What is the Atonement? By John Hilton III- The Red Headed Hostess

John

What is the Atonement?

By John Hilton III

Which of the following youth needs the Atonement?

Young woman #1: “I don’t commit any serious sins, and I think I’m a good person. I know the Atonement applies to people who have sinned and need forgiveness, and because I’m pretty good it seems like I don’t need it as much as others. I know that sounds bad. I know I’m not perfect, but it seems like I don’t appreciate the Atonement like I should.”

Young man #1: “My father left when I was five and even though I’m only fifteen I have to work to pay the bills. I get so tired after going to school, and then working until midnight every night. I see other kids at school and they don’t have the problems I do. My mom tries to understand me but I don’t want to burden her with all my problems—she has enough of her own. I feel so alone. What can I do?”

Young woman #2: “My life has been really hard. I was diagnosed with cancer last year and the treatments I’ve been getting are really painful. Sometimes I want to give up. What can I do to have the strength to keep going?”

Young man #2: “I have messed up my life. I’ve done everything bad that you can do. I feel like I have no hope, and no point in going on. It is too late for me.”

As my friend Anthony Sweat and I wrote our book The Big Picture, we were excited to write a chapter to help teach teenagers about the Atonement – the centerpiece of God’s plan. Sometimes teenagers believe the Atonement is something that only relates to repentance or that only applies to other people. But President Boyd K. Packer said, “For some reason, we think the Atonement of Christ applies only at the end of mortal life…It is much more than that. It is an ever-present power to call upon in everyday life. When we are…burdened with grief, He can heal us…The Atonement has practical, personal everyday value.

 

It’s important for students to understand that there are multiple aspects to the Atonement.

Each of the four youth mentioned in the beginning of this post need the Atonement – but they may not realize that it is what they need. In our chapter on the Atonement, one area we focus on is the different aspects of the Atonement and how they can help each one of us.

Attached to this post is a complete copy of the chapter on the Atonement from the book The Big Picture. In the chapter you’ll find object lessons, videos and (on the last two pages) a complete lesson outline.

How can we engage the youth we teach in better understanding the Atonement?

  • I think one of the most effective things you can do is have the students teach each other.
  • Handouts from The Big Picture that walk through different aspects are available from Deseret Book.
  • One effective approach could be to give each student a handout about one of the aspects of the Atonement, provide them with 5 minutes to read through it, and then teach others about it. (Depending on the size of your class, you might have two students pair up per aspect, or in the case of very large classes, put students in groups of four and give each one a different aspect).
  • In addition to have students share with each other the information they learn from the reading, invite students to share experiences from their own lives that relate to the part of the atonement that they are teaching others.

Which aspects of the Atonement do you think are most relevant in the lives of teenagers today?

How have you been able to effectively teach others about the Atonement?

I’d love to learn from you.

Here is the Chapter from The Big Picture:


The Big Picture – The Atonement

John Hilton III has earned a reputation for being an amazing teacher, speaker and author! If you are a regular at Deseret Book, Time Out For Women, EFY or BYU Education Week, you probably already know him. We are SO lucky to have him sharing what he knows with us.

He was born in San Francisco and grew up in Seattle. He served a mission in Denver, and got a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. Along the way he met his wife Lani and they have five children. They have lived in Boise, Boston, Mexico and Miami. Currently, they live in Utah. John has a Masters degree from Harvard and a Ph.D from BYU, both in Education, and currently is an Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU. He has also written several books with Deseret Book. Besides being with his family, his favorite hobbies are learning Chinese and doing humanitarian work. For more information visit www.johnhiltoniii.com

9 comments

  1. One thing that I want to do is draw out what the Atonement is in super simple terms. I think so often we use the word “Atonement”, but our youth have no idea what that means.

    Atonement
    1. The Savior suffering for our sins in Gethsemane
    2. The Savior dying on the cross.

    What these events overcome
    1. Spiritual death
    2. Physical death

    When we focus/celebrate/appreciate these events
    1. Every week when we take the sacrament
    2. Easter time

    Sacrament
    1. The water
    2. The bread

    Etc…..

  2. Lisa, I think that is a great idea. This quote might also help, especially the first line:

    “… let us now ponder the deep meaning of the word atonement. In the English language, the components are at-one-ment, suggesting that a person is at one with another. Other languages [such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and German] employ words that connote either expiation or reconciliation. Expiation means “to atone for.” Reconciliation comes from Latin roots re, meaning “again”; con, meaning “with”; and sella, meaning “seat.” Reconciliation, therefore, literally means “to sit again with.”

    “Rich meaning is found in study of the word atonement in the Semitic languages of Old Testament times. In Hebrew, the basic word for atonement is kaphar, a verb that means “to cover” or “to forgive.” [We might even surmise that if an individual qualifies for the blessings of the Atonement (through obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel), Jesus will “cover” our past transgressions from the Father.] Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning “a close embrace”– no doubt related to the Egyptian ritual embrace. References to that embrace are evident in the Book of Mormon. One states that “the Lord hath redeemed my soul … ; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” [2 Ne. 1:15]. Another proffers the glorious hope of our being “clasped in the arms of Jesus” [Morm. 5:11; additional examples are in Alma 5:33; Alma 34:16]. (Elder Russell M. Nelson, “The Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, p. 34).

  3. Thank you so much for sharing this, and for letting us read those pages from your book!!!!! I love the examples of the 4 teenagers, and how you illustrated the way the Atonement works for all of them.

    I teach the young women in our ward, and I feel like most of them are like the 1st young woman. I’ve been pondering about how to really help them feel the great importance of the Atonement, and to see how it works in their lives now- not just at the end, or only in the next life. I really appreciate how you shared the 4 aspects of how it works in very concrete terms. It seems to me that many of us know that the Atonement is important but can’t understand or explain all of the ways it is vital to us now. Thank you for using pure doctrine and modern day examples to illustrate this. I also love the teaching ideas you shared. Thank you!

  4. I love this site, and I love reading all of the suggestions. I would be interested to hear more of the “etc.” from Lisa Johnson. I want to mainly focus on the enabling power of the Atonement, but I know it is so important to give a large overview at the same time. I plan to use The Big Picture, but I also thought I might try to do the “simple terms” approach, as well. I would have loved for someone to break it down to me that way when I was a youth. Thank you.

    Bonnie

  5. Thank you SO much for your wonderful insight on the Atonement! I am on your site quite often and LOVE it! I teach the 15-16 year olds and this is going to be so great!! Thank you for sharing part of your book with us! I am going to go to Deseret Book and pick one up. Shannon, I love your guts, you make my job as a teach so much easier!

  6. What an amazing gift you have given us to let us read from your book! I absolutely love it. It taught me things I never thought about with the atonement. I am so excited to teach my 12-13 year old kids about what I learned. I know this book is written for teenagers, but I am 25 and enjoy this book for myself. I just love it. Thank you!

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