Man's
Nature Can Be Changed Through the Atonement
Henry B.
Eyring
The fruit of
keeping covenants is the companionship of the Holy Ghost and an
increase in the power to love. That happens because of the power of the
Atonement of Jesus Christ to change our very natures. ("Witnesses for
God," Ensign, Nov. 1996, p. 32)
Merrill
J. Bateman (of the Seventy)
The
greatest
miracle of the Atonement is the power Jesus Christ has to change our
character if we come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
... I
bear witness that obedience to the gospel plan is the only way to build
a Christ-centered life. The first step is to have faith, to believe and
live so that one
receives a personal witness of the reality of the Father and the Son,
of the gospel plan, and of the restoration of the gospel through the
Prophet Joseph Smith. As
faith grows, one is free to forget self and serve others. Service is
the second step to a Christlike existence, a key part of the Lord's
refining process. The
blessings of service are love, increased faith, patience, and other
qualities of the divine nature. Finally, enduring trials and
tribulations with a soft heart made
possible by faith brings one closer to Christ. If our hearts are
prepared, the Holy Ghost can infuse divine qualities in us-even when we
are in the midst of
adversity-through the power of the Atonement. ( "Living a
Christ-Centered Life," Ensign, Jan. 1999, pp. 12-13)