The Full Atonement: Judas' Betrayal

Christ betrayal began with just a simple action, Judas "went unto the chief priests" (Matt. 26:14) It was there that the betrayal started and Judas turned against Christ. What was it that he betrayed Christ for? The sum of thirty pieces of silver. (Matt. 26:15) In those day that was enough money to buy a small farm or a field. (Matt 27:6-7) Judas betrayed Christ, the man who is our Savior and Redeemer and our

advocate with the Father, for a sum of money that would only buy him a field.

But that is not the only betrayal committed by Judas. There was betrayal in the sign he gave as to who was Christ.

"Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him."

(Matthew 26:48-49)

It is not just the fact that Judas betrayed Christ for money, but it is that He betrayed Christ with a kiss. A kiss is normally a sign of closeness between people, but at that moment it was the sign of Christ betrayal. One who was close to Christ and chosen by Him to be one of His apostles turned against Him and betrayed him to the scribes and elders. Judas Betrayed Christ to His murderers.

To those of us who may feel as though we have been betrayed by someone we love, our Savior, Jesus Christ, knows our pains. He too was betrayed by one who He loved and trusted. He can help us in our trials as we seek for his help.

Even being betrayed, Jesus Christ set the perfect example of forgiveness. Some of His last words on the Cross were "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

That is what we have been told to do as well. To forgive and love one another. We need to follow the example of Jesus Christ and love all those around us. Will you do that with me? Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and love one another?

The Full Atonement: The Suffering in the Garden.

It all seems to start at the garden. After the Passover meal with His disciples, Christ traveled out of the city of Jerusalem to the garden of Gethsemane. To add more significance to the garden think about what the word Gethsemane means.

The word Gethsemane means an olive press. Now how does an olive press add more significance to Christ going to a garden? For that answer we must compare the similarities of an olive press and Christ's Suffering in the garden.

The way an olive press works is first crushing the olives into a fine paste. After that the paste is put under immense pressure to get every drop of oil out of the olives. How does that compare to Christ Suffering?  It is because of the immense pressure of our sins that caused Him to bleed from every pore. (Luke 22:44)  It was in the garden that He pleaded to have the bitter cup of our transgressions taken from Him, but submitted to the will of the Father. (Mark 14:36) It was during the suffering in the garden that an angel came to strengthen and encourage Him. (Luke 22:43)

In the garden of Gethsemane Christ " borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows..."(Isaiah 53:4, Mosiah 14:4) The suffering did not end after the garden, but was truly just the beginning. Shortly after His suffering in the garden, Christ was betrayed by Judas, one of his own disciples. That night in the garden, Christ suffering had only begun.

Introduction to "The Full Atonement"

Who knows what the word Atonement means? In Romans 5:8-11 is talks about us being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, "by whom we have now received the atonement."  In the Old testament in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers we hear of the sacrifices preformed to "atone" for the peoples sins.

Since it is because of sin that we are no longer in harmony with the laws of our Father in Heaven and thus are separated from his presence, an atonement would have to do exactly what the word means. At-one-ment, it would have to bring us back to being at-one with God, or one with the will of God. Christ has made that atonement for us.

Now here is a question for the ages. How many parts are there to Christ's Atonement? When you break it down you'll find there are many different little parts to the Atonement. I want to keep it simpler than that. Because even though Christ does numerous things for us, I believe all the things He has done can be grouped together, and simplified that we might better understand and remember what it is he has done for us.

The Big Question I have now is how many groups can we narrow it down to? Fifty? Ten? Five? One? I have currently come up with about five groups we can use to break down the Atonement into. Only four of the five groups have to do with all that Christ has done for us. The last group is what Christ expects from us.

The First Three Groups are:
One: Christ's Suffering in the Garden
Two: Christ's Death on the Cross
Three: Christ's Resurrection on the Third Day

You will have to wait to figure out what the last group is. You are welcome to guess. There are no wrong answers. They just might not be what I am looking for. If you follow this closely I hope that I can show you the many things Christ did to Atone for our sins.

While you wait, think on what might be the other group.

The Spirital Engine of Our Lives

What are the "Big Three" problems that can prevent a car engine for running? There are a lot of little things that could be going on that can cause complications. However, if you have even one of the "Big Three" there is no way to get your engine to run until it is fixed.
 The "Big Three" are: 1) A bad fuel to air mix 2) No ignition spark and 3) No compression in the piston chamber.

In our lives we have a spiritual engine that keeps us going in times of trial.  There is also a "Big Three" that will keep our spiritual engine from running at full efficiency or at all.
The "Big Three" of our spiritual engines are:  1) We are not being nourished by the good word of God (not having scripture study, not attending church, etc. ) 2) We are not having our daily two-way communication with God, our Eternal Father, (No personal prayers in the morning or evening, and not having prayers as a family) and 3) We are not listening to the inspiration from God that comes to use through the Holy Ghost.

If any of these sound like you, it is time to visit the mechanic. When it come to car care, you always want to turn to the best with the best price. You may turn to friends and ask them how their experience went with the mechanic they use, or you might do all of your own research online, but no matter the method the mechanic you settle on is always one you feel you can trust will get the job done right for a good price. Why would it be any different with your spiritual well being?

Since you have already decided that you only want the best at the best price, it is time to find out who has the best price with the best service for your spiritual well being. You may be able to turn to a pastor, or even a childhood friend, and although the price is good and the service is okay, there is a spiritual mechanic that has perfect service with the best price in the universe.

Jesus Christ is the perfect Mechanic. With the knowledge He has been given from the Father, and His suffering for our sins, His perfect Atonement, make Him our advocate with the Father. It is now our chance to choose.

"27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator [Jesus Christ] of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." 2 Nephi 2:27

Let us choose Eternal Life through Christ our redeemer and keep our spiritual engines running smooth.

On the Road to Repentance

Jesus has gone through all that we could ever go through. He suffered all so we could one day return to live with Him and our Eternal Father for the eternities. Christ has over come the world and loosed the bands of death. He did it all, and without Him we could not return to our home above.

In Acts 2:38 Peter says "Repent, and be baptized..." Christ in the 3 Nephi 27:16 in the Book of Mormon says, ""

God is a just and merciful God. However, Mercy cannot rob justice. In order for us to be saved by the mercy of Christ there had to be conditions upon which both justice and mercy could be carried out. Christ's suffering for out sins satisfies the demands of justice. We are now obligated to do all that he asks of us to accept the mercy He has shown.

Christ's love for us extends beyond all boundaries. There is no sin which we cannot repent of. His atonement covers it all.