Table of Contents
When I was young, televisions were rare in the places where I grew up.
It wasn’t until later that I realized my childhood home could be classified as a slum.
Despite the challenging environment, white missionaries would visit our area with a mobile cinema—a projector mounted on a bus.
They brought along former street children they had rehabilitated, who worked alongside them to preach the gospel.
The missionaries spoke passionately about repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, declaring Him as our Savior. However, as a child, I struggled to understand why we needed to follow Jesus.
For many of us, fear of hell seemed to be the main motivation.
The message often left no room for questions: follow Christ, or face eternal damnation. It felt more like coercion than an invitation to a loving relationship with God.
1 Wrestling with Faith and Fear
I called myself a Christian, but as I grew older, the influence of the modern world—shaped by Hollywood, social media, and a rapidly changing culture—made it difficult to hold onto a fear-based faith.
Over time, the fear that once kept me anchored to religion began to fade, and with it, my sense of devotion weakened.
Things became even more complicated when a friend from another Abrahamic faith confronted me about my beliefs. He called me a pagan, accusing me of worshiping a God I didn’t truly understand.
He said that believing in Christ as the Son of God was blasphemous and urged me to join his faith instead.
His words challenged me, but they also stirred fear. At the time, Hollywood had painted his religion in a violent light, and I worried about being drawn into something dangerous.
Caught between the fear-driven Christianity I knew and the stereotypes about other faiths, I began to understand why some people lose faith altogether.
It’s not because religion itself is bad but because of how gatekeepers distort its message, using fear and exclusion to control believers.
2 A Turning Point: Choosing Love Over Fear
My perspective began to change when I watched the Bollywood film PK.
The movie critiques how religious leaders manipulate people through fear, portraying religions as corporations that compete for followers.
It was a revelation.
I realized that I didn’t want to worship God out of fear. If God is truly our Heavenly Father, as the gospel teaches, then I wanted to approach Him with love, not coercion.
Christ’s teachings echoed in my mind:
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11, NIV).
This question led me to seek a deeper understanding of who Christ is and why He is central to our faith.
Boyd K. Packer’s talk on Christ as the Mediator finally brought clarity. His explanation helped me understand the profound role of Jesus in reconciling justice and mercy. Inspired by his message, I reflected on a story that captures the essence of Christ’s Atonement.
3 The Story of Mali, Angola, and Niger: A Lesson in Justice, Mercy, and Redemption
In a small African village, two friends, Mali and Angola, found themselves at odds.
Angola had been facing severe financial struggles. Desperate to solve his problems, he visited Mali’s home to seek help. Mali, a single mother, depended entirely on her dairy cow, which was her only source of income to support her children. When Angola arrived and found her absent, temptation overtook him. He stole the cow and sold it to settle some of his debts.
When Mali returned home and discovered her cow missing, she was devastated. It was her lifeline, the sole means of feeding her family. Fortunately, Mali had installed a hidden camera to monitor the cow, and upon reviewing the footage, she discovered that Angola, her own friend, was the thief.
Heartbroken, she confronted him.
Angola begged for mercy, explaining that he had been overwhelmed by his financial troubles. However, Mali, fearing for her children’s future, demanded justice.
Unable to resolve the issue, the matter was brought before the village chief, Nigeria. Mali pleaded for justice, crying out for the restoration of what she had lost.
On the other hand, Angola begged for mercy, admitting his wrongdoing but explaining his desperate circumstances. Both justice and mercy were valid demands, and the chief was stuck. How could he uphold justice without denying mercy?
At that moment, the chief’s son, Niger, stepped in. Moved by compassion, Niger made a selfless offer. He promised to buy a new cow for Mali to restore her livelihood and, in return, asked his father to forgive Angola.
Niger’s sacrifice satisfied the demands of justice and extended mercy to Angola. Deeply touched by Niger’s kindness, Angola experienced a profound change of heart. He grew to admire Niger, who became his mentor and friend, guiding him on a path of integrity and responsibility.
4 Angola’s Path to Redemption
As Angola reflected on his life, he realized that he needed to take steps toward self-reliance. He dreamed of leasing a piece of land from the chief, Nigeria, to cultivate crops and earn a sustainable income.
However, Angola knew that his past actions as a thief would make it impossible to approach the chief directly. His reputation still bore the stain of his previous wrongdoing.
Angola turned to Niger, his friend and mentor, for help. He shared his vision of leasing land to work honestly and meet his obligations. Niger was impressed by Angola’s sincerity and determination to change. Recognizing Angola’s potential, Niger decided to advocate for him.
With humility and hope, Niger took Angola to the chief.
Because Nigeria loved his son deeply and valued Niger’s wisdom and sacrifice, he listened to Angola’s plea. Niger vouched for Angola, emphasizing his transformation and the sincerity of his plans. Moved by his son’s trust and the evidence of Angola’s change, the chief granted Angola’s request and leased him a piece of land.
Angola was overwhelmed with gratitude. He worked tirelessly on the land, fulfilling his obligations and slowly rebuilding his reputation in the village. With Niger’s guidance and encouragement, Angola transformed his life, becoming a respected and self-reliant member of the community.
The chief, Nigeria, watched with pride as Angola flourished, and he admired his son, Niger, even more for his role in Angola’s redemption.
5 The Atonement of Jesus Christ
This story mirrors the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Humanity has sinned, and God, as a just and holy being, declared that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, NIV). Yet God is also merciful, desiring our redemption. Justice and mercy seemed irreconcilable until Christ, like Niger, stepped in as our Mediator.
Through His sacrifice, Christ satisfied the demands of justice while extending mercy to us.
Because of Him, we can approach God despite our flaws. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5, NIV).
That is why we pray through Christ—He is our Mediator, the bridge between us and God. He understands our struggles and pleads on our behalf.
6 A Friend in Jesus
Jesus Christ is not only our Savior and Mediator but also our greatest friend. As the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” beautifully expresses:
“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!”
This hymn reminds us that Christ willingly bears our burdens and invites us to bring all our struggles to Him.
As He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NIV). Like Niger in the story, Jesus is a constant advocate and mentor, guiding us toward redemption and self-reliance.
7 The Old Testament and New Testament: Justice Meets Mercy
The story of God’s relationship with humanity is one of justice and mercy.
In the Old Testament, God’s justice is prominent.
He is portrayed as a God of laws, commandments, and consequences.
For example, the law given through Moses emphasized justice:
“The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20, NIV) and “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24, NIV).
These laws demonstrated God’s holiness and the seriousness of sin.
However, God’s mercy is also evident in the Old Testament.
The sacrificial system allowed atonement for sins through the shedding of animal blood.
The Passover lamb, for example, symbolized God’s provision for mercy, sparing the Israelites from death in Egypt (Exodus 12:13). These sacrifices pointed forward to a greater act of mercy—the coming of Jesus Christ.
In the New Testament, God’s justice is fulfilled through Christ’s Atonement.
Jesus becomes the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
Through His death and resurrection, He satisfies the demands of justice while extending mercy to all. As Paul writes, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, NIV).
The New Testament shifts the focus from punishment to redemption, from law to grace.
This transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament illustrates how God’s nature as both just and merciful is perfectly reconciled through Jesus Christ. The justice of God required a penalty for sin, but His mercy provided Christ as the Mediator who paid that penalty for us.
8 A Call to Action
The story of Angola reminds us that no one is beyond redemption.
While we live, the opportunity to seek Christ and embrace His Atonement is open to us.
But we must act now. After the resurrection, Christ will no longer be our Mediator but our Judge, and only justice will prevail. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NIV).
Today, He invites us to come to Him, to repent, and to let Him guide us toward a better life.
Let us, like Angola, accept the sacrifice made on our behalf and strive to transform our lives.
Through Christ, we find hope, redemption, and the assurance of God’s eternal love. He is our Savior, our Mediator, and our Friend.
