Mormon Dilemma 677

Atonement

Gospel Principles, pg 233; “The Atonement of Jesus Christ assures each of us that we will be resurrected and live forever. But if we are to live forever with our families in Heavenly Father’s presence, we must do all that the Savior commands us to do. This includes being baptized and confirmed and receiving the ordinances of the temple.”

Mark 10:45; “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Jesus didn’t die on the cross so we’d all be resurrected and live forever. Romans 4:25 says; “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

Jesus was crucified to pay for our sins and we’re resurrected and given eternal life because of the justification we receive from His sacrifice.

Jesus died on the cross to ransom us from the predicament we’re born into as sinners. He acted as a substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf and because He fulfilled the requirements needed to act on our behalf, our ransom was paid in full.

The word ransom comes from ancient economic times. Ransom in the Hebrew is lutron which means to loosen with, that is, a redemption price, figuratively an atonement, ransom.

The image is from a slave market or a prison. The slave/prisoner can’t free themselves so someone steps in to pony up, thereby setting the slave (us)  free and giving the slave a new life – 2 Cor. 5:17, 19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.