Friday, March 13, 2015

How can we ever pay the debt we owe to our Savior?

How can we ever pay the debt we owe to our Savior?  Joseph B. Wirthlin spoke on Earthly Debt and Heavenly Debt.  He said, “The Savior paid a debt he did not owe to free us from a debt we can never repay. Because of Him, we will live forever. Because of His infinite Atonement, our sins can be swept away, allowing us to experience the greatest of all the gifts of God, eternal life.”

How can such a gift be repaid?  What could I possibly do to ever repay my Savior for the debt he paid for me?  In Mosiah 2:20-21, King Benjamin said, “I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that god who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another…..if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.”

Why then serve him if I can never repay this debt? 

I believe my debt to him, is my daily life, living the gospel of Jesus Christ in all my actions and words.  My service does matter, it does bless the lives of those around me. I know I can never repay my debt fully, but I know my Savior will bless me, after all I can do, and he will make up the difference for all I lack.
 
The Savior was much more than a man walking into the Garden of Gethsemane, he was the son of God, having power and strength to accomplish something far greater than any mortal could ever do.  Only the literal son of God could fulfill this incredible gift of the Atonement.  The Savior loves me and you enough that he aligned his will with Heavenly Fathers, making it possible for all of us to return to him if we take advantage of His gift, the Atonement.

When we serve with pure intent, love in our hearts, we may not be able to fully repay our debt but I believe he is proud of our efforts and they are acceptable to him.  Serving with the right intentions, not to get gain or promote ourselves we come to know our Savior better, and want to live as he lived, and be the example he was.  Our efforts will not be in vain, he wants to give us everything he has, and he will after all we can do to live righteously. I am grateful for the Atonement, I may not be able to repay my debt, but living my life as a willing servant with his name embedded on my heart, he will accept my poor efforts and make them whole. 



4 comments:

Ellie said...

I think the key is remembering that it is a gift, which in itself is not meant to be repaid. Instead, we show gratitude for the gift we were give by our commitment to living according to Gods laws, by being steadfast and immovable, by sharing the gospel with others, by aligning our will with His, etc. I was fortunate to be able to teach sharing time in primary on the Atonement all of February and was continually amazed at how the children know that their Savior Loves them. They relate any experience they have ever had and attribute it to the Savior. It is cute and hilarious sometimes but also true. Everything we have is because of Him. Rembering that and being grateful for the gift he gave us is the key to showing our gratitude.

Marilisa said...

Ellie, I love your comments, it is a gift, and if we value the gift, we will live each day the best we can in following the commandments and trying to live what we know is true.

A grateful heart is the key to everything! If we have gratitude for all we have, even through the hard things that come our way, we show our Heavenly Father we appreciate the opportunity to return to him. We trust all he is doing to mold us to the person he knows we can be. For that I am grateful, I do not see what he does but trusting in him gives comfort whatever the outcome, IF I am willing to constantly use the gift of the Atonement I can make it back to him.

Unknown said...

We cannot repay. I think of the widow casting in her mite at the treasury. She gave of her substance knowing she could not repay but she gave all she could. The important part to me is in recognizing that we cannot repay but as disciples, giving everything we can because our heart is right with the Lord, the widow gave with pure intent. As you posted, we need to give and serve with pure intent.
In addition, his love was so great he freely gave his life for us. He loves us so much he gave us agency to choose for ourselves. Agency then is the purest gift. How great it is to know that we are the only of Father in Heaven's creations trusted with agency. In our choices lay discipleship, like the widow.

Steff said...

I agree that we're can't repay the debt. We can simply show gratitude for the gift our Savior has given us. I also agree that service is a good way to show gratitude. This makes me think of John 14:15 where Christ says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." We can't repay the debt, "...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do(2 Ne 25:23)," but we ARE expected to do as much as we possibly can to try to be like Him. Even though Christ's gift is essential, we can't rely on His gift alone without work on our part to try to be better.