April: Through Jesus Christ, We Can be Cleansed of Sin

April is the time when we all celebrate Easter, a time to remember Jesus Christ's atonement for us. The atonement of Jesus Christ includes his suffering in Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his triumphant resurrection. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be saved from physical and spiritual death, and we can be cleansed from sin.

During our life on earth, we will all make mistakes. This is inevitable. However, these mistakes need to be recompensed somehow, as the scriptures teach us that "no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God" (see 1 Nephi 10:21 ) If the Saviour did not perform the atonement for us, we would still have had to make up for our mistakes, and we would never have been able to return to our Heavenly Father's presence. The Saviour had agreed from the beginning to take upon himself our sins, so that we will have the opportunity to repent of our sins and become clean again.

However, just because the Saviour took upon himself our sins, that does not mean that we no longer have any responsibilities. The Saviour has bought us with a price, and we must show our gratitude to him by believing in him and keeping his commandments, repenting when we have done something wrong, following in his footsteps by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and staying true and faithful to the end of our lives.

In the next few months we will be learning more about Christ's gospel, and how Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End are so important for us in this life.

For more information on how Christ's atonement cleanses us from sin, please click here.

I Feel My Savior's Love

Did Jesus Really Live Again?

To Think about Jesus

The Atonement of Jesus Christ pt. 2

I have decided to extend last months theme to this month, seeing as I have not had much time to post lately. This month I will be concentrating more on the church music that teaches us about the Savior and his atonement. Posts for this month will be purely videos and scriptures to do with the Savior....

An Apostle's Testimony

Taken from MormonMessages

He Lives: Testimonies of Jesus Christ

Taken from MormonMessages

April: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

In February's posts, we discussed our earth life,
and how we are subject to physical death and spiritual death. We learned that without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we would never be able to overcome the effects of physical and spiritual death. Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to overcome sin and death and be able to return to live in our Heavenly Father's presence.

At the beginning of our discussion of the plan of salvation, we learned that Jesus Christ is central to Heavenly Father's plan. Heavenly Father knew that we would be subject to physical and spiritual death - physical death, because of our mortal bodies and spiritual death, because he knew we would make mistakes along our pathway in life. Jesus Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world to be our Savior and Redeemer. Apart from organizing his church, his central mission was to teach us by example how Heavenly Father wants us to live, and to lay down his life for us in order to help us overcome physical and spiritual death. This act of love, in which he willingly suffered and died for our sins, is called the Atonement.

The Atonement helps us overcome physical death, in that after three days after he was crucified, Jesus Christ arose from the tomb. Because he was the literal only-begotten Son of our Heavenly Father, he had the power to overcome physical death and become resurrected. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we will all have the opportunity to become resurrected one day (see 1 Corinthians 15:20 - 22 ).

The Atonement helps us to overcome spiritual death, in that Jesus Christ took upon himself all of our sins, pains, sicknesses and afflictions upon himself when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (see Luke 22:39 - 44 and Alma 7:9 - 12 ). Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to repent of our wrong doings and start afresh.Through the Atonement, "all that is unfair about life can be made right" (Preach My Gospel, pp. 52). When we follow Jesus Christ, keep his commandments and repent when we do something wrong, the effects of the Atonement will help us overcome spiritual death.

Last week we had Easter, the time of the year where we have the opportunity to reflect upon the atonement, and what his sacrifice means to us. I bear you my testimony that without the precious gift of the atonement, all of us would have been lost. It is through Jesus Christ that I have the opportunity to repent of my mistakes and start again. I am grateful that our Savior loved us so much and that he was obedient enough to go ahead with what he had to go through. I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again. And I leave this with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

February: Our Life on Earth

"Our life on earth is an opportunity and a blessing" (Preach My Gospel, pp. 50).It is a time where we can learn and grow and prepare ourselves to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We have our agency, the gift that our Heavenly Father has given us to be able to choose right from wrong. This gift helps us to learn and progress. Using our agency to make good choices helps us draw us closer to our Heavenly Father and helps us become more like him. When we use our agency to make bad choices, we distance ourselves from Heavenly Father and from our divine potential to become like him.

The purpose of our life on earth is to experience joy and happiness. We learn from the Book of Mormon that "men are, that they might have joy"(2 Nephi 2:25). We experience joy and happiness when we follow the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us.

Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, there are two obstacles in our lives that prevent us from returning to live with Heavenly father and becoming like him:

Mortality (Physical Death)
" In mortality we live in a condition where we are subject to both physical and spiritual death. God has a perfect, glorified, immortal body of flesh and bones. To become like God and return to His presence, we too must have a perfect, immortal body of flesh and bones. However, because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, every person on earth has an imperfect, mortal body and will eventually die. If not for the Savior Jesus Christ, death would end all hope for a future existence with Heavenly Father..." (Preach My Gospel, pp. 50)

Sin and Transgression (Spiritual Death):
"... While we are in mortality, we have experiences that bring us happiness. We also have experiences that bring us pain and sorrow, some of which is caused by the sinful acts of others. These experiences provide us opportunities to learn and to grow, to distinguish good from evil, and to make choices. God influences us to do good; Satan tempts us to commit sin. As with physical death, we cannot overcome the effects of sin by ourselves. We are helpless without the Atonement of Jesus Christ." (Preach My Gospel, pp.50)

The reader will notice that in both cases, these two obstacles can only be overcome through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He was the only perfect person who has lived and ever will live on the earth, and therefore the only person able to lay down his life to atone for our mistakes and our sins. He was the first person to be resurrected after being laid in the tomb for three days. Because Jesus Christ was resurrected, so shall we overcome physical death by being resurrected one day. Because Jesus Christ took it upon himself to atone for our sins, we have the opportunity and possibility to repent and overcome spiritual death.

A further explanation about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it blesses our lives will be given in next month's posts...

Consequences of the Fall

The Fall of Adam and Eve brought two kinds of death into the world: Physical Death and Spiritual Death. These two kinds of death are obstacles that prevent us from becoming like our Heavenly Father.

Physical Death is when our spirit bodies are separated from our physical bodies. Our spirits go to the Spirit World until our resurrection and final judgement.

Spiritual Death is where we are cut off from God's presence. When we sin, we distance ourselves further away from our Heavenly Father, because "no unclean thing" can dwell in his presence ( 1 Nephi 10:21 ). Only through believing in Jesus Christ, accepting his atonement and repententing from our sins are we able to overcome Spiritual Death.

Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to overcome the consequences of the Fall. He took upon himself our sins ( Luke 22 ), so that we could avoid spiritual death, as long as we accept him as his Savior and keep his commandments. He was the first of all mankind to be resurrected ( Luke 24:36 - 39 ). He overcame physical death, so that we too would have the chance to be resurrected and overcome physical death.

To learn more about the Fall, its consequences, and how the Atonement reverses those consequences, please click here.

3 Nephi 9:15

Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are...

This Is the Christ

"By their fruits ye shall know them..."

The Saviour, in the sermon on the mount, warned the people that there would be many people who will claim to be prophets of God, but in fact are really false prophets:

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves...
-Matthew 7:15

... Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
- Matthew 7:22 - 23

However, the Saviour never said in his sermon that EVERY man who claims to be a prophet is a false prophet. He has given us a very important hint to help us be able to identify whether a man who claims to be a prophet really is of God or not:

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
- Matthew 7:16 - 20

We can recognize whether a person claiming to be a prophet is a true prophet of God by their "fruits" e.g. their actions, their behaviour towards their fellow men, and whether their teachings are in accordance with the Saviour's teachings.

Further discussion on this topic will be given in a later post....

A Light Unto All: A Christmas Gift

LDS Missionaries share with us their testimonies of Jesus Christ!

Christmas Bells

Sleep, Little Jesus

Images taken from http://www.hzmre.com/holidays/adventtable.htm, http://mac6464.com/central.html and http://www.sparehandsgiftshop.com/WillowTreeNativity.html respectively.




Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
- Matthew 1:23

Mary's Lullaby (English)

There Was Starlight on the Hillside

The Shepherd's Carol

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear nt: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger......

..... And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. - Luke 2:8 - 16

Come Unto Jesus

COME UNTO JESUS

Text and Music: Orson Pratt Huish, 1851 - 1932

Come unto Jesus,
ye heavy laden,
Care-worn and fainting,
by sin oppressed.
He'll safely guid you
unto that haven
Where all who trust him may rest, may rest.

Come unto Jesus;
He'll ever heed you,
Though in the darkness
you've gone astray.
His love will find you
and gently lead you
From darkest night into day, to day.

Come unto Jesus;
He'll surely hear you,
If you in meekness
plead for his love.
Oh, know you not that
angels are newar you
From brightest mansions above, above?

Come unto Jesus
from every nation,
From every land and
isle of the sea.
Unto the the ghigh and
lowly in station,
Ever he calls, "Come to me, to me".