How should the twelve handle situations where there were those among them who were not believers, or who had not undergone repentance? The instruction was to be patient and try to bring all souls to repentance, and then baptism. However, those who would not, “shall not be numbered among my people, that [they] may not destroy my people.”
The process of numbering someone among his people has an earthly component, and a heavenly one. The earthly component allowed for the need to declare that someone might not be included in the community. The heavenly component would be that only those numbered with the Good Shepherd’s sheep would inherit the kingdom.
Still, the hope was always to attempt to teach the gospel. Nevertheless, the Nephites were painfully aware of the problems of apostates among their congregation, as those who opposed their religion had often caused literal destructions through wars.