Lesson 5

How can I feel the peace of forgiveness in my life?

No matter what we have done wrong in our lives, we can be reclaimed—cleansed, purified, sanctified, and forgiven—through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. To feel the peace that comes from forgiveness, we have to experience the change of heart described by Alma and experienced by Enos and the people of King Benjamin. We must also forgive others, letting go of feelings of anger, bitterness, or revenge. Forgiveness heals spiritual wounds and brings us the peace that only God can give. When we experience a change of heart and forgive others, we also receive power to forgive ourselves.

Painting of Enos praying

As a teacher, prepare yourself spiritually

What have you learned by forgiving others? Can you think of a time when forgiving someone has helped you feel peace and love?

What experiences are the service members having in which they need to forgive others? What do they need to learn about forgiving themselves? How can you help them learn to forgive so that they can find peace?

If the service members have questions about forgiveness in cases of abuse or other serious sins, suggest that they seek counsel from their bishop or branch president when they reach their advanced individual training base.

Prayerfully study these scriptures and resources. Other resources may be included later in the outline as well. What will help the service members recognize the blessings that will come into their lives as they learn to forgive others and to forgive themselves?

• Matthew 5:44; D&C 64:9–11 (We are commanded to forgive everyone)

• Matthew 6:14–15; 18:21–35 (To receive forgiveness, we must forgive others)

• Luke 23:34 (Jesus Christ forgave those who crucified Him)

• Enos 1:1–17 (Finding forgiveness)

• Mosiah 5:1–5 (Mighty change of heart)

• Mosiah 26:30 (Christ will forgive you as often as you repent)

• Alma 5 (Change through repentance and forgiveness)

• Alma 7:23–25 (Faith, hope, and charity)

• Gordon B. Hinckley, “Forgiveness,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 81–84

• Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Merciful Obtain Mercy,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 70–76

• Videos: “Reclaimed”; “Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light”


Teaching tip

“Good questions take time to answer. They require pondering, searching, and inspiration. The time you spend waiting for answers to a question can be a sacred time of pondering. Avoid the temptation to end this time too soon by answering your own question or moving on to something else” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way [2016], 31).

Begin the learning experience

Use the following idea or think of your own to introduce the lesson.

• Ask the service members to think about a time when they have forgiven someone. Invite them to share their experiences, if they feel comfortable doing so. What happened as a result? How might things have been different if they had refused to forgive?

Learn together

Each of the following activities can help the service members understand how to be forgiven and how to forgive others. Following the guidance of the Spirit, select one or more of the learning activities that will work best with your class.

• Divide class members into groups, and invite each group to read selections from the talks provided in this outline or another talk of your choice. Ask service members to mark parts of the talk that impress them. Invite them to share what they marked and explain why it is meaningful to them.

• Read together the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:23–35, and help the service members calculate and compare the debts of the servant and his fellow servant (see “Weights and Measures” in the Bible Dictionary). What did the class learn from this parable about forgiveness? Invite the class members to find and share other scriptures that teach the importance of forgiving others (such as the scriptures suggested in this outline).

• Ask service members to compare examples of forgiving others found in the scriptures. You can review the examples of Joseph in Egypt (see Genesis 45:1–7), Nephi and his brothers (see 1 Nephi 7:21), Jesus Christ on the cross (see Luke 23:34), or others. Why is it important to forgive others? Show the video “Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light,” and ask the service members to share their impressions. What other examples of forgiveness could they share?

• Ask the class to find something in the scriptures that the Savior taught about forgiving others and share what they find with the class (for examples, see Matthew 5:44; 6:14–15; 18:22–23). Ask them to share experiences of the peace that comes from forgiving others. Why is it important to learn to forgive ourselves? As part of this discussion, the class could watch the video “Reclaimed” and share what they learn from the video about forgiving themselves.

• Write the following questions on separate slips of paper, and give one to each service member: Why do we need to forgive everyone? Why is the Lord the only one who can decide whether or not a person should be forgiven? Why is failure to forgive such a great sin? Invite service members to ponder this question as they read Doctrine and Covenants 64:9–11. Then invite the class to share their thoughts and insights.

• If service members have questions about obtaining forgiveness for themselves, consider reviewing concepts from the previous lesson on repentance or the scripture passages provided earlier in this lesson. You might also invite service members to read Enos 1:1–17 and then ponder or discuss the following questions: How did Enos describe his prayer to the Lord? (See Enos 1:2.) Why do you think Enos called his experience a “wrestle”? What can his account of seeking forgiveness teach us about repenting and finding peace?

Ask the service members to share what they learned today. Do they understand what it means to forgive others? Are they better able to forgive themselves? What feelings or impressions do they have? Do they have any additional questions? Would it be worthwhile to spend more time on this doctrine?

Invite to act

Encourage the service members to think of someone they need to forgive and to make a commitment to forgive that person.

Teaching in the Savior’s way

In every setting, the Savior was the example and mentor for His disciples. He taught them to pray by praying with them. He taught them to love and serve by loving and serving them. He taught them to forgive others by forgiving them. How can you be an example of the principles you are teaching?