Atonement - Please help

[brooksbee]

I am giving a talk about the atonement. Please take a few minutes to help me out and answer these questions.

1. If you had to define the atonement in your own words, without looking it up in the scriptures or online, how would you define/describe it?

2. How has the atonement helped you in your life? (Optional question, but would be awesome if you answered.

[bytebear]

I love LDS.ORG:

Word Search: atonement

LDS.org - Search

[Guest tomk]

I am giving a talk about the atonement. Please take a few minutes to help me out and answer these questions.

1. If you had to define the atonement in your own words, without looking it up in the scriptures or online, how would you define/describe it?

2. How has the atonement helped you in your life? (Optional question, but would be awesome if you answered.

The Atonement is that power which resides in Christ to sanctify and justify us, moment by moment.

About 5 years ago, after a long period of inactivity, I became interested in becoming more active. For the first time in my life, I was living the Gospel because I desired it, not because I felt it was expected of me, or for appearances sake.

During that time, the Lord somehow blessed me with the desire to be with Him again, no matter what the cost. Along with this blessing I was given the blessing of understanding and loving the scriptures in a way I never had experienced before. Concepts were opened to my understanding in ways I had never imagined.

I attributed these blessings to the Atonement.

In Christ resides everything that is peacable and loving. To try to get to know Him is to experience that peace and that love first hand. To know Christ is to experience peace. To know Christ is to experience His brand of Love, which has no power to be described by the language of men. That too is the power and influence of the Atonement. A growing consciousness of everything good.

When you experience the "mighty change" -- you are still a creature full of weaknesses. But you are changed. You become someone who feels they must behold His face. I cannot explain this hunger. It was gifted to me, it did not / does not exist because of some effort I am making. My own desires were very different before this change took place.

Does any of this help?

Tom

[Gjh1960]

I am giving a talk about the atonement. Please take a few minutes to help me out and answer these questions.

1. If you had to define the atonement in your own words, without looking it up in the scriptures or online, how would you define/describe it?

No unclean, unholy being can exist in the presence of god. We all are born on this earth with both a longing to return to Him and an inability to achieve this on our own as we cannot avoid sin for all our life nor become clean again without external help. The atonement is the Lords answer to this great dilemma, as it not only makes us clean, but also enables us to become transformed from the natural man to a child of god that wants to do good continually. Even more, the power of the atonement also enables us to endure and overcome everything bad that may happen in our lifes.

As for your second question, it's nice to learn about the atonement from the scriptures or from talks and lessons or even from postings no the internet, but the only way for me to make progress towards a real understanding was to feel both at the same time, this longing for the presence of god and my perfect inadequacy and inability to achieve anything but damnation without His atonement.

[tubaloth]

1. If you had to define the atonement in your own words, without looking it up in the scriptures or online, how would you define/describe it?

Love

Or it has brought me At One with God again.

[Justice]

I am much more wordy than tubaloth, but here it goes...

The Atonement reversed the effects of the fall of Adam. As in Adam we all died, so as in Christ we are all made alive. Or, in other words, because of the fall we were separated from God, but because of the Atonement we are all brought back into His presence.

Many people believe the Atonement (and resurrection) overcome physical death unconditionally for all, but that it did not overcome spiritual death unconditionally. They believe there is something we must do to add to His atonement in order to overcome spiritual death. Maybe we need to do good works, or ordinances, or whatever. This is not the case. The Atonement reversed the effects of the fall and brought us back into God's presence, otherwise, we could not get there.

Alma 12:

12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.

13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.

14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

15 But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.

Because of Adam we must die.

Because of Christ we must return to God's presence and stand before Him.

Then, our state will determine our judgement. Did we allow Christ to mold us, shape us, and did we pattern our lives after His? Can we abide the Celetial Kingdom? Terrestrial Kingdom? Telestial Kingdom?

If not, then awful is our state.

Alma said "if we have hardened our hearts against the word" (or Christ), and I will add in this life, then awful will be our state, or our condition in the next life.

So, all who died as a result of the Fall of Adam are made alive through the Atonement of Christ, or all will be brought back into God's presence, even if for a moment.

Sometimes we don't see the big picture. Seeing the big picture helps us to see the "completeness" of the Atonement and it's all-reaching power.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Justice

[Justice]

To go further, I don't believe it's the sins we commit while on earth that condemn us. According to Alma 12, it is "our state," or what we have become. We will speak the same words, do the same works, and feel the same desires as we did while on earth.

We were given our agency on earth, or we were given the ability to use it to choose... and could even choose against God. That is called sin. He made a way of deliverance from sin on this earth. We are redeemed from those sins by the Savior's Atonement.

However, if we do not repent then we will be raised into that same state.

Alma 11:

43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

Alma 41:

3 And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.

4 And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame—mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on one hand, the other on the other—

5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.

6 And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.

7 These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.

8 Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved.

9 And now behold, my son, do not risk one more offense against your God upon those points of doctrine, which ye have hitherto risked to commit sin.

10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.

The "reward" is in being raised. The "judgement" is in what we are restored to.

If we repent in this life, and turn from our sin, and return to God in this life, then when we are resurrected or retored both body and spirit to God's presence, we will remain in His presence, without guilt.

If we did not repent in this life and did not choose to return to God, then when we are brought to stand before Him, our desires for evil, our evil words, our evil state that we are in will condemn us, because no unholy thing can live in God's presence.

Guilt and happiness are opposites. We cannot be happy so long as we are guilty. Christ's Atonement clears the guilt of sin through repentance.

Enos 1:

5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

2 Nephi 9:

14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

I have added color so you can see the opposites that Jacob used that will come to the wicked and the righteous.

So, Christ's Atonement will bring us all back into God's presence, to be "judged" according to our works. The works we wrought in this life will continue in the next life. Sins in mortality are therefore forgiven if we have repented. If we have not, then we will still be in that same state when we stand before Him.

We know when we have repented when we forsake that sin, and no longer desire it.

D&C 58:

43 By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Justice

[brooksbee]

Thanks for your reply. Your answer and your personal experience is very helpful.

[brooksbee]

I think love is the perfect word to sum up the atonement. Thank you for your comment.

[MichaelJ]

Jesus Christ died in our place when He was crucified on the cross. We deserved to be the ones placed on that cross to die because we are the ones who live sinful lives. But Christ took the punishment on Himself in our place—He substituted Himself for us and took what we rightly deserved. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Here again we see that Christ took the sins we committed onto Himself to pay the price for us. A few verses later we read, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). Not only do these verses teach us about the substitute that Christ was for us, but also that he was the atonement, meaning He satisfied the payment due for the sinfulness of man.

One more passage that talks about the substitutionary atonement is Isaiah 53:5. This verse talks about the coming Christ who was to die on the cross for our sins; it is very detailed and the crucifixion happened just as it was foretold. Notice the words as you read it. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Notice the substitution. Here again we see that Christ paid the price for us!

We can only pay the price of sin on our own by being punished and placed in hell for all eternity. But God’s Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth to pay for the price of our sins. Because He did this for us, we now have the opportunity to not only have our sins forgiven, but to spend eternity with Him. In order to do this we must place our faith in what Christ did on the cross. We cannot save ourselves; we need a substitute to take our place.

[MichaelJ]

"We know when we have repented when we forsake that sin, and no longer desire it."

Many will still have some desires even after repenting (due to temptation), since we are sinful.

Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action, not just "turning from sin" as some may think.

[JohnnyRudick]

I am much more wordy than tubaloth, but here it goes...

The Atonement reversed the effects of the fall of Adam. As in Adam we all died, so as in Christ we are all made alive. Or, in other words, because of the fall we were separated from God, but because of the Atonement we are all brought back into His presence.

Many people believe the Atonement (and resurrection) overcome physical death unconditionally for all, but that it did not overcome spiritual death unconditionally. They believe there is something we must do to add to His atonement in order to overcome spiritual death. Maybe we need to do good works, or ordinances, or whatever. This is not the case. The Atonement reversed the effects of the fall and brought us back into God's presence, otherwise, we could not get there.

Alma 12:

12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.

13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.

14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

15 But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.

Because of Adam we must die.

Because of Christ we must return to God's presence and stand before Him.

Then, our state will determine our judgement. Did we allow Christ to mold us, shape us, and did we pattern our lives after His? Can we abide the Celetial Kingdom? Terrestrial Kingdom? Telestial Kingdom?

If not, then awful is our state.

Alma said "if we have hardened our hearts against the word" (or Christ), and I will add in this life, then awful will be our state, or our condition in the next life.

So, all who died as a result of the Fall of Adam are made alive through the Atonement of Christ, or all will be brought back into God's presence, even if for a moment.

Sometimes we don't see the big picture. Seeing the big picture helps us to see the "completeness" of the Atonement and it's all-reaching power.

I believe this also.

Me too:D

Many of us know from studying the Scriptures that This atonement spoken of above is the miraculous suffering that Jesus underwent in the garden.

Just look at the true Lord's Prayer He gave right before His suffering.

John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to

heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that

thy Son also may glorify thee:

John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he

should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee

the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished

the work which thou gavest me to do.

John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own

self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou

gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them

me; and they have kept thy word.

John 17:7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou

hast given me are of thee.

John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou

gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely

that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst

send me.

John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for

them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

John 17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am

glorified in them.

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in

the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine

own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as

we are.

John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in

thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them

is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be

fulfilled.

John 17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in

the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

John 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated

them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the

world.

John 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the

world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the

world.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

John 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I

also sent them into the world.

John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they

also might be sanctified through the truth.

John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also

which shall believe on me through their word;

John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in

me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the

world may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given

them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

John 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made

perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent

me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given

me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which

thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of

the world.

John 17:25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee:

but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent

me.

John 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will

declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in

them, and I in them.

There are many gems in there to find.

I hope you will be able to see them.

Jesus then suffered for each one of us who will accept His gift that He gave us.

Then He died finishing the Work that He came here to do in the Name and Glory of the Father.

He then went and preached to the spirits who were captive and led the captive free who would be free.

This was the First Resurrection.

Psalm 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity

captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the

rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Ephesians 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according

to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high,

he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Ephesians 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he

also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Ephesians 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended

up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the

just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to

death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

1 Peter 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the

spirits in prison;

1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the

longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark

was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by

water.

1 Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also

now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but

the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection

of Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand

of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto

him.

1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in

the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he

that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

1 Peter 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time

in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

1 Peter 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to

have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in

lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings,

and abominable idolatries:

1 Peter 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with

them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

1 Peter 4:5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to

judge the quick and the dead.

1 Peter 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to

them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in

the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud

voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My

God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Matthew 27:47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard

that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

Matthew 27:48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a

spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and

gave him to drink.

Matthew 27:49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias

will come to save him.

Matthew 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice,

yielded up the ghost.

Matthew 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in

twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and

the rocks rent;

Matthew 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of

the saints which slept arose,

Matthew 27:53 And came out of the graves after his

resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto

many.

Now for us

Saved Mormons:D

We have a responsibility to grow in our salvation.

This is what Paul is talking about here.

He is not talking about "getting saved".

He is talking about you and I, baptized Mormons, what we do once we have salvation.

We must grow in the gospel for eternal rewards.

The quality of our works as saved individuals will determine our level of exaltation.

Salvation is Free because of the atonement.

But then

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye

are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given

unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and

another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he

buildeth thereupon.

1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than

that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation

gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

1 Corinthians 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for

the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;

and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

1 Corinthians 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built

thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

1 Corinthians 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall

suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,

and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him

shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye

are.

1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among

you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that

he may be wise.

1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness

with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own

craftiness.

1 Corinthians 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of

the wise, that they are vain.

1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all

things are your's;

1 Corinthians 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the

world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come;

all are your's;

1 Corinthians 3:23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the

ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a

man be found faithful.

Bro. Rudick

Edited March 12, 2009 by JohnnyRudick
After thought

[h2001st]

1. If you had to define the atonement in your own words, without looking it up in the scriptures or online, how would you define/describe it?

The courage and strength of the Lord in the Garden of Gestheme.

[JohnnyRudick]

The courage and strength of the Lord in the Garden of Gestheme.

I am understanding in this, you are thinking about all that His suffering and experience this sacrifice all entailed.

And the reason for it.

It was the Jesus Himself who offered up the Sacrifice.

He was betrayed by one thought to be His friend. (but He knew better)

The suffering and the shedding His Blood in the garden.

The degrading before the Jewish leaders.

The disrespect of the soldiers.

The further agony and humiliation on the cross.

He is the Great High Priest.

The Jewish leaders who goaded the Romans into Lynching Him were only the knife that led to bringing us back into the presence of God.

All this you had in mind.

Right?

Edited March 18, 2009 by JohnnyRudick
Spelling

[nimrod]

The Atonement in my words

The atonement is the act whereby Christ paid the demands of justice so that we, who are fallen and lost, may be "reconciled" with God. We are reconciled with God by becoming one with Christ, taking adavatage of his power to make vicarious payment for our sins.

[h2001st]

I am understanding in this, you are thinking about all that His suffering and experience this sacrifice all entailed.

And the reason for it.

It was the Jesus Himself who offered up the Sacrifice.

He was betrayed by one thought to be His friend. (but He knew better)

The suffering and the shedding His Blood in the garden.

The degrading before the Jewish leaders.

The disrespect of the soldiers.

The further agony and humiliation on the cross.

He is the Great High Priest.

The Jewish leaders who goaded the Romans into Lynching Him were only the knife that led to bringing us back into the presence of God.

All this you had in mind.

Right?

well written! Also, His apostles wanting to go with Him but knowing they couldn't, as He had to accomplish the aforementioned alone.

I appreciate your response.:)

[JohnnyRudick]

well written! Also, His apostles wanting to go with Him but knowing they couldn't, as He had to accomplish the aforementioned alone.

I appreciate your response.:)

You know, priest's through out history have been trying to stand in that one spot between fallen man and God.

Shedding the blood of animals and man trying to make the atonement that would bridge the gap.

Some priests have been sent by God.

Others have taken this work on to themselves and have twisted it to the point where the idea had been finally lost.

But Jesus who we call Christ. The Lords' Christ, born of a Womb-man and with the mighty Elohim as His Father, brought to this Earth through the Power of the Holy Ghost made it possible for Him to as a man, lay down His life and as God, take it up again bringing us up with Him.

Praise the Lord!

Bro. Rudick

[Justice]

We are reconciled with God by becoming one with Christ, taking adavatage of his power to make vicarious payment for our sins.

So, how does one "take advantage" of His power?

There are many different beliefs.

Directed at everyone:

What is your belief?

[Guest tomk]

So, how does one "take advantage" of His power?

There are many different beliefs.

Directed at everyone:

What is your belief?

We open ourselves to His power through our broken heart and contrite spirit. The condition of a broken heart and a contrite spirit allows Him to reach in and make the needed changes. Otherwise He will not interfere. He will not violate our agency.

[JohnnyRudick]

We open ourselves to His power through our broken heart and contrite spirit. The condition of a broken heart and a contrite spirit allows Him to reach in and make the needed changes. Otherwise He will not interfere. He will not violate our agency.

No kidding!

This power, the power of the Holy Ghost, our Comforter, will give us this power.

If we work with God, He will work with us.

Am I talking about Salvation?

No, all who accept the atoning Sacrifice of our Lord will be "saved".

What I am talking about is what will your reward be?

As I have pointed out before.

Will it be

Stubble?

Hay?

Wood?

Precious stones?

Jewels?

Or will it be Gold in the Celestial Kingdom of our Father?

He will help us get there from there.

But you must work with Him, for Him to work with you.

He will pull you to the starting gate.

1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than

that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation

gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

1 Corinthians 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for

the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;

and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

1 Corinthians 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built

thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

1 Corinthians 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall

suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,

and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him

shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye

are.

1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among

you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that

he may be wise.

1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness

with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own

craftiness.

1 Corinthians 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of

the wise, that they are vain.

1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all

things are your's;

1 Corinthians 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the

world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come;

all are your's;

1 Corinthians 3:23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the

ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a

man be found faithful.

Will you settle for "Stubble"?

Saved "Stubble".

We are told even that is pretty good.

Just wondering?

Bro. Rudick

[Superbaldguy]

One of the best books, if not the best book, written about the Atonement is "The Peacegiver." I am using the text as the basis for the talk I am giving on Easter Sunday (April 12th). I am on the stake High Council, so I get to speak regularly on a variety of gospel topics.