"If we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would realize how precious is one son or daughter of God."
Elder Russel M. Ballard
I have experienced the death of a grand child.*
The Savior’s precious
birth, life, Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane, suffering on the cross, burial in Joseph’s tomb, and
glorious Resurrection
all became a renewed reality for us.
The Savior’s Resurrection assures
all of us that someday we, too,
will follow Him and experience our own resurrection.
What peace, what comfort this great gift is
which comes through the loving grace of Jesus Christ,
the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind.
Because of Him we know we can be with
our grandchild again.
There is no greater expression of love than
the heroic Atonement
performed by the Son of God.
Were it not for the plan of our Heavenly Father,
established before the world began,
in a very real sense,
all mankind—past, present, and future—
would have been
left without the hope of eternal progression.
As a result of Adam’s transgression,
mortals were separated from God and would be forever
unless a way was found to break the bands of death.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is
eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
This would not be easy,
for it required the vicarious sacrifice
of one who was sinless
and who could therefore take upon Himself
the sins of all mankind.
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... and
repenting of our sins.
Without the Atonement of the Lord,
no 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.
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.
Nephi 19:9
And the world,
because of their iniquity,
shall judge him to be a thing of naught;
wherefore they scourge him,
and he suffereth it;
and they smite him,
and he suffereth it.
Yea, they spit upon him,
and he suffereth it,
because
of his loving kindness
and his long-suffering
towards the children of men.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ was
an indispensable part of our
Heavenly Father’s plan for
His Son’s earthly mission
and for our salvation.
Because of His eternal love for you and for me,
He allowed Jesus to complete
His foreordained mission
to become
our Redeemer.
We often sing a hymn that expresses what I feel
when I consider the
Savior’s benevolent, atoning sacrifice:
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.
(“I Stand All Amazed,” LDS Hymns, no. 193)
Brothers and sisters, I believe that if we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we would realize
how precious is one son or daughter of God.
I believe our Heavenly Father’s everlasting purpose
for His children is generally achieved by
the small and simple things we do for one another.
At the heart of the English word
atonement is the word one.
If all mankind understood this,
there would never be anyone
with whom we would not be concerned,
regardless of age, race, gender, religion,
or social or economic standing.
We would strive to emulate the Savior and would
never be unkind, indifferent, disrespectful, or insensitive to others.
If we truly understood the Atonement
and the eternal value of each soul,
we would seek out the wayward boy and girl
and every other wayward child of God.
We would help them to know of
the love Christ has for them.
Sadly, in today’s world,
a person’s importance is often judged
by the size of the audience before which he or she performs.
That is how media and sports programs are rated,
how corporate prominence is sometimes determined,
and often how
governmental rank is obtained.
That may be why roles such as
father, mother, and missionary
seldom receive standing ovations.
Fathers, mothers, and missionaries
“play” before very small audiences.
Yet, in the eyes of the Lord,
there may be only one size
of audience that is of lasting importance
—and that is just one,
each one,
you and me,
and each one of the children of God.
Brothers and sisters,
never, never
underestimate how precious is
the one.
Remember always the simple admonition of the Lord:
“If ye love me, keep my commandments”
(John 14:15).
Always strive to live worthy of
the sacred full blessings
of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
(“I Stand All Amazed,” LDS Hymns, no. 193)
My dear brothers and sisters,
may you give to others and
receive for yourselves every blessing
the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ offers,
I humbly pray,
in the name of
Jesus Christ,
amen.
*Excerpts taken from the article:
The Atonement and the Value of One Soul
