Mormon 4

Verses 1-23: War and Carnage
Battles are described, however, I believe this chapter can be encapsulated in the following verse:
 11 And it is impossible for the tongue to describe, or for man to write a perfect description of the horrible scene of the blood and carnage which was among the people, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites; and every heart was hardened, so that they delighted in the shedding of blood continually.

This is so instructive for us, because it's the natural outcome of the unchecked growth of an impulse residing in every human being. A battle is continually raging within each of us.

How does this relate to the atonement?
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are the Masters of the Universe because they rule every obedient element, through love. Every particle that would unify, build and grow, is at Their command, while the opposite impulse, toward chaos, breaking away, and destruction, resists Them. (I don't speak of the cycle of life and death in which material decomposes and begins anew in different form. Decomposition is part of creation.). I speak of a spiritual force by which souls resist that which elevates them and binds them to others and God. It is evil. Evil is divided, good is unified. Evil is the self-deception which halts our progress and separates us from good. It is damnation (the opposite of repentance), wherein we actively defy inner and outer invitations to improve- we blame others and circumstances. The insidious arithmetic of evil is that it multiplies even as it divides- meaning that contention invites us to contend and become missionaries of evil, as it were, ourselves. This relates to another noteworthy verse from this chapter, verse 5:
But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.

Evil is also the opposite of love. Love is unity, as we feel towards others as about ourselves- they are one with us. Christ's pure love means He identifies with us at least as much as with His own body. That's why He suffered for us. He had enough love to withstand every offense, every struggle, every outrage, every temptation, every punishment, every dark embodiment of evil without engaging in any evil Himself. He overcame with love. His great atonement illustrates for us that we can choose a higher path of love rather than succumbing to divisiveness as these tragic ancient people did.

*Lesson for me today?
When you act defensively, out of scorn or contempt, when you raise your voice at a child for inconveniencing you or making you look bad, when you harbor grudges or look down upon other people, in short, whenever you treat people with any less care and love than would treat a wound on your own body, you are following the same impulses that overtook these people of old and destroyed an entire race. I don't mean to sound extremist or fanatical, it's just a fact that we're always moving one way or the other, and it's only a matter of degree. But because of Christ, you're in good shape. You need only to keep repenting, keep readjusting, keep reaching higher and don't get discouraged. Choose love.