Alma Teaches Corianton – Alma 39-42

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Setting

After leading a mission to the Zoramites, Alma returned to his home in Zarahemla and met with each of his three sons. Corianton, the youngest, had committed a serious sin during their mission. Because the sin was widely known, his misbehavior had reflected badly on the other missionaries and had damaged their efforts (Alma 39:11).

Purpose

Alma’s goal in teaching Corianton was to motivate him to repent, and then to resume his missionary service.

Questions

Alma knew that Corianton had questions about key doctrines of the gospel. Alma believed that, if his son understood the answers to those questions more clearly, he would be motivated to repent and to follow God’s commandments (Alma 42:29). Therefore, after clearly identifying Corianton’s sins and urging him to repent, Alma discussed three of Corianton’s questions in detail.

In chapter 40, Alma also shows us his own struggle with difficult questions.  As he discusses the resurrection, Alma explores the limits of his own understanding. He shares some things that he knows for sure (Alma 40:9-14), some things that are his opinion (Alma 40:19-20), and some things that he doesn’t know (Alma 40:21). He distinguishes between questions that are important and questions that don’t really matter (Alma 40:5, 8). He acknowledges that different definitions of key terms can affect the answers to questions (Alma 40:15-18). He also explains that acquiring spiritual knowledge requires effort (Alma 40:3).

Outline

  1. Alma urges Corianton to repent (Alma 39).
    1. The sin: You forsook the ministry, and went after the harlot Isabel (Alma 39:1-4).
    2. Sexual sin is more serious than any other except murder and denying the Holy Ghost (Alma 39:5-6).
    3. You can’t hide your crimes from God (Alma 39:7-8).
    4. Advice to Corianton: Repent, “cross yourself,” counsel with your brothers,  turn to the Lord (Alma 39:9-14).
    5. Christ will surely come. God loves us and has given us this good news even before it has happened (Alma 39:15-19).
  2. Question #1: When and how will we be resurrected? (Alma 40)
    1. I understand that you’re worried about the resurrection (Alma 40:1).
    2. We don’t know exactly when everyone will be resurrected, but it will be after the coming of Christ, and there is some time between our death and our resurrection (Alma 40:2-6).
    3. What happens between our death and our resurrection? The spirits of the righteous go to paradise, and the spirits of the wicked go to outer darkness (Alma 40:7-14).
    4. Some people have called this a “first resurrection.” But that’s not accurate. The resurrection means the reuniting of the spirit with the body (Alma 40:15-18).
    5. I don’t know if the wicked and the righteous will be resurrected at the same time. I don’t know if they will be resurrected at the same time Christ is resurrected. I only know that there is a state of happiness or misery between death and the resurrection, and after we are resurrected, we will be judged by God (Alma 40:19-21).
    6. “Every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame” (Alma 40:22-24).
    7. After the resurrection, the righteous will “shine forth,” and the wicked will be “cast out” (Alma 40:25-26).
  3. Question #2: What does it mean to be restored? Won’t God make us perfect in the end? (Alma 41)
    1. Some people have misunderstood the doctrine of restoration (Alma 41:1).
    2. All things to be restored to their proper order. So, in the resurrection, the spirit will be restored to a perfect body (Alma 41:2).
    3. It is good for people to receive the desires of their hearts. So those who desire good will have good restored to them, and those who desire evil will have evil restored to them (Alma 41:3-8).
    4. Don’t assume that you will be restored from wickedness to happiness. “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:9-11).
    5. You won’t be restored to a state opposite to your true nature. “That which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored” (Alma 41:12-14).
  4. Question #3: Isn’t it unjust for God to punish sinners? (Alma 42)
    1. You don’t think it’s right for sinners to be punished (Alma 42:1).
    2. When our first parents were cast out of the Garden of Eden, they were prevented from eating the fruit of the tree of life. This gave them time to repent (Alma 42:2-4).
    3. If Adam had eaten the fruit immediately, he would have lived forever, he would have had no space for repentance, and the plan of happiness would have been destroyed (Alma 42:5-8).
    4. We have experienced spiritual death (separation from God) because of sin. There is no way to overcome this without repentance (Alma 42:9-14).
    5. God Himself atoned for our sins to make this possible (Alma 42:15).
    6. Repentance, sin, law, and punishment all go together. Repentance is meaningless if there is no sin or if there is no punishment to escape (Alma 42:16-24).
    7. Do you think mercy can rob justice? It can’t. If people choose to repent, they can overcome spiritual death, but if they want to do evil, they will have evil restored to them (Alma 42:25-28).
    8. Admonition: Don’t let these misconceptions dissuade you from repenting. Humble yourself before God (Alma 42:29-30).
    9. Preach the gospel, so that you can “bring souls unto repentance” (Alma 42:31).

My Takeaways

It is important for us to have a correct understanding of the plan of salvation, so that we will be motivated to make the decisions which enable God to save us. Salvation isn’t automatic; we have to choose it. We do this by humbling ourselves, receiving correction, and abandoning our sins (repenting).

God has done so much for us. He made it possible for us to overcome both physical and spiritual death. He has given us time to repent. Now, the choice is ours. Do we want to overcome our sins and gain true happiness? Or do we want to continue in our sins and remain miserable?

I will respond to Alma’s teachings by recommitting to the path of repentance. I will remember that repentance is the way I access the Atonement of Jesus Christ to overcome my sins and find true happiness.

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6 thoughts on “Alma Teaches Corianton – Alma 39-42”

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  5. Considering the questions he harbored regarding the atonement, Corianton was seemingly ill-prepared to go on a proselyting mission. He likely accompanied his father and Zeezrom with the other missionaries as a “support” or “service” missionary. This may be supported by Alma’s comment that his son’s actions impeded the Zoramites from believing Alma’s words, not Corianton’s words. It may also help to understand Corianton’s willingness to “forsake” his support ministry.

    Now, the nature of his ministry does not necessarily diminish the gravity of Corianton’s actions, but it also is difficult to reconcile Alma’s claim that his was a sin next to murder when one considers the multitude of other acts which are far more destructive than consensual sex between adults. A more complete understanding of Alma’s dismay is had when the sexual sin is placed within the context of missionary work. It is the example of the minister which potentially drives the investigator away that is viewed as the sin next to murder. This is supported by Alma’s declaration that “these things” are abominable, i.e. plural activities equal the sin next to murder.

    When one reviews what Alma discussed as “these things,” we find that Corianton: boasted; forsook his ministry; and, engaged in pre-marital sex. Understanding these acts as a package of very grievous sin is in line with the Savior’s own admonition that those responsible for “offending” the faith of His children would be better off had they not been born.

    It may also be the case that Alma’s words are harsher than they might have been had they been delivered to someone who was unrelated, and who he had called upon for missionary service without properly preparing him, i.e. Alma may have been experiencing some guilt as a parent.

    Reply

    1. Mark,
      Thank you for sharing your interpretation of Alma’s words to Corianton. Here are a few observations:
      1. I don’t see any evidence that there were multiple types of missionary on this trip. In Alma 31:7, after listing the people who accompanied Alma, Mormon says, “These are the names of those who went with him among the Zoramites, to preach unto them the word.”
      2. Why did Alma list the worst sins in Alma 39:5-6? I don’t think he was trying to excuse “lesser” sins. In fact, he later told Helaman, “The Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (Alma 45:16). Why bring up murder then, when Corianton had not committed anything like that? It sounds to me like he wanted to emphasize to Corianton the gravity of what he had done. It’s easy to shrug off sexual immorality as a victimless crime, a minor offense, but according to Alma that is simply not true.
      3. I agree with you that all sins happen in a context. The seriousness of Corianton’s sin was clearly compounded by its visibility and its impact on his father’s credibility.
      4. I also agree that Alma’s choice of words was influenced by his relationship with Corianton. Even so, this was a difficult conversation for him. “The Spirit of the Lord doth say unto me: Command thy children to do good,” he said. He didn’t enjoy having to correct his son, but he was willing to do it because God expected it of him.
      I hope those thoughts are useful to you.
      Thanks,
      Paul

      Reply

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