Second spiritual death (separated from God because of individual sin)Ī. First spiritual death (born outside God's presence)ī. Only then did he proceed to explain the relationships among justice, mercy, and the Atonement.īecause of the need to understand the Fall before we can fully comprehend the purposes of the Atonement, I have found the following chart useful in helping students grasp how the Atonement corrects or redeems the “negative” consequences of the Fall:Ī. In the next eleven verses, Alma laid the groundwork for his answer by detailing the conditions in the Garden of Eden and the consequences of the Fall. Alma, in counseling his wayward son Corianton, discerned, “I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot understand-which is concerning the justice of God in the punishment of the sinner.” Then, he said, “Now behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee” (Alma 42:1–2). Thus, we learn that the Atonement was necessary to correct certain conditions brought about by the Fall (that is, physical and spiritual death). Then, he followed his introduction with a succinct summary of why the Savior came: “The Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall” (2 Nephi 2:26). In the course of it, he first explained the conditions that existed in the Garden of Eden. Lehi gave a magnificent discourse on the Atonement (see 2 Nephi 2). Students quickly learn the impossibility of adequately comprehending the Atonement without first understanding the Fall. President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “No one adequately and properly knows why he needs Christ until he understands and accepts the doctrine of the Fall and its effect upon all mankind.” Isaiah taught, “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?” Then, he gave the simple but profound formula for mastering the doctrines of the Church: “precept upon precept line upon line” (Isaiah 28:9–10). A certain order of events is required in the learning process. Millet calls “the doctrine of doctrines.” Ī person could never master calculus without first mastering algebra. Their messages are poignant reminders of the spiritual tone we ought to set before we commence teaching what Robert L. Why? Because these prophets knew that the beautiful but difficult doctrine of the Atonement can be comprehended only by the spiritually prepared. It required an intense alertness of all his spiritual faculties. ![]() It was a warning, a wake-up call, that the message to follow deserved far more than the listener’s casual attention. These prophets began their sermons by firing a spiritual shot across the bow. we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). Those who heard the words of King Benjamin cried with one accord, “We believe all the words thou hast spoken unto us and. The impact of these messages was life-changing for many. As a result, ears perked up, minds became more focused, and hearts yielded to receive the spiritual reservoir that was about to be released. Just like King Benjamin, he first set the stage before launching into his inspired message. McConkie began his never-to-be-forgotten sermon on the atoning sacrifice with these profound words: “I feel, and the Spirit seems to accord, that the most important doctrine I can declare, and the most powerful testimony I can bear, is of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.” He then gave one of the most masterful sermons ever delivered on the Atonement. ![]() His introduction was a warning shot that ears needed to be spiritually attuned and hearts softened to receive the message of supernal import that was about to follow. If any had come with spiritual thimbles to receive his words, he was quick to inform them of the need for much larger receptacles: “I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view” (Mosiah 2:9 emphasis added). King Benjamin called his subjects together-but not for a day of entertainment. Set forth below are some teaching techniques and resources used by the prophets to explain the atoning doctrine and its infinite implications. How can we as teachers of the restored gospel effectively teach the sublime and deep doctrine of the Atonement? How have the prophets done so? And what can we learn from them? Īlthough prophets through the ages have reflected varying talents and unique teaching skills, certain underlying principles occur again and again in their teaching ministries. Callister is a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy.
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