Mosiah 3: 1-20

What does transforming to become your better version mean to you?

" 1 And again my brethren, I would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you; for behold, I have things to tell you concerning that which is to come.

2 And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an ^aangel from God. And he said unto me: ^bAwake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me.

3 And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the ^aglad tidings of great ^bjoy.

4 For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy ^arighteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.

5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the ^aLord ^bOmnipotent who ^creigneth, who was, and is from all ^deternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a ^etabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty ^fmiracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the ^gblind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.

6 And he shall cast out ^adevils, or the ^bevil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.

7 And lo, he shall ^asuffer ^btemptations, and pain of body, ^chunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can ^dsuffer, except it be unto death; for behold, ^eblood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his ^fanguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

8 And he shall be called ^aJesus ^bChrist, the ^cSon of God, the ^dFather of heaven and earth, the ^eCreator of all things from the beginning; and his ^fmother shall be called Mary.

9 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that ^asalvation might come unto the children of men even through ^bfaith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a ^cdevil, and shall ^dscourge him, and shall ^ecrucify him.

10 And he shall ^arise the ^bthird day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to ^cjudge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

11 For behold, and also his ^ablood ^batoneth for the sins of those who have ^cfallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the ^dwill of God concerning them, or who have ^eignorantly sinned.

12 But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he ^arebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the ^bLord Jesus Christ.

13 And the Lord God hath sent his holy ^aprophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive ^bremission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even ^cas though he had already come among them.

14 Yet the Lord God saw that his people were a ^astiffnecked people, and he appointed unto them a ^blaw, even the ^claw of Moses.

15 And many signs, and wonders, and ^atypes, and shadows showed he unto them, concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spake unto them concerning his coming; and yet they ^bhardened their hearts, and understood not that the ^claw of Moses availeth nothing ^dexcept it were through the ^eatonement of his blood.

16 And even if it were possible that little ^achildren could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are ^bblessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ ^catoneth for their sins.

17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be ^ano other name given nor any other way nor means whereby ^bsalvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the ^cLord Omnipotent.

18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink ^adamnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and ^bbecome as little children, and believe that ^csalvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the ^datoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

19 For the ^anatural ^bman is an ^cenemy to God, and has been from the ^dfall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he ^eyields to the enticings of the ^fHoly Spirit, and ^gputteth off the ^hnatural man and becometh a ⁱsaint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a ^jchild, ^ksubmissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

20 And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the ^aknowledge of a ^bSavior shall spread throughout ^cevery nation, kindred, tongue, and people." (Mosiah 3: 1-20)

And here's the commentary entitled: "I can become a saint through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." :

"King Benjamin, like all prophets, testified of Jesus Christ so that his people “might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy” (Mosiah 3:13). Here are some questions to ponder as you read King Benjamin’s testimony of the Savior in Mosiah 3:1–20:

• What do I learn from these verses about the Savior and His mission?

• What do I learn from Mosiah 3:18–19 about what it means to become a saint?

• How has Jesus Christ helped me overcome sin, change my nature, and become more like a saint?"

The Savior fulfilled his mission just as He promised He would. Throughout His earthly life and ministry, His focus on fulfilling His mission was laser-beam. He got His "eye single to the glory of God" (Doctrine and Covenants 4: 5)

"...Whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive ^bremission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even ^cas though he had already come among them." (v. 13) From this verse we learn that during that exact time that King Benjamin was addressing his people, Jesus Christ was yet to be born on this earth. Even though Jesus had not come among King Benjamin's people yet, the power of His Atonement was already taking effect among those who believed that He should come. How amazing is this? Jesus had a mission to fulfill not only for us who came down on earth after He was born but also for those who came before Him. And He did fulfill His mission--His infinite Atonement.

A saint is like a child, with all his child-like (not childish) qualities. It's easy to love little children because of their natural tendency to be loving, and full of joy and wonder. If we can be more like little children, it's easier for us to love one another. I've never thought of this before. This is my aha moment. 

I'm grateful for the example of my Thai students. They show Christ-like love for one another despite not knowing Jesus Christ. My students are mostly Buddhists because here in Thailand 90% of the people are Buddhists. And yet I've met a lot of Thai people, mostly my own students who behave as though they are Christians--they are already Christ's disciples or saints in the way they treat others around them. Thai people are truly amazing. You will love them if you meet them. I've been feeling so welcome here in Thailand ever since I came here to start looking for a teaching job 18 years ago. And many other foreigners feel the same way. That's why many foreigners love coming here.

As I learn more about Jesus Christ and turn to Him and rely on Him more than ever before by consistently studying His words, praying, and doing His work, I've been able to "overcome sin, change my nature, and become more like a saint". How about you? Jesus Christ helped you too for sure. How? What's your story? Looking forward to hearing it. You can always share it in the comment section below when you can.