This verse expands our understanding of Christ’s Atonement. It confirms His work and glory are not yet finished. We are in the middle of His Atonement. In this Chapter we will look at the implications of this verse and what it includes.
We tend to view Christ’s Atonement as a work He completed during His mortality. Here, we learn the Atonement is still unfolding and is a work Christ continues to do for those who will receive his redemption. The Atonement is something Christ is still doing for those willing to receive it. He does this redemptive work with any person who will cooperate with Him in overcoming their temptations and weaknesses. He graciously provides us counsel, inspiration and encouragement, or in other words, “succor.” To obtain the benefit, all we need do is accept His grace and follow Him. If we do, it is by His grace we are saved. But His grace requires you repent, follow Him, and accept counsel and succor from Him. Otherwise His gift is meaningless. It is freely offered to everyone, but not freely accepted, except by a “few.”
Alma 7: 12 contains profound insight on Christ’s Atonement. We will see there remains great work for each of us in our own lives in order to receive His redemption. He will lead, but we must be actively involved. There is no cheap and easy way to receive His redemption. But it is possible for every one of us to receive what He offers. We can all overcome our weaknesses with His succor.
Christ accepted the same kinds of “infirmities” as the rest of mankind when He came to mortality. “Infirmities” describes more than just debilitating sicknesses. It includes all our mortal weaknesses, temptations, fears, appetites, limitations and failings. Whether it is a weak body or a weak will, Christ’s Atonement included exposure to all the “infirmity” of mortal life. As a result, He has acquired the understanding and knowledge necessary to heal, improve, repair and overcome it all. If we will allow Him to help us, He can correct these things in us. He knows what is needed to confront and defeat each of the infirmities we face. He faced them and conquered them. As a result, He knows how to guide each of us in our struggles with weakness and infirmity.
Christ declared the following to Moroni, as he translated the Book of Ether: “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12: 27, emphasis added.) Weaknesses are “gifts” to help us grow. We are meant to have them and also to overcome them. Christ provides the power to do so. If we will humble ourselves because of our weaknesses, and come to Him, He can and will replace them with strength. This is a process that requires our active cooperation with Him. We decide whether we will allow Him to help us overcome or not. If we decide to do so, He will be there to succor us in each step to replace the weakness with strength.
Christ’s suffering gave Him perfect understanding of the human experience. He gained knowledge about the human condition from His mortal privations, sufferings, persecutions, rejections and martyr’s death. It was educational. It informed Him. He now possesses a body of knowledge which allows Him to see into our fears, disappointments, frustrations, anxieties and doubts. In a word, He relates to us. He has felt the bitterness of hatred and rejection. There is no pain you will encounter which He has not already experienced. Because He relates to our human frailties, He has the capacity to provide us the critical advice, inspiration, counsel and encouragement to endure. He offers each of us succor to make it through our greatest trials. We often think of our future triumph over death as Christ’s greatest accomplishment on our behalf. Maybe in one respect it is. However, it is His present succor, His presentintervention with our human sufferings which is most important at present. Our future condition in the resurrection depends upon how much of this succor we are willing to accept at present.
The most important part of the Atonement for our mortal lives is found in His offer to succor us now. This Chapter’s verse ties His suffering to His understanding. His ability to deal with human infirmities increased infinitely by all that which He endured in His mortality. The insight He gained into the human condition allows Him perfect understanding of what it means to suffer, to fail, to be rejected, to want and hope for what will not happen, to endure other’s misunderstanding of your motives, to have others wrongly attribute wickedness to you when you are innocent, to be tempted to the limits of human weaknesses, to confront Satan, and to endure every extremity of bodily pain. His mortal life descended below every physical and emotional burden possible to endure. This suffering was to inform and educate Him about what each of us goes through as we are tempted.
Christ described His suffering in D&C Section 19, verses 15 through 20. He describes in painful detail the suffering endured in the Garden of Gethsemane. He tells us this suffering was not the end, however. It was only the beginning. He calls it only His “preparations” for us: “Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.” (D&C 19: 19, emphasis added.) Why does He tell us His suffering was only “preparation” and not the completion? After all, He cried out on the cross: “It is finished!” with a loud voice. How can it be the “preparation” and still be “finished?”
Christ answers these questions with His own description above. He finished His preparations for all of us. He finished the first part. He now has bowels which are “filled with compassion” for what each of us must encounter in mortality. “And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.” (Alma 7: 12.) His sufferings were to make Him adept to the challenge of the second part of the Atonement. He is filled with mercy, and can now understand perfectly how to “succor” each of us. Isaiah described this in these words: “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isa. 53: 11.) Christ possesses the knowledge to be able to justify each of us. Moses explained the interrelationship: “For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;” (Moses 6: 60). It is the Holy Spirit which will justify you. You obtain the Holy Spirit by obedience to His commandments. We are reminded of that every week as the Sacrament is blessed. He gives us commandments to lead us back to His Father. When we follow them, we receive the Spirit. The Sacrament prayer petitions for us to always have His Spirit to be with us. The Spirit was also promised us at baptism when we were commanded to “receive the Holy Ghost.” Our lives are supposed to be lived under the guidance of the Spirit.
The Spirit, however, does not just make us feel better or justified. It leads us. It enlightens us. It reveals to us. As the angel said to John on the Isle of Patmos: “I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: forthe testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19: 10.) Joseph Smith linked revelation from the Lord with our own salvation. Without it, we cannot be saved. Just how broadly this was intended to be present in the Church is explained by Elder Bruce R. McConkie:
To the faithful the Lord promises: “Assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive. …Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation.” (D. & C. 8: 1–3; 46: 7; Matt. 7: 7–8; Jas. 1: 5.) This is the way testimony is gained, as in the case of Enos (Enos 1–10), and the way all men can learn of the truth of the Book of Mormon. (Moro. 10: 3–5.) Missionaries are to bear record of those things which have been revealed to them. (D. & C. 58:63.)
Knowledge is revealed to the saints by the Holy Ghost (D. & C. 121: 26–32), and when they speak as moved upon by that member of the Godhead, the resultant expressions are scripture. (D. & C. 68: 1–4.) “If thou shalt ask,” the Lord said to the Prophet (and it applies in principle to all the saints), “thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things - that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” (D. & C. 42: 61; 59: 4.) “Thus saith the Lord - I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end. Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory. And to them I will reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom. Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations. And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent shall come to naught. For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will - yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.” (D. & C. 76: 5–10.)
Paul wrote: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. …But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2: 9–10, 14–16; 14: 6, 26, 30; 2 Cor. 12: 1–4; D. & C. 76: 114–118.)
Every person who is sufficiently faithful has the categorical promise that God himself will appear to him. “Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.” (D. & C. 93: 1.) This has reference to the personal appearance of God to mortal beings. (D. & C. 67: 10–14.) Many righteous persons have complied with the law of faith involved and received this promised revelation. (Ether 3: 19–26.)
With reference to their own personal affairs, the saints are expected (because they have the gift of the Holy Ghost) to gain personal revelation and guidance rather than to run to the First Presidency or some other church leaders to be told what to do. “It is a great thing to inquire at the hands of God, or to come into his presence,” the Prophet said, “and we feel fearful to approach him on subjects that are of little or no consequence, to satisfy the queries of individuals, especially about things the knowledge of which men ought to obtain in all sincerity, before God, for themselves, in humility by the prayer of faith, and more especially a teacher or a high priest in the Church.”(Teachings, p. 22.) (McConkie, Bruce R. Mormon Doctrine. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, pp. 643–645.)
Everyone should be obeying the commandments, receiving revelation, and enjoying the gift of prophecy. That is the hallmark of the testimony of Christ. We exclude these gifts from our lives at our eternal peril. Our connection to Christ should be alive, and to bring Him into our daily lives. His succor should be apparent to you. He wants to be a companion with you in life.
Christ intends to succor you by His revelations to you. He intends for you to overcome the trials and sufferings which come to you in this life by asking and receiving from Him the strength necessary to meet them. Your challenges will not be removed from you. Sometimes He will tell you that drinking of the bitter cup is the only way to be justified. He was required to do so. From this suffering He learned obedience. He also learned how to save us. But our salvation is dependent upon obedience to Him, just as His salvation was in turn dependent upon obedience to His Father. He is the light of the world which we must follow. If we want light, we gain it through keeping the commandments. We are here to gather light. He is the guide into greater light. He leads us to the light through His commandments. His “succor” comes to us by obeying His commandments. When we follow them, He is able to give us greater light. When we disobey, we lose light. We are cautioned: “And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.” (D&C 93: 39.) So our active cooperation with a loving Savior is needed. He doesn’t use any magic to redeem us. He uses our cooperation and personal growth, our experiences and even our failings. Everything works together under His guidance. He can turn even our failures and failings to improve us.
His succor also comes through the things He reveals to us. This is why we must study the scriptures and seek for revelation to guide us. It is through revelation we can know how to cope with the challenges which come to us. More importantly, revelation shows us how to deal with the failures, disappointments, illnesses and ultimately the death which each of our lives will endure. This is why we are warned to “despise not the revelations of God.” (Jacob 4: 8.) A great deal of effort has been required to make the scriptures available for us. Even more effort has gone into restoring the Gospel with its attendant ordinances and rites. These are tools which the Lord uses to shower His grace and guidance upon us.
Do you have a testimony of Christ? If so, you should be having revelation. As we have seen, the two are linked together. It is through revelation He will succor you. He will allow you to clearly understand the challenges you face. He will guide you past the trials, and comfort you in what can only be suffered and not overcome. Just like Him, some of our trials cannot be overcome, but can be endured. He will strengthen your weaknesses to allow you to endure. But, He is able to do so only if you come to Him.
Christ’s revelations are endless. If we are willing to receive them, He can speak directly to each of us. He is at no loss for words. “And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.” (Moses 1: 37–38.) Christ is willing to talk us through our mortal challenges. He can and will succor us. But we must be willing to listen. He cannot impose upon us what we will not willingly receive.
We open the door to His succor when we ask for and receive revelation from Him. Unless we ask, we limit what we can receive. This is why we find so often the command to “ask”and “seek” and “knock.” Our testimony of Christ is tied to revelation. Revelation is tied to obedience. Both are tied to the light we obtain here. And all of these are the Atonement of Christ at work in your life.
He is trying to redeem you from sin. This is not some distant, post-millennial redemption. It is His work which He is currently undertaking. Right now He is attempting to remove sin and errors from you. He is trying to succor you. He can and will forgive you with alacrity. But His ready forgiveness is only a start. Without you changing your course, forgiveness of your past sins will not make you whole. He wants you to grow into a complete, mature and graceful being. That growth requires your cooperation with Him.
Whether or not you receive the full Atonement for your sins depends on whether you will permit Him to succor you. It is not a future work. He is not going to magically remove errors from you after you die. Rather, He is working to remove them from you now, in the life you are living now. He will guide you past the errors in your life, if you will receive His succor. His succor includes His commandments, and His revelations. If you will not obey Him, you cannot receive the Atonement He offers. If you will not ask for, receive and follow His revelations to you, then you will not receive an Atonement which He offers.
This Chapter’s verse moves the Atonement into a present, unfolding event. It brings you directly into contact with Christ’s present work in the life you are living at this moment. He only “finished His preparations” during His earthly ministry. Now is the day in which those preparations are to result in your redemption. He would like to redeem you from the Fall now, and not at some future date. He would like to bring you back into the presence of God the Father, and have you enter into His rest. This is His work and glory.It requires your cooperation. It is wrong to assume Christ’s work has concluded. It is actively underway. Whether you will allow Him to redeem you, and atone for your sins is entirely up to you. He offers, but only we can receive. A modern revelation describes this process to us. This is a warning about the resurrection and is also wise counsel about how you should live your life today:
They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened. Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness. And they who are quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness. And also they who are quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness. And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received. For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same. (D&C 88: 28–34, emphasis added.)
You have been offered the gift of both immortality and eternal life. What you will receive in eternity is entirely dependent upon what you are willing to receive now. Christ’s succor can help you overcome all things. We shouldn’t live lives of bitterness, disappointment, or frustration. Life’s inevitable trials are for our good. With Christ’s guidance, you can receive all your life’s trials with patience and resignation. We do not need to be important or even noticed in this life to be assured eternal life. Alma counseled us about ambitions here: “But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.” (Alma 29: 3.)
You are living at the very moment when you should stop and receive what Christ is offering. It is not some distant event. It is for now. He paid an infinite price to gain the knowledge necessary to be able to succor you. Keep His commandments, receive light from Him, and allow Him to redeem you. This is His great, and current work. It is infinite, because it is capable of succoring every person who has ever lived. Christ’s wisdom and guidance can guide any of us into successfully completing the challenges of life. It includes sufficient succor to redeem you, if you will receive it.
Just when we thought we had learned enough about Christ’s work, the Book of Mormon comes along and reorients us. It shows us how Christ’s atoning work is personal, and directly involved with each life, and that it is still underway. What we thought was the completion of the Atonement turns out to be only His “preparations” for us. He has the knowledge necessary to actually counsel us through mortal trials. It remains to be seen whether we will accept counsel at His hand. “Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand.” (Jacob 4: 10.)
The beauty, grace and love of Christ is experienced through cooperating with Him. You find He is a ready companion now, and will not leave you comfortless. He is as ready to minister to you now as you are willing to receive Him.