Plain and Precious Truths

A Living Witness of the Living Christ

By Bishop Gérald Caussé

Presiding Bishop

Plain and precious truths about the Savior’s Atonement resound throughout the Book of Mormon. As I list several of these truths, I invite you to reflect on how they have changed or could change your life.

1. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a free gift offered to all who have lived, who currently live, and who will live on the earth.⁵
2. In addition to bearing the burden of our sins, the Christ took upon Himself our sorrows, infirmities, sufferings, and sicknesses and all the afflictions inherent in the mortal condition of man. There is no anguish, no pain or sadness that He did not suffer for us.⁶
3. The atoning sacrifice of the Savior allows us to overcome the negative consequences of Adam’s Fall, including physical death. Because of Christ, all of God’s children born on this earth, regardless of their righteousness, will experience the reuniting of their spirits and bodies through the power of the Resurrection⁷ and return to Him to “be judged … according to [their] works.”⁸
4. In contrast, receiving the full blessings of the Savior’s Atonement is conditioned upon our diligence⁹ in living the “doctrine of Christ.”¹⁰ In his dream, Lehi saw the “strait and narrow path”¹¹ that leads to the tree of life. Its fruit, which represents the love of God as expressed through the exquisite blessings of Christ’s Atonement, “is most precious and most desirable … [and] is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”¹² In order to access this fruit, we must exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent, “hearken unto the word of God,”¹³ receive essential ordinances, and keep sacred covenants until the end of our lives.¹⁴
5. Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ not only washes away our sins, but He also provides enabling power through which His disciples may “[put] off the natural man,”¹⁵ progress “line upon line,”¹⁶ and increase in holiness¹⁷ so that one day they might become perfect beings in the image of Christ,¹⁸ qualified to live again with God¹⁹ and inherit all the blessings of the kingdom of heaven.

Alma’s question could also be rephrased to ask, when was the last time you felt the sweet influence of the Savior’s Atonement in your life? This happens when you feel an “exquisite and sweet” joy²⁵ come over you that bears witness to your soul that your sins are forgiven; or when painful trials suddenly become lighter to bear; or when your heart is softened and you are able to express forgiveness to someone who has hurt you. Or it may be each time you notice your capacity to love and serve others has increased or that the process of sanctification is making you a different person, patterned after the Savior’s example.²⁶

I bear witness that all these experiences are real and are evidence that lives can be changed through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. The Book of Mormon clarifies and expands our knowledge of this supernal gift. As you study this book, you will hear the voice of the living Christ inviting you to come unto Him. I promise that if you accept this invitation and pattern your life after His example, His redemptive influence will come into your life. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, the Savior will transform you day after day “until the perfect day”²⁷ when you will, as He declared, “see my face and know that I am.”