Yesterday, our discussion in Priesthood meeting kind of centered on the topic of change, specifically where I left off in my previous posting -- that of changing ourself.
There is a scripture that illustrates a certain juxtaposition of mortal change and eternal perspective. Mormon 9:18-21
18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
What I take from this passage is God is unchangeable, but if we as mortal beings are unchanged from one condition to another, then that which is classified as miracles cease. Miracles are events that we acknowledge as having source in a higher plane of existence or power.
Verse 20 is the key here. The question I want you to consider, dear reader, is what is the greatest miracle? Is it the parting of the Red Sea by the prophet Moses? Is it the prophet Elijah calling down fire from heaven to consume the alter of and priests of Baal? Is it the Lord's healing of the blind man from birth? Is it the knowledge mankind has been given to harness some of the natural world in technology that benefits our life?
I submit to you that ultimately, the greatest miracle of all is the gift of The Atonement. The miracle is in the fact that for nearly every sin an individual can commit, he or she has the opportunity to merit forgiveness from God, the Unchangeable One, upon conditions of repentance... or in other words by changing one's self.
In a recent General Conference address, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a living Apostle of the living Jesus Christ, stated "Small errors and minor drifts from the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring sorrowful consequences into our lives. It is therefore of critical importance that we become self-disciplined enough to make early and decisive corrections to get back on the right track and not wait or hope that errors will somehow correct themselves."
Now, lets liken verse 21 to ourselves. Do we really believe Christ, doubting nothing (of what He has promised and taught)? I think it is essential one really look at this seriously. If you do not believe with full trust, how will you ever be able to really make the changes in yourself necessary for the miracle of being forgiven to happen? The answer is you probably won't. One who chooses not to believe also chooses to give up hope. And where there is no hope, there is no desire. And where there is no desire, there is no active faith. And where there is no active faith, there is no change.
And where there is no change, there is no miracle.
But, there are miracles. One can develop and exercise active faith from just the desire. One can have a sure hope that it is possible and not just a nice thought.
There are countless souls who can testify of being forgiven, which is evidence that they have changed. I am one who has felt that sweet miracle on more than one occasion. In German, the concept used for repentance is "umkehren", or to turn around. That is even more descriptive than "change".
I used to think that being worthy of "heaven" meant never being marred by sin, transgression, or imperfection. I have since learned, as President Uchtdorf reminds, "The heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes, but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of gospel truth." There is no cause to hope that any of us who are accountable have not caused The Savior some degree of anguish and pain when He was paying the price for our individual sins and transgressions of Gods laws. Wouldn't it therefore be better to be amongst those who turn around and have the miracle of the full effect of the Atonement change your soul?
The promise of forgiveness is universal to all who will turn around and change. Don't assume you can not turn around though. Quoting President Uchtdorf "...there are those who have neglected to make appropriate course corrections and now believe that they are too far from the Lord's way to ever make it back... No matter how terribly off course you are, no matter how far you have strayed, the way back is certain and clear. Come, learn of the Father; offer up a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Have faith, and believe in the cleansing power of the infinite Atonement of Jesus the Christ. If we confess and repent of our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness... It may not be an easy path... You are not doomed to a tragic end... your greatest friend is the all-powerful Creator of the universe... He understands your sorrow. He knows your grief. He and our Father in Heaven will bless, comfort, and strengthen you."
6 comments:
In Japanese, repentance is kuiaratameru, a combination of two ideographs: "Kuiru", which means to turn (from), and "aratameru", which means to make new.
Interesting. Almost a reflection of atonement in the process of making Atonement effective. So what is the wording used to indicate Atonement?
"Atonement" is a word made up by William Tyndale for his 1526 English translation of the Bible. It is literally "at-one-ment", meaning the situation that brings us to be at one with God. Tyndale tried to capture the meaning of forgiveness of sins as well as the meaning of reconciliation.
Hence, translations of the word "atonement" into other languages lose some of the nuance in finding the closest substitute.
In Japanese, the word that is etymologically closest to atonement is "tsugunai", which is more of a legal and business term associated with compensation. The gospel word most often used is "aganai", which means redemption.
Finally, a use for that linguistics minor I paid so much money for ;)
So does German have a suitable word for "atonement"?
There are several different words that can be used in German for Atonement. Each has a little different conceptual connotation. Pres. Uchtdorf uses Sühnopfer in the talk I referenced.
This particular word is a combination of the words / concepts of Sühne (punishment for / pay for -- as in crime) and Opfer (sacrifice / offering). So, very close to the English connotation of Atonement we have in the Restored Gospel. Sühnopfer doesn't pull any punches, in that it indicates it is payment for crime and that the payment is a sacrifice.
Another is wiedergutmachen, which is a verb and means literally "again-good-make". This is kind of used to describe what the Atonement does, kind of the way Tyndale created the word atonement to describe what the result is.
A more archaic word and verb is büßen (pay, suffer, repent), with the concept Buße tun (to do penance). As missionaries, we were told to avoid using it altogether, because it holds a rather negative connotation from the middle ages where the catholic church would enforce corporeal penance and suffering on individuals as punishment.
This is why the verb umkehren (turn around) and the concept Umkehr üben (practice / engage in turning around) is used primarily in discussion of repentance in German. People are going to be more motivated to change when they are not under conceptual threat of torture. Even in the translation of the Doctrine and Covenants, where The Lord Himself is talking in no uncertain terms about His suffering (see section 19:15-20) and commanding to repent, the words Umkehr and umkehren are used.
Oh, forgot about the concept of redemption, as that is what you mentioned is the best concept used in Japanese for Atonement.
In German, that concept is used as well, much in the same manner as in English (this is actually a prime example to show how English is at it's root, a Germanic language). To redeem is erlösen. Redemption is Erlösung, with the Savior as Redeemer being referred to as Der Erlöser or Der Heiland.
In the Lord of the Rings, Aragorn's Elven name is Elessar. Sounds remarkably similar to Erloser. Tolkien was a linguist.
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