Elder M. Russell Ballard
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Struggling with the death of a young man in the Ballard family has created a new appreciation for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which assures every person that "some day, we too, will follow him and experience our own resurrection.
"There is no greater expression of love than the heroic Atonement performed by the Son of God." Without the Atonement, all mankind would be left without hope of eternal progression.
"Even though his life was pure and free of sin, he paid the ultimate penalty for sin — yours, mine and everyone who has ever lived."
The Father also gave a great gift in resisting the urge to save his Son from the death he suffered, so that he could "complete his foreordained mission to become our Redeemer."
The resurrected Savior "is not dead. He lives . . . and guides the affairs of his church today."
Only by accepting the Atonement can humans meet the challenges of life and find peace, joy and happiness. Such acceptance would lead Latter-day Saints to be kind, concerned, respectful and sensitive to others and to desire to bring others into the gospel through sharing with them and helping them understand.
The word "one" is the core of "Atonement" and although the redeeming gift is infinite and eternal, it is applied to one person at a time. "If all mankind understood this, there would never be any one with whom we would not be concerned, regardless of age, race, gender, religion or social and economic standing."
