Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The Atonement

                There is no greater moment in my life then when the Atonement of Jesus Christ “clicked” for me. For those of you who may not have ever heard or understand the term Atonement, it is a commonly used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to refer to the suffering and death of the Savior. For us we believe that the crucifixion was just a portion of what Jesus went through during those last few days. I think our bible dictionary would better to explain it then I can. Here is a portion of it:

“The word describes the setting “at one” of those who have been estranged and denotes the reconciliation of man to God. Sin is the cause of the estrangement, and therefore the purpose of atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin…
His [Jesus Christ] divine Sonship, His sinless life, the shedding of His blood in the garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross and subsequent bodily resurrection from the grave, He made a perfect atonement for all mankind.”

                If any of us have any knowledge of Jesus Christ then we know that He died so that we may be forgiven of our sins. However it goes on to be so much deeper than just forgiveness of our sins. The Atonement as a whole included Christ suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit…”
You might be asking to yourself “what suffering was this”? Well look at your life, it is all that you have suffered, we have suffered. It was the combined weight of all mankind’s suffering, pain, and heartbreak. This very intimate detail of the suffering in the garden shows us that when we suffer, we may never be alone, we can call upon our Savior who has felt firsthand just what we are feeling.


Wisdom from the Prophets and Apostles:


The Atonement of Jesus Christ provides the cleanser necessary to be made pure and clean, the soothing salve to heal spiritual wounds and remove guilt, and the protection that enables us to be faithful in times both good and bad.
Come and See, By Elder David A. Bednar, General Conference, 10/2014
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While you are in the temple, listen to the words of the ordinances, ponder them, pray about them, and seek to understand their meaning. The temple is one of the best places to come to understand the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Seek Him there. Remember...
Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority, By Elder Richard G. Scott, General Conference, 10/2014
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The gospel of Jesus Christ opens the path to what we may become. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His grace, our failures to live the celestial law perfectly and consistently in mortality can be erased and we are enabled to develop a Christlike character. Justice demands, however, that none of this happen without our willing agreement and participation. It has ever been so. Our very presence on earth as physical beings is the consequence of a choice each of us made to participate in our Father’s plan.9 Thus, salvation is certainly not the result of divine whim, but neither does it happen by divine will alone.10
Free Forever, to Act for Themselves, By Elder D. Todd Christofferson, General Conference, 10/2014
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If we are not aware of what the Savior’s sacrifice can do for us, we may go through life carrying regrets that we have done something that was not right or offended someone. The guilt that accompanies mistakes can be washed away. If we seek to understand His Atonement, we will come to a deep reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ, His earthly ministry, and His divine mission as our Savior.
The Reason for Our Hope, By President Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, 10/2014
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A powerful expression of that love is what the scriptures often call the grace of God—the divine assistance and endowment of strength by which we grow from the flawed and limited beings we are now into exalted beings of “truth and light, until [we are] glorified in truth and [know] all things.”8...
The Gift of Grace, By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference, 4/2015
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We often speak of the Savior’s Atonement—and rightly so! In Jacob’s words, “Why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him?”4 But as “we talk of Christ, … rejoice in Christ, … preach of Christ, [and] prophesy of Christ”5 at every opportunity, we must never lose our sense of awe and profound gratitude for the eternal sacrifice of the Son of God. The Savior’s Atonement cannot become commonplace in our teaching, in our conversation, or in our hearts. It is sacred and holy, for it was through this “great and last sacrifice” that Jesus the Christ brought “salvation to all those who shall believe on his name.”6
The Gift of Grace, By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference, 4/2015
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That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of this world. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience to His commandments, lift us to eternal life.
Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet, By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, General Conference, 4/2015
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...For those who feel they are alone, you can stand resolutely in righteousness knowing that the Atonement will protect and bless you beyond your ability to fully understand.
The Lord Is My Light, By Elder Quentin L. Cook, General Conference, 4/2015
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If the grim realities you are facing at this time seem dark and heavy and almost unbearable, remember that in the soul-wrenching darkness of Gethsemane and the incomprehensible torture and pain of Calvary, the Savior accomplished the Atonement, which resolves the most terrible burdens that can occur in this life. He did it for you, and He did it for me. He did it because He loves us and because He obeys and loves His Father. We will be rescued from death—even from the depths of the sea.
The Lord Is My Light, By Elder Quentin L. Cook, General Conference, 4/2015
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...we testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ has anticipated and, in the end, will compensate all deprivation and loss for those who turn to Him. No one is predestined to receive less than all that the Father has for His children.
Why Marriage, Why Family, By Elder D. Todd Christofferson, General Conference, 4/2015
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...Son of God, Jesus Christ, suffered and died to atone for Adam and Eve’s transgression, thereby providing resurrection and immortality for all. And since none of us will have been perfectly and consistently obedient to the gospel law, His Atonement also redeems us from our own sins on condition of repentance. With the Savior’s atoning grace providing forgiveness of sins and sanctification of the soul, we can spiritually be born again and reconciled to God. Our spiritual death—our separation from God—will end.15
Why Marriage, Why Family, By Elder D. Todd Christofferson, General Conference, 4/2015
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Highlight - Blue - Jun 04, 2015:
...of the Atonement makes repentance possible and quells the despair caused by sin; it also strengthens us to see, do, and become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity. Truly, one of the great blessings of devoted discipleship is “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
Therefore They Hushed Their Fears, By Elder David A. Bednar, General Conference, 4/2015
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...which can reclaim each one of us, bears no scars. That means that no matter what we have done or where we have been or how something happened, if we truly repent, He has promised that He would atone. And when He atoned, that settled that. There are so many of us who are thrashing around, as it were, with feelings of guilt, not knowing quite how to escape. You escape by accepting the Atonement of Christ, and all that was heartache can turn to beauty and love and eternity. I am so grateful for the blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the power of procreation, for the power of redemption, for the Atonement—the Atonement which can wash clean every stain no matter how difficult or how long or how many times repeated. The Atonement can put you free again to move forward, cleanly and worthily, to pursue that path that you have chosen in life. I bear witness that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the Atonement is not a general thing that is for the whole Church. The Atonement is individual, and if you have something that is bothering you—sometimes so long ago you can hardly remember it—put the Atonement to work. It will clean it up, and you, as does He, will remember your sins no more. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
The Plan of Happiness, By President Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, 4/2015
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...Our spirits are damaged when we make mistakes and commit sins. But unlike the case of our mortal bodies, when the repentance process is complete, no scars remain because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The promise is: “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42).
The Plan of Happiness, By President Boyd K. Packer, General Conference, 4/2015
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On Easter Sunday we celebrate the most long-awaited and glorious event in the history of the world. It is the day that changed everything. On that day, my life changed. Your life changed. The destiny of all God’s children changed. On that blessed day, the Savior of mankind, who had taken upon Himself the chains of sin and death that held us captive, burst those chains and set us free. Because of the sacrifice of our beloved Redeemer, death has no sting, the grave has no victory,1 Satan has no lasting power, and we are “begotten … again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”2
The Gift of Grace, By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference, 4/2015
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The burdens His faithful servants must carry in life are made lighter by His Atonement. The burden of sin can be taken away, but the trials of mortal life for good people can still be heavy burdens.
The Comforter, By President Henry B. Eyring, General Conference, 4/2015

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