October 17,2016

This week I had the opportunity to give a presentation to the Mission Leadership Council. The topic was on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The discussion consisted of the relationship between the Father and the Son. I never thought about it this way until now. The reality that the Father suffered as His Son was in agony On many occasions. 

I copied a bit of the presentation here. 

I have recently been pondering about, and observing spiritual weakness, and decay in connection to the embrace of sin. As we embrace each new sin, we perhaps lose our capacity or will to absorb light and truth. Perhaps like an injured muscle, we lose strength and resiliency to confront each new temptation. 

Whatever the mechanics, spiritual death seems to result in a form of spiritual degeneracy or entropy. As with physical death, there needs to be a power to reverse the decaying process, to heal our spiritual wounds, to strengthen our spiritual fiber. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the source of reversing power, that fount to which men "may look for a remission of their sins" (2 Nephi 25:26) 

The Saviors healing is Divine and real. As the psalmist sang of the Saviors healing "He restoreth my soul" (Psalms 23:3) Helamen testified, "He hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins" (Helaman 5:11) The Savior himself said "is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?" (Isaiah 50:2; Alma 7:13) He then later answers His own question: "The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins" (Matthew 9:6) With that power "he quickened" those "who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) Such quickening was a healing of our spiritual being. In the Savior's own words, he said "return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you" (3 Nephi 9:13) 

Through this healing process he "delivered us from the power of darkness" (Colossians 1:13) Truly, Satan was overcome by the "blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 12:11) There is no question but that the Atonement of Christ generated sufficient power to restore and cleanse the errant soul. 

Elder Jared M. Greenburg 

Missouri Independence Mission 

Warrensburg Missouri Area

Mission Leadership Council 

Warrensburg Zone Training 

Elder Jared M. Greenburg 

Missouri Independence Mission 

Warrensburg Missouri Area