When I began this detailed exploration of the plan of salvation, I knew that I would eventually need to talk about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Since then, I have prayed and pondered as to how to best approach this topic. This is the most sacred event in all of history, and I hope that I will be able to represent it well.
To atone means "to suffer the penalty for sins, thereby removing the effects of sin from the repentant sinner and allowing him or her to be reconciled to God" (lds.org). As I mentioned last time, without external help, our position in mortality would be an exercise in futility. We are subject to both physical and spiritual death, which keep us from entering the presence of God.
The whole purpose of the plan of salvation is to bring mankind back into the presence of God and allow them to be partakers of eternal life. Thus, a way was prepared so that this would be a possibility. As revealed by Jesus Christ in this modern dispensation: "I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent" (D&C 19:16). We know that Christ, in taking upon himself these things, did so willingly. And he "kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.... And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:41–44).
In addition to our sins, he also took upon himself our pains "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities" (Alma 7:11–12).
What would possess someone to willingly undertake such an endeavor? Christ knew from the beginning that this would not be easy. Two scriptures come to mind: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
And, as Jacob declares, "O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell" (2 Nephi 9:19).
It is because of the great love and mercy that Christ has for us that he was willing to do this, to undertake such great pain for our sakes. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
Christ satisfied the demands of justice by paying the price for our sins. We are now indebted to Him who is merciful, instead of the unyielding demands of justice for us to be perfect. "thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption" (Alma 34:16). When we repent and follow Christ, we are not paying him back for what he did for us. Rather, we are showing him that it was an investment worth making.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I have become even more appreciative of the great blessing that the Atonement has been to me. The time of greatest growth in my testimony of Jesus Christ came while I was serving a mission. I would like to share some important principles that I learned that helped to deepen my understanding of and appreciation for the Atonement.
First; not only did Christ feel the weight of our sins while in the garden of Gethsemane, but "while he was hanging on the cross for another three hours,... all the infinite agonies and merciless pains of Gethsemane recurred." Elder Richard G. Scott taught: "while at the extremity of His capacity, at the time the Savior most needed succor, His Father allowed Him to shoulder the onerous responsibility with only His own strength and capacity.
I try to imagine what an intensely poignant moment it must have been for our Father in Heaven when the Savior cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). I don’t believe Father in Heaven forsook His Son on the cross. I do believe the cry was motivated when that Son felt removed the sustaining support He had always enjoyed from His Father. His Father recognized that the Savior needed to accomplish the Atonement totally and completely on His own, without external support. The Father did not abandon His Son. He made it possible for His perfect Son to win the eternal fruits of the Atonement."
Second is the scope: the most important thing to understand about the Atonement of Christ how it can help you personally. But right after that, I believe, is an appreciation of its infinite scope. Elder Maxwell taught that Christ's suffering was "as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity", and Pres. Russell M. Nelson said that "His Atonement is infinite — without an end. It was also infinite in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope — it was to be done once for all. And the mercy of the Atonement extends not only to an infinite number of people, but also to an infinite number of worlds created by Him. It was infinite beyond any human scale of measurement or mortal comprehension."
A word often used in the New Testament in the place of "atonement" is "to reconcile" or "reconciliation." In its root form, "to reconcile" means "to sit with again." The Atonement allows us to sit again with the Lord in His presence, and also partake of eternal life.
The way is open! We have a chance! The Son of God overcame the effects of the Fall, and we have a path back to the Father, found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. "the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free" (2 Nephi 2:4). What will you choose?
I know there are some people who feel that they have sinned too much to repent, or that God doesn't want to talk to them. Please share this with them: God will do everything in His power to save his children, but only as much as they let him. The infinite power of the Atonement is only limited by our unwillingness to let it in. So let it in!
I hope my testimony of the Atonement has helped you. However, I realize that there are men whose specific calling it is to testify of Christ and His Atonement, and they do a much better job than me. Below are some of my favorite examples of Apostles testifying of Christ. They are worth your study. I find it to be even more powerful if you watch them give their testimony.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie - The Purifying Power of Gethsemane
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - None Were with Him
Pres. James E. Faust - The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope
Elder Neal A. Maxwell - "Willing to Submit"
Elder Russel M. Nelson - The Atonement
To atone means "to suffer the penalty for sins, thereby removing the effects of sin from the repentant sinner and allowing him or her to be reconciled to God" (lds.org). As I mentioned last time, without external help, our position in mortality would be an exercise in futility. We are subject to both physical and spiritual death, which keep us from entering the presence of God.
The whole purpose of the plan of salvation is to bring mankind back into the presence of God and allow them to be partakers of eternal life. Thus, a way was prepared so that this would be a possibility. As revealed by Jesus Christ in this modern dispensation: "I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent" (D&C 19:16). We know that Christ, in taking upon himself these things, did so willingly. And he "kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.... And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:41–44).
In addition to our sins, he also took upon himself our pains "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities" (Alma 7:11–12).
What would possess someone to willingly undertake such an endeavor? Christ knew from the beginning that this would not be easy. Two scriptures come to mind: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
And, as Jacob declares, "O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell" (2 Nephi 9:19).
It is because of the great love and mercy that Christ has for us that he was willing to do this, to undertake such great pain for our sakes. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
Christ satisfied the demands of justice by paying the price for our sins. We are now indebted to Him who is merciful, instead of the unyielding demands of justice for us to be perfect. "thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption" (Alma 34:16). When we repent and follow Christ, we are not paying him back for what he did for us. Rather, we are showing him that it was an investment worth making.
In this season of Thanksgiving, I have become even more appreciative of the great blessing that the Atonement has been to me. The time of greatest growth in my testimony of Jesus Christ came while I was serving a mission. I would like to share some important principles that I learned that helped to deepen my understanding of and appreciation for the Atonement.
First; not only did Christ feel the weight of our sins while in the garden of Gethsemane, but "while he was hanging on the cross for another three hours,... all the infinite agonies and merciless pains of Gethsemane recurred." Elder Richard G. Scott taught: "while at the extremity of His capacity, at the time the Savior most needed succor, His Father allowed Him to shoulder the onerous responsibility with only His own strength and capacity.
I try to imagine what an intensely poignant moment it must have been for our Father in Heaven when the Savior cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). I don’t believe Father in Heaven forsook His Son on the cross. I do believe the cry was motivated when that Son felt removed the sustaining support He had always enjoyed from His Father. His Father recognized that the Savior needed to accomplish the Atonement totally and completely on His own, without external support. The Father did not abandon His Son. He made it possible for His perfect Son to win the eternal fruits of the Atonement."
Second is the scope: the most important thing to understand about the Atonement of Christ how it can help you personally. But right after that, I believe, is an appreciation of its infinite scope. Elder Maxwell taught that Christ's suffering was "as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity", and Pres. Russell M. Nelson said that "His Atonement is infinite — without an end. It was also infinite in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope — it was to be done once for all. And the mercy of the Atonement extends not only to an infinite number of people, but also to an infinite number of worlds created by Him. It was infinite beyond any human scale of measurement or mortal comprehension."
A word often used in the New Testament in the place of "atonement" is "to reconcile" or "reconciliation." In its root form, "to reconcile" means "to sit with again." The Atonement allows us to sit again with the Lord in His presence, and also partake of eternal life.
The way is open! We have a chance! The Son of God overcame the effects of the Fall, and we have a path back to the Father, found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. "the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free" (2 Nephi 2:4). What will you choose?
I know there are some people who feel that they have sinned too much to repent, or that God doesn't want to talk to them. Please share this with them: God will do everything in His power to save his children, but only as much as they let him. The infinite power of the Atonement is only limited by our unwillingness to let it in. So let it in!
I hope my testimony of the Atonement has helped you. However, I realize that there are men whose specific calling it is to testify of Christ and His Atonement, and they do a much better job than me. Below are some of my favorite examples of Apostles testifying of Christ. They are worth your study. I find it to be even more powerful if you watch them give their testimony.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie - The Purifying Power of Gethsemane
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland - None Were with Him
Pres. James E. Faust - The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope
Elder Neal A. Maxwell - "Willing to Submit"
Elder Russel M. Nelson - The Atonement
Comments
Post a Comment