Jesus Suffered for Us So We Don’t Have To
While in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ suffered for each one of us. He describes this suffering in the following scripture passage and then adds a condition so that we do not have to experience the same kind of suffering.
In Doctrine and Covenants 19:15-19 it reads, “15 Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.
The Savior has already suffered for us. He has already endured the pains, heartaches, afflictions, and all other things we might experience. He’s already done it. For us.
That means we don’t have to needlessly suffer for our mistakes, transgressions, or sins. Of course, when we make mistakes or commit sin we will have some pain associated with that, but we don’t have to continue to suffer. We can turn that pain, anguish, heartache over to Him. He will take it. He suffered for each one of us because He loves us. He did this for us.
In order to access the healing of atonement of Jesus Christ, we must be willing to come unto Him and to repent. IF we repent, THEN we don’t need to suffer.
Repentance
When I was a kid, the word repentance felt so heavy and so big. Repentance = being in trouble. If I had to repent, it was because I’d made some huge mistake or broken a big commandment and I needed to be in big trouble for that. Repentance made me feel sad and scared. I wanted to hide because if I had to repent, that meant I was a loser. A failure. Repentance equated to bad in my head and I didn’t want to talk about it.
Even as a young parent, I would teach my kids the steps of repentance, but I don’t think I truly grasped what repentance meant and, therefore, struggled to adequately explain it.
One day as I was studying, something clicked. Repentance wasn’t big and huge and terrible, it was good. It was (and is) a blessing. Repentance actually means the opportunity to change. To grow. To BECOME. Repentance means changing to become like the Savior.
Repentance = Becoming
The point of mortality is to show Heavenly Father that we will choose Him. That no matter what happens in our lives or what kinds of trials we face or what mistakes we make, we will still choose Him. That we want to become like His Son, Jesus Christ.
The atonement of Jesus Christ was not the back-up plan IN CASE we made a mistake or two, it was THE plan. Heavenly Father knew we’d come down to mortality and wrestle with decisions. And, despite His teachings, we’d make the wrong ones. Some of us would even rebel and fight against Him. We’d think we knew better. We’d try things our own way. We’d fall flat on our faces. He knew that. So He sent His Son.
Jesus was the ONLY one who could pay the price for our sins. No one else ever could. Only Jesus. Though it was a bitter cup and He asked if He could avoid it, He went through with all the suffering and pains of the Garden of Gethsemane and the crucifixion to honor and uphold the Father’s will. So that you and I could someday return to live with Heavenly Father for eternity. Jesus did it for us.
The Savior uses some pointed words to describe His suffering. I don’t understand how He could take upon Himself all this suffering. I have no idea how the atonement happened, I just know that it did. And because it did, we don’t have to suffer like He did.
We just need to repent. We need to change. We need to put off our “natural man.” That part of us that is selfish and rude and impatient and unkind. The part of us that wants revenge on the person who cut us off on the freeway. The part that wants to be offended and hold a grudge. The part that wants to justify bad behavior. All of that “naturalness” must be replaced with “spiritualness.” Our time in mortality is our opportunity to learn how to do this.
Become Like The Savior
When we think about who to pattern our lives after, the person that should pop into our minds is Jesus Christ. He set the example of kindness, compassion, love, patience, and all other attributes we should seek. As we BECOME like Him, we are changing—> repenting. We are transforming ourselves into new creatures.
Jesus Christ is our example in all things. As we study His life and teachings in the scriptures, we can see a pattern for how to live our lives. How to forgive even when it seems impossible. How to find joy amidst unthinkable trials. How to experience peace in a tumultuous world. As we embrace His teachings, we are changing. We are repenting. We are becoming.
When we repent, we use the atonement of Jesus Christ. We access His suffering–something He has already done–so we don’t need to keep suffering for what we’ve done.
Come unto Christ. He has the answers. He has the way. He is the light and the life of this world. He has the healing balm we need.
We need not suffer endlessly if we will come unto Christ and lay our burdens at His feet. He is ready with His arms always open and He has already suffered for us.
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