The Atonement of Jesus Christ, God’s Mercy, and You
By Elder Jörg Klebingat
Of the Seventy
Does Jesus Christ ever seem to you too distant, too inaccessible, and too impersonal to ever move from being a picture on the wall or a statue or a name in the scriptures to becoming your personal, practical, and daily Savior?...
We know, as Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, that “our individual identity is stamped in us forever. In ways we don’t fully understand, our spiritual growth there in the premortal world influences who we are here.”...
You and I are marked—indeed, earmarked—because of our premortal loyalty and obedience. Having already stood firmly with our Savior once, including during the War in Heaven, we are now called to enlist once more in this final battle, with the War in Heaven continuing, as it were, on this side of the veil along the same battle lines of good versus evil, light versus darkness, and truth versus falsehood.
I hope you sense that Jesus Christ was then and is now our Friend, our Guide, our Great Physician, our Counselor, and, above all, our Savior, Redeemer, and Advocate with the Father....
If you were indeed close to Him premortally (and I believe you were), if He really suffered and died for you (and He did), if His atoning sacrifice is meant for you individually and specifically (and it is), if the remission of sins and incremental growth line upon line in this life is why you are here in the first place (and it is), you can perhaps understand why the Father’s anger is kindled against those who “will not understand [His] mercies which [He] hast bestowed upon them because of [His] Son” (Alma 33:16).
God Enjoys Being Merciful
Ongoing repentance is meant to be a joyful experience as we access the Savior’s Atonement and therefore the remission of sins. The adversary, on the other hand, would have us believe that repentance is a hopeless, self-deprecating exercise—nothing more than a constant reminder of our never-ending imperfections.
Please remember that the Savior’s Atonement and free-will offering protects us not only from our sins but also from our weaknesses. Have faith that the Savior is perfect at distinguishing between our weaknesses and our premeditated, intentional sins....
My dear friends, in the “process of time” (Moses 7:21) and “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30), as we humbly seek a remission of sins by sincerely and quickly repenting every day and becoming holy, the practice of letting “God prevail” and “thinking celestial” must and will find reflection in our very nature, character, and being; in our heart, might, mind, and soul (see Luke 10:27); in our thoughts, words, and deeds.
The Master Physician
Brothers and sisters, I testify of the Savior’s reality and of His practical Atonement. I testify that in His hospital, He is the Great Physician, Chief Surgeon, and Healer. I testify that He specializes in healing the weakest of the weak and in bringing relief to those who least expect it. I testify that all hospital and outpatient fees were paid for by Him in a garden and on a cross. I testify that you are welcome there for routine spiritual checkups as well as for lifesaving emergency operations. He is open for business 24/7, and there is always a room and a bed for you.
The only deductible is your love for Him, your real intent, your full-hearted discipleship and willingness to strive to be a covenant keeper—in short, your broken heart and contrite spirit (see 2 Nephi 2:7; 4:32).
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