In 2 Corinthians 3:3, the Paul taught the Corinthians that a testimony is “. . . written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” In other words, a testimony cannot be gained through mere study—as all other knowledge is gained. Rather, since it is a Celestial piece of information, it must come from a Celestial source—the Holy Ghost.
And it is through the frequent whisperings of that Spirit, that the words “I know my Redeemer lives” has been etched onto the fleshy tables of my heart.
But it is not enough to have a testimony, we must live up to that testimony. A wise person once told me: “We should live our lives in such a way that someone who doesn’t know Christ but knows us will want to know Christ because they know us.” That, of course, is a tall order. I’m sure that if someone watched and catalogued my life, they would conclude that I live more of a Garfield lifestyle than a Christian lifestyle.
But fortunately, I have a way to repent and change. Richard G. Scott taught: “You must trust that the Savior has given His life so that you may make the required changes in your life.” What a wonderful opportunity is ours to cast off the shackles of sin through our Savior’s love. The burden of sin, taught President Harold B. Lee, is the heaviest that anyone can carry in this life. Elder Boyd K. Packer expressed it this way: “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. The agony would be more than I could bear.”
We are all probably well-acquainted, more than we want to be, with the debilitating effects of sin. We have probably all felt as though we were in a state of worthlessness when our sins have weighed us down. Perhaps, foolishly, we have allowed the Adversary to put into our hearts, the thought that we cannot be redeemed, that we cannot change, that a sinner is what we are and what we will ever be.
Such a lie is calculated to deprive of us of the infinite atonement—and I testify that it is infinite. Foreseeing this cunning plan of the evil one, Christ asked, through the prophet Isaiah, in 2 Nephi 7:2: “O house of Israel is my arm shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver?” You will note that this question comes at the start of the Isaiah chapters of 2nd Nephi, which chronicles many sins and abominations. It is this question that we are left to ponder as we read about the wickedness of the world. But at the end of it, Christ notes all this, and says succinctly in 2 Nephi 28:32: “I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long.” In short, these two verses teach this very important principle: Christ’s arm is not shortened! He can redeem!”
Let us, therefore, not put limits on an atonement that is infinite. Christ has all power. If the oceans can evaporate on his commandment, then why can he not change our hearts if we come unto Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit?
Christ will never turn his back to us. As near as I can tell, that is the point of the Isaiah chapters in 2nd Nephi: Christ is there for us. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell put it: “We may turn from Him, but He is still there. We may feel that he is hidden from us because of the cloud cover of our concerns, but He is still close to us. We—not He—let something come between us, but no lasting eclipse need ensue. Our disregard for him is no match for His love of us!”
Yes, love is the greatest trademark of our Savior, for it was His love for us that caused him to commit the atonement for us! Of this Ezra Taft Benson said, “We may never understand nor comprehend in mortality how He accomplished what he did, but we must not fail to understand why He did what He did. Everything He did was prompted by His unselfish, infinite love for us.”
Perhaps this perfect and pure love of Christ is best exemplified with his dealings with Paul. Said Elder Maxwell: “Who but merciful and discerning Jesus could be betrayed, arrested, and forsaken, and yet extend to a one-time persecutor, Saul, the great apostolic calling? Later on, [Christ] stood by a jailed and persecuted Peter in the night.” Alma the Younger is a character very similar to Paul because, like Paul, Alma went about seeking to destroy the church and the testimony others had for Christ, but was stopped by an angel. Alma tells us that after this experience he was “for three days and three nights was I racked with the pains of a damned soul.”
But Alma “remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou son of God, have mercy on me … And behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was pain!” (Alma 36:16-20).
Indeed, Christ does stand with open arms, waiting for us. Indeed, he did suffer all things for us. He did this so that we would not have to be racked with the pains of a damned soul. He did this so we would not be forever in Satan’s power. He did this so that we could become like Him. That we could live again with Him and the Father. It is when we understand why suffered that we can sing: “I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me!”
The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob expressed his gratitude for the Savior in 2 Nephi 9:10, when he said: “O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster.” Yes, we have the opportunity to cast off sin and purified in the blood of the Lamb.
But that does not mean that repentance is a right that can be abused. We must remember that we are, as Paul said, “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20). And as such, we must behave like ones who know that Christ did, in reality, suffer all things for our good.
We, therefore, should not seek out sin nor fall victim to the dangerous and abusive attitude of “Sin now and repent later.” We cannot trade our allegiance to our Redeemer for any portion of money, sex, or praise of man. Perhaps we can learn from the example of Anthon H. Lund. As a 13-year-old boy, Anthon H. Lund, who would later serve in the first presidency, was fulfilling a mission in his native Denmark. His combination of youth and spiritual competence won over many. He was so impressive that a wealthy and devout Lutheran offered to make Anthon his heir, if Anthon would become a Lutheran minister. Anthon replied: “I have no doubt that you are a rich man, but you have not money enough to buy my allegiance to the Church of God.” Even as a 13-year-old boy, Anthon H. Lund comprehended what was of the greatest worth: Following the Savior. We show our appreciation and friendship for the Atoner by being obedient to His commandments and by striving to live a life that would mirror the life that was sacrificed for us.
Recently, I read an article about Joe Delaney, who was an All-Pro running back for the Kansas City Chiefs in the early 1980s. Joe was more than just a football player. He was known for mowing the lawns of lonely women and checking in on the elderly. He was an all-around good guy. Perhaps that’s why one day, when he heard a cry for help from three drowning boys, he jumped in to save them—even though he couldn’t swim. By sheer strength, he was able to throw one of the boys to safety before he and the two other boys drowned.
Of the boy who was saved, Sports Illustrated’s Rick Reilly writes: “As much as you might hope that [he] has done something with the gift Delaney gave him, so far he hasn't. . . . Thirty years old now, [he] got out of jail in May after serving time for distribution of cocaine. There's still time for him to do something wonderful with the life Delaney gave him. After all, Delaney was doing wonderful things with the one he gave up.” This young man has forgotten that his mortal life was purchased with a price.
Similiarly, our eternal lives were purchased with a price—the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. To attain eternal life, we must live lives in which our faith is not hard to detect. We need to live lives that reflect the testimonies we have of Christ.
The Spirit of God has written such a testimony on my heart. Indeed, I do know that my Redeemer lives. I wish to live worthy of every blessing He would extend to me. I know He lives. But the Spirit of God has also whispered frequently to me other testimonies, and from this, I can testify that God lives and He too loves us with a love greater than we can comprehend. And the Father and The Son did appear to a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith. They did call him to be a prophet through whom they would restore the Holy Priesthood and bring forth those treasured books, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. I also know that Gordon B. Hinckley is God’s prophet on the earth today. How grateful I am to be a member of this church. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
