March 2013: The Atonement of Jesus Christ
Source: Preach My Gospel
***Read an underline anything you didn’t know
before or anything that stands out to you:
“Before
the world was organized, our Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our
Savior and Redeemer. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ made it possible for
us to overcome the effects of the Fall. All of the prophets since the world
began have testified of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer.
We will all suffer
physical death, but Jesus Christ overcame the obstacle of physical death for
us. When He died on the cross, His spirit became separated from His body. On
the third day, His spirit and His body were reunited eternally, never to be
separated again. He appeared to many people, showing them that He had an
immortal body of flesh and bone. The reuniting of body and spirit is called
resurrection and is a gift promised to each of us. Because of the Resurrection
of Jesus Christ, we will all be resurrected regardless of whether we have done
good or evil in this life. We will have a perfect, immortal body of flesh and
bones that will never again be subject to disease, pain, or death. The
resurrection makes it possible to return to God’s presence to be judged but
does not guarantee that we will be able to live in His presence. To receive
that blessing, we must also be cleansed from sin.
God sent His Beloved
Son, Jesus Christ, to overcome the obstacle of sin in addition to the obstacle
of physical death. We are not responsible for the Fall of Adam and Eve, but we
are responsible for our own sins. God cannot look on sin with any degree of
allowance, and sin prevents us from living in His presence. Only through the Savior’s
grace and mercy can we become clean from sin so that we can live with God
again. This is possible through exercising faith in Jesus Christ, repenting,
being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and
enduring to the end.
To fulfill the plan
of salvation, Christ paid the penalty for our sins. He alone was able to do
that. He was called and prepared in pre-earth life. He was the literal Son of
God in the flesh. He was sinless and completely obedient to His Father. Though
tempted, He never gave in to temptation. When the Father asked His Beloved Son
to pay the price of the world’s sins, Jesus was prepared and willing. The
Atonement included His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering
and death on the cross, and it ended with His Resurrection. Though He suffered
beyond comprehension—so much so that He bled from every pore and asked whether
it were possible that this burden be lifted from Him—He submitted to the
Father’s will in a supreme expression of love for His Father and for us. This
triumph of Jesus Christ over spiritual death by His suffering and over physical
death by His Resurrection is called the Atonement.
Christ promises to
forgive our sins on the condition that we accept Him by exercising faith in
Him, repenting, receiving baptism by immersion, and the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and striving faithfully to keep His
commandments to the end of our lives. Through continuing repentance, we may
obtain forgiveness
and be cleansed of our sins by the power of the Holy Ghost. We are relieved of
the burden of guilt and shame, and through Jesus Christ we become worthy to
return to the presence of God.
As we rely on the
Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and
pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair
about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
In paying the penalty
for our sins, Jesus did not, however, eliminate our personal responsibility. We
must show that we accept Him and that we will follow His commandments. Only
through the gift of the Atonement can we return to live with God.
Atonement Scripture Study:
What do
you learn about the atonement from the following scriptures?
What did you learn? How does it affect your real
life?
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Guide
to the Scriptures, “Atone, Atonement”
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