 |
| This branch is dead. It can't live when it is not connected to the root! |
“[The Atonement of Jesus Christ] is the very root of Christian doctrine. You may know much about the gospel as it branches out from there, but if you only know the branches and those branches do not touch that root, if they have been cut free from that truth, there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1977, 80; or Ensign, May 1977, 56).
What is wrong with dead branches? In fact, the one shown above is actually quite beautiful! I found the image in an art gallery website! But lets talk about dead branches.
- Dead branches can not grow. If we, then, are not connected to the root, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, how can we expect to grow and progress? If we do not understand how the Atonement facilitates all truth, how can we be nourished by truth? Growth is not only rewarding, it is what we were sent to Earth to do!
- Dead branches can not produce fruit. We all know the verse from Matthew 7, "By their fruits ye shall know them." but how shall we be known as children of God if we cannot produce the fruit to be known as such?
- Dead branches are brittle and break. Once you snap a dead branch (which is not hard to do), that's it! The branch can not be repaired or renewed. Not only are we able to repair our broken lives by the power of the Atonement, but the Atonement fortifies and strengthens us so that we can actually withstand all things. Not just some things. Helaman told his sons that if they were connected to the root of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, that "when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down." A branch connected to the Atonement can not be destroyed.
- Dead branches will be burned. You can't use a branch to build anything really. I guess you could use it as a walking stick, that's fair enough. A bird could use part of a branch for its nest. How noble. Dead branches are at the mercy of whoever or whatever picks them up. Eventually they will lose all usefulness, and will be used as firewood, or left to decay. It's not a mean or spiteful act towards branches who have fallen off the tree. But that is all they are fit for. That, in essence, is the destiny they chose. Living branches have worlds of productive possibilities and are not controlled by outside forces. We can choose the Atonement of Jesus Christ and can be left to grow and become something. Falling destroys our ability to develop and be agents unto ourselves. Do branches choose where they will grow, if they will bud, how they will contribute to the tree? Maybe this is where the analogy is weak, or maybe I am not creative enough to understand the connection. I do know, however, that the only way to experience true freedom is by living in accordance with our testimonies of Christ's Atonement and the doctrines that sprout from it.
What can we do in Gospel Doctrine to "stay connected" to the root, to the Atonement of Jesus Christ? We need to remember the Atonement as we study other principles throughout the rest of this course. How does the Law of Tithing interface with the Atonement? How does the doctrine of Eternal families interface with the Atonement? We're not going to get into those topics in this lesson, but we will this year.
Now,
The Doctrine and Covenants Testifies of Jesus Christ.
Let's think about our four standard works. The Bible. The Pearl of Great Price. The Book of Mormon. The Doctrine and Covenants. All four are designed to persuade men to come unto Christ and partake of salvation. All four testify of Him. The Doctrine and Covenants, however, does this in a different way than the others because it's not a narrative.
