Christ is the Reason

Teaching Skills

1. Prepare for the Lesson Before Hand Make Sure the Spirit Can Be Present
1. The morning study before the lesson, make sure you and your companion review what you plan on teaching (though it could be subject to change according to the spirit.) Go over principles you will teach, cues to help you transition better, and critique each others teaching method in order to perfect your skills. It is the spirit that converts, but it can sometimes be difficult for the spirit to bear testimony that isn’t taught correctly. Do not be unprepared to teach the assigned lesson plan.
2. Make sure you bring the materials you may need for the lesson; scripture, videos, and other helpful teaching aides. This should be taken care of before the investigator arrives.
3. Call the member(s) that will be assisting you in teaching at least the night before (the sooner the better: members are busy too!). Assign them a principle(s) to teach or bear testimony about. More often then not you will have plenty of members at your disposal that would absolutely love to help you teach but are just waiting for you to ask. When praying about each specific investigator, listen for the promptings concerning who would be a good member to help you teach. Do not be afraid to consider less active members as well. Having them teach with you can be a very effective way of reactivating them.

2. Make Sure the Spirit Can Be Present
1. Spend a few moments talking with the investigator about non-religious things. Example, “How was your day, etc.” This is a good opportunity to get to know them and to show that you genuinely care.
2. Make sure the television, and other distracting items are turned off.
3. Invite all in the house to hear the discussion.
4. You can ask a question(s) to segue into the discussion: If you gave them a Book of Mormon or pamphlet, ask them if they read it and how did they feel about it. If you were unable to give them any literature, ask them general questions:

- “What role has religion played in your life?” (Preach My Gospel pg 176)

- (Here is one I enjoyed asking) “Why did you decide to meet with us?”

If this is not the first discussion, review past commitments if you did not do it already. It may be a good idea to have a follow-up visit in between lessons, either by visiting them yourself, having a member visit, or calling them on the phone. By doing this, the lesson can begin quickly and end more quickly. Remember the ideal time frame for a lesson should be about 45 minutes and certainly no more than an hour. Like your members, investigators are busy too. Granted, learning the gospel is the most important thing they’ll ever do in their lives, but in general, they are spiritual novices, and aren’t used to these types of discussions. I remember when I was a little kid and our home teachers staid over a half hour I was bouncing off the walls. Be simple and quick: you cannot possibly teach everything you know in one discussion. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

3. Practical Principles to Remember During the Lesson

1. Watch your body language. Because of the new program in Preach My Gospel, you will not read from lesson plans during your discussions. This is fantastic because this gives you an opportunity to express gospel principles from your heart, using your own words. While you are doing this, make sure that you give your investigator plenty of eye contact. Make sure your sitting at attention, which may include sitting straight in your chair. On my mission, when appropriate, I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat as I taught gospel principles. Later, some investigators told me they were impressed by that because it showed how excited I was to teach them. What you shouldn’t do is slouch or act as if you are not comfortable.
2. Pay attention. As you and your companions switch off teaching principles, this is a wonderful opportunity to make a good impression with your investigators. I had a companion who once started juggling pieces of fruit under the table while I taught my principle! The investigator was not impressed. Alternate looking at your companion and observing your investigator. Smile, nod, and do everything else you can in order to show how important the information your companion is teaching is to you.
3. Make smooth transitions. This will require practice whenever you get a new companion. Some effective transitions include both verbal and physical cues. For example:

Elder Jones: “…and that is essentially what the role of a prophet is. I’m grateful for Heavenly Father that he loves us enough to continue teaching us and revealing his words to us as in days of old.”

Elder Smith: “I am grateful for prophets as well and I know that they walk the earth today. I’d like to tell you about one such prophet named Joseph Smith…”

Review: First Elder:

i. Teaches principle

ii. Bears Testimony

iii. Looks at Companion

Second Elder:

i. Listens until the first Elder is done

ii. Confirms testimony with his own.

iii. Smoothly transitions from the first Elder’s principle into his own.

Lesson Content

1. As mentioned before, you should prayerfully choose the principles you should teach in the context of mission rules and guide lines. Prepare to teach those principles well before the actual lesson. Each lesson should be taught with the needs of the specific investigator in mind. You are encouraged to do this in Preach My Gospel (see pg 177). Listen to and follow the spirit: don’t be afraid to think out of the box.
2. When is it okay to deviate from the planned lesson? When the Spirit tells you to! I felt a certain tension as a missionary between meeting my (and the mission) discussion goals and meeting the needs of the missionary. What do I mean by that? Lets look at an example from a lesson I was involved with a few weeks ago:

The missionaries and I were teaching a young investigator the third discussion. The lesson was going fairly well when the investigator said that he wasn’t sure what the missionaries were teaching were true. This wasn’t necessarily a negative comment, but revelatory to the investigator’s progress. I asked the investigator, “How is your Book of Mormon reading going?” He indicated that he really wasn’t reading at all.

This type of situation will happen to you at some point in your mission and you have at least three options in this situation.

- You can gloss over what the investigator said and finish the discussion

- You can try to quickly resolve the concern and than finish the discussion.

- Or you can stop teaching principles from the lesson and take time to re-teach the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it.

As a missionary you need to ask “What is best for this investigator?” This may include the first two options. However, I would argue that it is okay not to finish a discussion if you feel you need to teach something else. In fact I would argue you have a responsibility to stop the discussion if the spirit is telling you to. Teaching the principle of the word of wisdom may be in vain if your investigator is not developing a testimony of the Prophet from whence that principle came. Or it could be exactly what your investigator needs to hear. The point is: keep your options open and follow the spirit.

End of the Lesson

1. You want to leave more time for the end of the lesson than in the beginning.
2. Perhaps the most important part of the lesson is the commitments that your investigators have made during the discussion.
3. Review the principles you just covered and go over their commitments.

1^st Discussion Commitments

- Read and pray about the Book of Mormon

- Pray about the First Vision and the Restoration of the Gospel

- Come to church next Sunday

- Set appointment for following discussion(s)

- Commandments from Lesson 4 that you choose to include

2^nd Discussion Commitments

- Continue 1^st Discussion Commitments

- Repent of Sins

- Be baptized

3^rd Discussion Commitments

- Continue Other Commitments

- Make commitments included in the first two discussions that you have not made yet.

4^th Discussion Commitments

- Prayer

- Sabbath Day

- Baptism

- Follow Church Leaders

- Ten Commandments

- Law of Chastity

- Word of Wisdom

- Tithing

- Fasting

4. Make sure they understand what their commitments entail, and follow up with them later through stopping by, calling, or having a member do it.
5. Close Discussion with Prayer. Have the investigator pray at least once during the discussion. It is good practice for them, and you can also observe how comfortable your investigators are in prayer

Goal Setting and Developing Christ-Like Attributes

I. Goal Setting Principles

a. Accountability

- Heb 11:2 “By [faith] the elders obtained a good report”

- D&C 51:19 “Whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life.”

- D&C 64: 40 “if they are not faithful in their stewardships shall be condemned”

- D&C 104:13-14 “For it is expedient that I the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings…I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine.”

b. Pray for Inspiration

- John 16:13 “Spirit of truth…will guide you into all truth”

- D&C 84:88 “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”

- D&C 11:13 “The Spirit will enlighten your mind”

- “The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them.” Bible Dictionary “Prayer” (emphasis added)

c. Follow the Spirit

- D&C 61:28 “Do as the Spirit commandeth” (see 1 Nephi 3:7)

d. Focus on Souls, Not Numbers

- Though numbers are essential in goal making, in making baptism and teaching goals, keep in mind your investigators’ specific needs.

- D&C 18:10, 15-16 “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (not numbers)

- Jacob 4:14 Don’t look “beyond the mark”

e. Make Specific Goals

- Your goals should not be overly broad, i.e. “Lets make a goal to be better missionaries!” While certainly an admirable goal to try and reach, how and why is this your goal? Evaluate your weaknesses and make specific goals. An example of a specific goal is “I will memorize fifty new scriptures this month”.

- D&C 123:16 “You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a small helm in the time of a storm”

f. Make Realistic Goals

- Many of the goals you will make on your mission will be conditional on the agency of others, which is why baptism goals can be tough. You can be 100% worthy, do everything the Spirit tells you to do, and still see no converts. Does this make you a bad missionary? Not at all. Remember these principles:

- Lamentations 3:25-26 “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord”

- D&C 10:4 “Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided” (see also Mosiah 4:27)

- “Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font? I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary. Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price. For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul. If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” then little wonder that salvation is not an easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.” Elder Holland, Missionary Work and the Atonement

g. Make Goals that Will Cause Personal Growth

- Never become too stagnant on your mission. You will never have it all figured out. Your mission is a once in a lifetime experience for spiritual growth. The lessons you learn here will be the foundation for nearly every decision you will make the rest of your life. Make sure you take advantage of this time by making good goals and consistently working towards them.

- 3 Nephi 27:27 “What manner of men out ye to be?”

- Rev 3:16 “because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

h. Set Life, Mission, Monthly, Weekly, Daily Goals

- On your mission, you will set Mission, Zone, District, Companion, and Personal Goals. This should not begin nor end with your mission. Record your goals in your journal and measure your progress.

i. Follow-up!

- It does little good to challenge both members and investigators (and yourself!) to do the will of the Lord when the challenger (you) does not follow-up. Help those you work with by planning enough time during the week to call/visit the people you work with.

j. Have Faith in Christ

- Jacob 4:6 “our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea”

II. Developing Christ –Like Attributes

Faith on pg 126 of Preach My Gospel

2. Is he “your” Savior?
3. Why is it important to know if God loves you or not?
4. Quiz scripture mastery (1 Ne 3:7)
5. Read Enos 1:5.
6. Read BD section on prayers.
7. This is our baptismal and sacramental covenants
8. This seems to refer to faith in yourself
9. Can you look into your investigator’s eyes and say this? If not, how can you find out? What a great opportunity to now test the Lord’s promise in your life if haven’t done it yet.
10. Do you have faith to perform miracles? Could you for example, raise someone from the dead, move a mountain, rebuke an evil spirit, if called upon by the Lord?
1. Hope

xiii. Do you believe that?

3. Charity

xiv. I have been trying to do this more and it works.

xxiii. Missionary work is not a “zero sum game”

4. Virtue: Share Elder Holland’s Talk “Personal Purity”

- D&C 42:23 Lust will cause you to lose the Spirit

5. Knowledge

xxxi. If you study the scriptures everyday before your mission you will after your mission.

Set aside 5-10 minutes for class to fill out Attribute Activity Sheet.

Conclusion:

Lesson 16 The Restoration

The Restoration Foretold

1. Genesis 49:22 Joseph ‘s branches (descendants) run over the wall (ocean).
2. Psalms 85:11 “Truth shall spring out of the earth”
3. Isaiah 2:2 “Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains.”
4. Isaiah 29 There are three versions of Isaiah 29: the one in Isaiah, the one in 2^nd Nephi, and the Joseph Smith translation. It’s important!

v.4 “voice shall be . . . familiar spirit, out of the ground”

v.11 “vision of all . . . as the words of a book that is sealed” (Compare JSH 65)

v. 12 “I am not learned”

v. 18 “shall the deaf hear the words of the book”

5. Jeremiah 16:21 “I will this once cause them to know”
6. Ezekiel 37:17-19 Stick of Judah, stick of Joseph
7. Daniel 2: 44 “set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.”
8. Malachi 4:5-6 “I will send the prophet Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”
9. John 1:19-21, 25, 7:40 (compare 2 Nephi Ch. 3) Joseph Smith
10. John 10:16 “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold”
11. Acts 3:19 “times of refreshing”
12. Acts 3:21 “restitution of all things"
13. Revelation 14:7 “I saw another angel…having the everlasting gospel”

Examples of Doctrines of the Restoration

1. Character/Attributes of God (Abe 3:17/ 1 N1:1, for example)

- “If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves.”- Joseph Smith

2. Book of Mormon

- “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”- Joseph Smith

- “Just before he breathed his last, [Oliver Cowdrey] asked to be raised up in bed so he could talk to the family and friends and he told them to live according to the teachings in the Book of Mormon, and they would meet him in Heaven. Then he said, ‘Lay me down and let me fall asleep in the arms of Jesus,’ and he fell asleep without a struggle.” - Lucy Cowdery Young, letter, 7 Mar. 1887

3. Priesthood Alma 13, Hebrew 5:4, D&C 13
4. Temples D&C 36:8, 42:36, 109, 127:4,
5. Baptism/Preaching for the dead- 1 Corinthians 15:29, 1 Peter 4:6, D&C 124:29
6. Eternal Marriage 132:19, 131:2
7. Multiplicity of Kingdoms- 1 Corinthians 15, D&C 76
8. Plurality of Worlds- Moses 1:33, D&C 76:24 (Compare Gen 1:1/ Heb 1:2)
9. Devine destiny of mankind- Moses 1:39, D&C 84:38

God’s Method of Revealing Truth

1. Understanding John 1:18 (See also Joseph Smith Translation 1:19)

- No one can see God without being strengthened and protected by the power and spirit of God (see D&C 67:11).

- Only those who are worthy have the privilege of seeing God (see John 6:46 and D&C 93:1).

- The Lord shows himself when, where, and to whom he wishes (see Exodus 33:20 and compare it to Joseph Smith Translation, Exodus 33:20).

2. Amos 3:7 “revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

1. Adam (Genesis 3:8–13; D&C 107:54–55; Moses 6:22)

2. Enoch (Genesis 5:22, Genesis 5:24; D&C 107:49; Moses 7:4)

3. Noah (Genesis 6:9; Moses 8:27)

4. Abraham (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 18:1; Abraham 2:6)

5. Isaac (Genesis 26:2)Moses (Exodus 24:1, Exodus 24:9–11; Exodus 33:11)

6. Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1)

7. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:1; Ezekiel 44:4)

8. Stephen (Acts 7:55–6)

9. Brother of Jared (Ether 3:6–15)

10. Nephi (2 Nephi 11:2–6)

11. Jacob (2 Nephi 11:3)

12. Mormon (Mormon 1:15)

13. Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith—History 1:17)

Lesson 15 Repentance

“And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.” - D&C 15:6

Steps of Repentance

1. Recognize the sin.

a. We must feel Godly sorrow, not the sorrowing of the damned

- Alma 5: 12-13, 2 Cor.7:10 “mighty heart”, “Godly Sorrow”

- Mormon 2:12-13 “Sorrowing of the damned”

b. Luke 15:17 By recognizing sin we can recognize who we are and ‘come to ourselves’ and see things as “they really are” (see Jacob 4:13)

c. Matt. 3:8 Real recognition brings “fruits meet for repentance”

d. 2 Nephi 2:7 “He offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.”

2. Confess our sins to God and in very serious cases to Church leaders.
1. Ezra 10:11 “Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers.”
2. D&C 81:5 Church leaders have been instructed to “succor the weak and lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”
3. The Prophet Joseph said about confession to church leaders, “We ought to … keep nothing back.” (The Words of Joseph Smith, ed. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1980, p. 7.)

3. Ask God for forgiveness.

a. Alma 22:18 ““O God, … make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee.”

4. Restitution of problems caused by the sin.
1. Lev. 6:4 “Because he hath sinned, … he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found.”

5. Do Not Repeat the Sin.
1. D&C 58:43 “a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.”
2. Ezk. 18:30 “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.”
3. 2 Peter 2: 21-22 Repeat offenders are likened unto a dog that eats his own vomit.
4. Duet 4: 30- By turning away from sin, we “turn to the Lord thy God”.

6. We Must be Willing to Forgive
1. D&C 64:9 “he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.”

7. Faith in Christ
1. “Formulas have been crafted to help remember some of the essential actions required for full repentance. While these can be helpful, generally they ignore the most fundamental aspect of repentance—that it is centered in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, that it has efficacy because He willingly paid the full price through His redeeming sacrifice, motivated by a perfect love of His Father and of each of us.” – Elder Richard Scott “The Path to Peace and Joy” General Conference Oct. 2000
2. Jacob 5: 47- The Lord’s hand is outstretched “all the day the long.” (see Jacob 6:4, 2 Ne. 28:32, Morm. 5:11)
3. Enos 1:6 “And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.”
4. Alma 34:16 “faith unto repentance”
5. Alma 26:20 “Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us … the salvation of our souls.”

Promises of True Repentance

a. Isaiah 1:18 “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

b. Ezek. 18:22 “All his transgressions … shall not be mentioned unto him.”

c. D&C 58:42 “I, the Lord, remember [their sins] no more”

d. Morm 6:17 Christ waits “with open arms to receive [us]” so that we can be “clasped in the arms of Jesus” forever. (see Morm. 5:11).

“We all occupy diversified stations in the world, and the kingdom of God. Those who do right, and seek the glory of the Father in heaven, whether their knowledge be little or much, or whether they can do little or much, if they do the very best they know how, they are perfect…’Be ye as perfect as ye can,’ for that is all we can do, though it is written, ‘Be ye perfect as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.’ To be as perfect as we possibly can, according to our knowledge, is to be just as perfect as out Father in heaven is. He cannot be any more perfect than He knows how, anymore than we. When we are doing as well as we know how in the sphere and station we occupy here, we are justified.” – Brigham Young (JoD 2:129-130)

Lesson 13 The Bad News (The Fall)

“But, remember, the Atonement came because of the Fall. Christ paid the ransom for Adam’s transgression. If there had been no Fall, there would be no Atonement with its consequent immortality and eternal life. Thus, just as surely as salvation comes because of the Atonement, so also salvation comes because of the Fall.” –Bruce R. McConkie Christ and the Creation

Fall of Man

- Moses 2:28, The commandment to have children.

- Moses 3:15-17 Commandment not to eat of the tree of knowledge.[1]

- Moses 4:6 Satan seeks to “beguile Eve”.

Before the Fall

a. Adam and Eve could not procreate

b. Adam and Eve had no knowledge of good and evil

c. They could not experience physical deterioration or death

d. They were allowed to be in God’s physical presence.

After the Fall

a. Adam and Eve received the power of procreation.

b. Adam and Eve gained a knowledge of good and evil by their own experience.

c. Their bodies became subject to deterioration, leading eventually to their physical death.

d. They were banished or cast out from the presence of God. This banishment is called spiritual death.

Effects of the Fall

“We talk about ‘health problems,’ ‘I.Q. problems’, ‘lack of will power,’ or ‘trouble controlling my thoughts’ without realizing that these are just isolated symptoms of a bigger problem—the fall of the human race...First, the teeth get cavities, the waistline thickens, the knees go bad, the hair falls out. First we need glasses, then stronger prescriptions, then bifocals, then trifocals. We don’t often think of the dentist, the optometrist, or the toupee-maker as helping us cope with the effects of the Fall, but that is what they do. Moreover, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, psychiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists, lab technicians, dieticians, and manufacturers of vitamins, health foods, exercise bikes, and stair-steppers-all these and many more occupations exist only to help us briefly hold at bay the effects of the Fall. But no one can stop the process, for funeral directors, morticians, and gravediggers are also in the ‘Fall’ business and are its ultimate and inevitable conclusion in this world.” – Stephen Robinson Following Christ (Italics added)

Other Points

- Mortality is not our proper state. We did not live in this state in the Pre-Existence and Christ will reverse the effects of the fall completely at His Second Coming. (Article of Faith 10, Revelation 21:1-2, D&C 77:1-2)

- Adam and Eve have been absolved from the sins of others because of the Fall (See Moses 6:53) and God has made a way to escape the effects of the Fall, therefore you are personally responsible for your won sins.[2]

Scriptures Relating to the Fall

Luke 5:8 Peter “I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Romans 3:10 “There is none righteous”

Romans 3: 23 “all have sinned”

1 Corinthians 2:14 : Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.

1 Timothy 1:15 Paul “Chief” among sinners

2 Nephi 2:11 “Opposition in all things”

2 Nephi 4:17-19 Nephi a “wretched man”

2 Nephi 9:27 Awful is the state of those that waste their probation.

Mosiah 3:19 “Natural Man is an enemy to God”

Mosiah 16:3 “all mankind carnal”

Ether 3:2 Jared “unworthy” before the Lord.

D&C 29:41 Adam became spiritually dead

“[Our] flesh has no conscience…Flesh can distinguish only between pleasure and pain, between ‘feels good’ and ‘doesn’t feel good’, and therefore it urges us to act upon that distinction alone…Unredeemed and without the guidance of spirit, our flesh is morally blind and is therefore an enemy to God.” - Stephen Robinson Following Christ

“Do not suppose that we shall ever in the flesh be free from temptations to sin. Some suppose that they can in the flesh be sanctified body and spirit and become so pure that they will never again feel the effects of the power of the adversary of truth. Were it possible for a person to attain to this degree of perfection in the flesh, he could not die neither remain in a world where sin predominates…I think we should more or less feel the effects of sin so long as we live, and finally have to pass the ordeals of death.” (Brigham Young, JoD 10:173)

Conclusion

It is impossible to understand and to fully appreciate Christ’s atonement without fully understanding how absolutely dire our situation is without it. Look at Nephi’s description of what the world would look like if the Fall was the only reality, if Christ and His atonement were somehow hypothetically taken away:

“And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.” (2 Nephi 9:9)

This is exactly how one feels when they sin, because they are spiritually separated from God, which separation was introduced by Adam’s transgression. Listen to Alma’s language before he applied the atonement: “for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.” (Alma 36:16) Our investigators need to understand how precarious the situation is for all of us. Only then, after properly harrowing up “the memory of my many sins” can we appreciate “the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, [who will] atone for the sins of the world.” (Alma 36:17)