Why is the Atonement so important?

The Sunday School lesson this week asks the question "why is the Atonement central to the plan of salvation?".  Not part of, not a key part of, but central.  I have been pondering that question and have some ideas.

When a baby is born, his parents are filled with incredible joy.  This beautiful infant changes everything about their lives and they are thrilled with the present and the possibilities for the future.  But what if there were no future?  What if that infant stayed the same - didn't get bigger, didn't learn, didn't grow.  Neither the baby, nor the parents would experience a fullness of joy.

When that child gets older, he has new experiences, learns, grows, spreads his wings and becomes his own person, separate from his parents.  And at some point, maybe the child stops following the family rules.  He starts to question authority.  The parents say, "as long as you live under our roof, you'll follow our rules."  The child tries to obey, the parents work with him to help make things better, and they are able to happily live together.  But what if that statement was a hard and fast rule?  What if once a child breaks a family rule, he is forever banished?  No parent would want to be so cruel, especially since that would mean sending a young child out into the world alone, never to return.

Both of those what ifs sound unreasonable and pretty ridiculous.  But without the Atonement, those are the two alternatives Heavenly Father is faced with.  Does he let us stay in heaven with him, knowing we can't learn, grow and reach our potential; or does he give us the opportunity to learn and grow, knowing that we will make a mistake (or a million of them) that will stop us from ever living with him again.

Christ's Atonement is central to the plan because it means Heavenly Father and his children don't have to make that terrible choice.  We can learn and grow, which will involve becoming less perfect and pure, but more faithful and able.  And then through Christ's Atonement we can become perfect and pure again.  But now, instead of being a perfect and pure infant, we will be a perfect and pure adult.  Thus each of us and Heavenly Father can experience the fullness of joy that comes from learning, growing, and being together.

the Lord Provides

1Nephi 3:7 -  I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

1 Nephi 17:3 - And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

When taken together, these two scriptures are especially awesome.  (They stand up pretty well on their own too).  In the first Nephi expresses faith.  In the second he confirms how the Lord has rewarded that faith.  I know the Lord will provide a way followed by look how the Lord provided a way.

Nephi set a good example of looking forward with faith and looking back over the course of your life to strengthen that faith and give you courage to move forward.

When I look back over my life, I can see plenty of times when the Lord has blessed and helped me, times when stepping forward in faith has been rewarded with asked blessings and increased capacity to do what he has asked me to do.