John Welch notes that in several passages in the Sermon at the Temple, subtle changes bring the divine influence more explicitly to the surface. After teaching that when one comes to Christ after first being reconciled to his brother, Christ says "I will receive you" (3 Nephi 12:24). [John W. Welch, The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount, F.A.R.M.S., p. 102 ]
“Then Come Unto Me with Full Purpose of Heart and I Will Receive You”
In 3 Nephi 12:21-24, Jesus speaks about the process of reconciliation between two people in order to avoid condemnation for speaking or doing evil against another. He says:
Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God;
But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. . . .
Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee--Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you.
According to John Welch, you have councils referred to in the early Christian literature where people were brought before the council because they had spoken evil of one another. This was grounds for excommunication. This is worse than death itself. Why? Because it reviles and defies God and his presence in the community that is being formed. How? By the covenant relationship that these people are entering into. Gentile and Jewish scholars have noticed this kind of thing. In the Dead Sea Scrolls the Manual of Discipline places a very high premium on the need for harmony within the community. I'll read from a commentary on the Manual of Discipline 7:8: "Anger against a fellow member of the society could not be tolerated under any circumstances. Punishment applied in any case of a member harboring angry feelings." [John W. Welch, "The Beatitudes--Christ's Teachings," in Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 4, p. 139]