Rhetoric: Alma directly poses to each listener the personal question of spiritual rebirth. In those contentious times, one implied meaning of the “mighty change” would be renouncing worldly temptations embodied in the philosophy of the Nehors and accepting Yahweh’s way, as embodied in the traditional Nephite religion. Alma1’s “mighty change” had been just such a renunciation of competing religious claims and a full acceptance of Yahweh’s word. Alma2’s personal autobiography had repeated this pattern. Now he is putting the same soul-searching question to his people.
By “spiritual birth,” Alma is referring to Benjamin’s declaration of the covenant: “And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters” (Mosiah 5:7). Alma is speaking to the members of the church who had made this same commitment to be born of Yahweh-Messiah and become his spiritual children. Clearly the covenant continued within the church even if it was no longer accepted by all Zarahemlaites.
Alma’s next question, whether his people exercise “faith in the redemption of him who created you?” follows logically from the concept of being spiritually born, but also directly addresses a crucial point of Nehorite doctrine. Nehor had preached: “All mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life” (Alma 1:4; see accompanying commentary). This doctrine denied the Atoning Messiah by undercutting the necessity of his mission. If Yahweh had already saved all whom he had created, there would be no need for an Atoning Messiah.
Alma’s question is designed to combat this Nehorite doctrine that denied the Messiah by asking his listeners to confirm their covenants with the Messiah and to remember the specific teachings about the Atoning Messiah that they have already accepted. As Alma’s first recorded sermon after giving up the judgment seat to combat religious contention, it is logical that he responds directly to the source of that contention.
Reference: The language in this verse echoes 1 Corinthians 15:53: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality,” and “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption” (1 Cor. 15:42). This similarity in language shows a clear debt to the King James Version. However, it is no simple copying, as the separation and reversal of the images demonstrates. It manifests how comfortable Joseph was with using biblical language, but also with altering its order and context.