The Atonement of Jesus Christ

This video is a similar version to one I created year or so ago. I feel this topic is so important, and with the CFM covering the atonement this week combined with how few people saw the video last time, I have decided to submit it again as YouTube does a poor job of presenting viewers with older content. If you have watched this before, I apologize, but I hope you will still get something from it if you choose watch. Thanks

The atonement of Jesus Christ is one of the most difficult concepts to understand, let alone teach and explain to people. It is also the most important subject we can ever learn. In other words, if you could understand any topic in the gospel, I pray you understand this one. While on the surface it may seem simple, most analogies, similes, stories, and explanations fall short of accurately describing the hows and whys of the atonement. Furthermore, even if it can be explained accurately, the magnitude of this act and sacrifice is beyond our ability to comprehend. Yet understanding the atonement to the extent we can is one of the most important things we can do. Without it, we will never even partially understand what our Savior did for us, which was the greatest act of love ever shown.

[EMonzon]

Mercy = not giving you the deserved punishment. Grace = giving you all you need to be restored to your initial state, and more if you want, through sincere faith in Christ the Lord.

[tonymiller]

Thank you for your videos from a law enforcement member from Las Vegas! Jesus lives. The church is true.

[densshowtime]

I know this is true, and I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to understand his plans, thank for this lesson.

[ServantofYahshuaHaMashiach]

Your testimony of the Atonement of Christ speaks volumes to the listener in regards to your vantage of the structure of LDS! It’s organized biblically, exactly how you’d expect the government in the Millennium…without the Boss! Ya’ll are thinking Celestial, good video ❤ VANA

[stephenmartin]

Excellent! I can never be reminded enough of what Jesus Christ did for me. Thank you!

[lauriekingsley]

I have always struggled to learn, read, ponderand and study through straight reading. Not long after starting to read my eyes get sore and tired, thus I lose concentration and fall asleep. However your presentation has helped me so much to greater understanding of the true effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, giving me greater confidence in fulfilling my true purpose for this life and given me greater confidence to keep learning, no matter how difficult it may seem to me. Thank you ever so much, I look forward to the next presentation.

[jomerz]

Wonderful lesson - thank you! President Monson: ""One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final." Don't stop following Him - don't ever stop - HE loves effort and through our effort comes the grace we so admire in our spiritual mentors.

[wbell]

Thank for this video. I just read The Divine Gift of Forgiveness by Neil L Anderson and have been searching scriptures and other areas. This video has brought more understanding.

[dinocollins]

justice = getting what you deserve
mercy = not getting what you deserve
grace = getting what you don't deserve

[Moose]

Wonderful and thank you they spirit conveys truth in these videos. I’m always uplifted and inspired afterwards so thank you.

[dinocollins]

I'm so happy whenever I see you post a video! Thank you

[sailelerosewarrior]

Thank you brother every time l listen to your subject of atonement l take away just small fraction and the meaning of the atonement it’s life time pursuit, of reading, and understanding and prayers just like Book of Mormon! Cheers brother bless you!

[emet-]

A very simplified understanding of the atonement. Thanks.

[faamaoni]

Keep up the great work. I love all your videos!!

[monsierlemaire]

This is amazing! I'm using the vials of poison around our neck as an object lesson on the Atonement in seminary.

[B_LW]

Thank you for your diligent studies, brother. Sometimes it gets hard to try and set time aside to read my scriptures when I got a full course load. I pop on your videos while I work on assignments.

[MANAPUMPZ]

Hey my brothers and sisters
I’m truly great full I’m learning so much

[chriscooper]

I agree with all said whole heartily. But the analogy of the rippling of the water is like the ring of the bell. Once it happens, cannot call the ripple back, cannot call the bell sound back. Only through the Atonement can the effects be less, the memory is still three as life’s lesson. And all hope is with the savior for forgiveness and mercy.
Thoughts please.

[todditri]

Thank you so much for your video on this topic. Having a greater understanding of Christs atonement is critical in our journey of becoming one with the Father and the Son. I don’t want to criticize what you taught here in your video, it was very eloquently stated. If you don’t mind I would like to add some thoughts of mine that I’ve discovered in my own journey over the past year of better understanding the theory of Atonement.

First and foremost, it’s critical for us to understand that Christ did not pay a “penalty” for our sins, God is not a wrathful Father who must be persuaded by his loving Son not to punish us, it is not just to punish an innocent person (Christ) in the place of a guilty person, justice is not a personified platonic absolute that makes demands, sin is not a monetary debt, God can forgive us without requiring a third-party who committed no sin to suffer, etc. I know these ideas may fly in the face of what has traditionally been taught in the Latter-Day saint tradition, but when you actually analyze each one of these explanations its either unjust, immoral or incoherent.

In order for us to first understand what is occurring in the atonement, we must first realize the actual consequences of our sins. Ultimately, sin boils down to us humans choosing to harden our hearts as the Book of Mormon teaches, and choosing to not follow the law of love which God has commanded for us to obey, thus causing an alienation or a separation of divine unity from the Father and the Son. Therefor, our primary purpose of mortal life is to be placed on probation in the sense that we are granted a time to choose to freely enter into relationship with God as taught in Alma 42. Sin consists of injury to human relationships and resulting alienation. Atonement consists in eradicating from our lives whatever gets in the way of loving relationships with God and each other. Atonement thus heals our alienation.

The law of restoration taught in Alma 41 teaches that we will reap what we sow and have restored to us what we send out to others. This is a universal law and fact about human experience that cannot be escaped. The effects of this universal law is what the scriptures refer to as Gods wrath, our our guilty conscience. Us knowing that we cannot be with God if we are not holy like him. We cannot have the blessings of love in intimate relationship with others unless we freely choose to show our love in action.

Blake Ostlers compassion theory of atonement, teaches that “atonement is a reciprocal reconciliation of our alienation. That is, the Atonement not only reconciles us to God, but also reconciles God to us. It not only results from our choice to be in relation to God, but also from his prior choice to be in relation with us. The suffering that Christ experienced not only moves us with compassion for him, but it also moves him with compassion for us. In the Atonement he not only becomes what we are, but he also brings us to be what he is.”

Finally, I suggest that God can and does fully forgive us of our sins without requiring a “pound of flesh” or for the Son to innocently suffer guilt for my sins. As we repent and are reconciled to Christ and Christ reconciled to us, this initial reconciliation causes Christ to suffer as he takes into his life the “energies” or the effects of our sins. Sin has its own energy, the energy of being damned or stopped in progress, of impeding the movement and energy of life. This sinful “energy” remains with us, it is our “uncleanness” or a “stain” on our soul. Metaphorically, this stain or uncleanness can be washed away through the Atonement. In return, we receive Christs life “energies” which is the divine life that glorifies and exalts. The “energies” of God are the flow of the divine energy of life, the movement of the Spirit, and the light that proceeds from God to fill the immensity of space. In Doctrine & Covenants 88:11–13, the light of God that enters into us is conceived as an “energy” that gives life, actuates, invigorates, vivifies, and enlightens.

In the end, the atonement is primarily about healing our alienation through reconciliation rather than satisfying the demands of some abstract universal justice. This is exactly what Christ did for all of us as he came down among the children of men to redeem us from the fall, and to bring us back into the presence of God as glorified, united, resurrected beings. Sorry for the length of this post. If anyone actually reads this, I hope it adds light and love to your life.

[SheriWillardson-lfre]

Is the revelations study guide still available? From your earlier videos? I just love that guide and I’d love to have access to it again.