"We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel."
My husband grew up in another faith, and he says that he doesn't remember really ever hearing about the Atonement even though it is accounted for in the New Testament. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints focus on the Atonement. Atonement can be broken down as "at one." Christ was at one with us in the Garden of Gethsemane as he bled and suffered for our sins, sorrows and trials. It is through the Atonement that we can be forgiven of our sins and ultimately saved. There is so much more than just believing that contributes to being "saved". As a truly converted follower of Christ we will WANT to do good and kind things for others: helping the needy, giving of our time and sustenance, giving comfort. Also, practicing forgiveness ourselves towards others who have wronged us. When we emulate the Savior in our lives, we can more fully partake of the Atonement. We do not believe that good works gets us to heaven, His grace IS sufficient.
I often see bumper stickers and church signs in the area where I live that say, "If you can earn it, then why did He die." That is a common misconception about the LDS faith. As stated above we do not believe we can earn it but only that we should be doing as much good as possible to spread the love of God. We are his helping hands here on this Earth.
**I am not an official spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
If you would like to read our official doctrine concerning grace, you can go here.**
we pray a special pray at 3pm ..and the leader says, " For the sake of His sorrowful passion in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world..." and the response is "have mercy and us and on the whole world.'
ReplyDeleteI remember thinking how strange tp pray for the whole world when my family needs are so urgent and present to me!! but the more i grew in faith the more I believed we are all in this world together and even our smallest actions effect others.
i enjoy learning more about your faith.