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DIR Return to: Atonement (M006)
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#Post#: 8--------------------------------------------------
From True to the Faith (2004)
DIR By: RickBulow
Date: March 17, 2025, 8:25 pm
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The word atone means to reconcile, or to restore to harmony.
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be reconciled to
our Heavenly Father (see Romans 5:10–11; 2 Nephi 25:23; Jacob
4:11). We can ultimately dwell in His presence forever, having
been “made perfect through Jesus” (see D&C 76:62, 69).
Jesus Christ “was prepared from the foundation of the world to
redeem [His] people” (Ether 3:14). In the premortal spirit
world, Heavenly Father presented the eternal plan of salvation,
which required an infinite and eternal Atonement. The premortal
Jesus, then known as Jehovah, humbly declared that He would do
the will of the Father in fulfilling the plan (see Moses 4:2).
Thus He was foreordained to carry out the Atonement—to come to
the earth, suffer the penalty for our sins, die on the cross,
and be resurrected. He became “the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8; see also 1 Peter
1:19–20; Moses 7:47).
The Atonement is the supreme expression of our Heavenly Father’s
love for us (see John 3:16). It is also the greatest expression
of the Savior’s love for the Father and for us (see John
14:28–31; 15:9–13; 1 John 3:16; D&C 34:3; 138:1–4).
Our Need for the Atonement
As descendants of Adam and Eve, all people inherit the effects
of the Fall. We all experience spiritual death, being separated
from the presence of God, and we are all subject to temporal
death, which is the death of the physical body (see Alma 42:6–9;
D&C 29:41–42).
In our fallen state, we are subject to opposition and
temptation. When we give in to temptation, we distance ourselves
from God and come short of His glory (see Romans 3:23).
Eternal justice demands that the effects of the Fall remain and
that we be punished for our own wrongdoings. Without the
Atonement, spiritual and temporal death would place an
impassable barrier between us and God. Because we cannot save
ourselves from the Fall or from our own sins, we would be
forever separated from our Heavenly Father, for “no unclean
thing can dwell … in his presence” (Moses 6:57).
The only way for us to be saved is for someone else to rescue
us. We need someone who can satisfy the demands of
justice—standing in our place to assume the burden of the Fall
and to pay the price for our sins. Jesus Christ has always been
the only one capable of making such a sacrifice.
Jesus Christ, Our Only Hope
From before the Creation of the earth, the Savior has been our
only hope for “peace in this world, and eternal life in the
world to come” (D&C 59:23).
Only He had the power to lay down His life and take it up again.
From His mortal mother, Mary, He inherited the ability to die.
From His immortal Father, He inherited the power to overcome
death. He declared, “As the Father hath life in himself; so hath
he given to the Son to have life in himself” (John 5:26).
Only He could redeem us from our sins. God the Father gave Him
this power (see Helaman 5:11). The Savior was able to receive
this power and carry out the Atonement because He kept Himself
free from sin: “He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto
them” (D&C 20:22). Having lived a perfect, sinless life, He was
free from the demands of justice. Because He had the power of
redemption and because He had no debt to justice, he could pay
the debt for those who repent. He can say:
“Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin,
in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son
which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself
might be glorified;
“Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my
name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life” (D&C
45:4–5).
Truly, “there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor
means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only
in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent” (Mosiah
3:17).
The Atoning Sacrifice
Jesus’s atoning sacrifice took place in the Garden of Gethsemane
and on the cross at Calvary. In Gethsemane He submitted to the
will of the Father and began to take upon Himself the sins of
all people. He has revealed some of what He experienced as He
paid the price for our sins:
“I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not
suffer if they would repent;
“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all,
to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to
suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the
bitter cup, and shrink—
“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and
finished my preparations unto the children of men” (D&C
19:16–19; see also Luke 22:44; Mosiah 3:7).
The Savior continued to suffer for our sins when He allowed
Himself to be crucified—“lifted up upon the cross and slain for
the sins of the world” (1 Nephi 11:33).
On the cross, He allowed Himself to die. His body was then laid
in a tomb until He was resurrected and became “the firstfruits
of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Through His death and
Resurrection, He overcame physical death for us all. He later
said:
“I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my
Father sent me.
“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross;
and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might
draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even
so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to
be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they
be evil—
“And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according
to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that
they may be judged according to their works.
“And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized
in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end,
behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day
when I shall stand to judge the world” (3 Nephi 27:13–16).
Universal Redemption from the Fall
Through the Atonement, Jesus Christ redeems all people from the
effects of the Fall. All people who have ever lived on the earth
and who ever will live on the earth will be resurrected and
brought back into the presence of God to be judged (see 2 Nephi
2:5–10; Helaman 14:15–17). Through the Savior’s gift of mercy
and redeeming grace, we will all receive the gift of immortality
and live forever in glorified, resurrected bodies.
Salvation from Our Sins
Although we are redeemed unconditionally from the universal
effects of the Fall, we are accountable for our own sins. But we
can be forgiven and cleansed from the stain of sin if we “apply
the atoning blood of Christ” (Mosiah 4:2). We must exercise
faith in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized for the remission of
sins, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Alma counseled:
“Ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye
are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven;
therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be
washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of
God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to
save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness” (Alma 7:14).
The Gift of Eternal Life
The Savior has declared that eternal life is “the greatest of
all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7). To gain eternal life is to be
made worthy to dwell in God’s presence, inheriting a place in
the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. This gift is
available only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Mormon
said: “What is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you
that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the
power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and
this because of your faith in him according to the promise”
(Moroni 7:41).
To receive this gift, we must meet certain conditions. We must
exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, and endure
faithfully to the end. We must receive the ordinances of
salvation: baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, Melchizedek
Priesthood ordination (for men), and the temple endowment and
marriage sealing. By receiving these ordinances and keeping the
associated covenants, we come unto Christ and ultimately receive
the gift of eternal life (see Articles of Faith 1:3).
In His infinite justice and mercy, the Lord also gives eternal
life to “all who have died without a knowledge of this gospel,
who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry”
and to “all children who die before they arrive at the years of
accountability” (D&C 137:7, 10).
The Savior invites us all to receive eternal life: “He sendeth
an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended
towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you. Yea,
he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the
tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the
waters of life freely” (Alma 5:33–34).
Finding Peace and Healing through the Atonement
The blessings of the Savior’s Atonement extend throughout
eternity, but they also come in this life. As you come unto
Christ, you will know the joy of being clean before the Lord.
You will be able to echo the words of Alma, who, after much sin
and rebellion, experienced the painful but healing process of
repentance. After he had been forgiven, he testified:
“I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by
the memory of my sins no more.
“And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea,
my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
“… There could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my
pains. … On the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite
and sweet as was my joy” (Alma 36:19–21).
In addition to offering redemption from the pain of sin, the
Savior offers peace in times of trial. As part of His Atonement,
Jesus took upon Himself the pains, sicknesses, and infirmities
of all people (see Alma 7:11–12). He understands your suffering
because He has experienced it. With this perfect understanding,
He knows how to help you. You can cast “all your care upon him;
for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Through your faith and righteousness and through His atoning
sacrifice, all the inequities, injuries, and pains of this life
can be fully compensated for and made right. Blessings denied in
this life will be given in the eternities. And although He may
not relieve all your suffering now, He will bless you with
comfort and understanding and with strength to “bear up [your]
burdens with ease” (Mosiah 24:15).
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,” the
Savior said, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). On
another occasion He again promised His peace, saying, “In the
world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world” (John 16:33). These are the promises of the
Atonement, in this life and throughout eternity.
Additional references: Isaiah 49:13–16; 53; Matthew 26–28; Mark
14–16; Luke 22–24; John 10:14–15; 11:25–26; 14:6; 15:13; 19–20;
1 Corinthians 15:20–22; Hebrews 4:14–16; 1 John 1:7; 1 Nephi
10:6; 2 Nephi 2:1–10; 9; 25:23–26; Jacob 4:12; Mosiah 3:1–19;
Alma 22:14; 34:5–18; 42; Helaman 5:9–12; 14:13–19; 3 Nephi
9:14–22; 27:13–22; Mormon 9:10–14; Ether 12:27, 41; Moroni
8:5–26; 10:32–33; D&C 18:10–12; 19:15–24; 20:17–34; 45:3–5;
76:40–43; Moses 1:39
See also Baptism; Death, Physical; Death, Spiritual; Eternal
Life; Faith; Fall; Forgiveness; God the Father; Gospel; Justice;
Kingdoms of Glory; Mercy; Ordinances; Plan of Salvation;
Repentance; Resurrection; Salvation
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