The Atonement of Jesus Christ is perhaps the most
crucial event, and certainly the most loving act, in all recorded history.
Centered about the city of Jerusalem approximately 2,000 years ago, the ordeal
of the Atonement fulfilled the purpose of Heavenly Father’s creation, and
satisfied the demands of justice, requisite from the Fall and our agency.
The Atonement is infinite, eternal, and
unfathomable. We cannot comprehend the exquisite pain Christ must have
suffered, nor the agony of the innumerable thoughts, words, and actions He
atoned for, as well as the pains and sorrows of every generation to walk the
earth. Christ’s Atonement, made possible by His divinity and perfection, and
consisting of His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection, provides us justification
with the laws of God, as well as reconciliation with Heavenly Father. The word
atone itself is most simply broken down to “at one”. Through Christ’s
Atonement, we can eventually become one with the Father in purpose and in
exaltation. Additionally, in Hebrew, the basic word for Atonement is “kaphar”,
which means to cover. According to my Old Testament professor, in Biblical
times, if a servant wronged a lord, he would be severely punished if he did not
receive forgiveness. The servant would approach the master, and if the master
reached out to wrap and cover the servant with his cloak, the man was forgiven
and beyond reproach. He became free from the consequences of the law. The
Savior’s atonement does the same for us. We can be redeemed, and encircled in
the arms of His love (2 Ne 1:15).
Every man, woman, and accountable child is in
desperate need of that love, for “all have sinned, and come short of the glory
of God” (Romans 3:23). As no unclean thing can abide the presence of God, there
must be a redemption, a way to escape the condemnation of eternal laws. The law
must also remain intact, for as we know, if there is no law, there is no sin;
and if there is no sin, there is no righteousness. If there is no
righteousness, there is no happiness, and if there is neither righteousness nor
happiness, there is no punishment nor misery, and if those things are not,
there is no God, and if there is no God, we would not be (2 Nephi 2:13). We
must have a Mediator to remove our condemnation, without removing the law. That
is justification—the elimination of the punishment of our sin, or rather, the
transferal of our punishment from ourselves to the Savior. The Atonement allows
this justification, and also, enables our sanctification. Christ purifies us and
removes the effects of our sins. Through His blood, our garments are washed
clean.
To claim these wondrous blessings of the Atonement,
it is necessary for us to act. Given the magnitude of the gift of His grace, we
could never suppose, even with all the good we could possibly do in this life,
that we had earned it. It is simply too great. It is, and
always will be, a gift from God through His divine Son. However, what doth it
profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receives it not? We must
rejoice in that which is given (D&C 88:33), and though we cannot earn it,
we must do all in our power to accept the gift of His grace and atonement.
We can do this by following the laws and ordinances
our Heavenly Father has set in place to protect us, namely, believe in His
name, repent, be baptized, strive to always keep the Spirit, and endure to the
end. We choose to accept Christ’s sacrifice by offering ourselves with a broken
heart and a contrite spirit. The penitent soul is one willing to change, and
through the Atonement, is able to be born again as a child of Christ.
This process of repentance and accepting God’s
grace is an ongoing obligation. The Atonement’s mercy will claim the penitent,
and they will be saved. We must persist in our covenants, relying on
repentance. Though striving to do all in our power every day, we must also
accept that we cannot achieve perfection in this life. As we know, during
Christ’s mortal ministry, He counseled His followers to be perfect, even as our
Father in heaven. It wasn’t until after His resurrection that He admonished the
Nephite people to be perfect as He AND the Father. We must not presume to
achieve what even the Son of God could not in mortality. Far too often, I
forget this fact. We must realize that in our lives, we will make mistakes. We
will sin. We may become discouraged at our
imperfection. But if we strive to develop as children of a divine Being, doing
our best, and repenting when we fall, all will be well. As Elder Christofferson
explains:
"Personal persistence in the path of obedience is something
different than achieving perfection in mortality. Perfection is not, as some
suppose, a prerequisite for the justification and sanctification of the
Atonement. It is just the opposite: justification (being pardoned) and
sanctification (being purified) are the prerequisites for perfection. We only
become perfect “IN Christ”, not independently of Him. Thus, what is
required of us in order to obtain mercy in the day of judgment is simple diligence."
As the Prophet Joseph
Smith counseled from
the dank prison of Liberty, Missouri: “Let us cheerfully do all things that lie
in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see
the salvation of God” (D&C
123:17).
It does not matter where we
are on the path to perfection, as long as we are on that straight and narrow
way. As we strive to do all we can, we can stand assured that because of
Christ’s Atonement, it is enough. We could not satisfy the demands of justice
on our own – the suffering which caused even God to tremble because of pain,
and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit (D&C 19:18).
Christ’s atonement allows Him to act as our advocate to the Father and to the
demands of justice. And the Savior WILL be our advocate and our friend. He
knows, from experience, how to help us, and He suffered personally, to redeem
us.
Though impossible to comprehend the eternal nature
of His suffering, we can gain faith in Christ’s atonement. That faith can come through
a small conceptualization, which offers a glimpse at the greatest power of the
atonement. That marvelous power, the most significant aspect of our Savior’s
sacrifice, lies not in the infinite nature of His suffering. It is not how the
Atonement spans time and space, and can never be extinguished. That magnificent
power is not what He did for the hundreds of billions of His brothers and
sisters who have lived or will live. The greatest power of the Atonement is
what He did for ME. It is what He did for YOU. That is the aspect of the
Atonement that I understand. I know how He suffered for MY sins, and the sweet
forgiveness I receive from that. I know the peace He provides me when I am
fraught with anxiety. I know the comfort that He gives me when I am overcome
with grief at the loss of a loved one. I know the hope He gives me in
resurrection and in eternal life. And that is why I know He is my Savior, and
everyone else’s. That incredible gift, His complete Atonement—that is why I am
serving a mission. The gospel is the good news – the incredible news that
Christ has made a perfect Atonement for mankind that will redeem all from the
grave, and all who accept it from sin. That news MUST be shared. Christ has
redeemed mankind—Christ has redeemed ME. And each of you. You can still go to
the Garden of Gethsemane, but the Lord cannot be found there. Nor will He be at
the Garden Tomb. He is not on the road to Jerusalem, nor in Galilee, nor at
Nazareth or Bethlehem. He must be found in your heart. And
that is what the Atonement allows us to do – find Christ and our Heavenly
Father, and return to them – no matter what. His gift – His grace – His mercy –
allows us to merely do our best. We don’t have to run more than we have
strength. Just do all we can and He will make up the rest. The Atonement is
infinite. It is mind-boggling. I couldn’t hope to understand or explain it
fully. But what is the most important, is what the Atonement does for YOU.
Christ’s love for each of you is unfathomable. And if you reciprocate that
love, you will be blessed beyond comprehension. The Atonement allows us, allows
me, and allows you, to come unto Him and be transformed. So come unto Him. Be
purified in Him. Be sealed for eternity – to Christ, our families, and our Heavenly
Father. That is the purpose of this life – to gain our next estate; to become
qualified for eternal life. And that purpose is made possible through Christ
and His atonement. The ultimate blessing of the Atonement will be to become one
with Him, to be in His divine presence, to be called by name as He warmly
welcomes us with open arms to be enfolded in His boundless love. The gift of His great atoning sacrifice for each of us is what will
allow us to access such forgiveness, mercy, and love. It is far more powerful
than anything we can comprehend. Everything hinges on the Atonement, and our
acceptance of it. Without it, our souls would be lost. With it, we are saved.
I am so grateful for the Atonement. In December, a good friend and my grandmother passed away within a few days of each other. It was
the first time I experienced death. Without my knowledge of the Plan of
Salvation and Christ’s Atonement, I don't know if I would have been able to get through this trial. But with the peace that I was able to
overcome. I am also grateful for the Atonement because I often worry that I may not be good enough, in life, and now as a
missionary. But the Atonement provides me the assurance that as long as I try,
through Christ, I am more than good enough. I am grateful for the temple, the spirit there, and the strength/protection covenants provide. I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to serve a mission. The gospel means everything to me and I am so excited to share it with our brothers and sisters in Portugal.
I know the Church is true. The gospel is truer than ANYTHING. Christ
and Heavenly Father love us so much. I know that through the Atonement we will be saved.
In the name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
Some talks I read to prepare:
