"And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.
Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God."
Mosiah 27:25-28
I like this explanation of what it means to be born again. I think we sometimes catch a glimpse of the joy that comes from being changed and redeemed by God, and also catch the feeling of that everlasting, burning feeling when we hate ourselves or are burdened with guilt for really screwing things up. That might not be as extreme as what Alma was feeling, but I think it is a small taste of Hell... and as close as we ever want to get. Instead, we should turn to the glorious possibility of repentance, that Christ offers us as a chance to escape the damning consequences of our mistakes and have a chance to become the better person anyway. That's the arm of mercy that Christ extends to us, and that Alma grasped. Christ offers the same thing to us. If we reach out for him, he will be there to lift us and save us from our own mistakes and the negative impact of others as well. We can be whole and clean and perfect in him, with his help.
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