A few years ago, we were taught by a visiting leader in a stake conference that every major writer in the Book of Mormon used the imagery of a hug to teach the Atonement of Christ, with words such as clasped or encircled. He challenged us to search for these passages. As I have studied, I have found other words, including clothed to convey the effects of the Savior’s Atonement. Here are some examples:
- Nephi, in a time of grief, pleads with the Lord to “encircle [him] in the robe of righteousness.” (2 Nephi 4:33)
- Lehi tells his family just before his death that he is “encircled about eternally in the arms of [God’s] love.” (2 Nephi 1:15)
- Jacob teaches that the “righteous…are clothed with purity, even with the robe of righteousness.” (2 Nephi 9:14)
- Alma quotes Ammon, about those who repent, “They are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love.” Ammon also says that the repentant are “snatched from their awful, sinful, and polluted state.” (Alma 26:15, 17)
- Alma, quoting Amulek, “[God’s mercy] Encircles them in the arms of safety.” (Alma 34:16)
- Mormon writes that if the people had repented, they would have been “clasped in the arms of Jesus.” (Mormon 5:11)
What stands in the way of receiving this kind of love and mercy? I think it’s our own cherished ideas, flawed perceptions, our pride, and our shame. Thus the need for humility and faith.
I don’t think it trivializes the Atonement of Christ to liken it to an embrace, being snatched from ruin, clothed with righteousness, or being held during a difficult time. The more I think about it, the more I want to share it.
Constant He is, and kind, Love without end.
Where Can I Turn for Peace, LDS Hymn #129