Alma 42, Part 1

“A Perfect, Just God, and a Merciful God Also”

Living in a fallen world with our limited, mortal perspective can make it difficult to understand the complete and perfect nature of our Heavenly Father and His plan. Corianton also struggled to understand the reality of God’s justice and mercy. Alma helped him to broaden his perspective of our loving Heavenly Father and His plan for us. This lesson is intended to help you better understand Heavenly Father’s nature as both a just and merciful being.

Pray for your students. One way to increase your love for students is to pray for them. Just as the Savior prayed for Peter personally (see Luke 22:32), you can pray to Heavenly Father for individual students by name. Invite Him to help you better understand their needs and ways you can reach out to them.

Student preparation: Consider inviting students to have a conversation with a family member or friend about some of the different ideas people have about God’s character.

Possible Learning Activities

To begin this lesson, consider putting students into pairs. Give one of the following scenarios to each partner. Invite them to both read their scenarios and then discuss what might be wrong about Gabe’s and Elsie’s assumptions.

God’s justice and mercy

Read the following scenarios:

• Gabe is making choices to break the commandments of God. At first he felt a little guilty, but he decided that if Heavenly Father loves His children so much, He would not punish Gabe for his sins.

• Elsie is in a state of despair because she had repented of a sin she committed, felt forgiven, then messed up again. She believes there is no hope for her because she feels she lied to God about her repentance.

There are many who misunderstand Heavenly Father’s and Jesus Christ’s loving and perfect balance of justice and mercy. As you study today’s lesson, think about how you are blessed because God is just and merciful.

Alma helped Corianton understand God’s plan

Consider inviting students to review Corianton’s concerns from Alma 40–41. If they don’t remember, direct them to Alma 40:1; 41:1. You could list Corianton’s concerns on the board as students mention them.

As Alma continued to counsel with Corianton, Alma perceived that his son had a concern about God and His plan.

Read Alma 42:1 and look for Corianton’s concern.

Consider adding this concern to the list on the board. Beneath this concern, you could list students’ responses to the following questions.

• What are some assumptions that might lead someone to think it is unfair for God to punish sinners?

• What is the danger of this kind of misunderstanding?

• How do you see similar misunderstandings today?

This could be a good opportunity for students to share what they learned in their preparation for class.

Alma tried to help Corianton by sharing with him a broader perspective of God and His plan. He began by explaining that the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden brought spiritual death (separation from God) and temporal death (the death of the mortal body) (see Alma 42:2–8). He then taught Corianton how the Fall relates to the justice and mercy of God.

Read Alma 42:9–12 and look for the effects of the Fall.

• What effects of the Fall did you find?

Students’ answers to the previous question can clarify what they understand and what they might need help understanding. Help students understand that because of the Fall, mankind became “carnal, sensual, and devilish” (Alma 42:10) and “cut off from the presence of the Lord” (Alma 42:11). We cannot overcome this separation from God on our own.

Then, to prepare students to learn more about justice and mercy in the next section of the lesson, consider inviting them to write their own one- or two-sentence definitions of both words. Then read the following definitions and have students compare their definitions to the Gospel Topics definitions. Allow students to ask any questions they may have.

• Justice: “In scriptural terms, justice is the unchanging law that brings consequences for actions. Because of the law of justice, we receive blessings when we obey God’s commandments. The law of justice also demands that a penalty be paid for every sin we commit” (Gospel Topics, “Justice,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Mercy: “Mercy is the compassionate treatment of a person greater than what is deserved, and it is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ” (Gospel Topics, “Mercy,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Read Alma 42:13–15, looking for what Alma taught about God and His plan.

• What do you learn about God’s plan?

• What truths do you learn about God from these verses?

Among other truths, help students understand the importance of knowing that God is perfect, just, and merciful. Though important truths are mentioned in these verses about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the role of repentance, those topics will be explored more in the next lesson.

God’s justice and mercy

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about God’s justice and mercy:

Justice is an essential attribute of God. We can have faith in God because He is perfectly trustworthy. The scriptures teach us that “God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round” [Doctrine and Covenants 3:2] and that “God is no respecter of persons” [Acts 10:34]. We rely on the divine quality of justice for faith, confidence, and hope.

But as a consequence of being perfectly just, there are some things God cannot do. He cannot be arbitrary in saving some and banishing others. He “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” [Doctrine and Covenants 1:31]. He cannot allow mercy to rob justice [see Alma 42:25].

It is compelling evidence of His justice that God has forged the companion principle of mercy. It is because He is just that He devised the means for mercy to play its indispensable role in our eternal destiny. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Free Forever, to Act for Themselves,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 17)

• What does this statement help you understand about God?

Consider inviting students to write their responses to the following question and to complete the following statements on their own and then asking them to share with a partner, small group, or the class.

Imagine you have a friend who has the same concern as Corianton. He or she asks you how it is fair that God punishes sinners.

• What could you say to your friend to help him or her understand God’s justice and mercy? (Include verses or phrases from Alma 42:9–15.)

Finish the following statements:

• God’s justice blesses me because

• God’s mercy blesses me because

Consider sharing your testimony of the justice and mercy of God.

Commentary and Background Information

How else can God’s justice and mercy be a blessing to us?

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

Having satisfied the demands of justice, Christ now steps into the place of justice; or we might say He is justice, just as He is love [see 1 John 4:8]. Likewise, besides being a “perfect, just God,” He is a perfect, merciful God [Alma 42:15; see also Mosiah 15:8–9]. Thus, the Savior makes all things right. No injustice in mortality is permanent, even death, for He restores life again. No injury, disability, betrayal, or abuse goes uncompensated in the end because of His ultimate justice and mercy. (D. Todd Christofferson, “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 112)

Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Thankfully, we can trust God’s perfect justice and perfect mercy to judge perfectly our intents and actions. (Gerrit W. Gong, “Trust Again,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 99)

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

The demands of justice for broken law can be satisfied through mercy, earned by your continual repentance and obedience to the laws of God. Such repentance and obedience are absolutely essential for the Atonement to work its complete miracle in your life. The Redeemer can settle your individual account with justice and grant forgiveness through the merciful path of your repentance. Through the Atonement you can live in a world where justice assures that you will retain what you earn by obedience. Through His mercy you can resolve the consequences of broken laws. (Richard G. Scott, “The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 42)

Consider watching the video “What Are Justice and Mercy?” (5:31).

Supplemental Learning Activities

Titles of Heavenly Father’s plan

Another way to help students further understand God’s nature is by studying the titles of His plan. Invite students to look through Alma 42:5, 8, 11, and 15 and to identify the four ways Alma refers to God’s plan. Consider inviting students to mark them in their scriptures. Ask students what these different ways of referring to God’s plan teach us about Him and His plan. Consider inviting students to think of situations when knowing these different titles of the plan could help people move forward in their lives with hope.

Where else does the Book of Mormon teach about God’s justice and mercy?

It might be helpful to use the following cross-references to help students further understand God’s justice and mercy: 2 Nephi 9:17, 19; Jacob 4:10; Mosiah 5:15; Alma 34:15–16; 41:14.

The Mediator

The video “The Mediator” (10:44) could be helpful to show either during this lesson or the next lesson. Help on how to use the video is included in the Supplemental Learning Activities section of the next lesson.