Mosiah 14–16

Redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ

Although King Noah was ready to kill him, Abinadi knew that God would allow him to finish the message he was sent to deliver. Noah and his priests needed to hear the message that God calls all prophets to teach that Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. This lesson can help you recognize the importance of knowing Jesus Christ as the only one who can redeem us from sin and death.

Talk, rejoice, and preach of Christ. Look for truths about Jesus Christ and invite students to share testimony of Him. This allows the Holy Ghost to carry a witness of the Savior “unto the hearts” of the students (2 Nephi 33:1). This witness can help them recognize Jesus Christ as the “source they may look [to] for a remission of their sins” and deepen their conversion to Him (2 Nephi 25:26).

Student preparation: Invite students to ponder which of Jesus Christ’s roles and titles are most meaningful to them and why.

Possible Learning Activities

Roles and titles of Jesus Christ

Each of Jesus Christ’s many roles and titles can have special meaning to us at certain points in our lives. For example, we might relate well to Jesus Christ as “the Lord the Almighty God” (Mosiah 11:23) when we need help that only He can give.

Take a minute to make a list of titles of Jesus Christ from the scriptures that teach us about Him.

• Of Jesus’s many titles, which do you think might be helpful to know more about? Why?

Invite students to read Mosiah 13:33 and 16:15 to identify more titles of Jesus Christ and what only He could do.

Jesus Christ, our Redeemer

Abinadi’s message to King Noah and the priests centered on Jesus Christ. He taught the truth that we can only be saved through the redemption of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 13:33; 16:15). As you study the words of Abinadi, look for what you can learn about Jesus Christ from His role as our Redeemer.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Among the most significant of Jesus Christ’s descriptive titles is Redeemer. … The word redeem means to pay off an obligation or a debt. Redeem can also mean to rescue or set free as by paying a ransom. If someone commits a mistake and then corrects it or makes amends, we say he has redeemed himself. Each of these meanings suggests different facets of the great Redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ through His Atonement, which includes, in the words of the dictionary, “to deliver from sin and its penalties, as by a sacrifice made for the sinner.” (D. Todd Christofferson, “Redemption,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 109)

• What can you learn about Jesus Christ from His title Redeemer?

  You may invite students to mark the word redeem in Mosiah 16:15 and make a note of its meaning.

• When do you feel this understanding would be most helpful in your life? Why?

Students could do the following study individually, in small groups, or as a class. Consider the needs of your students as you decide whether to have them do all three study prompts, or only one or two of them. If students are studying on their own or as groups, it may be helpful to display the study prompts and content for students so that students can move at their own pace. You might even play hymns softly in the background. If you ask students to share with the class, asking them ahead of time could help reduce anxiety and might help students put forth their best efforts.

Students may have questions about the verses they read. Consider briefly visiting with individual students to help them understand the scriptures as they study.

Think of someone in your life you feel would benefit from understanding that Jesus Christ is their Redeemer.

Study the following prompts with the intent to help you teach the person you thought of.

Study prompt 1: What did Jesus Christ do to redeem me?

Abinadi talked about Isaiah as an example of one of the many prophets who testified of Christ. He read Isaiah’s teachings to show that God Himself would come to earth to be “oppressed and afflicted” (Mosiah 13:35) to ransom us from being fallen and lost.

Read Mosiah 14, looking for words and phrases that help you understand the price Jesus Christ was willing to pay to free you from sin and death.

You might want to share the following explanations with students:

• “The chastisement of our peace was upon him” (verse 5): For every sin we commit, there is a consequence, including guilt, pain, misery, and separation from God. Jesus Christ suffered the consequence for our sins so we could experience forgiveness and peace.

• “With his stripes we are healed” (verse 5): Through His suffering, Jesus Christ can heal us from the wounds of our sins and the consequences of the Fall of Adam and Eve, including spiritual and physical death.

• “It pleased the Lord to bruise him” (verse 10): Heavenly Father was pleased that Jesus Christ willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice for others’ sins (see 3 Nephi 11:7, 11; John 3:16).

• What words or phrases from these verses would you share with the person you thought of?

Study prompt 2: How can I be blessed through the Redemption of Jesus Christ?

Can you imagine what life would be like had Jesus Christ not fulfilled His role as our Redeemer? Take a moment to think about what your life would be like without Jesus Christ.

Read Mosiah 15:19; 16:4–7, looking for Abinadi’s description of life without Christ’s redemption.

Read Mosiah 15:20–25; 16:8–10 to see what blessings we can enjoy because of our Redeemer.

• What would you want the person you thought of to know about Jesus Christ from these verses?

Consider showing the video “Why we need a Savior” (2:15) in the “Supplemental Learning Activities” section of the lesson to help students imagine the blessings available only through Jesus Christ.

Study prompt 3: Why is Jesus Christ sometimes called Father in the scriptures?

Abinadi taught about Jesus Christ’s roles as the Son of God and as a Father. A father is someone who gives life. Jesus Christ is like a father to us because He can give us immortality and eternal life. It does not mean that He and Heavenly Father are the same person. Read Mosiah 15:1–9, looking for reasons why Jesus Christ may be referred to as our Eternal Father.

It may be helpful to read these verses as a class. Pause after certain verses to point out words or phrases that would be helpful for students to notice and to give students a chance to ask questions.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

As Abinadi taught, Christ was “conceived by the power of God” (Mosiah 15:3] and therefore has the powers of the Father within him. In addition to that divine lineal relationship, Christ also acts as the Father in that he is the Creator of heaven and earth (see Mosiah 15:4), is the father of our spiritual rebirth and salvation, and is faithful in honoring—and therefore claiming the power of—the will of his Father above that of his own will. (Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 183–84)

• In what ways is Jesus Christ both a Father and a Son?

• Why might it be helpful for the person you thought of to know this about Jesus Christ?

Students could be invited to present what they learned with the class or in small groups. Students could also be encouraged to share the message at home or with the person they thought of.

Commentary and Background Information

Mosiah 14. What blessings come to me because Jesus Christ suffered?

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin—yours, mine, and everyone’s who has ever lived. His mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Luke 22:44; Doctrine and Covenants 19:18). And yet Jesus suffered willingly so we might all have the opportunity to be washed clean—through having faith in Him. … Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of these blessings would be available to us, and we could not become worthy and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God. (M. Russell Ballard, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 84–85)

Mosiah 15. Why does God’s plan include the need for a Redeemer?

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:

In the planned mortal life, we would be soiled by sin as we faced the opposition necessary for our spiritual growth. We would also become subject to physical death. To reclaim us from death and sin, our Heavenly Father’s plan would provide a Savior. His Resurrection would redeem all from death, and His atoning sacrifice would pay the price necessary for all to be cleansed from sin on the conditions prescribed to promote our growth. This Atonement of Jesus Christ is central to the Father’s plan. (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Great Plan,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 93)

Why does Jesus Christ speak for Heavenly Father?

In 1916, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve taught four truths about the Father and the Son. One of these focused on Jesus Christ speaking for the Father “by divine investiture of authority” (see Ensign, Apr. 2002, 17). This means that Jesus Christ is authorized to represent His Father in doing God’s work.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

[Jesus Christ] is the Father by divine investiture of authority, meaning that the Father-Elohim has placed his name upon the Son, has given him his own power and authority, and has authorized him to speak in the first person as though he were the original or primal Father. (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ [1978], 63)

Supplemental Learning Activities

“Why We Need a Savior”

If you have not recently used the video “Why We Need a Savior” (2:15), consider showing it to help students imagine what life would be like without Jesus Christ.

Hymns about Jesus Christ the Redeemer

To help students feel the truth that Jesus Christ is their Redeemer, consider singing hymns with this focus. Examples in the English-language hymnal include “My Redeemer Lives” (no. 135) and “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (no. 136).

“He shall see his seed”

You could help students understand what it means to be the seed of Christ. Isaiah taught that the Savior would “see his seed” (see Isaiah 53:10; Mosiah 15:10). “His seed” refers to those who become the children of Christ. Invite students to read Mosiah 15:10–13, looking for what those who become the seed of Christ do. Students could also look for how the seed of Christ is blessed. Additionally, you could point out how after Jesus Christ died, he went into the postmortal spirit world. There He saw His seed, “an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:12). These were all gathered in paradise, the place where the spirits of righteous persons go at the time of death.

Redeemed by Jesus Christ

To emphasize that Jesus Christ redeemed us, you could invite students to count and mark the number of times they see the words redeemed, redemption, and redeemeth in Mosiah 15–16. Help them see what Jesus Christ willingly did to be our Redeemer.