Receiving the blessings of the Atonement

Here is commentary from Spencer W. Kimball about what we must do to receive the blessings of the Atonement.

Every soul has his free agency. He can have all the blessings Christ lived and died to give him. But Christ's death and plan are all in vain and even worse than futile if we do not take advantage of them: "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent" (D&C 19:16).

The Savior came "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). His birth, death, and resurrection brought about the first. But we must join our efforts with his to bring about the second, to attain eternal life. When we think of the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ and the sufferings he endured for us, we would be ingrates if we did not appreciate it so far as our power made it possible. He suffered and died for us, yet if we do not repent, all his anguish and pain on our account are futile.

His suffering before and on the cross and his great sacrifice can mean little or nothing to us unless we live his commandments. For he says: "... why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46.)

"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15.)

Men who know God and love him and live his commandments and obey his true ordinances may yet in this life, or the life to come, see his face and know that he lives and will commune with them. We believe, and it is our testimony, and we proclaim it to the world "that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent" (Mosiah 3:17).

We know, and it is our testimony, and we also proclaim it to the world that to be saved men must "believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent" (Mosiah 3:18).

Thus, with Nephi, "we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Ne. 25:23, 26)

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