Helaman 13, Part 1

The Lord’s Mercy

How do you think God feels about us when we have sinned? Many Nephites rebelled against God and His commandments, so God sent Samuel the Lamanite to them with a clear message to repent so they could be forgiven. This lesson can help you better understand the Lord’s merciful and forgiving nature.

Focus on the nature and character of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Eternal life is to come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (see John 17:3). Invite students to focus on what the scriptures teach about the nature and character of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Better understanding Their nature and character can strengthen students’ relationship with Them.

Student preparation: Invite students to come prepared to share how they have felt after experiencing the Lord’s merciful and forgiving nature in their lives. Remind them not to share anything too personal.

Possible Learning Activities

Misery from sin

Note that the next lesson will focus on repentance. Consider this as you determine how to best teach this lesson.

Display or read the following statement. Alternatively, invite students to create an imaginary but realistic situation of a person who may feel miserable or lost due to sin, and use that in place of the following story.

President Russell M. Nelson told the following story about a woman in difficult circumstances. Think about what you would want her to know about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Watch “Repentance and Conversion,” available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 0:00 to 0:50, or read the following statement.

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President Russell M. Nelson

While Elder David S. Baxter and I were driving to a stake conference, we stopped at a restaurant. Later when returning to our car, we were approached by a woman who called out to us. We were startled by her appearance. Her grooming (or lack of it) was what I might politely call “extreme.” She asked if we were elders in the Church. We said yes. Almost unrestrained, she told the story of her tragic life, swamped in sin. Now, only 28 years old, she was miserable. She felt worthless, with nothing to live for. … Pleading tearfully, she asked if there was any hope for her, any way up and out of her hopelessness. (Russell M. Nelson, “Repentance and Conversion,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 102)

If you were to talk to this woman, what truths about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would you want her to know?
What would you do to try to help this woman?
How might her current feelings influence her desire to turn to the Savior?

Perhaps you or someone you know has also felt worthless or unforgivable. Ponder what you truly believe about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and forgiveness.

As you study this lesson, look for insights into Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s nature and how They feel about us even when we sin. Ponder how these truths may help you and those you know.

Samuel the Lamanite

Like this woman, the Nephites had become entrenched in sin. In His love, the Lord sent the prophet Samuel with a message for them.

Display the following references. Consider placing students in pairs and inviting one student to read the verses in chapter 13 and the other to read the verses in chapters 14 and 15. After sufficient time, invite students to teach one another what they found and why it is important to them.

Read Helaman 13:5–8, 11, 39; 14:11–13; 15:3, and look for what you learn about the Lord, especially insights that may help us when we have sinned. (It may be helpful to know that to chasten [see Helaman 15:3] means to correct or discipline. See Guide to the Scriptures, “Chasten, Chastening,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Invite students to share what they learned. Write on the board any true principles they share. If useful, consider asking some of the following questions.

Why would it be a blessing to receive a warning about the negative consequences we will face if we do not repent? How does the Lord’s correction show His love?
Why would the message of Jesus Christ coming into the world, along with our ability to repent, be “glad tidings”? (Helaman 13:7).
What phrases show the Lord’s willingness to forgive if the Nephites repent, even though they had committed serious sin?

As students share phrases, be sure it is clear what verse they are in so other students can mark those phrases as well.

The Lord’s mercy and forgiveness

One truth we learn from these passages is that the Lord mercifully warns people of the consequences of sin and forgives those who repent.

The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) testified that “all are within the reach of pardoning mercy” (“Discourse, 3 October 1841, as Published in Times and Seasons,” 577, josephsmithpapers.org).

How might understanding the Lord’s merciful and forgiving nature affect the way we feel about our sins and about repentance?

It is important to understand that though the Lord is merciful, He is also perfectly just. He does not ignore or dismiss the consequences of our sins. But because the Savior paid for our sins in His Atonement and “satisfied the demands of justice” (Mosiah 15:9), He offers us forgiveness when we repent.

How might knowing of the Lord’s perfect justice and mercy influence your relationship with Him?

Imagine the difference a deeper understanding of the Lord could make to the woman President Nelson spoke of at the beginning of the lesson. Prepare an explanation for her by doing the following:

Remind students to use their preparation for class in the following activity. They could complete the activity in pairs. One student could complete activity A, and the other activity B. They could share what they did with one another and then complete activity C together.

For activity C, students could role-play as if they were teaching the woman. Walk around the room and listen as they teach. Determine if they need additional help understanding Samuel’s message. If they do, consider pointing out specific words or phrases from the passages to help them with activity A.

You may want to display the instructions for each of the activities.

Select at least two phrases from the verses you read in Helaman, or identify other passages that illustrate the Lord’s forgiving nature as we repent, such as Mosiah 26:30 or Moroni 6:8. How could these phrases help this woman?
Without sharing details regarding past sins, provide an example from your life, the lives of others, or the scriptures in which the Lord’s merciful and forgiving nature is evident. To see some examples, you could review Luke 7:36–50 or Enos 1:1–8 or watch “Painted into a Corner” (3:41). This video is available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Using the passages or example you identified, help the woman understand that the Lord extends His mercy and forgiveness to us as we repent.

Consider sharing phrases or experiences as well.

President Nelson shared what happened with this woman. Watch “Repentance and Conversion” from time code 0:50 to 1:27, available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, or read the following statement.

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President Russell M. Nelson

As she spoke, the sweetness of her soul began to emerge. Pleading tearfully, she asked if there was any hope for her, any way up and out of her hopelessness.

“Yes,” we responded, “there is hope. Hope is linked to repentance. You can change. You can ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him’ [Moroni 10:32].” We urged her not to procrastinate [see Alma 13:27; 34:33]. She sobbed humbly and thanked us sincerely. (Russell M. Nelson, “Repentance and Conversion,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 102)

Testify of the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. Encourage students to sincerely ponder the following.

The next lesson will focus on repentance and how we can overcome any obstacles we face to our repentance.

Take the time to sincerely ponder how better understanding the Lord can help you when you have sinned. Write down what you learned and felt that was most meaningful to you and why. Think about how better understanding the Lord’s merciful and forgiving nature and repenting often could bring more peace to your life.

Consider sharing what you learned and felt today with someone you love.

Commentary and Background Information

How do the Lord’s justice and mercy work together?

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

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Elder D. Todd Christofferson

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. So now, “justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own” [Alma 42:24].

We know that it is “the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom [the Father] wast well pleased; … the blood of [His] Son which was shed” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:4) that satisfies the demands of justice, extends mercy, and redeems us. Even so, “according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance” (Alma 42:13; emphasis added). It is the requirement of and the opportunity for repentance that permits mercy to perform its labor without trampling justice. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Free Forever, to Act for Themselves,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 17–18)

Supplemental Learning Activities

The justice of God and the anger of the Lord

If students would benefit from better understanding God’s justice and anger as described by Samuel, consider inviting them to carefully read the statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the “Commentary and Background Information” section after they study the verses recommended in this lesson. Consider asking how the Lord’s justice and mercy are connected.

Invite students to share how understanding God’s perfections in justice and mercy can influence their relationship with Him.

Open your mouth and it will be filled

To help students feel increased confidence in sharing the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ with others, invite them to study Helaman 13:3–5 and to look for what the Lord did for Samuel as he was willing to open his mouth. Ask them to share things that they feel the Lord has put into their hearts or times the Lord has filled their mouths as they have opened them. You could then invite students to find additional examples or passages that illustrate how the Lord fills our mouths as we open them on His behalf. Examples could include the following: Doctrine and Covenants 11:21; 31:3; 84:85; 100:5–8; Helaman 5:13–19; Luke 21:14–15.

Invite students to share what these passages help them better understand about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and how this understanding might influence their lives.