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
