Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 4:3, 11

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 4:3, 11

"And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain."

Israel goes to battle against the Philistines and it went badly for them. When four thousand Israelites are slain they called for the ark of the covenant to go back into battle with. They were beaten and slain, the sons of Eli killed, and the ark of the covenant is captured. The problem, it does not say they turned to the Lord to help them in battle. God did not tell them to use the ark of the covenant. They called for the ark it appears because they thought it would save them. They abused its power and turned it into almost an idol. You can't take religious items and treat them as if they have more power than God. It made me ponder on how important it has been to be corrected in how I refer to the "atonement". The reference is Christ's atonement or the atonement of Jesus Christ, the power is in Jesus Christ. The atonement has no power in of itself. Referring to the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ incorrectly would be no different then taking the ark of the covenant and using it without acknowledge the power in it came from God.

"It is doctrinally incomplete to speak of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice by shortcut phrases, such as “the Atonement” or “the enabling power of the Atonement” or “applying the Atonement” or “being strengthened by the Atonement.” These expressions present a real risk of misdirecting faith by treating the event as if it had living existence and capabilities independent of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

There is no amorphous entity called “the Atonement” upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection described what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him."

(Russell M. Nelson, "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives", Apr 2017 General Conference)

Day 2399