The Daily Atonement

My talk on January 30, 2011. Generally.


I was talking with Julie Hinton and Sterling Funk this week, some how we got on the topic of the Second Coming. Julie’s friend had said that it was going to be on this certain date, I think April 13, 2011… or some date around there. So we were joking that we should probably start repenting.This is obviously the wrong way to approach the Second Coming and obviously the wrong way to approach repentance and the atonement.

I would like to talk about making the atonement apart of our daily lives and not a one time event.

As used in the scriptures, to atone is to suffer the penalty for an act of sin, thereby removing the effects of sin from the repentant sinner and allowing him to be reconciled to God.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” The atonement allows us to be resurrected and be in God’s presence again. It is the event that makes the God’s plan of salvation work. The scriptures are clear that without the Christ’s sacrifice, it would be impossible to return to our Heavenly Father’s presence.

Wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement – save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore the first judgment, which came upon man, must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more. (2 Nephi 9:7)

Because of the eternal nature of the atonement, I generally see it as something off in the distance that will apply to me after I am dead. Many times I see the atonement in a manner like that. The atonement is for some day in the future when I die and am going to be before God at the Judgment seat. Then Christ will step in for me when I need him most.

President Samuelson said, “The word Atonement “describes the setting ‘at one’ of those who have been estranged, and denotes the reconciliation of man to God. Sin is the cause of the estrangement, and therefore the purpose of atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin.” I believe it is also possible to become estranged from God for many reasons other than overt sin.

The risks of our becoming distant from our Father in Heaven and the Savior are significant and constantly around us. Happily, the Atonement was meant for all of these situations as well. That is why Jacob, the brother of Nephi, described the Atonement as “infinite” (2 Nephi 9:7), meaning without limitations or externally imposed constraints. That is why the Atonement is so remarkable and so necessary. Little wonder, then, that we not only need to appreciate this incomparable gift but also to understand it clearly. (Cecil O. Samuelson Jr., "What Does the Atonement Mean to You?", Ensign, Apr. 2009, 46–51)
But we can be at one with God on a daily basis. When we feel the spirit we are at one with God and the cleansing effects of the atonement take place.

Recently, I got this new phone. It’s pretty magical. It was give a 100 out of 100 by a survey of me on how happy I was with the phone. These magical machines can do pretty much everything. I recently saw an app where you can point your phone to a sign in Spanish and it would translate it to English… and vice versa. Some of you may be using this magical machine to shoot angry birds at disgruntled pigs right now.

You are probably thinking that I am going to use this as a metaphor for the spirit. Well, I am not, but that may be good.. What I wanted to say is that I used this in preparing for this talk. I ended up driving more than I am used to this week. I got this app called the Mormon Channel. They have conference talks and fireside talks and other stories. So I have been listening to that while I drive.

One talk I heard was of Sister Oaks, She talks about being a young single adult, and then quotes Elder Holland. She says. “
You’re in the prime of your lives—no wrinkles, free discretionary time, and a world burgeoning with options and opportunity. You want to make decisions that count. But sometimes, making these decisions seems very difficult. Why is it so difficult?
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland addressed that problem while talking to missionaries about their struggles in the mission field. He spoke about the price we must pay to return to Heavenly Father. His advice applies to anyone who is struggling to know and serve God. Many of the missionaries he addressed were frustrated, seeing little success, and wondering if their missions were of worth. They asked, “Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. . . . We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the [Church]? . . . Why isn’t it easier?”

Elder Holland replied: “I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. It is not Church doctrine. . . . I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience.” (And I would add that a university experience or this life experience is not easy because it is not a cheap experience.)

“Salvation never was easy. We are the Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, He is our Great Eternal Head. Why would we believe . . . that it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? . . . How could we possibly bear any moving, lasting testimony of the Atonement if we have never known or felt anything of such an experience? As [members and] missionaries we are proud to say we are disciples of Christ—and we are. But mark my word. That means [we] must be prepared to walk something of the path He walked, to feel something of the pain He felt, to at least occasionally . . . shed one of the tears of sorrow that He shed” (The Atonement)

So life can be hard sometimes. And living the gospel is sometimes not easy. It is not an empty promise when the Savior said. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. … For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28, 30).

How does he give us a rest? This seems strange that he says that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. It sounds like the heaviest burden in the world. But he has made it light.

As we move along life we will find that he is not only aware of our limitations, but that he will also in due course compensate for them, “after all we can do.” That, in addition to forgiveness for sin, is a crucial part of the good news of the gospel, part of the victory, part of the Atonement.

(Alma 7: 11-12) 11And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

Another talk I heard, spoke about this person that answered the question, “How are you?” with Peaks and valleys, but overall the trend is up. How do we make the trend go up? How do we keep the valleys from being too deep. Self-inflicted valleys, and the valleys of life. They happen. Unfortunately they do. But we can make the atonement apart of our daily lives. Sometimes it is repentance, sometimes it is his comforting hand, and honestly sometimes the atonement is there to make our joys deeper joys. Christ has his hand in extending the peaks as well as in making the valleys more shallow.

When I was in high school, I really wanted to play football for our team. . I got a trainer. I found that I worked much harder because I had someone else invested in my success. Christ is fully invested in our success. Nobody wants us to be reconciled with God more than him and will do everything in his power for our salvation.

One of my favorite hymns is How Firm a Foundation, I love the power in the last verse.
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.