The Atonement

Sunday, April 7, 2013


Readings:          Hebrews 5:4, John 15:16, Luke 6:13, Matthew 10:1-10

One of the most amazing gifts that was given to us by Christ is the Atonement. The Atonement in essence allows our sins to be forgiven through repentance. Before Christ, this was not possible because this gift had not been bestowed upon the world. People sinned and were unable to have their sins forgiven as easily. In the Old Testament, for example, people had to sacrifice animals to make up for their mistakes.
Christ brought the world out of this state. Christ gave His twelve Apostles the priesthood authority so that they could go and heal the sick, bless those who needed to be blessed, and provide guidance to those who needed it. Part of the priesthood authority is the ability to give a priesthood blessing. Also, one can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands by proper authority (someone who holds the priesthood).
A name for the Spirit is the "comforter" because that is exactly what it does. One thing I have struggled with is not being able to feel its presence. Those who have the gift of the Spirit have it as a constant companion. So, as long as they live worthy of it, the Spirit is always with them. For me, with the help of a lot of missionaries, I have concluded that the reason I rarely feel its presence is because I'm not meeting with the missionaries right now. And if you don't have the gift, in order to feel the Spirit, you must be around someone who does have the gift. That's why you can feel the Spirit around missionaries, for example. The Atonement is the reason we have the ability to attain this gift and the reason it can be given to us.
Through the reading above, I have found two verses in Matthew, chapter 10, that really appealed to me. The first one is verse 16, which says "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need." This really does show how the Atonement works. We can go to our Heavenly Father and obtain mercy from Him as long as we repent for our sins.
The other verse that really stood out to me was verse 12, which states "For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth in our testimonies is revealed to others. Without the Spirit, this would not be possible. The Spirit shows the truth to us. It guides us, it provides comfort, and most importantly it shows us the truth. We can recognize the Spirit by the feelings it allows us to feel. In Galatians 5:22 we are told "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [forbearance], gentleness, goodness, faith."
The Atonement is essential to our existence because it allows us to eventually return to our Heavenly Father. Without this, we would not be able to go to Heaven because no unclean thing can enter God's kingdom. Christ gave us a gift that we should treasure forever and do all we can so that we really and truly deserve the gift that has been given to us.



(Feel free to comment! I would love any feedback I can get! :) )