A core doctrine of the gospel is that Jesus Christ has redeemed us from sin and death. We rejoice in the promise of redemption, even as we experience it in microcosm during our mortal lives. For example, Alma described the experience of accepting a calling from God as “a preparatory redemption” (Alma 13:3). We feel the cleansing effects of the Savior’s Atonement as God qualifies us to serve.
But we recognize that these experiences are not the full package—the Savior’s redemptive work is not yet complete. We are still mortal, subject to illness, injury, and temptation. We continue to learn from our mistakes and to become more holy. So we look forward with anticipation to the day when we will receive the full blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
In an 1831 revelation to Joseph Smith, the Savior describes that day:
If ye have slept in peace blessed are you; for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected; and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth.
Doctrine and Covenants 45:46
I love that promise—”your redemption shall be perfected.” This process, which we have participated in throughout our mortal lives, will finally be completed, as we receive the full power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and overcome every obstacle or barrier which inhibits our progress. By His grace we will be healed of every wound, rescued from every bondage, and received into His Father’s kingdom in glory. We can appreciate and be grateful for the current indications that we are on that path while continuing to prepare for the full reception of those gifts.
King Benjamin’s people experienced a miraculous transformation after they prayed to be forgiven. “The Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins” (Mosiah 4:3). They told him that they had “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2).
Benjamin was grateful for this blessing, but he wanted his people to look forward to an even greater blessing: a permanent and comprehensive version of what they had just experienced. He urged them to “put [their] trust in the Lord,” to “be diligent in keeping his commandments,” and to “continue in the faith even unto the end of [their lives].” He declared, “This is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world” (Mosiah 4:6-7).
I’ve had experiences in which I felt the purifying influence of the Spirit of the Lord powerfully. The most recent of these occurred yesterday, as one of my daughters was sealed eternally to her new husband in a house of the Lord. These experiences provide a glimpse of the joy and peace that await us if we continue to exercise faith in God throughout our mortal lives.
Today, I will remember the redemptive experiences of my life and look forward to the perfect redemption which I can receive in the next. I will keep my spiritual experiences in perspective, recognizing that they only provide a foretaste of the blessings to come.
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