Blessings of the Atonement

That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory. (Moses 6:59)

Because of our mortal nature, we often make mistakes that negatively impact our view of life. Some years ago, Elder Sterling W. Sill spoke about this in General Conference. “Because we draw so much from the rebellion, weakness, and evil with which we are surrounded, we tend to load ourselves up too heavily with guilt complexes, mental problems, insecurity, and mediocrity. I recently heard of a man who compounded the problem by hoarding his mistakes. He often referred to the fact that his D.F.T. drawer was the largest file in his office. Someone once asked him what these file letters stood for, and he said they identified a collection of the damn fool things that he had done.”[1]

Most of us have D.F.T. files that burden us down and sometimes become the cause for our frustration in working out our salvation. Elder Sill goes on to remind us of some important principles related to the fall and the atonement. “Henry Thoreau, an early American philosopher, once said that we should thank God every day of our lives for the privilege of having been born. And then he went on to speculate on the rather unique supposition of what it might have been like if we had not been born. Just suppose that you had never been born or that your parents had never been born. Think of all of the excitement and opportunities you would have missed as a consequence. What Mr. Thoreau may not have known was that one-third of all of the children of God never were born and never can be born because they failed to pass the requirements of their first estate….

“Eight years after I was born, I learned something about the great principle of repentance by which we can clear out our D.F.T. files and be born again. And so, on August 27, 1911, I was born of the water and of the Spirit in the exact manner prescribed by the Savior of the world. I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had the gift of the Holy Ghost officially conferred upon me.”[2]

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we have been endowed with great knowledge about the fall of man. We fill our D.F.T. files because of our fallen, mortal nature. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can clear out these D.F.T. files. We qualify for that atoning grace as we are obedient to the will of the Lord and follow the path he has prescribed, including baptism and the ongoing process of repentance. I often wonder how those without this marvelous knowledge continue through life carrying the burden of their D.F.T. files. The knowledge of the atonement gives us great hope and I stand in awe that Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for our benefit. “I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine; That he should extend his great love unto such as I, Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.”[3]

[1] Conference Report, April 1971.
[2] Ibid.
[3] “I Stand All Amazed,” Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985), no. 193.