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The Atonement The Atonement is the redemptive actions taken by God to bring mankind back into his presence. God himself in the beginning took the initiative to pay a debt he did not owe, for the debt we could not pay. Webster says, the act of atoning is making satisfaction for wrong doing. It is therefore a payment for the sins of all those who will repent and come to Christ. Jesus Christ came to the earth suffered and died on the cross to bring about the reconciliation of man to God. The cross speaks of God’s divine initiative toward man and it is where Christ accomplished his most powerful work. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matt 2:4) “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:30-31) Hope, immortality, and eternal life are the ultimate values that God has to offer mankind. Faith in God and the reality of his existence conditions all else. Because He is we are. To be conscious of God, then entails a recognition of our own sins. Under God’s power and through His redemptive action mankind can pass from bondage and guilt to a newness of life and freedom. This rebirth has an initial moment of miraculous beginning, but in reality it is a continuing process, which is spiritual in nature, and ultimately has its climax in the resurrection of the body and the reuniting of the spirit. The opportunity to live in fellowship with God and Christ throughout eternity in Celestial Glory awaits those who sanctify their lives. The eternal God communicates himself, therefore, He is personal as well as infinite and eternal. All existence has its origin and is grounded in His Divine Will. He spake and the worlds were made. “And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying, The heavens, they are many and they can not be numbered unto man, but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine; and as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof, even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words; for this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality, and eternal life of man.” (D&C 22:23) God has spoken in times past and continues to express his will through the power of the Holy Spirit. Even the material universe finds its being and its place through God’s appointed destiny. Love and creation are both of God. God so loved the world he had made that he gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16). This act is known as the incarnation; for the Son of God was made man, in order that the sons of men might become the sons of God. The universe was made to reveal the nature and purpose of God. A complete view of the universe is impossible without the revealment of Jesus Christ. Within the framework of space and time God wants to see the reflection of Himself in the man created in His own image and after His likeness. Thus the whole course of history turns upon the conflict between the will of God and the will of man, on which ultimately there can be no compromise. Either the divine will prevails eventually in and for every man, or each and every man is destroyed. “He that keepeth his commandments, receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth, and knoweth all things. Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also, otherwise there is no existence. Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man, because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation, for man is spirit.” (D&C 90:4e, 5a-d) How then can man be persuaded to turn from the evil and seek that which is good? God chose to do this by setting before man an example, at whatever cost to himself, even the death of his Son on a cruel cross. The essence of eternal life lies in free choice of that which is good in the eyes of God. Eternal life when fully apprehended not only involves a duration of time but also a quality of life. “If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation.” (D&C 6:5e) God came down into the arena of history to share himself with us and impart to us, the power to become Sons and Daughters of God. Through Christ God is inviting us to participate with him in an endless and immortal life in His kingdom. Without the Atonement there could be no salvation. But all who would be saved must also repent of their sins and have faith in God sufficient enough to be born again and become new creatures in Christ. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:7) “…it is not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, that shall enter unto the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father…” (Matt 7:30) “And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46) True faith in God means that we will walk in obedience to his will and commandments. “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” (Heb 5:9)“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) It has not been easy, in fact it has been very costly for our Heavenly Father to make possible the reconciliation of man, therefore the shadow of the cross lay across Christ’s path from the beginning. Through the cross we have a window to the reality of God, because the cross always has and always will exemplify God’s love and concern for his children. Time and history have no meaning apart from Jesus Christ who brought eternal life to us through the light of the gospel. Jesus was the demonstration of a perfect life fit for the kingdom of God. Only such a life could be offered a sacrifice for sin. The focal point in all human history is centered in an act of divine intervention we call “the Atonement.” The work and the glory of Jesus Christ was to “bring to pass the immortality, and the eternal life of man.” (D&C 22:23b) “But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God.” (Alma 19:105) |
