Key to our Salvation

Alma 36:27 "And I have been supported under trials 

and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of 

afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, 

and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put 

my trust in him, and he will still deliver me."

I read that verse a while ago, and I love it. A little background of this verse; this is Alma the younger speaking, and he's talking to his son Helaman. Alma is telling Helaman about his conversion from a wicked man, to a repentant son of God. In this verse, Alma is telling Helaman that God delivered him from his bondage, from prison, and that He supported him through his trials. Being supported in trials could be a whole other post, but I wanted to talk about something different. When I read this verse, I thought about what bondage from Satan is, and how we are put in prison.

Bondage from Satan, or being under his control, is like us being in prison. But, we are the ones who put ourselves in prison. When we don't follow Christ, and we choose the opposite path, we allow Satan to take hold of us, and he leads us into a prison cell. But what he doesn't know, or thinks we don't know, is that we are holding the key that could deliver us. And he hopes we don't know that Jesus is on the other side of the locked door, waiting for us to call out to him, and give Him the key to let Him deliver us. We can't get ourselves out of prison. We can't unlock the door when we're on the inside. We need someone on the outside that can take the key through the bars, and then unlock the door and lead us out. But Christ is the only who can, and is willing, to do it.

The key is the token to our freedom, and they were given to us by the Savior. We hold in our hands the key to our salvation. And what is necessary for our salvation? Those familiar with the gospel know that if it weren't for Jesus Christ's Atonement, we could never be saved. The key represents the Atonement. The atonement is a gift that the Savior gave to all of us. And it is through the atonement that we can be free, and be forgiven of our sins. But, we can't access the atonement on our own. We need to come to Christ, and let Him work the atonement inside us. When we give Him the key, we are humbling ourselves, and saying that we need His help to get us out. But if we hold on selfishly to the key, there is no way He can get us out. Think of the scripture where Christ says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him." (Revelations 3:20)

When Christ performed the Atonement, He gave each one of us a key that would get us out of the prison cell. He knew that we would need the key, because He knew we would put ourselves in prison, or allow Satan to put us in prison, sometimes unintentionally. But even so, the only way to get out is by using the key; using His Atonement.

Now, something else about the key, that I thought was pretty cool. (Which I came up with by myself. I'm very proud of myself) So there are people who will refuse help, and they don't want the key. Impossible to believe, but it happens. Or maybe we lose the key sometimes. Some people will throw the key away, or maybe we're careless, and the key slips down a crack, or drain. But the key always comes back. The key is like Percy Jackson's sword, Riptide. If we lose the key, or throw it away, it will always show up in our pocket a minute later. No matter how hard we may try to refuse the Atonement, or treat it with disrespect, or without care, it is always there; Christ is always there, waiting for us to come to him. So, hold onto that key. You never know when you may need it.

I know the Atonement is real. Christ died for our sins, and He lives to help us. I know that when we put our trust in him, and give him the key, He will bail us out of jail, and we can be free from bondage, from sin, and we can rise to the glorious beings we are capable of being. I love my Savior, and I know that He loves all of us.