Alma, himself no stranger to the indispensable process of repentance and spiritual rejuvenation through the Atonement of the Lord, uses the opportunity to give loving counsel to his son and, by extension, to all of us. Unquestionably, Corianton’s behavior is entirely unbecoming of a disciple of Christ—in particular a missionary of the gospel. We should remember that all calls are from God, therefore we should not forsake our duty. Corianton must now learn the indispensable lesson of repentance. Parents have the solemn obligation to teach the principle of repentance to their children, so that they may participate in the divine blessings of the Atonement.
And now the Spirit of the Lord doth say unto me: Command thy children to do good, lest they lead away the hearts of many people to destruction; therefore I command you, my son, in the fear of God, that ye refrain from your iniquities;
That ye turn to the Lord with all your mind, might, and strength; that ye lead away the hearts of no more to do wickedly; but rather return unto them, and acknowledge your faults and that wrong which ye have done.” (Alma 39:12–13)
That is precisely what Alma and the sons of Mosiah had themselves done in redressing the wrongs they had inflicted upon the Church in earlier days, for they went about under considerable travail confessing their misconduct and repairing the damage they had caused. “And how blessed are they!” reported Mormon. “For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth” (Mosiah 27:37). Alma’s words to his son Corianton reflect this same spirit of redirection and edification through service: “And now, my son, this was the ministry unto which ye were called, to declare these glad tidings unto this people, to prepare their minds; or rather that salvation might come unto them, that they may prepare the minds of their children to hear the word at the time of his coming” (Alma 39:16).
Corianton is then favored in the next three chapters to receive from his father superb instruction on questions that have been bothering his young and maturing mind: the need for prophecy concerning the coming Messiah, the nature of the Resurrection, the state of the soul between death and the Resurrection, the continuity of character beyond death (“wickedness never was happiness”—Alma 41:10), the purpose of life as a probationary state, and the mercy and justice of God in relationship to man’s choices in life. Alma will conclude his counsel with the words: “And now, my son, I desire that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance” (Alma 42:29). Then, apparently discerning that his son is responding according to requisite spiritual standards, he will re-commission Corianton to embark once more on his missionary travels (see Alma 42:31).
The story of Corianton is one of the great accounts of repentance in the scriptures. It embraces powerful doctrinal instruction that provides the framework for personal change through faith and repentance. It also illustrates the transformational power of the Atonement of Christ, which enables the penitent to transcend their weaknesses and carry on their continuing service as disciples in the kingdom of God. And it further testifies to the bounteous love of a parent for a child—and how that love is best expressed through example and counsel that allows the individual to exercise agency in righteous ways. Alma, himself an authority on repentance, is precisely the right person to counsel his son on this subject, and his patriarchal admonition serves to redirect this young man into the right channels.
Corianton continues with his missionary service, this time according to the highest standards of humility and devotion. The story has a good ending when Mormon confirms that by the year 72 BC, Corianton has achieved a place of recognition among the leading brethren of the Church:
Yea, and there was continual peace among them [the people of Nephi], and exceedingly great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word of God, which was declared unto them by Helaman, and Shiblon, and Corianton, and Ammon and his brethren, yea, and by all those who had been ordained by the holy order of God, being baptized unto repentance, and sent forth to preach among the people. (Alma 49:30)
The last word we will hear concerning Corianton is that he sails into the north countries sometime around 56 BC to 54 BC to carry provisions to the large numbers of people who have emigrated northward (see Alma 63:9–10).