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The Enabling Power of the Atonement

Posted on Mar 31, 2012 by Trevor in Religion

This post is adapted from a talk I recently gave to my home congregation.

The topic I am going to talk about today has been described by LDS leaders with the following terms: “incomprehensible”, “inexplicable”, “mysterious”. Are you on the edge of your seats yet? How about “transcendent”, or “infinite”? Yes, my topic will be the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In some ways, it seems the more I study this topic, the less I understand it. But in other ways, I feel I come to understand it better. So I’m hoping that speaking on it will shed some new light on the matter and give us something useful to think about.

Whenever I prepare a lesson or a talk, I like to at least attempt to find some piece of information that most people would be unfamiliar with. As I contemplated the Atonement and reviewed any unique insights I might be able to provide, I immediately thought of one. Did you know that you can use the word expiation instead of atonement? (Maybe those who speak Spanish or Italian already knew that.) In any event, I hope his knowledge has been useful enough that everyone can leave this meeting today and honestly say it was the best they’ve been to in a long time.

As I thought about my audience today, I realized that there are many reasons why you might be here and what you might be looking for. Some came here out of tradition. Some came because they are hungering spiritually. Some were forced. Some are old, some young, some are religious veterans, some are novices. I hope to say something worthwhile on this topic that might edify you in some way, and I really hope that maybe someone will leave this meeting feeling their burden lightened.

The main source material I will be using is a General Conference speech given in April by Kent Richards, a talk given by David Bednar ten years ago (when he was the president of BYU-Idaho), some scripture verses, and all the crazy ideas I carry around in my head.

So what does the word atonement mean? For religious purposes, it generally has the connotation of reparation or reconciliation. Specific to the Gospel and Jesus Christ, Atonement means:

• bridging the chasm between us and the divine
• transforming sinners into saints, weakness into strength, sickness into health

The speaker that preceded me encouraged us all to not forget that Priesthood blessings aren’t just for helping us when we’re sick or afflicted; they can also help us excel in an upcoming endeavor or build confidence. I see a parallel in the way we might be under-utilizing the Atonement.

Elder Bednar talks about the power of the Atonement and puts it in two categories: its redemptive power, and its enabling power. Let me read what he said about this:

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. I frankly do not think many of us “get it” concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities. … Individual willpower, personal determination, and motivation … are necessary but ultimately insufficient to triumphantly complete this mortal journey. Truly we must come to rely upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah”.

He ends this statement by citing a verse in 2nd Nephi, which reads in part: “there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah”.

He then continues by explaining:

In the Bible Dictionary in our scriptures we learn that the word grace frequently is used in the scriptures to connote enabling power. Under the word grace, we read:
“A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.”

This grace, then, is divine assistance or heavenly help that represents the enabling power of the Atonement that strengthens us to do good while our individual abilities and efforts fall short.

Another part of the enabling power aspect of the Atonement deals with pain, whether physical or emotional. (Brother Richard’s talk is actually titled “The Atonement Covers All Pain”.) The most well-known scripture verse related to this is from the book of Isaiah, and it comes from a passage known as songs of the Suffering Servant.

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we did esteem Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

–Isaiah 53:4-5

Now, these verses have deeply symbolic meanings for Jews. But early Christians, seeking consolation and meaning in the Hebrew Bible after what had happened to their Messiah, saw in these verses a prophesy about Jesus.

In the Book of Mormon, Alma 7 echoes this concept:

And 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.
And 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.

–Alma 7:11-12

So Jesus chose to experience all these pains and afflictions in order to better comfort us when we suffer pain of any kind, whether it be emotional or physical. Let’s ponder for a moment the mental imagery of our loving Savior undergoing the abuse he did in order that he might be able to better comfort us when we suffer—not focusing so much on the suffering per se as the ability for Him to comfort us from a position of knowing. That’s pretty powerful stuff, isn’t it?

I first ran into this talk from Elder Bednar when my Bishop handed it to me. It was a very low point in my life. For the sake of brevity, I will simply say that I had just gone through a really nasty relationship and really needed a major pick-me-up. My bishop told my, “Well, you know, you don’t have to work your way through this on your own. There is someone who has invited you to lay your burdens on his shoulders and he can understand your trials with great empathy.”

The feeling that I had divine help in the form of someone who knew exactly how I felt, and and a loving Father in Heaven that cared deeply for me, was a tremendous help that enabled me get through that difficult time.

When We Try to Do It Alone

There’s a saying about religion, that its purpose is to “comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable”. I think there is great wisdom in this saying. However, what happens when we let religion afflict the afflicted?

Religion is supposed to relieve suffering. Look at just about any major movement, and you’ll find that principle is fundamental. Yet sadly some people are lost in a state of discouragement that is actually worsened by their religious views. “What am I talking about, exactly?” some of you might be wondering.

If you’ve ever heard The Parable of the Bicycle, it was conceived by this nice perspicacious professor of religion at BYU, Stephen Robinson. He was distraught that so many people fail to utilize the enabling power of the Atonement and instead use their own religious beliefs as a bludgeon and beat themselves up with it. This problem was so pervasive and so serious that he decided to write a short book about it to try to help them. He saw too many young people relying only on their own efforts; too many parents utterly discouraged with the way things were turning out. Yes, Jesus issued the commandment that we should all “be perfect”. But he knew perfectly well that nobody would actually be able to do it. What’s important is that we keep trying, and recognize that the Lord isn’t angrily disappointed in us when we fail, but instead he has his arm extended to pull us back on our feet. God never wants us to feel that we’ve sinned too much to turn things around, or that he is angry with us, or that we are unworthy to approach him in prayer or meditation.

Closing Thoughts

If anyone here today feels overwhelmed, overworked, dejected, unsuccessful, or unredeemable, I hope that you can find a way to lift your head higher and sense that you are not alone, and that there is always hope.

We read in the Book of Moses that God’s work and glory is to bring about the eternal life and immortality of man (Moses 1:39). The Atonement, this tremendous bridge between us and God, is an essential part of this process. If we are willing, we can let it transform us throughout our lives, change out hearts, help us overcome the trials and struggles of life, as well as rely on the grace of Jesus to triumph over our limitations and weaknesses.

Tags: atonement, featured