One need not submit to either the blatant evil of the perverse or the subtle persuasions of the sly. Indeed, the Book of Mormon is a powerful witness of the fact that one can live a life of fidelity and devotion in the midst of pride and priestcraft and greed and persecution.
So it was that while some who claimed membership in the true Church in Alma’s day were untrue to their trust and revelled in their pride, others of the household of faith stood firm and steadfast.
They abased themselves, that is, they acknowledged that their prosperity was a gift from the Almighty and not simply a product of their own industry; further, they acknowledged their need for divine assistance and realized their absolute nothingness without the Lord.
They were personal witnesses of the fact that in all eternity no person can come unto God except he or she put off the carnal and fallen state and partake of the cleansing powers of the blood of Christ. (Compare Mosiah 4:1-2.)