To him that overcometh

I will be teaching an Institute class this summer called "The Writings of John." We will study the Book of Revelation, John's Epistles, and the Gospel of John. I have been doing some reading to prepare and yesterday I read an article concerning John's teachings about the Atonement that helped me see some verses in Revelation in a new light (see previous post about commentaries).

The book of Revelation is a revelation of Christ through John to the seven churches in Asia (in other words, 7 Branches of the Church in Asia). Revelation 2-3 has particular counsel to the members of those churches. He commends them for their righteousness, chastises them for their sins then gives them tremendous promises if they will be faithful and true. Each of these promises are prefaced with the words "To him that overcometh." I have long associated this phrase with the similar phrase in D&C 76:53 that promises the Celestial kingdom to those "who overcome by faith and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds upon all those who are just and true."

Life sends us temptations and challenges of all kinds--gut wrenching experiences and other bumps in the road. It takes faith to overcome these. Great blessings await us if we do.

But yesterday the curtain parted and I saw something else in these verses. The author connected them with the principle of grace. The Bible Dictionary defines "grace" as "divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ." All the blessings of the Atonement of Christ come to us through the grace of Christ. Through the grace of His Atonement we are resurrected, forgiven, comforted, strengthened, and empowered. Grace is an "enabling power" that gives us strength to overcome the temptations and challenges of life. It is the power by which we overcome the natural man and become new creatures. It is the power by which we are able to do and become far beyond what we could do or become by our own devices.

The Fall provided us with the wonderful gift of mortality--a school unlike any other where we can learn and have vital life changing experiences. But we could never go home at the end of our school if it weren't for the matchless Atonement of Christ. We have much to overcome--death, sickness, weakness, challenges, and sin. Only through the grace of Christ can we overcome these things.

Thus we "overcome" by coming unto Christ. We overcome by deepening our prayers. We overcome by drinking from the scriptures. We overcome by thoughtfully and purposefully renewing our covenants. We overcome by letting our will be swallowed up in His. It's the purpose of our life--to fully drink of the Atonement and "overcome by faith."

And then we will receive those marvelous promises found in Revelation 2-3.

We will "eat of the tree of life" (Rev 2:7).
We will not be hurt by the second death (Rev 2:11).
We will "eat of the hidden manna" and be given "a white stone" when we are exalted (Rev 2:17, see also D&C 130:10-11).
We will be given power to rule with a rod of iron and be given the morning star (Rev 2:26-28). (Jesus is "the bright and morning star" Rev 22:16.)
We will be "clothed in white raiment" and not have our name blotted out of "the book of life," but Christ will "confess [our] name before [the] Father and before his angels (Rev 3:5, see also D&C 45:3-5 where Christ, our advocate, pleads our cause before the Father).
We will become "a pillar in the temple of [our] God" to "go no more out" and will have written upon us "the name of God." (Rev 3:12). What a cool promise this is!
And finally we will sit with Christ on His throne because He also overcame (Rev 3:21).

These are marvelous promises. These and countless other blessings will be ours if we will completely and fully come unto Christ and receive the power of the Atonement in our lives and overcome by faith every challenge of mortality.

I pray we will.