The Atonement

  Atonement. 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.

 Sin is a natural side effect of life, there are no perfect people nor could their be. As we learn and grow in this life we will make mistakes, and we will learn from them. Only Christ lived perfectly, and he died perfectly, and in doing so He prepared the way for us. He did everything our Father in Heaven asked him to do, and he paid for all the mistakes we will ever make.

 Jesus suffered for you. He suffered for everyone. The prophet Alma wrote of Christ: "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."*

  Jesus Christ understands you completely, he felt all the pain you will ever feel so that he can have compassion on you. He can help you through any problem in your life because He has already been there. 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.

  We all depend on the Savior; none of us can be saved without Him. Christ’s Atonement is infinite and eternal. Forgiveness for our sins comes with conditions. We must repent, and we must be willing to forgive others. Jesus taught: “Forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not … [stands] condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin” and “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

  I know that is is only through the atonement that my sins can be forgiven. But the atonement isn't just for the times when you feel guilty, or the times when you think you've messed up. The atonement is always there, it is always available, and it is always ready to help you. The atonement is there to be used, and all it takes is a sincere desire to follow the example of your Savior. Have faith in Jesus Christ, do your best to live like he did, repent when you mess up, and you will feel the atonement work in your life. I promise you.


*Alma 7:11-12

Don't think Back, think To The Future!

  Back To The Future is one of the best movies of all time, at least I think so. But something Thats always bothered me is how nobody but Doc Brown and Marty Mcfly remember all the things that they do. Noboby knows all the ways they mess up but them. I was thinking about all the mistakes they made and how it afffected their futures and realized that it didn't matter that nobody else could remember what they had done, because they could.

  Just because Marty and Doc Brown were the only ones who knew about it doesn't mean it didn't happen. All the things they did were still real, they just had the chance to go back and fix them. They were able to see the results of their choices and make the right ones. They could improve their lives because of it. This is something that anybody can do, and it doesn't take a Flux Capaciter to do it.

  We have been provided with a way to go back and make up for things that we've done wrong, this process is called repentance. The reason we have the opportunity to repent is because nobody is perfect, everyone will make mistakes. When we do something wrong we have feelings of guilt over that thing, and repentance is the process of feeling real sorrow over what we've done. We then do all we can to make it right. After we have done all we can to fix our mistakes, we turn to our Father in Heaven. The last part of repenting is confessing to God what we have done and then forsaking it, or never do it again.

  Repentance may not be easy, but it will always be worth it. "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more." (Doctorine and Covenants 58:42) It's like it never happened. Its almost as if you jumped into a Delorian, went back in time, and stopped yourself from doing that thing. But though God will not remember, you always will, so that you will never do it again. We need to think about whats happening right now, once your forgiven your free to move on and be happy. Don't think Back, think To The Future!