What would your life be like if Jesus Christ did not sacrifice for you?
"9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.
10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.
11 Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another. Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay.
12 But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.
13 Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.
14 And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.
15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.
16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption." (Alma 34: 9-16)
"7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
9 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: 7-9)
"9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.
10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice." (Alma 34: 9-10)
And here's the ending part of the commentary entitled: "I need Jesus Christ and His Atonement." :
"To ponder how much you need the Savior’s Atonement, it might help to think of something you need every day. Ask yourself, “What would my life be like without this?” Then, as you study Alma 34:9–16, ponder what your life would be like without Jesus Christ. You could find other insights in 2 Nephi 9:7–9. How would you summarize Alma 34:9–10 in one sentence?
See also Michael John U. Teh, “Our Personal Savior,” Liahona, May 2021, 99–101; Gospel Topics, “Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Gospel Library; “Reclaimed” (video), Gospel Library."
First of all, without my Savior, Jesus Christ, I would be here on earth no more at this very moment. My earthly existence would have been cut short because of an illness three decades ago. I recovered from such illness mostly because of the Lord's power, aside from the medication I received at the hospital. With only medication alone, I wouldn't have survived. The doctors were amazed that I did survive because all my functions were already down when they initially checked my condition. My spirit and my mind remained active and my power of discernment remained strong during those moments of extreme physical weakness. And I knew it's because I was, as I am now, connected to the one whose power is infinite and eternal, even the power of Jesus Christ. During those moments when it seemed like I was nearing the point of breathing my last breath, every passing moment, He was in my mind, as I was praying continually for more time to live here on earth. And during those moments, when my own strength was running out, the Lord was there pulling me through.
Physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, socially, and even financially I've been blessed so much because the Lord is with me. Without Jesus Christ in my life, I would have been in so much pain and sorrow because whatever I do, even though I do the best I can, it wouldn't be enough, I'm always falling short because of my own limitations. Relying on the Lord, while doing my part, has been blessing me with greater capacity through His grace, to overcome my weaknesses, rise above my challenges, and transform to become my better version--being more like him and my Father in Heaven.
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