Have you ever done something in your life that no matter how hard you work at it that you will not meet the deadline, it won’t meet the criteria, or you will just fall short of the mark? Or maybe you didn’t have enough knowledge, skill or man power to complete the job as required. If we are honest with ourselves, we at one time or another have felt this way about something in our lives, whether it be an assignment in school, a calling, a job or just life in general. But is life in general that we really don’t need to fall short of the mark because there is help for all of us no matter where we are in our life or in other words our eternal progression.
We have been given a gift that will help us to overcome our inability to achieve our goals. This gift is the atonement. The atonement allows us to repent and be forgiven for our sins because the price has already been paid. The atonement is for us to overcome our weaknesses, to overcome our inability to become perfect in this life. The atonement is for the resurrection of all of God’s children
The atonement allows us to repent and be forgiven for our sins. We are going to sin it is a part of who we are, it is in our nature, the natural man. In Mosiah 3: 19 King Benjamin states: “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam” This does not mean we cannot overcome sin it just means we cannot do it alone. What is sin
According to the bible dictionary it says:
Sin is lawlessness; it is a refusal on men’s part to submit to the law of God. By transgression man loses control over his own will and becomes the slave of sin, and so incurs the penalty of spiritual death, which is alienation from God.
How many times have we made a choice that we know is wrong but…well… we still do it anyway? This could be things such as, not being charitable because we are in a bad mood, not forgiving others who have hurt our feelings or not going to church because we stayed up late the night before playing video games. We have refused to submit to the law of God. We have become the slave of sin.
There are others who have committed greater sins, sins that seem unforgivable. And yet because of the atonement they are forgivable, even if the person who themselves committed the sins think otherwise.
It is by faith and then repentance and baptism that we begin to receive forgiveness. And by renewal of our baptismal covenants through the sacrament we continue this process to overcome the natural man. It is because Jesus Christ paid the price that we can repent and most importantly be forgiven.
In the April 2004 General Conference, Elder M. Russel Ballards stated:
Thankfully, Jesus Christ courageously fulfilled this sacrifice in ancient Jerusalem. There in the quiet isolation of the Garden of Gethsemane, He knelt among the gnarled olive trees, and in some incredible way that none of us can fully comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin—yours, mine, and everyone who has ever lived. His mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed from every pore. And yet Jesus suffered willingly so that we might all have the opportunity to be washed clean—through having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized by proper priesthood authority, receiving the purifying gift of the Holy Ghost by confirmation, and accepting all other essential ordinances. Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of these blessings would be available to us, and we could not become worthy and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God.
The Savior later endured the agony of inquisition, cruel beatings, and death by crucifixion on the cross at Calvary. Recently, there has been a great deal of commentary about this, none of which has made clear the singular point that no one had the power to take the Savior’s life from Him. He gave it as a ransom for us all. As the Son of God, He had the power to alter the situation. Yet the scriptures clearly state that He yielded Himself to scourging, humiliation, suffering, and finally crucifixion because of His great love towards the children of men
The Lord himself states in D&C 19:16 “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;”
The price is paid it is just a matter of us stepping up and doing our part. One of my favorite parts of the Book of Mormon is King Benjamin’s speech and the Nephites reaction to it. In Mosiah 4: 1-2 it says:
1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the aangel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had bfallen to the earth, for the cfear of the Lord had come upon them.
2 And they had aviewed themselves in their own bcarnal state, even cless than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the datoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be epurified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who fcreated heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
And the best part is in the 3rd verse. “And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
Because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice we can find joy and peace when we truly repent.
The atonement is for us to overcome our weaknesses, to overcome our inability to become perfect in this life. We are doing all that we can but we still fall short of the mark. I remember reading a book called Believing Christ by STEPHEN E. ROBINSON which I found out is a talk he gave at a BYU devotional. He tells of a story that happened with his wife. She had given up, wanted to be released from her calling and did not want to participate in spiritual things. It took a couple of weeks but Brother Robinson was able to get his wife to tell him the problem. She had decided she wasn’t good enough. That she could not do all that was required; being a mother and housewife, fulfilling her callings, doing her family history, or being like other sisters in the ward she believed to be better than her. She just couldn’t keep the commandments all the time. He then stated that she was trying to save herself with Jesus Christ as her advisor and not her savior.
By Elder David A. Bednar, from a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on October 23, 2001, quotes President David O. McKay (1873–1970): “The purpose of the gospel is … to make bad men good and good men better, and to change human nature.” He continues on in his talk saying:
Most of us know that when we do wrong things, we need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives. The Savior has paid the price and made it possible for us to become clean through His redeeming power. Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully. We may mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves, through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.
As usual I have been doing it the hard way.
I remember a particular hard time in my life where I was a newly single mother with 5 children under the age of 13. We as a family were dealing with some very difficult situations. I was having a conversation with a friend on the phone when I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of love and that Heavenly Father was pleased with me. You can’t imagine how much I needed to know this. I was struggling in so many ways and Heavenly Father was pleased with me. And I wasn’t even perfect yet.
What I think we sometimes forget is that we are all on the same path but at different parts of our journey in life depending on us and the choices we make.
Elder Bednar talks of this part of the atonement as enabling powers. It enables us to become better.
“The gospel of the Savior is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it also is essentially about doing and becoming good. And the Atonement provides help for us to overcome and avoid bad and to do and become good. Help from the Savior is available for the entire journey of mortality—from bad to good to better and to change our very nature.”
This gives me hope when I start to look at the “should haves” and “should dos” in my life. I just keep trying to do my best and somehow through the atonement it will be enough.
The atonement is for the resurrection of all of God’s children. How grateful I am to know that I will live again. That death is not an end. I like my life. I know this mortal part of my life will end but I and my family will continue afterwards. What is even better is that we will be resurrected with a new and improved body, and all this because of Jesus Christ and the atonement.
1 Corithians 15:22 it says:
20 But now is aChrist brisen from the dead, and become the cfirstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came adeath, by man came also the bresurrection of the dead.
22 For as in aAdam all bdie, even so in cChrist shall all be made dalive.
How joyful it must have been for Jesus disciples to see the resurrected Christ, for the women who went to his sepulcher and to hear the angle say “why seek ye the living among the dead He is not here, but is risen”. Or for the Nephites who saw Christ and felt the wounds in his hands and feet and side. He lives and because he lives so do we. We know through the scriptures that all men will be resurrected and judged according to their works.
Our prophet President Thomas S. Monson states:
“I believe that none of us can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane, but I am grateful every day of my life for His atoning sacrifice in our behalf.
“At the last moment, He could have turned back. But He did not. He passed beneath all things that He might save all things. In doing so, He gave us life beyond this mortal existence. He reclaimed us from the Fall of Adam.
At the beginning I asked have you felt as if you fell short of the mark and I am sure your answer was yes but what is so wonderful is the Atonement and its gift to us if we are willing to do our part. We can accomplish our goals both the temporal and eternal ones through the help of our savior and his atonement. We can repent and be cleansed from our sins; we can overcome our weaknesses and achieve all that is required of us because of the atonement. We can live again.
I would like to recite the words of my favorite hymn.
I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
I love the gospel. I know it is true. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that through Him I can be cleansed from my sins if I truly repent, that He will help with my trials and my goals. That because of Him I can live again with my family and with my Heavenly Father.
I say this in the name of Jesus Christ Amen
