Corianton’s confusion about the nature of the gospel apparently had much to do with an understanding of the eternal purposes of God. He had denied the need for a Christ, and Alma responded to that issue in our Chapter 40, which discussed the issue of the time gap between when a person would die and the future time when Christ would perform the atonement. Alma introduced that chapter by saying that he knew that the issue was on Corianton’s mind.
Chapter 41 begins with Alma saying that he knew that Corianton was concerned with another issue of the next life, and so he explained the doctrine of restoration. Now, in Chapter 42, Alma again says that “I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind.” This discussion will cover the justice of God in separating some people from the possible happiness that was previously discussed (see specifically Alma 41:5).