Rhetoric: Amulek next defines that infinite sacrifice, addressing the need to follow Yahweh-Messiah in order to participate in that infinite sacrifice. It would be easy to assume that an infinite atonement would also be infinitely applied. Amulek now explains that, while the atonement is infinite, it is still attached to and accessible only through the person of the Messiah by faith, repentance, and obedience.
In the Mesoamerican world, the king’s bloodletting was considered efficacious only for his people. Amulek has defined that kind of sacrifice as insufficient; nevertheless, he draws on the community’s relationship to their king to clarify his point. The king performs sacrifice for his own people and none other. The coming Messiah differs from the king in providing an effective sacrifice (the king’s is not) and an infinite sacrifice (the king’s, even if deemed effective, is of limited duration). Having the right to claim benefits from that sacrifice, however, is similar. The Messiah will perform that sacrifice only for his own people—for “all those who shall believe on his name.”
The process of naming is a form of adoption. By becoming Yahweh-Messiah’s people, they become eligible for his infinite and effective atonement. A modern reader should not assume that “all those who shall believe on his name” is a declaration that faith without baptism or without following the way of the gospel will be sufficient. This process of adoption to become Yahweh-Messiah’s “people” requires that we declare our belief in him, and then go on to repent, exercise faith, and follow his ways.