The Atonement
of Jesus Christ
What is the Atonement of
Jesus Christ?
• The Atonement is the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to
help us overcome sin, adversity, and death.
Jesus’s atoning sacrifice took place in the Garden
of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary. He
paid the price for our sins, took upon Himself death,
and was resurrected. The Atonement is the supreme
expression of the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ.
• The Atonement is the most important event in the
history of mankind.
What is happening in this picture?
Gethsemane
No mere mortal can conceive the full
import of what Christ did for us in
Gethsemane. He Himself later described
the experience: “[The] 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.” President Monson
What do you know about this scene?
The Crucifixion
Finally, on a hill called Calvary, while helpless
followers looked on, His wounded body was
nailed to a cross. Mercilessly He was mocked
and cursed and derided. And yet He cried
out, “Father, forgive them; for they know not
what they do.”
The agonizing hours passed as His life ebbed.
From His parched lips came the words,
“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:
and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”
President Monson
What is happening in this picture?
The Resurrection
Our Savior lived again. The
most glorious, comforting,
and reassuring of all events of
human history had taken
place—the victory over
death. The pain and agony of
Gethsemane and Calvary
had been wiped away.
The salvation of mankind had
been secured. To all within
the sound of my voice, I
declare, If a man die, he shall
live again. We know, for we
have the light of revealed
truth. President Monson
The Savior is the Only Way
• 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.
Sin is like falling into a hole. We
have no way out. We need
someone to help us. The Savior is
the only one who has a ladder.
Through His atonement it is like
He is lowering the ladder into the
hole and helping us out.
Redeemed From the Pain of Sin
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. After Alma 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).
How will I know when I have been forgiven?
• In most cases the cleansing process takes time
because our change of heart takes time, but in the
interim, we can proceed with the confidence that
God approves of our progress as manifested by the
presence of His Spirit. (Tad R. Callister of the Seventy)
“If you feel the Spirit—when you
pray, read the scriptures, teach,
testify, or at any other time—then
that is your witness that you have
been forgiven or, alternatively, that
the cleansing process is taking
place, for the Spirit cannot dwell in
an unholy tabernacle”
(see Alma 7:21)
Though your sins be as scarlet…
they shall be white as snow
• Some people are harder on themselves than the
Lord is. Of course, we must repent to be eligible for
the cleansing and forgiving powers of the
Atonement, but once we have repented, there is
no such thing as a spotted repenter in God’s
kingdom. There is no black mark on our right ankle
that says “2008 sin” or brown stain behind our left
ear that says “2010 trespass.” The Lord declared the
comprehensive cleansing power of the Atonement
when He said, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). That is the
miracle of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. (Tad Callister)
Video:
“Not a One Time Thing”
The Atonement & Faith
Elder Oaks:
“We tend to think of the results of repentance as
simply cleansing us from sin, but that is an incomplete
view. A person who sins is like a tree that bends easily
in the wind. On a windy and rainy day, the tree bends
so deeply against the ground that the leaves become
soiled with mud, like sin.
If we focus only on
cleaning the leaves,
the weakness in the
tree that allowed it to
bend and soil its leaves
may remain. …
Repentance Brings New Strength
• “When a person has gone
through the process that
results in what the scriptures
call ‘a broken heart and a
contrite spirit,’ the Savior
does more than cleanse
that person from sin. He
gives him or her new
strength. That strengthening
is essential for us to realize
the purpose of the
cleansing, which is to return
to our Heavenly Father.”
The Atonement Brings Peace
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” (1Peter 5:7).
Strength To Bear Your Burdens
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).
“I will give you rest”
“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.
The Atonement
Jesus Christ did what only He could
do in atoning for our sins. To make His
Atonement fully effective in our
individual lives, we must have faith,
repent, be baptized and confirmed,
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost,
obey God’s commandments,
receive sacred ordinances, and
strive to become like Him.
As we do these things through His
Atonement, we can be forgiven,
have peace in trials, strength to bear
our burdens and return to live with
Him and our Heavenly Father forever.