Book of Mormon Class

The Atonement
Alma 7
Taught by Karen P.

If you hold on to a rope and twirl it then let go, what happens? 
The rope goes flying off doing it's own thing, no longer connected to it's centrical base.


Christ and his atonement represent the center...if the center lets go...what happens to the rest of the plan?


Joseph Smith taught that "the fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven, and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it"


Elder Boyd K. Packer said: "Truth, glorious truth, proclaims there is...a Mediator...Through Him mercy can be fully extended to each of us without offending the eternal law of justice.  This truth is the very root of Christian doctrine.  You may know much about the gospel as it branches out from there, but if you only know the branches and those branches do not touch that root, if they have been cut free from that truth, there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them."


"Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and other worlds, 'astonished'!  Jesus knew cognitively what He must do, but not experientially.  He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before.  thus, when the agony came into its fullness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined!  No wonder an angel appeared to strengthen Him! (Luke 22:43)

"The cumulative weight of all mortal sins-past, present, and future-pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul!  All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement" (Ensign, May 1985,78-73).


What is Alma's challenge to how we can take advantage of this great Atonement and receive its promises?  


"Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day.... And whoseoever doeth this, .... he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me." (Alma 7:15-16)


Take this Challenge:  Read the sacramental prayers each week with great feeling and understanding of the sacrifice made for us... bringing a broken spirit and a contrite heart to the table...that we may always have His spirit to be with us and claim the blessings of eternal life. 

*NoTe..... Unbelivable I know!! Sue G is going to resume teaching the Book of Mormon class this month! We are soooo happy for her!!  Class will be held at her house instead of Karen P's as listed on February's calander.

~On behalf of the Presidency and Willow Wood Ward Women, we want to whole heart idly thank Karen for her wonderful job of filling in during Sue's absence.~