The Come, Follow Me lesson for this week covered more of Alma’s great teachings to his son, Corianton. In all his teachings, Alma showed his love for Corianton by often saying, “my son” and “I perceive” that you are troubled about….” In Alma 42, Alma teaches Corianton about Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption for His children.
Alma begins by reminding Corianton
that Adam and Eve were put out of the Garden of Eden after they partook of the
forbidden fruit. One result of eating the fruit was knowledge because the fruit
came from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When Adam and Eve partook
of the fruit, their eyes were opened, and they had the ability to see the
difference between good and evil.
Another result of eating the fruit was
death. However, Adam and Eve could have avoided death if they had eaten of the
fruit of the Tree of Life. Heavenly Father did not want Adam and Eve to live
forever as disobedient mortals. He knew that they would have to die before they
could return to spend eternity with Him. Therefore, God placed “cherubim and
the flaming sword” to guard the Tree of Life (Alma 42:3). This simple but
important act provided a “probationary time, a time to repent and serve God”
(Alma 42:4). The eating of the fruit was a necessary step in the Father’s plan
of redemption.
The Father’s plan included preparing a
place for His children to go where they could gain knowledge and experience –
sort of like a university. The Father planned for Adam and Eve to
Prepare
physical bodies on earth for God’s spirit children. Here the children would
gain knowledge and experience as well as make mistakes .
Alma discusses the Father’s plan and
gives the one plan several different names. He calls it the “plan of salvation”
(Alma 42:5), “plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8, 16), “plan of redemption” (Alma
42:11, 13), and “plan of mercy” (Alma 42:15, 31). All the names are appropriate.
The plan encompasses the entirety of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes
everything that is needed for the salvation of man – thus the plan of salvation.
Men and women can have great happiness through following the plan – thus the
plan of happiness. The plan calls for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which
makes it possible for all mankind to be redeemed from death and sin – thus the
plan of redemption. The plan shows that Heavenly Father knows that no person
who lives on the earth is perfect, except Jesus Christ. It proves how loving
and merciful the Father is to all sinners – thus the plan of mercy.
Heavenly Father knows that
repentance takes time and that it is not easy for mortals to change. This is
the reason why He gave us a probationary time to repent and learn to be
obedient. (See Alma 42:4.) This probationary time is called mortality. Elder L.
Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saint gave the following explanation about our time on earth.
The main purpose of earth life is to allow
our spirits, which existed before the world was, to be united with our bodies
for a time of great opportunity in mortality. The association of the two
together has given us the privilege of growing, developing, and maturing as
only we can with spirit and body united. Without our bodies, we pass through a
certain amount of trial in what is termed a probationary state of our existence.
This is a time of learning and testing to prove ourselves worthy of eternal
opportunities. It is all part of a divine plan our Father has for His children
(Ensign, May 1989, 13-14).
Elder Perry gave us some interesting
information about our time of probation. He said that we need a period of time
when our body and spirit are united to learn things that we can learn in no
other way. While serving as a member of the Seventy, Elder Ronald E. Poelman
added that mortality is a time to learn of opposites and to choose between
them.
The plan of salvation presented to and
accepted by us in our premortal state includes a probationary period on earth,
during which we experience opposites, make choices, learn the consequences
thereof, and prepare to return to the presence of God. Experiencing adversity
is an essential part of the process. Knowing this, we elected to come into
mortality (Ensign, May 1989, 23).
Elder Poelman reminded us that we
knew what was involved in the plan of salvation before we came to earth, and we
still chose to come. Elder William R. Bradford of the Seventy concluded that
the purpose of our live on earth is to become like Heavenly Father.
This life is a probationary period. It is
a marvelous gift of time during which we can learn to be like our Heavenly
Father by following the teachings of His Son, Jesus Christ. The path He leads
us on is not a cluttered path. It is simple and straight and lighted by the
Spirit (Ensign, May 1992).
From Elder Bradford, we learn that
the Father gave us more than just time to prove ourselves. He gave us His Only
Begotten Son, even Jesus the Christ, who came to earth to lead us back to the
presence of the Father. The Father knew that His Son would suffer as only a God
could suffer before He died as a mortal. Through the sacrifice of both the
Father and the Son, an atonement was made. The price for our sins was paid by
Christ, and He only requires that we repent of our sins and follow Him.
The Apostle John wrote, “For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be
saved” (John 3:16-17).
The words “the world” includes all
God’s children who have been born on earth from the Creation to the end of
time. God loves all His children no matter where they live or what they look
like. He gave us His Son to our Savior, our Exemplar, and our Redeemer.
Heavenly Father’s plan for the happiness of His children is perfect, and I am
grateful for it.
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