JESUS CHRIST: GAVE HIS OWN LIFE

The Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord

1. Behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer;

2 The light and the life of the world, a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not;

3 Who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God. Wherefore you are my son;

4 And blessed are you because you have believed;

5 And more blessed are you because you are called of me to preach my gospel—

6 To lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump, both long and loud, and cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming.

--Doctrine and Covenants 34:3

Jesus,  the Son of God:
Jesus, the Son of God, suffered, bled, and gave His own life to death to answer the ends of the Father’s will and purposes for an infinite atonement. Jesus is the light and life of the world. He shines in darkness, but evil and proud people do not see Him, nor do they desire to see and know Him except when they find themselves in extreme difficult situations, in dire need situations.

Preach My Gospel:
We are instructed to preach His gospel with the sound of a trumpet, loudly and boldly. Happy is the man or woman who believes in Christ, lives His gospel, and preaches His gospel, even the Good News of Life, preparing the way for the Savior’s Second Coming which will be a great and dreadful day-Great for those persons prepared for it through their righteous living, and dreadful for those not prepared to see Christ.

Jesus’ Resurrection:
Jesus resurrected himself. He received this power from His father. He is the firstfruits of the resurrection, and by so doing, everyone will have the blessing of being resurrected, all those that had a physical body in mortality.

THE ATONEMENT OF JESUS CHRIST

Expediency of Christ’s Atonement

And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that 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. For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

--Alma 34:8-9

Jesus Christ’s atonement is expedient (important, vital, necessary, advantageous). It is absolutely crucial and absolutely essential and imperative that an infinite atonement be made for the sanctification and salvation of all. All would become lost and fallen without the atonement of Christ. Jesus took upon himself our sins and transgressions; whereby, we might not suffer if we repent and become clean and pure and undefiled. We can become clean from the blood and sins of this generation by applying the atoning blood of Christ in our lives. The atonement of Christ is the single most important thing in existence and that ever will be. We are indebted to Christ for His great and eternal sacrifice which occurred in Gethsemane, continued on the Cross, and culminated with the resurrection.

JESUS CHRIST: THE ULTIMATE OFFER

Jesus Offered Up Himself

For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

--Hebrews 7:27

Jesus is the Great I AM. He sacrificed himself up, upon the cross, to atone for our sins. He didn’t atone for His own sins, for He had none, but He atoned for the sins of everyone who  was and is capable of sinning. Little children cannot sin, but they are guiltless because of Christ’s loving atonement. Others, under certain circumstances, cannot sin and are not held accountable for they know not right from wrong. Without Christ, no one would be able to be resurrected and live forever in the resurrected state. His atonement makes salvation possible and brings people back into the presence of God the Father to live forever with Him, those who earn eternal life. Others will dwell in a lesser degree of glory predicated upon the choices they made here in mortality.

Jesus offered up himself, denying himself for the benefit of others.

JESUS CHRIST: SINLESS FORGIVER

Forgiveness Through Jesus

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man (Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.

--Acts 13:38

Man sins-man forgives others. Jesus doesn’t not sin, but He forgives. Jesus forgives whom He will, but it is required that man forgive all people. If we don’t forgive others, the greater sin lies within us.

Jesus’ atonement opens the door for us to repent and be forgiven by Jesus and others. We gain access to Jesus’ atonement through humility and obedience to law. As we follow Christ, we advance in spirituality and personal guidance from God. Jesus Christ is the law-giver, and He fulfilled the Law of Moses. Accessing the atonement brings peace and joy. Seek Christ early each day, for joy cometh in the morning.

JESUS CHRIST: SAVIOR and REDEEMER

For God so Loved the World…..

6 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved

.

Through Jesus Christ all will have the opportunity to have everlasting life. No everyone will, but at least they will have the chance. It is all up to the individual and the choices he/she makes. If one gains eternal life it is because they chose it because they chose to live obedient lives and this is what qualifies one for everlasting life in the highest heaven of the Celestial world.

God, the Father, loved the world so much that He provided a Savior, to atone for the sins of all people. So He sent His son, Jesus, to be the Great Atoner. Jesus suffered death in the flesh, and He suffered pain and agony and bled from every pore of His body, all stemming from the love the Father and Jesus have for us. Jesus’ role isn’t to condemn, but to save.

JESUS CHRIST: GRANTS LIBERTY TO THE FAITHFUL

Jesus Christ visits the Spirit World

While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who

had been faithful.

--Doctrine and Covenants 138:18

Following Jesus' crucifixion and buried in the tomb, His spirit descended into the Spirit World, where the spirits of all people go when they die. He went to organize His missionary troops so they, in return, could go and preach the gospel to all those who did not have the gospel. He opened the door for freedom to those who had been faithful on the earth and in the spirit world who did not have the opportnity to hear the gospel duing their mortal lives. Prior to their freedom they were in the chains of death. Jesus frees man from bondage through our faithfulness.  

CHRIST'S ATONEMENT IS SUPREME

Jesus Christ's Atonement: The Single Most Important Event

President Joseph F. Smith testified: "On the third of October, in the year nineteen hundred and eighteen, I sat in my room pondering over the scriptures; and reflecting upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the Son of God, for the redemption of the world; and the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; that through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, mankind might be saved."

--Doctrine and Covenants 138:1-4

God the Father demonstrated His deepest love for us by sending to us His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins and the sins of the world, to enable us with a resurrection of body and spirit. Jesus’s great atoning sacrifice marked the single most important event to ever occur throughout history. His atonement brought redemption to the world and affects all eternity. His atonement makes salvation possible, for without Christ’s atonement, no one could gain forgiveness of sins and inherit eternal life predicated upon our obedience to gospel principles. Christ’s atonement is supreme.