that's washed out. Notice the difference here: ' . . . cleansed from all stain, through the blood of [the lamb].' And the next verse says, 'And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments [not cleansed] stained with blood and all manner of filthiness?' So we have two kinds of stained garments; the one is the blood and filthiness that stains your own garment. He says the blood will testify against you ... But the interesting point is you don't know how to valuate sin. Who is more guilty than the other? There's no way of knowing that, how guilty a person really is. So everybody must pay, whether it's a woman, child, rich, poor; it makes no difference. Everyone must pay exactly the same amount, because only God knows who the real sinners are..." (Emphasis mine)
Lecture 46: Alma 5, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 18, 2011.

The wicked, on the other hand, will not only remember their sins, their garments will be filthy because of their sins.  They chose not to take advantage of Christ's atonement.  They elected to live a life of sin; this decision will be clear in the garments they wear when they stand before the Lord.

2  The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3  They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Psalms 14:2-3 (Emphasis mine)

11  There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12  There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

Proverbs 30:11-12 (Emphasis mine)

20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:20-21 (Emphasis mine)

Mosiah 16:9-15

9  He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.
10  Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—
11  If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation—
12  Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent.

Mosiah 16:9-12 (Emphasis mine)

Abinadi ends his praise of Christ in verse 9.  He praises Christ, calling him the endless light, which can never be darkened, and there will be no more death.

1  THE LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalms 27:1 (Emphasis mine)

4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John 1:4-5 (Emphasis mine)

12  ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 8:12 (Emphasis mine)

14  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Ephesians 5:14 (Emphasis mine)

Then he reminds them that the day will come when they will stand before God and be judged according to their works.  The righteous will receive eternal life and happiness; the wicked to endless damnation, being subject to the devil..

Abinadi tells them that those who receive damnation  receive it because of the choices they made (a very common thread throughout the Book of Mormon).  In spite of the fact that the Lord reached out to them, warned them of their sins, and commanded them to repent, they ignored all the efforts of the Lord on their behalf.  They chose to continue in their wicked ways, and thereby earned the judgment of damnation they will receive.

Remember, the wicked, in Abinadi's words, "...never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them..." (v12)  What more can we ask of the Lord than He extend his arms of mercy to us?  He is showing us His deep and abiding love for us.  He reaches out to us.  He is doing everything He can to bring us back to Him.  And, the response of the wicked is to "...never [call] upon the Lord..." (v12)  What would it be like to stand before Him someday, and know that He did everything He could to redeem you and forgive you of your sins, but ignored it.  You blew it!  And you're going to have to live through the eternities with this knowledge.  This has to be the true meaning of Hell.

David R. Seely pointed out that the phrase "...the arms of mercy..." (v12) is unique to the Book of Mormon.  He writes:

"In the Book of Mormon, the phrase 'his arm of mercy is extended' also signals the Lord's power on behalf of the penitent and the believer (Jacob 6:5; Mosiah 29:20; Alma 19:36)..

"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).' "

The Image of the Hand of God in the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament, David R. Seely, Maxwell Institute, (Emphasis mine)

42  So also is incorruption:

1 Corinthians 15:42 (Emphasis mine)

2  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel 12:2 (Emphasis mine)

13  And now, ought ye not to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember that only in and through Christ ye can be saved?
14  Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come—
15  Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father.  Amen.

Mosiah 16:13-15 (Emphasis mine)

Abinadi is finishing his teachings.  He reminds them that only through Christ can they be saved.  After all he has said, he tells them they should "...tremble and repent of [their] sins..." (v13). 

He reminds them that, by teaching the Law of Moses, they are teaching that ultimately redemption and salvation will come through Christ.  The Law of Moses is simply a shadow of things to come.

"In their conception of history, Book of Mormon prophets consider types as significant, instructive, and persuasive in focusing on Christ's earthly advent, his visit to the Nephites, and his second coming and heavenly kingdom ... Abinadi before King Noah's court insists, 'If ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come' (Mosiah 16:14)"

"That Jesus Is the Christ" - Typology, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 12, 2011.  (Emphasis mine)

"God the Father is the author of the gospel; it is a key part of God’s plan of salvation, or plan of redemption. It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that makes redemption and salvation possible. Through the Atonement all men, women, and children are unconditionally redeemed from physical death, and all will be redeemed from their own sins on the condition of accepting and obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ..." (Emphasis mine)

Have We Not Reason to Rejoice? President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2007 General Conference

"The gospel is the good news of Christ. It is the revelation that the Son of God came to earth, lived a perfect life, atoned for our sins, and conquered death. It is the path of salvation, the way of hope and joy, and the assurance that God has a plan of redemption and happiness for His children."

The Way of the Disciple, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2009 General Conference (Emphasis mine)  

15  But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me.  Selah.

Psalms 49:15 (Emphasis mine)

8  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

Isaiah 35:8-9 (Emphasis mine)

14  I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Hosea 13:14 (Emphasis mine)

29  ¶ The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John 1:29 (Emphasis mine)

Once Abinadi finishes his words, he stands before king and priests, awaiting his fate.

2 Nephi 9:15-19

15  And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment–seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God.
16  And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still; wherefore, they who are filthy are the devil and his angels; and they shall go away into everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end.

2 Nephi 9:15-16 (Emphasis mine)

Jacob tells us that the day will come when all must stand before Christ.  At that time, we will face His judgment.We know this to be so because we have His word.  Christ' s word is eternally.  His word will come to pass.

The judgement identified by Jacob is an important principle.  It is a concept that is found repeatedly throughout scripture.  Here are but a few examples.

10  Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11  For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
12  Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

Job 34:10-12 (Emphasis mine)

7  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

Psalms 19:7-9 (Emphasis mine)

16  ¶ And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
17  I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 (Emphasis mine)

36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Matthew 12:36 (Emphasis mine)

27  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Matthew 16:27 (Emphasis mine)

1  THEREFORE thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

Romans 2:1-3 (Emphasis mine)

In the April 2003 conference, Elder Robert C. Oaks discussed the judgment.  Elder Oaks stated that...

"Obedience, discipline, love, and forgiveness are just a few of the divine characteristics of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each reminds us of where we need to look for the standards by which we will be measured as we prepare for the Lord’s judgment bar, the place where we will be judged for who we really are ...Whether we will realize our longed-for return to God’s presence hinges on the outcome of our Day of Judgment before the Lord Jesus Christ. His careful, penetrating gaze will not be deflected ... We will indeed stand and be judged for what we really are.  This life is our opportunity to sculpt a celestial soul sufficient to stand the scrutiny of the Son ... We have been given both a perfect pattern and the perfect tools to sculpt an eternal masterpiece. May we use them as we look to Christ and dedicate our lives to Him." (Emphasis mine)

Those who have lived a righteous life will be righteous eternally; those who are "filthy" (v16) will remain so eternally.  They will reap justice based on their choices.  They will suffer eternally for their choices.

The next set of scriptures are "a Hymn to the Holy One of Israel."  (The Book of Mormon - A Reader's Edition by Grant Hardy, pg. 85).  As I share this, I will use Hardy's outline of this set of scriptures.

17  O the greatness and the justice of our God!  

For he executeth all his words, 

       and they have gone forth out of his mouth, 

       and his law must be fulfilled.

18  But, behold, the righteous, 

       the saints of the Holy One of Israel, 

       they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel,  

       they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame 

                         of it, 

they shall inherit the kingdom of God, 

       which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, 

and their joy shall be full forever.

19  O the greatness of the mercy of our God, 

       the Holy One of Israel!  

For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, 

       and death, and hell, 

       and that lake of fire and brimstone, 

       which is endless torment.

2 Nephi

It is appropriate that Jacob's hymn of praise follows his words concerning the resurrection, atonement, judgment, and goodness of Christ.  Those that are righteous will be delivered from the devil and they shall inherit the kingdom of God.  His words and promises are eternally, everlasting, and just.  Is there a better reason to praise God? 

14  I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 24:14 (Emphasis mine)

11  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
12  For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalms 5:11-12 (Emphasis mine)

10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Colossians 1:10-12 (Emphasis mine)

In the October 2006 conference, Elder Richard G. Scott, said... 

"Justice guarantees that you will receive the blessings you earn for obeying the laws of God ... When you obey the laws of God, you are blessed .." (Emphasis mine) 

Jacob's words should resonate with all followers of Christ.  He teaches us great and eternally truths about God and his promises.  As we read the Book of Mormon, we are constantly reminded of the powerful promises and blessing we have if we follow the teachings and example of Christ.

Alma 41:5-14

5  The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.
6  And so it is on the other hand.  If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.
7  These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.8  Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved.

Alma 41:5-8 (Emphasis mine)

When we are resurrected, we are raised based on our desires.  If we desire good, we will be raised unto happiness.   If we desire evil, we shall have our reward of evil.  Alma(2) tells us that we stand and fall on our own.  We are "[our] own judges..." (v7)  What could be more fair?  We are our own judges.

The words of God are eternal.  They cannot be changed.  So, if we follow the commandments of God and live according to His law, we will have our reward according to our desires of good.  Once again, we're told it's all up to us!

9  And now behold, my son, do not risk one more offense against your God upon those points of doctrine, which ye have hitherto risked to commit sin.
10  Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness.  Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.
11  And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.
12  And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration to take a thing of a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature?

Alma 41:9-12 (Emphasis mine)

Reading between the lines, it appears that Corianton wants it all.  He wants to be able to live any lifestyle he chooses, but expects to "...be restored from sin to happiness." (v10)  He does not expect to have to pay any price for his choices.  Alma(2) makes it clear that this is not so.  He begins v10 with the words "Do not suppose..."  It's like Alma(2)'s saying, "Corianton, don't take it as a given you will be restored to happiness from sin.  It isn't going to happen!"

Then, we get a classic scriptural statement - "Wickedness never was happiness."  (v10)  These are marvelous and plain words that we should always remember.  We may obtain temporary pleasure that appears to be happiness, but there's always the day after.  There's always a price to pay, and when we do, it is never pleasant.

13  O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.
14  Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy
15  For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all.

Alma 41:13-15 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) again defines restoration.  It means "...to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful."  You are restored to what you were in this life.  It is made as clear to us as it possibly can.  Whatever you receive in the resurrection, you earned.  You made the choices that affected your life.  You made the choices that makes you you.  This is the great truth of our life.  We get what we deserve.  It's all up to us.  And God, through  his prophets, has  made this as clear to us as He can.  We can't say he didn't warn us.  The warnings are there.  We only have to listen.

11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Revelation 22:11-12 (Emphasis mine)

I love the words he gives to his son in v14.  What better advice could we get on how to live our lives?

Alma 41:14