In the Strength of the Lord
(Words of Mormon 1:14; Mosiah 9:17; Mosiah 10:10; Alma
20:4)
Elder David A. Bednar Brigham Young University–Idaho
Devotional January 8, 2002
Good afternoon, brothers and sisters, and welcome
to a new semester at Brigham Young University-Idaho. It is for me a blessing
and a remarkable responsibility to stand before you today.
I have long been fascinated by the vast variety of
analogies, imagery, and parables used by the Savior and by His apostles to
teach the saving principles of the gospel. Frequently, common and ordinary
experiences are used by these master teachers to help a learner relate to and
better understand a vital principle or doctrine. Consider, for example, the use
in the scriptures of the sense of taste. Please turn with me to Alma 32:28. Alma,
while comparing the word of God to a seed, also employs the sense of taste to
emphasize and enhance for his readers the significant spiritual consequences of
exercising faith in Christ.
Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye
give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true
seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will
resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold it will begin to swell within your
breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within
yourselves -- It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is
good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my
understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me (emphasis
added).
Please note how the good seed is described in this verse
as enlarging, as enlightening, and as delicious.
The Prophet Joseph Smith used the sense of taste in a
similar way to summarize a key point in his King Follett Sermon, given in April
of 1844.
This is good doctrine. It tastes good. I can taste the
principles of eternal life, and so can you . . . . You say honey is sweet,
and so do I. I can also taste the spirit of eternal life. I know
it is good; and when I tell you of these things which were given me by
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are bound to receive them assweet, and
rejoice more and more (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section
Six, 1843-1844, p. 355, emphasis added).
Hence, the Prophet Joseph relates our ability to taste to
the importance of pondering upon and savoring the sweetness of the Savior's
saving doctrines.
My purpose this afternoon is to describe and discuss and
testify of one of the most delicious doctrines of the restored gospel -- the
doctrine of the redeeming and theenabling powers
of the atonement of Jesus Christ. And I hope to place particular emphasis upon
the enabling power of the atonement. I have been most prayerful and serious
about preparing my presentation for today. I yearn and invite and pray for the
companionship of the Holy Ghost to be with me and with you as we visit together
for these few minutes about this sacred subject.
THE JOURNEY OF LIFE
The framework for my message today is a statement by
President David O. McKay. He summarized the overarching purpose of the gospel
of the Savior in these terms:
. . . the purpose of the gospel is . . . to make bad
men good and good men better, and to change human nature (from the
film Every Member a Missionary, as acknowledged by Franklin D.
Richards, CR, October 1965, pp. 136-137; see also Brigham Young, JD 8:130
[22 July 1860]).
Thus, the journey of a lifetime is to progress from bad
to good to better and to experience the mighty change of heart--and to have our
fallen natures changed.
May I suggest that the Book of Mormon is our handbook of
instructions as we travel the pathway from bad to good to better and to have
our hearts changed. Please turn with me to Mosiah 3:19. In this verse King
Benjamin teaches about the journey of mortality and about the role of the
atonement in successfully navigating that journey.
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been
from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the
enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh
a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord . . . (emphasis
added).
Now I want to stop at this point and draw our attention
to two specific phrases. First, consider "and putteth off the natural
man." Let me suggest to you that President McKay was fundamentally talking
about putting off the natural man when he said, "The purpose of the gospel
is to make bad men good." Now I do not believe the word "bad" in
this statement by President McKay connotes only wicked, awful, horrible, or
inherently evil. Rather, I think he was suggesting that the journey from bad to
good is the process of putting off the natural man or the natural woman in each
of us. In mortality we all are tempted by the flesh. The very elements out of
which our bodies were created are by nature fallen and ever subject to the pull
of sin, corruption, and death. And we can increase our capacity to overcome the
desires of the flesh and temptations, as described in this verse, "through
the atonement of Christ." When we make mistakes, as we transgress and sin,
we are able to overcome such weakness through the redeeming and cleansing power
of the atonement of Jesus Christ. As we frequently sing in preparation to
partake of the emblems of the sacrament:
His precious blood he freely spilt; His life he freely
gave, A sinless sacrifice for guilt, A dying world to save.
"How Great the Wisdom and the Love," Hymns, 1985, #195)
Now, please notice the next line in Mosiah 3:19:
"and becometh a saint." May I suggest this phrase describes the
continuation and second phase of life's journey as outlined by President McKay.
"The purpose of the gospel is to make bad men good"--or, in other
words, put off the natural man--"and good men better"--or, in other
words, become more like a saint. Now, brothers and sisters, I believe this
second part of the journey, this process of going from good to better, is a
topic about which we do not study or teach frequently enough nor understand
adequately.
If I were to emphasize one overarching point this
afternoon, it would be this. I suspect that you and I are much more familiar
with the nature of the redeeming power of the atonement than we are with the
enabling power of the atonement. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came
to earth to die for us. That is fundamental and foundational
to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord
desires, through His atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in
us--not only to direct us but also to empower us. I think most of us know that
when we do things wrong, when we need help to overcome the effects of sin in
our lives, the Savior has paid the price and made it possible for us to be made
clean through His redeeming power. Most of us clearly understand that the
atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and
understand that the atonement is also for saints--for good men and women who
are obedient and worthy and conscientious and who are striving to become better
and serve more faithfully. I frankly do not think many of us "get it"
concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the atonement, and I
wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better
and become a saint all by ourselves, through sheer grit, willpower, and
discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.
Brothers and sisters, the gospel of the Savior is not
simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it is also essentially about doing and
becoming good. And the atonement provides help for us to overcome and avoid bad
and to do and become good. There is help from the Savior for the entire journey
of life--from bad to good to better and to change our very nature. Indeed, this
doctrine tastes good.
I am not trying to suggest that the redeeming and
enabling powers of the atonement are separate and discrete. Rather, these two
dimensions of the atonement are connected and complementary; they both need to
be operational during all phases of the journey of life. And it is eternally
important for all of us to recognize that both of these essential
elements of the journey of life--both putting off the natural man and becoming
a saint, both overcoming bad and becoming good--are accomplished through the
power of the atonement. Individual willpower, personal determination and
motivation, and effective planning and goal setting are necessary but
ultimately insufficient to triumphantly complete this mortal journey. Truly, we
must come to rely upon "the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy
Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8).
GRACE AND THE ENABLING POWER OF THE ATONEMENT
I now want to describe in greater detail the enabling
power of the atonement. Brothers and sisters, please notice the use of the word
"grace" in the verse from 2 Nephi to which we just referred. In the Bible
Dictionary in our scriptures, we learn that the word "grace"
frequently is used in the scriptures to connote "enabling power." On
page 697, under the word "grace," we read:
A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament,
especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine
means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus
Christ.
It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made
possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality,
every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting
life.
Now, please note these next sentences:
It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that
individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance
of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they
otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace
is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life
and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts (emphasis
added).
That is, grace represents that divine assistance or
heavenly help each of us will desperately need to qualify for the celestial
kingdom. Thus, the enabling power of the atonement strengthens us to do and be
good and serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.
In my personal scripture study, I often insert the term
"enabling power" whenever I encounter the word grace. Consider, for
example, this verse with which we are all familiar in 2 Nephi, chapter 25,
verse 23: ". . . for we know that it is by grace that we are saved,
after all we can do."
Now let's review this verse one more time:
. . . for we know that it is by grace [the
enabling and strengthening power of the atonement of Christ] that we
are saved, after all we can do.
I believe we can learn much about this vital aspect of
the atonement if we will insert "enabling and strengthening power"
each time we find the word grace in the scriptures.
ILLUSTRATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The journey of a lifetime, as described by President
McKay, is to go from bad to good to better and to have our very natures
changed. And the Book of Mormon is replete with examples of disciples and
prophets who knew and understood and were transformed by the enabling power of
the atonement in making that journey. May I suggest, brothers and sisters, that
as we come to better understand this sacred power, our gospel perspective will
be greatly enlarged and enriched. Such a perspective will change us in
remarkable ways.
Nephi is an example of one who knew and understood and
relied upon the enabling power of the Savior. In 1 Nephi chapter 7 we recall
that the sons of Lehi had returned to Jerusalem to enlist Ishmael and his
household in their cause. Laman and others in the party traveling with Nephi
from Jerusalem back to the wilderness rebelled, and Nephi exhorted his brethren
to have faith in the Lord. It was at this point in their trip that Nephi's
brothers bound him with cords and planned his destruction. Now please note
Nephi's prayer in verse 17:
O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt
thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength
that I may burst these bandswith which I am bound (emphasis added).
Now brothers and sisters, do you know what I likely would
have prayed for if I had been tied up by my brothers? My prayer would have
included a request for something bad to happen to my brothers and ended with
the phrase "wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren"
or, in other words, "Please get me out of this mess, NOW!" It is
especially interesting to me that Nephi did not pray, as I probably would have
prayed, to have his circumstances changed. Rather, he prayed for the strength
to change his circumstances. And may I suggest that he prayed in this manner
precisely because he knew and understood and had experienced the enabling power
of the atonement of the Savior.
I personally do not believe the bands with which Nephi
was bound just magically fell from his hands and wrists. Rather, I suspect he
was blessed with both persistence and personal strength beyond his natural
capacity, that he then "in the strength of the Lord"
(Mosiah 9:17) worked and twisted and tugged on the cords and ultimately
and literally was enabled to break the bands.
Brothers and sisters, the implication of this episode for
each of us is quite straightforward. As you and I come to understand and employ
the enabling power of the atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and
seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our
circumstances to be changed. We will become agents who act rather than objects
that are acted upon (2 Nephi 2:14).
Consider the example in the twenty-fourth chapter of the
Book of Mosiah as Alma and his people are being persecuted by Amulon. As
recorded in verse 14, the voice of the Lord came to these good people in their
afflictions and indicated: And I will ease the burdens which are put upon
your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs.
Now if I had been one of Alma's people and received that
particular assurance, my response likely would have been, "I thank thee,
and please hurry!" But notice in verse 15 the process the Lord used to
lighten the burden. And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid
upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen
them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit
cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord (emphasis added).
Brothers and sisters, what was changed in this episode?
It was not the burden that changed; the challenges and difficulties of
persecution were not immediately removed from the people. But Alma and his
followers were strengthened, and their increased capacity and strength made the
burdens they bore lighter. These good people were empowered through the
atonement to act as agents and impact their
circumstances--and "in the strength of the Lord," Alma and his
people were then directed to safety in the land of Zarahemla.
Now some of you may be legitimately wondering,
"Brother Bednar, what makes you think the episode with Alma and his people
is an example of the enabling power of the atonement?" I believe the
answer to your question is found in a comparison of Mosiah 3:19 and Mosiah
24:15. Let's resume reading in Mosiah 3:19 where we previously had stopped:
. . . and putteth off the natural man and becometh a
saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble,patient, full
of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to
inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father (emphasis
added).
As we progress in the journey of mortality from bad to
good to better, as we put off the natural man or woman in each of us, and as we
strive to become saints and have our very natures changed, then the attributes
detailed in this verse increasingly should describe the type of person you and
I are becoming. We will become more childlike, more submissive, more patient, and
more willing to submit. Now compare these characteristics in Mosiah 3:19 with
those used to describe Alma and his people in the latter part of verse 15 in
Mosiah 24: . . . and they did submit cheerfully and with
patience to all the will of the Lord (emphasis added).
I find the parallels between the attributes described in
these verses striking and an indication that Alma's good people were becoming a
better people through the enabling power of the atonement of Christ the Lord.
We are all familiar with the story of Alma and Amulek
contained in Alma 14. In this episode many faithful saints had been put to
death by fire, and these two servants of the Lord had been imprisoned and
beaten. Please consider this petition contained in verse 26 offered by Alma as
he prayed in prison:
O Lord, give us strength according to our
faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance.
Here again we see reflected in his request Alma's
understanding of and confidence in the enabling power of the atonement. Now
note the result of this prayer, as described in the latter part of verse 26 and
in verse 28: And they [Alma and Amulek] broke the cords
with which they were bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee,
for the fear of destruction had come upon them. And Alma and Amulek came forth
out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto
them power, according to their faith which was in Christ (emphasis
added).
Once again the enabling power is evident as good people
struggle against evil and strive to become even better and serve more
effectively "in the strength of the Lord" (Mosiah 9:17).
Let me present one final example from the Book of Mormon.
In Alma 31, Alma is directing a mission to reclaim the apostate Zoramites. You
will recall that in this chapter we learn about the Rameumptom and the
prescribed and prideful prayer offered by the Zoramites. Please notice the plea
for strength in Alma's personal prayer, as described in verse 31: O Lord,
wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with
patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of
this people (emphasis added).
In verse 33 Alma also prays that his missionary
companions will receive a similar blessing: Wilt thou grant unto them that
they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall come
upon them because of the iniquities of this people(emphasis added).
Again we observe that Alma did not pray to have his
afflictions removed. He knew he was an agent of the Lord, and he prayed for the
power to act and affect his situation.
The key point of this example is contained in the final
verse of Alma 31, verse 38: . . . yea, and he also gave them strength,
that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed
up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and
this because he prayed in faith.
No, the afflictions were not removed. But Alma and his
companions were strengthened and blessed through the enabling power of the
atonement to "suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up
in the joy of Christ." What a marvelous blessing. And what a lesson each
of us should learn.
Examples of the enabling power are not found only in the
scriptures. Daniel W. Jones was born in 1830 in Missouri, and he joined the
Church in California in 1851. In 1856 he participated in the rescue of handcart
companies that were stranded in Wyoming by severe storms. After the rescue
party found the suffering saints, provided what immediate comfort they could,
and made arrangements for the sick and the feeble to be transported to Salt
Lake City, Daniel and several other young men volunteered to remain with and
safeguard the company's possessions. The food and supplies left with Daniel and
his colleagues were, to say the least, meager and were rapidly expended. I will
now quote from Daniel Jones' personal journal and his description of the events
that followed.
Game soon became so scarce that we could kill nothing.
We ate all the poor meat; one would get hungry eating it. Finally that was all
gone, nothing now but hides were left. We made a trial of them. A lot was
cooked and eaten without any seasoning and it made the whole company sick. Many
were so turned against the stuff that it made them sick even to think of it.
. . . Things looked dark, for nothing remained but the
poor raw hides taken from starved cattle. We asked the Lord to direct us what
to do. The brethren did not murmur, but felt to trust in God. We had cooked the
hide, after soaking and scraping the hair off until it was soft and then ate
it, glue and all. This made it rather inclined to stay with us longer than we
desired. Finally I was impressed how to fix the stuff and gave the company
advice, telling them how to cook it; for them to scorch and scrape the hair
off; this had a tendency to kill and purify the bad taste that scalding gave
it. After scraping, boil one hour in plenty of water, throwing the water away
which had extracted all the glue, then wash and scrape the hide thoroughly,
washing in cold water, then boil to a jelly and let it get cold, and then eat
with a little sugar sprinkled on it. This was considerable trouble, but we had
little else to do and it was better than starving. (Daniel W. Jones, Forty
Years Among the Indians, pg. 81)
All that I have read thus far is a preparation for the
next line from Daniel W. Jones' journal. It illustrates how those pioneer
saints may have known something about the enabling power of the atonement that
we, in our prosperity and ease, are not as quick to understand: We asked the
Lord to bless our stomachs and adapt them to this food (Ibid.,
emphasis added).
My dear brothers and sisters, I know what I would have
prayed for in those circumstances. I would have prayed for something else to
eat. "Heavenly Father, please send me a quail or a buffalo." It never
would have occurred to me to pray that my stomach would be strengthened and
adapted to what we already had. What did Daniel W. Jones know? He knew about
the enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. He did not pray that his
circumstances would be changed. He prayed that he would be strengthened to deal
with his circumstances. Just as Nephi, Amulek, and Alma and his people were
strengthened, Daniel W. Jones had the spiritual insight to know what to ask for
in that prayer.
We hadn't the faith to ask him to bless the raw-hide,
for it was "hard stock." On eating now all seemed to relish the
feast. We were three days without eating before this second attempt was made.
We enjoyed this sumptuous fare for six weeks. (Ibid., pp. 81-82).
Thus, for Daniel and his associates, this delicious
doctrine provided both physical and spiritual nourishment.
The enabling power of the atonement of Christ strengthens
us to do things we could never do on our own. Sometimes I wonder if in our
latter-day world of ease--in our world of microwave ovens and cell phones and
air-conditioned cars and comfortable homes--I wonder if we ever learn to
acknowledge our daily dependence upon the enabling power of the atonement. The
greatest lessons I have learned about the enabling power have come from the
quiet example of my wife in our own home. I watched her persevere through
intense and continuous morning sickness and vomiting during each of her three
pregnancies. She literally was sick all day every day for eight months with
each pregnancy. That challenge was never removed from her. But together we
prayed that she would be strengthened, and she indeed was blessed through the
enabling power of the atonement to do physically what in her own power she
could not do. Sister Bednar is a remarkably capable and competent woman, and
over the years I have seen how she has been magnified to handle the mocking and
scorn that come from a secular society when a Latter-day Saint woman heeds
prophetic counsel and makes the family and home and the nurturing of children
her highest priorities. In today's world, a righteous woman and mother in Zion
will need both the enabling power of the atonement and priesthood support. I
thank and pay tribute to Susan for helping me to learn such invaluable lessons.
In Alma chapter 7 we learn how and why the Savior is able
to provide the enabling power, beginning with verse 11:And he shall go
forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of
every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take
upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people (emphasis
added).
Thus, the Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities
but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the
emotional distress that so frequently beset us. Additional detail is described
in verse 12: And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the
bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities,
that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may
know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their
infirmities (emphasis added).
There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no
suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience
during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I
in a moment of weakness may cry out, "No one understands. No one
knows." No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows
and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And
because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy
and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can
reach out, touch, and succor--literally run to us--and strengthen us to be more
than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through
relying only upon our own power.
Perhaps now we can more fully understand and appreciate
the lesson of Matthew 11:28-30: Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn of
me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
I express my appreciation for the infinite and eternal
sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The atonement is not only for people who
have done bad things and are trying to be good. It is also for good people who
are trying to become better and serve faithfully and who yearn for an ongoing
and mighty change of heart. Indeed, "in the strength of the Lord"
(Mosiah 9:17) we can do and overcome all things. Brothers and sisters, truly
this is precious and delicious doctrine.
Later this year I will celebrate my fiftieth birthday. I
can think of no person or knowledge or influence or event that has had a greater
impact upon me during my half century of mortality than the doctrines I have
attempted to discuss this afternoon. I pray that you will learn and understand
and appreciate and apply this essential doctrine early in your lives. I know
the Savior lives. I have experienced both His redeeming and enabling power, and
I witness that these powers are real and available to each of us. I know He
directs the affairs of this Church. I know apostles and prophets
authoritatively act for and in behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ. These things I
know to be true and so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
