I suspect that many Church members are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming and cleansing power of the Atonement than they are with the strengthening and enabling power. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us—that is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. We need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us. The gospel of the Savior is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it also is essentially about doing and becoming good. The Atonement is for saints—for good men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully. We may mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves, through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.
The enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and to serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.Through the grace of the Lord individuals, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. Grace is an enabling power.
Elder David Bednar
New Era, March 2015
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