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Apr 2010 Issue
By David P. Vandagriff
What is the greatest manifestation of God’s love for us? A familiar scripture provides the answer. “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.” (John 3:16)
How does Christ make that happen – not perishing, having eternal life?
The third Article of Faith teaches us in simple and direct language, “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”
The Atonement is at the very center of the restored gospel and all good things flow forth from it.
President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “[Jesus Christ’s] Atonement is the greatest event in human history. There is nothing to compare with it. It is the most fundamental part of our Father’s plan for the happiness of His children.” (“Inspirational Thoughts,” Ensign, Sept 2007, 4–8)
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is not only for your last breath and the last day of your life, but it is also for every day of your life, every breath of your life.
The Atonement is wonderful to think about on Sunday. When I served as bishop of a BYU singles ward, I asked that every talk and every lesson be explicitly connected to the Atonement of Christ. Studying the Old Testament, the lesson could be Jonah and the Atonement. During sacrament meeting, the assigned topic might be tithing and the Atonement.
This principle—the Atonement—had a transforming effect on the members of that ward and me. The spiritual afterglow of our Sunday services continued through the remainder of the day. But if the Atonement is important, refreshing and uplifting on Sunday, it is at least equally so on every other day of the week. In our daily lives, every hour, as we encounter our small and large joys and challenges, and as we strive to serve
Christ by serving those around us, we need the Atonement.
When we are in a spiritual setting, surrounded by a group of faithful Saints, those around us help to sustain, encourage, and reinforce our spiritual aspirations. Such a gathering invites the Spirit, and all present are uplifted. When we leave that gathering, walk out of church, and go back into the world, the sustaining influence of our fellow strivers may begin to fade.
Monday comes, and with it the challenges of living by the Spirit in a mortal world that is often hostile to spiritual aspirations.
But it is during the hours of our everyday life that we work out our salvation, usually unobserved by others, sometimes feeling alone and often feeling opposed. If we are to find success on such days, we need a Savior.
The necessity of a Savior came because of the Fall of Adam and Eve. Because of their transgression, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden, deprived of face-to-face association with God the Father and Jesus Christ. As children of Adam, we did not inherit his transgression, but we did inherit his circumstances. With bodies created from elements of our fallen world, we need the Savior to live successfully on this earth. We need His Atonement every second, every hour, and every day.
In a brief article, we cannot hope to discuss many of the possibilities of the Atonement in our daily lives. Indeed, I’ve come to realize that a book just scratches the surface.
For me, one of the core principles for daily application of the Atonement floated into my mind just as I was waking up one morning during the middle of a difficult trial.
My first impression that morning was “Look unto me in every thought.”
I knew this scripture but had forgotten it during my personal turmoil. It was, of course, Doctrine and Covenants 6:36.
“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”
Then I read on to verse 37.
“Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.”
There it was. The Atonement. The Spirit was reminding me how great a sacrifice the Savior made to save me. “Pay attention,” the Spirit said, “to what Christ has done for you. He carries the scars of wounds in his side, his hands, and his feet, wounds that he suffered for everyone in the world, including you.”
As I read those two verses over and over, I understood why they were together, the reason that I didn’t need to doubt or fear. I had a Savior. He had suffered and died for me and taken upon Himself all of my pains and fears. Whatever trials I had faced or would ever face, Christ had already experienced. I could look unto Him without doubt or fear because of what He had done for me.
Whatever future difficulties I was going to experience, my Lord would help me through those difficulties because He had already been there. They might be hard, but if I looked to my Savior, they would never be too hard for me to bear; my Savior would walk with me through those trials, and he had suffered much, much worse. My trials would never destroy me if I would just look to Jesus. Just look and remember the prints of the nails. Those prints were for me.
In the midst of suffering, Satan wanted me to look at my surroundings and circumstances and feel fear. Christ wanted me to look to Him and fear not.
I am far from perfect, but if I unite my meager abilities with my Savior’s infinite power, I can endure and, some day, triumph. “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” If I can remember those words and the atoning power behind them, I can get through any and every day.
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