Mosiah 27:24–37

“Born of God”

The repentance of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah can give hope to anyone who wonders if it is possible to change. The Savior helped these young men, who were described as “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4), to be changed “to a state of righteousness” (Mosiah 27:25). This lesson can help you repent and show faith that the Savior can change your heart.

Helping students come to know Jesus Christ. As students come to know the Savior for themselves, they can learn from Him and intentionally strive to be like Him. They can learn to receive His help, hope, and healing throughout their lives. They will be able to feel God’s love.

Student preparation: Consider inviting students to think of things in nature that change drastically (like a caterpillar to a butterfly). They could take a picture of something to show the class.

Possible Learning Activities

Change

Invite students to share things in nature that change drastically, such as a blossom becoming fruit or a seed becoming a tree. Then display this picture as you ask the following questions.

• How might our spiritual progression be compared to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly?

• How has God made it possible for us to change and become like Him?

Think for a moment about your progress in becoming more like God. Is there something about yourself that you would like to change or improve? What obstacles might you face in making these desired changes?

Today you will study a miraculous change that the Savior made in some young men’s lives. As you study, listen for the promptings of the Spirit about how the Savior can help you change as well.

Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah

Consider displaying the following picture and asking a student to remind the class of the account it portrays. Use the information in the following paragraph only if needed.

Recall that the first part of Mosiah 27 contains an account of God answering Alma’s prayers. God sent an angel to convince Alma the Younger and the sons of King Mosiah of the error of their ways. Alma the Younger could not speak or move for days after this event (see Mosiah 27:19, 23). During that time, he experienced indescribable anguish for his sins. When he could finally speak again, he described what the Lord had done for him.

Consider inviting a student to create the following on the board for the class to use throughout the lesson.

Write “Change is possible through Jesus Christ” at the top of a piece of paper. Then draw two vertical lines to divide the paper into three equal columns. Label the left column “before,” the middle column “Jesus Christ’s role,” and the right column “after.”

For the following scripture study, invite half the class to read verses 8–10 and the other half to read verses 32–37. Then invite students to write on the board what they found.

Read Mosiah 27:8–10; 28:4 to review what Alma the Younger and Mosiah’s sons were like earlier in their lives. Write descriptions of them in the “before” column on your paper.

Now read Mosiah 27:32–37, and write descriptions of who they became in the “after” column.

Pause for a minute to reflect on the change you have seen in someone who has repented with faith in the Savior. (You might even think of yourself.) Add descriptions to your columns of what they (or you) were like before and after this change.

Invite students to come to the board and write one thing under each column to show the change they have seen in the person they thought of.

Read Mosiah 27:23–26, looking for phrases that describe the change necessary for us to become like the Savior. It may be helpful to know that the word carnal (verse 25) can mean worldly or sensual, and the phrase “becoming [God’s] sons and daughters” (verse 25) can refer to those who “inherit the kingdom of God” (verse 26).

In the “Jesus Christ’s role” column of your paper, write phrases that stood out to you. Take a moment to ponder what they mean. If necessary, look up any words you would like to understand better in the Topical Guide or Guide to the Scriptures.

Consider asking students to share what phrases they wrote and what they mean. You could also ask how they are good descriptions of changes they have seen in those who come to the Savior. Some phrases students might find include the following:

• Redeemed of the Lord

• Born again

• Born of God

• Changed from their carnal state

• Becoming his sons and daughters

• Become new creatures

One truth taught in these verses is all mankind needs to be changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Consider placing a picture of Jesus Christ in the center of the board and asking the following questions:

• What phrases describing the changes made possible through Jesus Christ have the most meaning to you? Why?

• How does receiving the Savior’s forgiveness change us?

• According to verse 24, what is required of us to invite the Savior to change us?

Change is a process, not an event

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

While for some the process of repentance can happen dramatically, as it did for Alma, this is more the exception than the rule. Most of us move step by step, inch by inch toward more goodness, more exactness in our covenants, more service and commitment. (Neil L. Andersen, The Divine Gift of Forgiveness [2019], 11)

• Why is Elder Andersen’s statement important to remember?

Take some time to list some actions we can take to repent and gradually be changed by the Lord. (For ideas, reread Elder Andersen’s statement above and consider reading some of the following verses: Mosiah 26:29; 27:35; Alma 36:18; 3 Nephi 9:22; Doctrine and Covenants 6:9; 58:42–43).

• What can we do to turn to the Lord and repent?

• How do you think these efforts can help us be gradually changed through the Savior?

Watch the video “The Hope of God’s Light” (6:46), looking for how the Savior helped someone change “step by step, inch by inch toward more goodness.”

Testify that the account in Mosiah 27 shows the Savior’s power and desire to change anyone who repents with faith in Him.

Then invite students to complete the following in their study journal.

Take a moment to ponder how this lesson applies to you. Record your thoughts about the following questions in your study journal:

1. What are the gradual changes the Savior has already helped you make? How do you feel about your efforts and the Lord’s help?

2. What is the next step you feel the Lord would have you take to repent and continue to change through Him?

3. What are the obstacles you might face in this process, and how can you turn to the Lord to help you overcome them?

Commentary and Background Information

Why have I not seen miraculous changes like Alma the Younger’s in my life?

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

You may ask, Why doesn’t this mighty change happen more quickly with me? You should remember that the remarkable examples of King Benjamin’s people, Alma, and some others in scripture are just that—remarkable and not typical. For most of us, the changes are more gradual and occur over time. Being born again, unlike our physical birth, is more a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of mortality.

… I testify that as you continue in the path of spiritual rebirth, the atoning grace of Jesus Christ will take away your sins and the stain of those sins in you, temptations will lose their appeal, and through Christ you will become holy, as He and our Father are holy. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Born Again,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 78)

Since God is so loving, why do we need to repent and change?

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

“Come as you are,” a loving Father says to each of us, but He adds, “Don’t plan to stay as you are.” We smile and remember that God is determined to make of us more than we thought we could be. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Songs Sung and Unsung,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 51)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Repentance and change take time and repeated effort

To help students understand that repenting and changing to become like the Savior is a process, not an event, consider inviting them to do something that isn’t possible to do perfectly the first time. Then invite them to improve their work multiple times. For example, ask them to quickly draw their house, and then ask them to add one thing to their drawing or change one thing to make it more accurate. Ask students how many times they could repeat this process and still be able to improve the drawing. Then share the following statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and ask students to share how this relates to the change Alma spoke of in Mosiah 27:24–26.

“To deal with something big, we may need to work at it in small, daily bites. …

“Incorporating new and wholesome habits into our character or overcoming bad habits or addictions often means an effort today followed by another tomorrow and then another, perhaps for many days, even months and years. … But we can do it because we can appeal to God … for the help we need each day” (“Recognizing God’s Hand in Our Daily Blessings,” Ensign, Jan. 2012, 20–21).

Cucumbers and pickles

To help students understand the change necessary to become like the Savior, consider inviting them to read the “Cucumbers and Pickles” section of the talk “Ye Must Be Born Again” by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 19). Or you might show the video of his talk from time code 1:18 to 4:17. This idea could be used to begin the lesson in place of sharing things that change in nature.