Hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the
single greatest, most important, and all-encompassing act in the history of the
universe. No other action spans in its presence
from the foundation of pre-mortal existence and the Creation through the
resurrection, judgment, and eternal rewards as does the Atonement. It was planned for in the council in heaven,
presented to us for our ratification and approval, implemented throughout the
mortal ministry of the Savior, and continues to be in full force and effect
today. And whether people want to accept
it or not, it applies to all the inhabitants of the earth, past, present, and
future. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is
the force that binds us to the eternities and assures us of not only the
resurrection, but also glories in the heavens.
It is the centerpiece of the plan of salvation; it is infinite, eternal,
and everlasting. Through the Atonement, Christ
suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind” that it would be
fulfilled that He would “take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his
people”. Indeed He loosed “the bands of
death which (bound) His people”. He took
upon Himself our infirmities that His bowels would be filled with mercy (Alma
7: 11-12). The Atonement not only
applies to what happens to us when we leave this mortal existence, but to every
minute of this life. Without Him and
without the Atonement, there is no hope.
The Concept of Hope
I, like probably some of you, have
struggled with the concept of hope. I
suppose this is because we may not fully understand hope in a gospel context,
yet it could easily be identified as one of the foundational principles of the
gospel. The Apostle Paul in the New
Testament, Mormon in his teachings to his son Moroni, and Nephi in his
instructions to his brothers, along with others speak of hope in terms of
promise, and the Savior has commanded us to obtain it (D&C 6: 19; see also Alma
7: 24).
Contemporary
vs. Gospel Definition of Hope
We typically speak of hope while
expressing an element of doubt. We say
things such as, “I hope it rains today,” or, “I hope spring comes early this
year,” or my personal favorite, “I hope I get a pony for Christmas”. Our use of the word hope in this context
expresses uncertainty; however, the use of the word hope in a gospel context is
anything but uncertainty. In reality,
hope as used in gospel teaching is an expression of confidence or expectation. Our hope in the Savior and His Atonement is
optimistic and is filled with anticipation.
It is complete trust and is inseparably connected to faith in
Christ. Speaking of hope in terms such
as chance, prospect, and likelihood is inadequate to describe the reality of
the Atonement as they each express an element of doubt no matter how small. Hope is moving forward and living in such a
way, not as if we believe in the Savior, but because we believe in
Him.
Symbolism
The scriptures are replete with
symbolism and one of the symbols mentioned both in the New Testament and in the
Book of Mormon is that of an anchor to express the surety of hope. Ether, in the Book of Mormon declared,
“Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world,
yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh
an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always
abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4). Likewise, the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews
said, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,
and which entereth into that within the veil” (Hebrews 6:19). Both Paul and Ether assure us that this hope
in Christ makes us “sure and steadfast”.
So important was the symbol of the anchor for hope in Christ that it was
used in the early Christian Church for over 400 years rather than the cross.
Fishing
As a young boy I enjoyed going to a
nearby stream and sitting on the roots of an old sycamore tree with my friends
as we dangled our fishing lines into the warm, slow moving water on hot lazy summer
days. As I got older a favorite uncle
introduced me to the craft of fishing from a boat. On one particular occasion as my uncle and I
were out on a lake he told me to drop the anchor so we could remain “sure and
steadfast” in our position to cast for fish in a favorite spot. I reached into the bottom of the boat and
plopped the anchor into the water. After
I dropped the anchor into the water I grabbed my fishing gear and began to get
ready to make my first cast. As I was
doing so, my uncle stopped me and asked me what I was doing, which was followed
by this simple question. “Don’t you know
how to set an anchor?”
Science of Anchors
As it turns out, there is an artful
science to setting an anchor. One does
not simply toss it overboard and remain confident that it will hold you in
place. You see, for an anchor to
properly work it must dig in below the surface of the ground at the bottom of
the lake or river or whatever body of water you are in. It must be dropped from and secured to the
front end of the boat in order to avoid capsizing the boat as a result of too
much weight at the back end where the motor is situated and where at least one
person sits. Additionally, you let out
five to eight times the length of the chain or rope that it takes to hit the
lake or river bottom. While doing so
allows a certain amount of latitude in moving around the anchor point, it
prevents the boat from swamping if there is a rise in water level or leaving
you high and dry on a sandbar if the water recedes while you are anchored.
Dropping Our Anchors in the Gospel
While our hope in the Atonement is
anchored in Christ, we should not casually drop our anchors over the side in
this world of uncertainty. We must set
our anchors firmly into solid gospel ground that lies below the murky waters of
the world. We must be prepared for every
eventuality that may assault our testimonies of the Savior with the rising and
lowering tides of opposition, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed
to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” (Ephesians
4:14). We set our anchors in the gospel
by not taking our faith casually. We
remember to keep the Sabbath holy and have no other gods before the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We have clean
thoughts and engage in wholesome activities.
We leave no evil thoughts or misdeeds in our past without the cleansing
power of repentance. We follow the
council of the prophet whether it is a commandment of God or if it wise council
from one whose ears are merely inches away from the lips of God.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said
that, “Hope is a gift of the Spirit….
(It) is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will
fulfill His promise to us. It is
confidence that if we live according to God’s laws and the words of His
prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our
prayers will be answered. It is manifest
in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance” (“The Infinite
Power of Hope,” Ensign, Nov.2008,
21-22).
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles tells us that, “Three divine principles form a
foundation upon which we can build the structure of our lives…. Together they
give us a base of support like the legs of a three-legged stool” (“The Joy of
Hope Fulfilled,” Ensign, Nov. 1992,
33). Those three legs are faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, hope, and charity.
Remember that charity or the pure love of Christ (Moroni 7: 47) is a
natural outgrowth of faith and hope in our Redeemer. The Apostle Paul taught that “we are saved by
hope” (Romans 8: 24) and that Christ is
our hope (1 Tim. 1: 1). “In a word,”
according to Elder John Groberg, “Hope…is the Savior” (Hope, Deseret Book, 1988, p. 47).
Hope is what the Savior has done for us having made that infinite
atonement. As night follows day, hope
follows faith; it is born of faith. And,
being filled with faith and hope in Christ, our desires naturally flow toward
love of God and love of our fellow being.
A Package Deal
Mormon spoke of these three divine
principles as a package deal. “And
again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that you can attain unto faith,
save ye shall have hope? And what is it
that ye shall hope for? Behold I say
unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power
of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your
faith in him according to the promise. (If)
a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost
that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity” (Moroni 7:40 - 44).
Trial of Faith
Moroni recounts the record of Ether
explaining that the people did not believe on Ether’s words concerning the need
to repent. He then went on to give several
examples of how people were blessed because their faith was anchored in the
Savior, prefacing his remarks by the oft quoted verse that “faith is things
which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not,
for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12: 6).
Despair
Yes, there is that inevitable trial
of faith. Gathering storms of doubt may
cloud our view of the eternal reward. Elder Neal A. Maxwell noticed that
proximate hopes are vulnerable to irony and the unexpected, and that “there is
an increasing and profound sense of existential despair in the world (and that)
a grumpy cynicism now pervades politics” (Neal A. Maxwell, October 1998). Worldly assaults on our faith are common
occurrences, and if we are not firmly anchored in that faith we may fall prey
to the antithesis of hope, which is despair.
Despair is a state of depression and anguish. Those who are in a state of despair are in a
state of misery, gloom and despondency.
Dejection, sadness, and unhappiness are the emotions that are experienced
by those who feel despair. A prevailing
sense of darkness hangs over those who are in despair. Father Lehi spoke of the author of despair
and misery when he glimpsed into the realm of the pre-mortal world and saw that
Satan had fallen from heaven and became miserable and sought the misery of all
mankind (2 Nephi 2: 18). Nothing would
make Satan happier than to see Heavenly Father’s children lose their faith and
give up on their hope.
Testimony of King Benjamin
Though faith and religion are under
attack more so now than ever before, we need not despair. Paraphrasing from King Benjamin in his
address to his people, I add my testimony that the time has already come in the
not distant past, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigns, who was, and
is from all eternity to all eternity, has come down from heaven among the
children of men, and dwelt in a tabernacle of clay, and went forth among men,
working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing
the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and
curing all manner of diseases. He cast
out devils or the evil spirits that dwell in the hearts of the children of
men. And he suffered temptations, and
pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer,
except it be unto death; for behold, blood came from every pore, so great was
his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. And he is called Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the
beginning; and his mother was called Mary (Mosiah 3: 4 – 8).
Our Savior’s love
shines like the sun with perfect light,
As from above it
breaks thru clouds of strife.
Lighting our way,
it leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay
to share eternal life.
Our
Savior’s Love,
LDS
Hymns #113
Edward
L. Hart
OR
The Lord is my
light; then why should I fear?
By day and by night
his presence is near.
He is my salvation
from sorrow and sin;
This blessed
assurance the Spirit doth bring.
The Lord is my
light; tho clouds may arise,
Faith, stronger than
sight, looks up through the skies
Where Jesus forever
in glory doth reign.
Then how can I ever
in darkness remain?
The Lord
is My Light
LDS
Hymns #89
James
Nicholson
Copyright
© 2014 Gregory B. Talley
Binghamton
Ward, June 22, 2014
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