Rebirth

Every time I hear about the Atonement I realize that I have so very much yet to learn. We talked about the Atonement a bit tonight. Brother Line went through a bunch of scriptures to show that we believe that we are inherently good, and though we fall, we can return to innocence through the Atonement. He also mentioned that the Atonement has always been a central teaching, even in the Law of Moses. I remember my sister-in-law Kelly told me about her experience of reading Jesus the Christ while studying the New Testament and the incredible increase of understanding she had of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I just know that I need to make a more concerted effort when I study this doctrine. There is still so much I need to appreciate. Christ’s sacrifice is something that is under-appreciated even as we beg for forgiveness for our mistakes. It still amazes me that, as flawed and unimportant as I am, I can be made whole and clean because of what my Savior did for me

We discussed the symbolism of physical birth and the figurative rebirth of the spirit. In physical birth there is water – amniotic fluid, blood – the placenta, and spirit – the spirit of the baby in the womb. In the figurative birth, when we are born again, of course baptism uses water, the Holy Ghost is the spirit, and the blood of Christ, the Atonement, allows for repentance. Blood is the life force, the giver of life and was freely given by our Savior. I think of how, in ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures, blood of the royalty was thought to contain their power that could heal nations, fix famines, and answer the needs of the population. The reality is, only one person on earth could really do that, and he offers that healing sacrifice to any that will take it.