Have you ever felt distant from God? Have other people you know ever felt the same way? Paul reminded the Saints in Corinth of the mercy Jesus Christ showed them. Paul taught the people that they were separated from God through sin. Fortunately, through Christ’s Atonement they could be brought back into a favorable relationship with God and receive Christ’s righteousness (see 2 Corinthians 5:16–21). This lesson can help you draw closer to God and become who He wants you to become.
Encouraging students to come prepared for class. When students come to class prepared, they invite the Holy Ghost to teach them and are in a better position to help other students.
Student preparation: Invite students to ponder about times when they have felt close to God and times when they have felt distanced from Him, and to come to class prepared to draw upon these experiences.
Possible Learning Activities
Your relationship with God
Review the following scenarios. Think about how your personal situation is similar to or different from these scenarios.
Display the following scenarios or invite students to create their own scenarios involving situations where a youth may feel distanced from God.
Alternatively, begin the lesson using the activity “Receiving Christ’s righteousness” in the “Supplemental Learning Activities” section at the end of the lesson. This activity includes the story of Jean Valjean from Les Miserables being reconciled to God.
Jamilah is a diligent disciple of Jesus Christ. Many friends look to her as an example. However, when she makes mistakes, she feels down about herself and worries about whether she will be able to return to Heavenly Father one day.
Andre has some habits that he knows aren’t good, and it’s hard for him to see how he can be forgiven and change. He wonders if he could ever feel close to God, and he isn’t sure it’s worth the effort. He doesn’t want to talk with his parents or bishop about his problems.
Invite students to reflect on their preparation for class as they complete the following activity.
Think about your own relationship with Heavenly Father. In your study journal, describe your own life situation and your relationship with Him. You could include when you feel close to Him and when you feel distant as well as your desires for your relationship with Him in the future.
As you study, look for truths that can help you understand the blessings of drawing close to God and how you can draw close to Him.
Reconciliation
In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul wrote that while we live on earth, we “groan” and feel “burdened,” longing to return to our Father in Heaven (see 2 Corinthians 5:1–5). Think about times in your life when you have felt something like what Paul described.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17–20, looking for truths you can apply in your life when you feel distant from God. Note that in these verses, reconcile and reconciliation mean being brought back into unity and favor with God after being estranged from Him.
Display the following questions for students to see as they study.
What words and phrases in these verses (2 Corinthians 5:17–20) best describe what the Savior did for you?
What is Heavenly Father’s role in helping you return to Him? (See 2 Corinthians 5:18–19.)
What blessings do we receive as we strive to live “in Christ”? (2 Corinthians 5:17.)
One truth taught in 2 Corinthians 5:17–20 is that we can be reconciled to God and become new creatures through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Paul also taught about why we are able to become new creatures and what this means.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:21, looking for references to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and you.
Invite students to share what they found. If needed, explain that “he” in verse 21 refers to Heavenly Father, while “him” refers to Jesus Christ.
What did you learn from this verse?
Help students understand this verse. Consider reviewing with students the following paragraph, and think about how to help students understand this concept. Be prepared to share these ideas in your own words.
In 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul teaches that although Jesus was never guilty of committing a sin, in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary He took upon Himself the burden, the weight, and the consequences of our sins. When we earnestly seek to be forgiven and made into a “new creature,” we accept Jesus Christ’s offer that if we will have faith in Him and repent of our sins, He will take our sins and we can receive His righteousness. In this way, we will be made pure, just as He is pure (see also Colossians 2:13–14; 1 Peter 2:24).
Be sure to help students understand that the process of becoming pure like Jesus Christ requires a lifetime of effort.
How do the teachings in 2 Corinthians 5:21 help you better understand why we are able to become new creatures in Christ and what that actually means?
What thoughts and feelings might the sinless Son of God have experienced as He willingly took your sins upon Himself so you could be reconciled to God and change? (Consider reading Isaiah 49:16 and Doctrine and Covenants 19:18 before responding to this question.)
Give students a modern-day example of how we can be reconciled to God. Consider sharing a personal experience. Alternatively, a video like the following could be shown.
To see a modern-day example of someone being reconciled to God and becoming “a new creature” through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, watch “I Know His Grace Is There When I Fall” (6:24). This video can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Ponder how you, or someone you know, has experienced the healing and reconciliation that the Savior offers through His Atonement.
Consider asking students to share any thoughts or feelings they have (remind them not to share anything too personal or private). If they share an experience, ask follow-up questions like “What did this experience teach you about Jesus Christ and His Atonement?” or “What actions did this person take that allowed him or her to be reconciled to God? Why do you think those actions made a difference?”
Pondering principles of the gospel can help us better understand and feel of their importance. Reread the description of your current life situation and relationship with God that you wrote at the beginning of the lesson. Then take a few minutes to ponder the following questions:
Display the following ideas for students to ponder. Consider adding personal ideas or inviting students to share their thoughts about things they could ponder based on what they learned in this lesson.
What might it look and feel like to be reconciled to God eternally?
In what ways would you like to become new through the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
What experiences have you had in your life that show how willing Jesus Christ is to help you change?
How was pondering helpful?
What have you learned in this lesson about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s feelings for and desires for you?
Learn, feel, and do
In your study journal, write what you learned and felt today that was most meaningful to you and why. Write down what you feel inspired to do that could help you be reconciled to God and become “a new creature” in Christ. What changes might you expect to see in yourself (in a year, two years, or five years) as someone who has truly been changed in Christ?
Invite students who feel comfortable doing so to share their thoughts and feelings. Consider sharing personal feelings as well.
Commentary and Background Information
How can it help me to live the gospel of Christ and become “a new creature” in Him?
Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:
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Elder Ulisses Soares
Increased faith and conversion will help us make and keep covenants with God, thus strengthening our desire to follow Jesus and producing a genuine spiritual transformation in us—in other words, transforming us into a new creature, as taught by the Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 5:17). This transformation will bring us a more happy, productive, and healthy life and help us to maintain an eternal perspective.
2 Corinthians 5:17–21. How can I better understand what Paul taught in these verses?
The following explanation may help you understand some words and phrases in these verses:
Becoming “a new creature” means that “our heart, countenance, and nature [are] transformed to become more like the Savior” (Benjamin M. Z. Tai, “The Power of the Book of Mormon in Conversion,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 47).
Christ “not imputing their trespasses unto them” means that because of what Christ did for us, when we are reconciled to God our sins are not counted against us.
If students need help understanding Paul’s teachings in 2 Corinthians 5:14–21, consider watching “Good Shepherd, Lamb of God” (15:18) from time code 10:30 to 12:10 or “The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope” (20:21) from time code 3:36 to 6:30, both of which are available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Invite students to draw parallels between these stories and 2 Corinthians 5:14–21. These accounts can help them see how Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself so that we could have the opportunity to receive His righteousness.
Consider watching “Redemption” (15:21) from time code 6:48 to 8:43, available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, in which Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles describes a story from the book Les Miserables. Invite students to consider ways that Bishop Bienvenu, who saved Jean Valjean so that he could become better, is similar to the Savior and ways that we are like Jean Valjean. Invite them to study 2 Corinthians 5:14–21 and see how the story Elder Christofferson tells is similar to what Paul teaches about becoming new creatures in Christ and accepting His righteousness.
Students could benefit from discussing the gift of the Holy Ghost. Invite them to read 2 Corinthians 5:1–5. Then invite them to better understand the phrase “the earnest of the Spirit” by reading Bible Dictionary, “ Earnest.”
Invite students to respond to questions like “How does the Holy Ghost influence your confidence in the Savior’s Atonement and the promise of eternal life?” and “How do experiences now with the Holy Ghost give us an idea of what it will be like to enjoy eternal life with Heavenly Father?”
