The Enabling Power of the Atonement

Every so often, I'm reminded of how powerful and important the Atonement is. This time, the reminder can through Bishop Gérald Caussé's talk, A Living Witness of the Living Christ, in which he listed several of the "Plain and precious truths about the Savior’s Atonement [that] resound throughout the Book of Mormon," including the following:

Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ not only washes away our sins, but He also provides enabling power through which His disciples may “[put] off the natural man,” progress “line upon line,” and increase in holiness so that one day they might become perfect beings in the image of Christ, qualified to live again with God and inherit all the blessings of the kingdom of heaven.

That's incredible, isn't it? The cleansing and strengthening of mankind, our progress and improvement, including to the point of perfection, are all accomplished through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It sounds almost magical. It's amazing to think that that one act the Savior did for us over the course of a handful of days made eternal progress possible for every person who would ever live. There is a lot of power in the Atonement, and it's exactly the kind of power we need to help us get back home.