The Atonement: The Redeeming and Strengthening Power of the Atonement

After studying the atonement for several months, I wanted to summarize what I had learned so I could better apply it in my own life. The atonement has become much more daily in my life when I remember both the redeeming and the strengthening aspects the atonement offers.

See also: The Atonement: Grace, the Enabling Power of the Atonement,& "In the Strength of the Lord"

Redeeming	Strengthening	Reference
We grow in two ways—removing negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers. First and repeatedly we must uproot the weeds of sin and bad choices. It isn’t enough just to mow the weeds. Yank them out by the roots.	Our purpose is to become celestial beings. So once we’ve cleared our heartland, we must continually plant, weed, and nourish the seeds of divine qualities.	Elder Bruce Hafen, Gen. Conf. 4/04
“Put off the natural man...”	“Becometh a Saint...”	Mosiah 3:19
Clean hands	Pure heart	Psalms 24:4
“I think most of us know that 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.”	I 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.”	Elder Bednar
Sins of commission “The sins of commission [are] wrong acts done, wrong thoughts entertained, and so on.” “Once the telestial sins are left behind and henceforth avoided, the focus falls ever more on the sins of omission.”	Sins of omission “The other category of sin, sins of omission, [is] failure to do what is right.” “It is my opinion that in the realm of the sins of omission we can make more major, though quiet, progress than in any other place.”	President Kimball Elder Maxwell

BIBLE DICTIONARY: GRACE -

It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice:

·         that mankind will be raised in immortality.

·         It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means.

o   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.

“No man ought to say, ‘Oh I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them…He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth.  For this purpose He gives these gifts, and bestows them upon those who seek after them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth, notwithstanding their many weaknesses, because God has promised to give the gifts that are necessary for their perfection.  If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect.”  President George Q. Cannon, The Millennial Star, Volume 56, p. 260