Capstone Practicum

1.


“The Atonement of Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity to overcome the spiritual death that results from sin and, through making and keeping sacred covenants, to have the blessings of eternal life.”

 Elder Dallin H. Oaks- General Conference October 2011 “Teachings of Jesus” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/teachings-of-jesus?lang=eng

2.


"Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness that maintains order... Justice guarantees that you will receive the blessings you earn for obeying the laws of God. Justice also requires that every broken law be satisfied. When you obey the laws of God, you are blessed, but there is no additional credit earned that can be saved to satisfy the laws that you break. If not resolved, broken laws can cause your life to be miserable and would keep you from returning to God. Only the life, teachings, and particularly the Atonement of Jesus Christ can release you from this otherwise impossible predicament. The demands of justice for broken law can be satisfied through mercy, earned by your continual repentance and obedience to the laws of God. Such repentance and obedience are absolutely essential for the Atonement to work its complete miracle in your life. The Redeemer can settle your individual account with justice and grant forgiveness through the merciful path of your repentance. Through the Atonement you can live in a world where justice assures that you will retain what you earn by obedience. Through His mercy you can resolve the consequences of broken laws."Elder Richard G. Scott- General Conference October 2006 "The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/the-atonement-can-secure-your-peace-and-happiness?lang=eng

3.

"It is a fundamental truth that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be cleansed. We can become virtuous and pure. However, sometimes our poor choices leave us with long-term consequences. One of the vital steps to complete repentance is to bear the short- and long-term consequences of our past sins."
Elder Richard G. Scott- General Conference October 2013 "Personal Strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/personal-strength-through-the-atonement-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng

4.

"Grace is the divine assistance or heavenly help each of us desperately needs to qualify for the celestial kingdom. The enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and to serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.
Elder David A. Bednar- General Conference April 2012 "The Atonement and the Jorney of Mortality" https://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng

5.

"However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland- General Conference April 2012 "The Laborers in the Vineyard" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/the-laborers-in-the-vineyard?lang=eng

 6.

"I readily confess that I would find no peace, neither happiness nor safety, in a world without repentance. I do not know what I should do if there were no way for me to erase my mistakes...
An atonement was made. Ever and always it offers amnesty from transgression and from death if we will but repent. Repentance is the escape clause in it all. Repentance is the key with which we can unlock the prison from inside. We hold that key within our hands, and agency is ours to use it."
Elder Boyd K. Packer- General Conference April 1988 "Atonement, Agency, Accountability" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/atonement-agency-accountability?lang=eng (Emphasis added.)

7.

 “Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life. Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden and pain. Suffering for sin does not by itself change anything for the better. Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life. And, of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation. Repentance is a divine gift… It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace.”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, General Conference October 2011 “The Divine Gift of Repentance” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-divine-gift-of-repentance?lang=eng&query=

8.

Repentance requires a seriousness of purpose and a willingness to persevere, even through pain. Attempts to create a list of specific steps of repentance may be helpful to some, but it may also lead to a mechanical, check-off-the-boxes approach with no real feeling or change. True repentance is not superficial. The Lord gives two overarching requirements: “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them” (D&C 58:43).
Confessing and forsaking are powerful concepts. They are much more than a casual “I admit it; I’m sorry.” Confession is a deep, sometimes agonizing acknowledgment of error and offense to God and man. Sorrow and regret and bitter tears often accompany one’s confession...
With faith in the merciful Redeemer and His power, potential despair turns to hope. One’s very heart and desires change, and the once-appealing sin becomes increasingly abhorrent. A resolve to abandon and forsake the sin and to repair, as fully as one possibly can, the damage he or she has caused now forms in that new heart. This resolve soon matures into a covenant of obedience to God. With that covenant in place, the Holy Ghost, the messenger of divine grace, will bring relief and forgiveness.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, General Conference October 2011 “The Divine Gift of Repentance” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-divine-gift-of-repentance?lang=eng&query=

9.

“The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes possible our becoming more like our Father in Heaven so that we can live together eternally in our family units.”
Elder Richard G. Scott, General Conference April 2014 “I Have Given You an Example” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/i-have-given-you-an-example?lang=eng

10.

"The Atonement was a selfless act of infinite, eternal consequence, arduously earned alone, by the Son of God. Through it the Savior broke the bonds of death.... It opens the gates to exaltation for all who qualify for forgiveness through repentance and obedience. Pondering the grandeur of the Atonement evokes the most profound feelings of awe, immense gratitude, and deep humility. Those impressions can provide you powerful motivation to keep His commandments and consistently repent of errors for greater peace and happiness. I believe that no matter how diligently you try, you cannot with your human mind fully comprehend the eternal significance of the Atonement nor fully understand how it was accomplished... Even so, you should conscientiously study the Atonement to understand it as well as you can."Elder Richard G. Scott- General Conference October 2006 "The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/10/the-atonement-can-secure-your-peace-and-happiness?lang=eng

I find it difficult to sum up my thoughts on the atonement in one paragraph. It is such an intensely personal subject. And it is something that you could study your whole life and never been completely able to comprehend. We have been given so many beautiful gifts, but I don't think there has been a greater one than the gift our Savior gave. A loving Father made a plan where the Atonement did not just save us from our sins but provided a tool whereby we can overcome all our pains, challenges, weaknesses; it is a tool for us to change, or to heal, or to forgive. It is eternal and we are eternally indebted for this gift that we could never repay. I have experienced it's power in my life, and I know that I have not yet understood even a part of it or learned how to use it fully. I was grateful for this push to study more about it.