The Atonement of Jesus Christ, God’s Mercy, and You

• We know “that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” and that “in the premortal realm, [we were] spirit sons and daughters [of God].”

• We know that we were “among the noble and great ones” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:55; see also Abraham 3:22) and that we “received [our] first lessons in the world of spirits” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:56).

• We know, as President Russell M. Nelson taught, that “our Heavenly Father has reserved many of His most noble spirits—perhaps, I might say, His finest team—for this final phase. Those noble spirits—those finest players, those heroes—are you!”

• 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.”

• We know that to become like our heavenly parents, we had to leave their presence. The plan of redemption was presented, and it was accepted by some and rejected by others. Jesus Christ stepped forward and said, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2).

• We know that, as a result, a war in heaven ensued in which “Michael [the premortal Adam] and his angels fought against the dragon [Satan] … and his angels” (Revelation 12:7) and that we “overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of [our] testimony” (Revelation 12:11).

• We know that we, who are among Heavenly Father’s most valiant and trustworthy children, “turned our backs on the adversary and aligned ourselves with the forces of God, and [that] those forces were victorious.”

• We know that our little blue planet in the Milky Way galaxy is a most challenging place because, as the Lord testified to Enoch, “among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren” (Moses 7:36).

• We know that to allow for opposition in all things, the greatest good and the greatest light in the universe was then also sent down to this particular earth in the form of Jesus Christ and all those who followed Him—all of us.

• We know that as some of the most noble and faithful among Heavenly Father’s spirit children, we were chosen to come here with Jesus Christ in these last days.

Healing Hands, by Adam Abram

We Are the Savior’s Friends

I like to picture in my mind what must have been the Savior’s joyful anticipation that we, His trusted premortal disciples and friends, would continue to be loyal to His cause while here on earth. We are therefore not surprised that Christ would later testify to His disciples that “ye are they whom my Father hath given me; ye are my friends” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:63). This declaration of affection, I believe, naturally extends to all of us.

Next came the promise that owing to our premortal loyalty and obedience, we would one day have the potential to become members of the house of Israel through Father Abraham’s lineage due to our spiritual disposition to hear and heed God’s voice and by entering into sacred covenants with God (see Doctrine and Covenants 29:7). As members of the house of Israel, we would be entitled to covenant blessings and responsibilities such as Christ’s promise expressed to the Nephites: “The Father having raised me up unto you first … because ye are the children of the covenant” (3 Nephi 20:26).

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. You may have mistakenly declared yourself as too weak and broken to be deserving of His love.

Well, even “if [you] can no more than desire to believe” that He cares about you personally, “let this desire work in you” (Alma 32:27) and give Christ the benefit of the doubt—or, rather, the benefit of your “faith unto repentance” (Alma 34:15–17), the benefit of your best effort.

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).

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. One of His servants, President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught, “Surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it.”

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.

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).

Christ in Gethsemane, by Heinrich Hofmann

In the words of President Russell M. Nelson:

“There is no limit to the Savior’s capacity to help you. His incomprehensible suffering in Gethsemane and on Calvary was for you! His infinite Atonement is for you!

“I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

In conclusion, “may God grant … that [you] might be brought unto repentance and good works, that [you] might be restored unto grace for grace, according to [your] works” (Helaman 12:24) so that you can “look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands … , having the image of God engraven upon your countenances” (Alma 5:19).