WHAT IS THE JOY OF OUR REDEMPTION?
Dr. Debi Gilmore, LMFT
Many families have traditions surrounding the Easter holiday. For some, it is a time to color eggs, create fancy baskets, and anticipate the Easter egg hunt where they can gather as many eggs and treats as their baskets will hold. Easter dresses are purchased with matching bonnets and shoes, and new flowers begin budding and blossoming to celebrate the newness of spring season.
While these fun traditions bring joy and gathering of loved ones, there is a tendency to forget the most miraculous event in all history. An event that encompasses the purpose of life, and is the most essential and remarkable aspect of our Heavenly Father’s great plan of Salvation. During this Easter season, and throughout the year, we would do well to ponder more frequently on the Savior’s great Atoning sacrifice.
Recently, I came upon a painting of the Savior done by Kristin Yee, 2nd Counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The painting depicts Jesus with an expansive ocean behind him. The sky is serene and peaceful. The ocean is calm and tranquil. The Savior is looking off in the distance, his gaze suggesting he is pondering. I asked myself the question, “What would I do if I was walking along and saw him standing there?” I tried to imagine what I would do. Would I approach him? Would I wait for him to approach me? Would I ask him a question or would I wait for him to speak to me?
If I were walking along a beach and came upon the Savior, I would initially be overcome with awe and humility. I think I would also have a longing to tell him how much I love him… how grateful I am for his miraculous sacrifice for all of mankind… but especially that he did it for me! I might find myself wanting to ask how I can access the peace, grace, and comfort promised to us as a part of his great sacrifice? “What is the joy of our redemption, and how can I access that?” Oh! Wow… yes, if I could ask that, and have Him tell me directly what I could do, I would consider that to be the most rewarding, comforting, and miraculous gift.
We would all benefit from a greater understanding of terms related to the atonement. Three terms that I believe are a significant part of His sacrifice are 1) justification; 2) redemption; and 3) sanctification.
Justification
Justification” can mean a few different things depending on the context, but at its core, it refers to the reason or explanation for something—especially why something is right, acceptable, or necessary. In law, justification is a legal reason that makes an action lawful. For example, when a crime has been committed, the criminal is brought to justice and a penalty or punishment is imposed. In text formatting, justification refers to how text is aligned.
However, as justification relates to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, it brings an entirely and distinctly different definition. Justification removes the punishment for past sin. This doesn’t mean that when we make a mistake or commit a sin there is no consequence. The consequence might be Godly sorrow that motivates us to reach to Christ for help in the repentance process. Godly sorrow is not the same as shame. Godly sorrow is the ache we feel in our hearts, knowing we have done something contrary to who we really are as divine sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father.
If justification removes the punishment from past sin, then repentance is the process by which we can gain access to justification. Repentance is NOT punishment. In fact, repentance brings us closer to God, closer to Christ, and closer to peace.
Redemption
Redemption is a term that also carries many definitions. at its core, it’s about being saved, restored, or making something right. In a personal sense, redemption is when someone who has made a serious mistake and makes amends by demonstrating sorrow to the person they harmed and seeks forgiveness from that person with patience and awareness that the process of forgiveness takes time.
Being Rescued The gift of redemption through the Atonement of Jesus Christ is a gift that accompanies his grace and mercy. Redemption in simple terms means being rescued from spiritual and physical death. It brings with it the promise that through the Atoning sacrifice of Christ, we can be forgiven of our sins, mistakes, weaknesses, and live once again in our Heavenly Father’s presence.
Paying Off the Debt of our Sins Another aspect of redemption includes the Savior’s willingness to suffer for our mistakes, pains, and sorrows, for the purpose of paying the price of those sins. Jesus spent the last night of His mortal life observing the Passover with His Apostles. He instituted the sacrament, inviting them to eat the bread and drink the wine: “For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” In the Garden of Gethsemane, completely alone, He began the atoning sacrifice, where, in agony, He took on the crushing weight of our sins, infirmities, and sorrows. There among the olive trees and presses, He suffered until He bled from every pore.
Jesus Christ was betrayed, tried, mocked, beaten, and scourged. A crown of thorns was placed upon His head, and He was compelled to carry His cross to Golgotha, where He was crucified. There on the cross, Christ felt pain, sins, and suffering of the world again, including the agonizing separation from the Father when He cried out, “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?” In an act of complete love and devotion to His Father and all humanity, He was condemned to die on the cross and was crucified.
Sanctification
Sanctification is the process of becoming more holy or spiritually mature. It involves striving and growing to be more like Christ. It can be explained as the process that accompanies the process of repentance when a person remains faithful and committed and lives their faith more deeply. It is a partnership between a person and the Holy Ghost. The Spirit is involved in the change process, as the person participates more fully in obedience, prayer, loving others, forgiving others, and living the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
To be sanctified through the blood of Christ is to become clean, pure, and holy. However, even more significant is the fact that if justification removes the punishment for past sin, sanctification removes the stain or effects of sin.
How Can We Access the Gift of Redemption?
The Savior said, “Blessed are they who come unto me.” This is the simple answer to a complicated question as to how we can access His incredible gift of redemption. I am reminded of a client who recently said when he thinks of Christ he is filled with fear and trembling. He said he is certain Jesus is so disappointed in him. He said he can’t possibly reach to the Savior because he is so humiliated by his mistakes. He said, “I am so ashamed…”
This is the very essence of shame. A voice inside of our head that tells us we are just plain bad. We are unworthy of the Savior’s love. If my client is so overcome with shame and blinded by the darkness of shame, he cannot access the Savior’s love and forgiveness. He cannot access the joy and peace of the Savior’s redemption.
Steps to Access the Gift of Redemption
Sister Kristin Yee shared a story about a moment when she was prompted to paint a portrait of the Savior. She was instantly intimidated by the thought. She asked three interesting questions:
1. How was I to paint a portrait of Jesus Christ that captured His Spirit?
2. Where was I to begin?
3. Where would I find the time?
These questions might be familiar to all of us. At certain times in our lives when we have felt a prompting to do something we believe is unattainable or just plain too hard, we might ask similar questions. “Who am I to take on such a challenging task? I will fail. I’m not good enough!”
Think about this task in terms of where was Sister Yee to begin. Norman Rockwell painted his wonderful character scenes from a photograph. Sister Yee would have to paint the Savior from her testimony, her love for Him, and guidance from the Spirit. It wouldn’t be easy, but she really wanted to take this challenge on.
She decided to proceed forward. She said, “I decided to move forward and trust that the Lord would help me. But I had to keep moving and leave the possibilities to Him. I can identify three important principles in her decision to move forward.
She had to:
1. Trust in the Lord
2. Act in Faith
3. Remain Faithful
Imagine if Sister Yee had decided it would be too difficult, too time consuming, or too paralyzingly intimidating. We would not have the beautiful result of her faithful commitment to act on a very strong prompting.
She proceeded to paint the portrait, and when she believed she was finished, she started to apply the varnish to the surface. To her horror, she noticed the varnish lifting the paint from the surface. She was crushed!! She said, “I had literally wiped away a portion of my painting with the varnish. Oh, how my heart sank! I felt as though I had just destroyed what God had helped me to do. I cried and felt sick inside.”
That night, she went to bed believing her painting was ruined. When she arose the next morning she decided to reach out to her mother, who calmly counseled, “You won’t get back what you had, but do the very best you can with what you’ve got.” This advice from a loving mother can be considered powerfully symbolic. Consider the principle of “Cure vs. Healing.”
The scriptures do not have much to say about experiencing a cure from disease or injury. When the doctor gives us a diagnosis for a disease, cancer, or a broken bone, it is appropriate to seek a cure. We want to eradicate any disease or foreign invader of our bodies. When doctors declare they have found a cure for us, we’re victorious.
However, throughout the scriptures, and especially when we study the teachings of Jesus Christ, we learn about the principle of healing. This is distinct and different from a cure. Let’s compare this to a broken bone. When broken, a bone requires careful attention, a strong cast or brace to secure it, a period of rest from normal activity, and eventual healing. When a fractured bone heals, the point of fracture is much stronger as a result. The bone is denser, sturdier, and more capable to withstand force.
This is the difference between a cure and healing. Wendy Ulrich, describes this in her book, The Temple Experience: Passage to Healing and Holiness: [SM1]
[Let me] distinguish healing from cure. Cure returns us to our previous state of wellness, which is usually what we long for. But the scriptures never speak of the gift of cure. They speak of the gift of healing. Healing is a very different process from cure. Healing involves spiritual and emotional reweaving of our life story, to incorporate, not merely remove, our injuries. It involves growth and personal change, maturation into a new state of deeper trust in God despite, not in the absence of suffering.”
At this point, it is interesting to re-examine Sister Yee’s quote: “Jesus Christ’s love and power can save each of us from our mistakes, weaknesses, and sins and help us to become something more.” Could it be that she is referring to the principle of healing in Christ? The miraculous process of not only overcoming, but becoming better, greater, more like Christ.
Sister Yee returned to her painting with an abundance of trust in the Lord, faith that He would assist her in the repair of her painting, and courage to continue on in patience. In this process, she was able to see His hand manifest in her efforts, and suggested it is symbolic of the process of repentance. She suggested that repentance takes work, sincerity of heart, and humility.
Let’s review the steps of repentance:
1. Faith and trust in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice
2. A broken heart and teachable spirit
3. Confessing and turning away from sin
4. Restoring that which has been damaged
5. Striving to live righteously—moving forward with faith
The result of Sister Yee’s determination to remain faithful and trust in the Lord is an exquisite portrait of the Savior that encompasses the essence of Him, His spirit, His love, His powerful presence.
Sister Yee could have given up and decided it was too painful, too discouraging, and too much work to return to the canvas to repair and improve what she had done to that point. Elder D. Todd Christofferson talked about the process of real repentance requiring repeated attempts. He taught that “there is something refining and holy in such striving. Divine forgiveness and healing flow quite naturally to such a soul.” What a beautiful reminder of the love of our Savior, and His desire for us to reach to Him, especially when we have made a mistake or sinned.
In a recent General Relief Society Women’s Meeting, Sister Camille Johnson and Elder Dale G. Renlund used and repeated the word “power” over 22 times. This use of such a term so many times suggests that power must be essential for us to embrace and understand. The reference to the term “power” was connected to promises for all righteous women, and particularly related to covenant keeping women. Elder Renlund said:
“Covenant keeping women are armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. Wherever you are, this power is for you. I testify that Jesus Christ can provide the power that you need for your lives, and that when you draw His power into your lives, both the Savior and you will rejoice.”
It is important to reflect on the Savior’s plea for us to come unto Him, to reach to Him, to draw near unto Him. I am convinced it is because when we reach to Him for help in overcoming and rising above our sins, our weaknesses, and our mistakes it is because in the process of our reaches to Him we will access a power we never imagined possible. That power is what helps us “become something more.”
References
D. Todd Christofferson, “The Divine Gift of Repentance,” General Conference, October 2011
Wendy Ulrich, “The Temple Experience: Passage to Healing and Holiness.”
Kristin Yee, “The Joy of Our Redemption,” General Conference, October 2024
[SM1]This should be listed in your Reference page.
