Quick quiz: What do these phrases have in common?
“The atonement”
“The enabling power of the atonement”
“Applying the atonement”
“Being strengthened by the atonement”
They are all phrases that President Nelson has asked us to STOP using.
Why?
Because they completely take Christ out of the picture!
President Nelson has encouraged us to use terms like “the Savior’s atoning sacrifice” that keep our focus on Jesus.
I used to attend church and learn about lots of different topics:
Service, church history, families, spiritual gifts, my Savior, peace.
But I remember it clicking in my mind one day that everything is actually tied back to Christ!
And I think we could all try to do a bit better at making sure our lessons, talks, and thoughts always connect to Jesus.
“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14)
Our faith needs to be in Jesus Christ, and our preaching needs to point others to Jesus Christ.
We go to church to partake of the sacrament as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice.
We learn about service to become more charitable like Christ.
We study church history to see how others turned to Christ during their trials.
Everything is connected to and possible only because of Jesus!
Give it a try– the next church lesson, class, or talk that you sit through, make an effort to see how it is all possible only because of Jesus Christ.
And then share that testimony with others!
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
