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The Third Article of Faith

© Rebecca Talley

The Third Article of Faith of the LDS Church states, "We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel."

When Adam and Eve transgressed the commandment given to them in the Garden of Eden they were cast out. They suffered two deaths; a spiritual death, or separation from God, and a physical death. The atonement of Christ rescues all from physical death by giving us the gift of resurrection. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Because of sins we, like Adam, are cut off from the presence of God. In Moses 6:57 we learn, "Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence . . ." Therefore, we must become clean from our sins in order to be worthy of an inheritance in the kingdom of God.

No mortal can cleanse himself or reconcile himself back to God. No mortal has ever had or will ever have the power to gain salvation by his own works. It is impossible for man to be saved based upon his own works. Since we all fall short of glory we would all be everlastingly lost if it were not for the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is only through His infinite atonement that we can ever be reconciled to God. Through our faith in the atonement and in our Savior, even Jesus Christ, we can be saved by His supreme sacrifice. He paid the price for us and He applies the law of mercy to us to satisfy the demands of justice to compensate for broken laws. Alma 42:24 teaches us, "For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved."

It has been said that the atonement is the single most important event in the history of the world. Without this redemption we would all be lost, never having the ability to make right our wrongs or receive forgiveness because it would be impossible. Faith in the atonement is the greatest and most important thing any mortal can do because it is only through the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that we can enjoy the presence of our Heavenly Father.

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