The Infinite Atonement

I am grateful for quiet Saturday mornings. It is a special time to reflect on the past week and ponder on all that I have learned.

There were some powerful things said in my Book of Mormon class this week. I wish I could accurately express all that I felt as Brother Griffin taught us the deep beauty of the Infinite Atonement. The Spirit was strong.

In Chapter 9 of 2 Nephi there are some beautiful verses of scripture that help us understand better the Atonement. It was not a simple or easy thing. For many of us, we are comfortable with the idea that Jesus Christ died for our sins and if we take His name upon us, we can be forgiven and cleansed. However, the Atonement of Jesus Christ goes much deeper than this. First of all, it was infinite.

Without the Atonement being infinite, there would be no way for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We would have no way of truly repenting of our sins. God is the perfect example of both mercy and justice. Justice requires that a price be paid for our sins, mercy gives us Jesus Christ, who could take that punishment for us. This does not give us a free ride to heaven! We must do our part and show our love to Him by keeping His commandments. It is, however, through grace that we are saved, even after all we can do.

I hope that we might always have that idea with us. We will do our very best, but nothing, nothing we do here on earth qualifies us for eternal life with Heavenly Father. Nothing. Grace is what will save us in the end. This is where gratitude comes in. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Christ's Atonement and grace. I am grateful for the love I feel as I strive every single day to be a little better.