Merry Christmas! We wish you the best this holiday season when we commemorate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As great and memorable as his birth was, it would not carry with it the meaning and power had Jesus not completed the infinite atonement and fulfilled his role as the Savior of mankind. Perhaps the greatest thing we can do this Christmas season is to recognize our need for a redeemer, and access the atonement. No matter how good we are, we all need the power of the Atonement in our lives. There are several ways that we can feel this power; we will focus on three in our Christmas message: 1. The CLEANSING power of the atonement. 2. The UNDERSTANDING power of the atonement 3. The STRENGTHENING power of the atonement.
The CLEANSING power: Feeling Sanctified from Sin
Perhaps most often when we think of the Atonement we think of the power of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from sin. This is indeed a vital aspect of the Savior’s sacrifice.
Alma testified, “The Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance” (Alma 7:13).
Amulek further witnessed, “I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it” (Alma 34:8).
People who believe they don’t need the cleansing power of the Atonement need to realize that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This is not meant to drag us down or to make anyone feel bad; rather, it is meant to help us all see the need to be redeemed—to be saved. We need to be humble and realize that even the “best” people need the cleansing power of the Atonement in their lives.
For some of us, we are not worried about believing we need to be cleansed. We know we need to be cleansed! The problem is that sometimes we feel that we are past the point of cleansing. That for some reason, Jesus saves people from sin, but not me. My sins are too serious, my mistakes too severe, my stain too dark and deep. We testify that the power of the atonement is infinite (see 2 Nephi 9:7). If we haven’t committed the unforgivable sin—which the average member cannot—then there is no sin the atonement cannot cover. There is no hole he cannot mend. There is no stain he cannot cleanse. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18). Remember, that even great prophets like Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah were once “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4), and the Lord redeemed them. If we come unto him in faith and repent, He can redeem us too, no matter how serious the sin. Of this we testify.
The UNDERSTANDING power: Feeling the Savior’s Empathy for the Challenges We Face
A second way that we can feel the power of the Atonement in our lives comes when we understand that the Savior has felt our every pain. Alma said that the Savior would “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” (Alma 7:11, emphasis added). Similarly Isaiah wrote that Christ “hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). If we feel like nobody can understand our situation, we are wrong. Christ does. As we turn to him in times of trial we can feel of his love and understanding and apply this aspect of the atonement in our lives.
Consider how Anne was able to feel the effects of the Atonement in her life help her overcome a difficult trial she faced (Anne Perkins, “I Felt Broken,” New Era, July 2006, 9).
“I was eight years old when my parents divorced. I remember the day my dad moved out. It seemed like everything I knew about life fell to pieces after that. I was confused, lonely, and sad. It felt like a big part of me had been ripped out…
“I couldn’t understand why my family had to be broken up. I came to believe that I must have been deficient. I figured I wasn’t worthy of an intact family. I thought that if I had had enough faith, God would have put my family back together.
“As I got older, the hole inside me became a deep pit of sadness. I tried to fill it with all sorts of things: relationships, school, rebellion, even too much food. None of those things worked….
“I had nowhere left to turn except to Christ. Night after night I knelt in prayer and asked my Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, to heal my emptiness.
“I cannot point to an exact day when it happened, but little by little Heavenly Father intervened in my life to show me that Christ’s love was healing me. Heavenly Father also let me know He loves me, He knows me, and He wants me to have an eternal family.
“I know, unmistakably now, that my Savior was aware of my pain and sadness. He never gave up on me. I can see now that He strengthened me and carried me through those difficult times. Christ is the only one who can heal our pain. It was Christ who healed my heart.”
Whatever problems, whatever hardships, whatever frustrations, whatever sadness we have had the Savior has experienced it. Why did the Savior do all this? Alma taught that Christ did this “so 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” (Alma 7:12). Elder Merrill J. Bateman said, “In the garden and on the cross, Jesus saw each of us and not only bore our sins, but also experienced our deepest feelings so that he would know how to comfort and strengthen us” (Ensign, May 1995).
The ENABLING power: Feeling the Strengthening Grace of the Atonement
Some may not realize that there is a power in the Atonement, not only to help us overcome sin, but also to strengthen us to do good, righteous things that we could not accomplish with our own capabilities. Elder David A. Bednar said, “Most of us clearly understand that the atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the atonement is also for saints–for good men and women who are obedient and worthy and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully” (“In the Strength of the Lord” http://speeches.byu.edu).
The bible dictionary uses the word “grace” to mean that through the atonement of Christ we can be given “divine means of help or strength… This grace is an enabling power” (BD, p. 697). The enabling power of the atonement gives us ability beyond our natural capacity. It was the enabling power of the atonement that gave Nephi the ability to build the boat, that gave Joseph Smith the ability to translate the Book of Mormon, that allowed Peter to walk on water. It gave strength to the people of Alma so “they could bear up their burdens with ease” (Mosiah 24:15), and helped give Alma the Younger ability to covert the Lamanites so he could, “boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things” (Alma 26:12). It gives youth courage, missionaries energy, Bishops discernment, mothers wisdom, and grandparents patience. The atonement not only mends broken branches, it strengthens roots.
Whatever our challenge in life, the enabling power of the atonement can give us strength and ability to face and overcome it if we pray like Alma saying, “O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength.” (Alma 31:31).
No matter who we are or the situation we find ourselves in, the Atonement applies to us. Elder Boyd K. Packer taught, “For some reason, we think the Atonement of Christ applies only at the end of mortal life…It is much more than that. It is an ever-present power to call upon in everyday life. When we are…burdened with grief, He can heal us…The Atonement has practical, personal everyday value” (Ensign, May 2001, 23-24). We hope this Christmas season we will all more readily access the power of the atonement in our life—whether it is the cleansing power, the understanding power, or the strengthening power of the atonement—for Christ’s atonement is the good tidings of great joy we commemorate this upcoming week.
