The Continuous Atonement

Read the first Chapter! Just click on the excerpt tab above.

Listen to an interview with author Brad Wilcox from KSL Radio's People of Faith, aired Sunday, February 22,2009.

Listen to an interview with Brad Wilcox from the Cricket and Seagull Podcast, aired February 22, 2009.

Christ doesn’t just make up the difference. He makes all the difference.

“I’ll never do it again,” we say — and then we do it. In a world full of challenges, temptations, and even addictions, it is easy to lose hope for ourselves and those we love. During times of discouragement, we must remember that the purpose of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is not just to cleanse and console, but also to transform — and that takes time. Christ is not waiting at the finish line once we have done —all we can do.” He is with us every step of the way, and His Atonement will be available as long as the perfecting process takes — continually.

This book offers valuable insights about God, Christ, and our relationship with them. Each chapter contains clear examples that will uplift and motivate. Profound doctrine is made accessible and difficult concepts are presented in such simple ways that over and over the reader will say, “I've never thought of it like that before.” That kind of change of belief will help bring about a change of behavior.

Most members of the Church acknowledge that perfection is a long-term process, but overlook the continuous nature of Christ's Atonement that makes that process possible. Peace is found not by giving up or erasing the need to change, but by turning to the One who makes change possible and realizing that we get lots of chances to start again. So, if at first you don't succeed either, don't find excuses. Find the Savior and the blessings of His continuous Atonement.

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By Aaron Shill

Mormon Times

Published: 2009-05-29 00:15:54

Author Brad Wilcox has a message for those who are sincerely trying to improve themselves — that the atonement of Jesus Christ is not only real, but infinite.

Wilcox, an educator, former mission president and popular youth speaker known for his entertaining but direct style, has dedicated his latest work to those who strive to keep the commandments but who become discouraged in the face of their own imperfection.

“The purpose of this book is to comfort,” Wilcox writes in The Continuous Atonement (2009 Deseret Book).

Wilcox has sought to capture the magnitude of the Atonement as an eternal and indispensable gift and emphasize that repentance is a continual process. He addresses the paradox that faces a mortal who sins but seeks to enter the presence of God, whom the scriptures say “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance."

“... What chance do any of us have?” Wilcox writes. “The answer is a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance — as many as we need to get it right.”

Wilcox uses the analogy of a young, nervous priest who has to recite the sacrament prayer over and over until he says it correctly.

The author then draws in a number of personal experiences from his church service of individuals who have been distraught by their own frailties but subsequently comforted by the power of the Atonement.

Wilcox, who served as a mission president in Chile and is currently a BYU professor and counselor in a stake presidency, does infuse some of his trademark humor into the text but also maintains a reverent, doctrinally rich tone.

E-mail: ashill@desnews.com