The Atonement (GP 12)
Gospel Principles Lesson 12
Clearly, we cannot understand the "How" of the Atonement. It took a Perfect, Infinite Being to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. God chose His Only Begotten Son, and as the Son of both immortal and mortal parentage, Jesus was given the capacity to be able to suffer for all of us, to give up His own life, and to take it up again. While I'll explain some of the particulars of the conditions of the Atonement, I cannot even begin to understand the "How."
But, the other questions can be answered quite easily, because of the Spirit of Love that speaks to our hearts and minds, enlightening us with truth, giving us understanding, and bringing us hope.
The first question then is "Who?" Jesus, of course. Jesus was chosen by our Heavenly Father to be the Savior of this world. Jesus was chosen because He alone was like unto God in every particular (See Abraham 3:24-27), and our Father could trust Him to carry out His plan.
"Who else?" The rest of us, of course. We would all come to earth to gain bodies, to gain experience, and to learn to be obedient. But unlike Jesus, our attempts would be feeble, and we would fall short of the glory of God (See Romans 3:23). We needed a Savior. Nonetheless, we all shouted for joy at the prospect of living in this mortal world and being allowed these new opportunities(See Job 38:7). Not only was Jesus part of Heavenly Father's Plan; we all were. We all are!
Next question: "What?" The Atonement. What is the Atonement? It is the great sacrifice that enables us, through faith, repentance, and obedience, to be brought back into our Heavenly Father's presence. Jesus is indeed the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Jesus is also the Lamb without Blemish, whose blood can ransom us from our sins (See 1 Peter 1:19-23). No other person could answer the cause of justice, making everything right, and extending mercy to the sinner on conditions of repentance. So the Atonement allows us to be "at one" again with our Father, and thus we can overcome spiritual death through the grace of God.
The Atonement also permits all, everyone, repentant and sinner alike, to live again, to be resurrected. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). And clearly the resurrection is the reunification of our bodies with our spirits, allowing us to be living souls forever. Jesus told His disciples, "Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (See Luke 24:39). So through the Atonement, Jesus gave us the means to overcome both physical and spiritual death.
"When" is the next question. Jesus's Atonement is Infinite, from everlasting to everlasting. So even though the sacrifice was made in the meridian of time, it was available to those who lived before Jesus was on earth in mortality, and it is available to us now. We have access to it always, but there are conditions which make it efficacious in our lives. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). And in our day to day lives, it works the same way. If we would have the Spirit of the Holy Ghost to guide us, we must keep the commandments and live as He asks us to do.
"Where?" Jesus atoned in Gethsemane and on the Cross of Calvary. But the effects of His atonement reach across time and distance from all eternity to all eternity and to the far reaches of the universe. So the Atonement is for everyone, everywhere. We can experience the peace of the Spirit sanctifying our lives and our efforts while we are at church, while we are at home; while we are traveling, and wherever we may be.
"Why?" The greatest question of all to answer is "Why." It is all because of love. "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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:16-17).
Jesus doesn't want to condemn us. It is not He that will condemn us. He has done all things possible to save us, and if we stand condemned at the last day, it will be our own lives that condemn us, or our unwillingness to repent. Jesus bled from every pore and suffered both body and spirit to such an Infinite degree so that we don't have to (See Doctrine and Covenants 16:16-19), if we accept His sacrifice, His Atonement, His perfect gift of Love.
The Atonement is God's plan for us all to be brought back into His presence, whole and complete; or, as those words are written in the Bible, perfect. It is His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (See Moses 1:39); and, it is through Christ's obedience to His Heavenly Father's will that the gift is open to us all if we also choose the path of obedience to our Heavenly Father's will. Obedience to our Heavenly Father's will has always been the key to unlock the full blessings of the Atonement.
(For further understanding of The Atonement, please read the
Gospel Principles Lesson 12)But, the other questions can be answered quite easily, because of the Spirit of Love that speaks to our hearts and minds, enlightening us with truth, giving us understanding, and bringing us hope.
The first question then is "Who?" Jesus, of course. Jesus was chosen by our Heavenly Father to be the Savior of this world. Jesus was chosen because He alone was like unto God in every particular (See Abraham 3:24-27), and our Father could trust Him to carry out His plan.
"Who else?" The rest of us, of course. We would all come to earth to gain bodies, to gain experience, and to learn to be obedient. But unlike Jesus, our attempts would be feeble, and we would fall short of the glory of God (See Romans 3:23). We needed a Savior. Nonetheless, we all shouted for joy at the prospect of living in this mortal world and being allowed these new opportunities(See Job 38:7). Not only was Jesus part of Heavenly Father's Plan; we all were. We all are!
Next question: "What?" The Atonement. What is the Atonement? It is the great sacrifice that enables us, through faith, repentance, and obedience, to be brought back into our Heavenly Father's presence. Jesus is indeed the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Jesus is also the Lamb without Blemish, whose blood can ransom us from our sins (See 1 Peter 1:19-23). No other person could answer the cause of justice, making everything right, and extending mercy to the sinner on conditions of repentance. So the Atonement allows us to be "at one" again with our Father, and thus we can overcome spiritual death through the grace of God.
The Atonement also permits all, everyone, repentant and sinner alike, to live again, to be resurrected. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). And clearly the resurrection is the reunification of our bodies with our spirits, allowing us to be living souls forever. Jesus told His disciples, "Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (See Luke 24:39). So through the Atonement, Jesus gave us the means to overcome both physical and spiritual death.
"When" is the next question. Jesus's Atonement is Infinite, from everlasting to everlasting. So even though the sacrifice was made in the meridian of time, it was available to those who lived before Jesus was on earth in mortality, and it is available to us now. We have access to it always, but there are conditions which make it efficacious in our lives. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). And in our day to day lives, it works the same way. If we would have the Spirit of the Holy Ghost to guide us, we must keep the commandments and live as He asks us to do.
"Where?" Jesus atoned in Gethsemane and on the Cross of Calvary. But the effects of His atonement reach across time and distance from all eternity to all eternity and to the far reaches of the universe. So the Atonement is for everyone, everywhere. We can experience the peace of the Spirit sanctifying our lives and our efforts while we are at church, while we are at home; while we are traveling, and wherever we may be.
"Why?" The greatest question of all to answer is "Why." It is all because of love. "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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:16-17).
Jesus doesn't want to condemn us. It is not He that will condemn us. He has done all things possible to save us, and if we stand condemned at the last day, it will be our own lives that condemn us, or our unwillingness to repent. Jesus bled from every pore and suffered both body and spirit to such an Infinite degree so that we don't have to (See Doctrine and Covenants 16:16-19), if we accept His sacrifice, His Atonement, His perfect gift of Love.
The Atonement is God's plan for us all to be brought back into His presence, whole and complete; or, as those words are written in the Bible, perfect. It is His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (See Moses 1:39); and, it is through Christ's obedience to His Heavenly Father's will that the gift is open to us all if we also choose the path of obedience to our Heavenly Father's will. Obedience to our Heavenly Father's will has always been the key to unlock the full blessings of the Atonement.
(For further understanding of The Atonement, please read the
