Atonement: Remission of Sins and then Reconciliation

We have hope through the Atonement of Christ to be raised unto life eternal.

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”

See Atonement of Jesus Christ, Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Scripture References

Isaiah 49:13-16;  53 
Matthew 26;  27;  28 
Mark 14;  15;  16 
Luke 22;  23;  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 
Doctrine and Covenants 18:10-12;  19:15-24;  20:17-34;  45:3-5;  76:40-43 
Moses 1:39

The Atonement: Reconciliation and Eternal Life

The Savior’s gift of immortality comes to all who have ever lived. But His gift of eternal life requires repentance and obedience to specific ordinances and covenants. Essential ordinances of the gospel symbolize the Atonement. Baptism by immersion is symbolic of the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Redeemer. Partaking of the sacrament renews baptismal covenants and also renews our memory of the Savior’s broken flesh and of the blood He shed for us. Ordinances of the temple symbolize our reconciliation with the Lord and seal families together forever. Obedience to the sacred covenants made in temples qualifies us for eternal life—the greatest gift of God to man —the “object and end of our existence.” 

^{The Atonement, by Elder Russell M. Nelson}

JESUS CHRIST: HIS MISSION HIS MINISTRY

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

--Hebrews 13:8

Jesus’ gospel is the same yesterday, today, and will be forever. The true everlasting principles and doctrines of the true gospel won’t change; for they will be eternally the same. Uninspired men attempt to change His true church, but they don’t succeed. His truth is perpetual, never-ending.

Jesus’ mission was the Atonement. His ministry was to heal the sick, teach the gospel, raise the dead, minister to the poor, build people up, establish His church. We have been asked to minister like Jesus, and we can; however, we can’t have the same mission as Jesus did. He alone had the power and was foreordained to work out the infinite and perfect atonement for all.

JESUS CHRIST: CHIEF CORNERSTONE

The Foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ

9 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.

--Ephesians 2:19-20

The Church of Jesus Christ in New Testament was built upon the foundation of Apostles and Prophets. If a church didn’t have this foundation, then the church was not the true church of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church. He is the one upon which the entire structure depends for its solid construction and edifice. The teachings and doctrines of Christ and those taught by Christ are paramount  to the establishment of the true church of Jesus Christ. Many churches exist, but they are not built upon Apostles and Prophets, but they are built upon the foundation of the philosophies of man, the teachings and ideas of man. Plus, they found churches for personal gain rather than for the salvation of one’s soul. Only through the name of Jesus Christ and the teachings of His true church can a person gain salvation and eventually exaltation in the hereafter.

JESUS CHRIST: ROCK OF HEAVEN

Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings

And the Lord said: Blessed is he through whose seed Messiah shall come; for he saith: I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven, which is broad as eternity; whoso cometh in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with songs of everlasting joy.

--Moses 7:53

Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, even the Rock of Heaven. His influence extends from all eternity past to eternity future; for, there is no end to His work or impact. Those who believe in Christ, follow Him, obey Him, and endure faithfully to the end of mortality will experience a favorable judgment, come forth with songs of everlasting joy, and gain eternal life in exaltation throughout eternity. Seek Him and find Him, and you will also find happiness, peace, and eternal life.

JESUS CHRIST: LIFE EVERLASTING

Eternal Life through the Name of Christ

30 ¶And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

--John 20:30-31

Scriptures are written to inspire people to believe in Jesus, that He is the Christ, the Son of God. Scriptures teach and instruct us how to learn of Christ and to know Him, how we can live lives pleasing to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Righteous living now assures us of eternal life in the hereafter, living with God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, our families and friends. Eternal life is the greatest gift God can bestow upon us as His children. Faith in Jesus Christ and His gospel is the first step toward this greatest gift achievement. Jesus’ atonement makes eternal life possible; otherwise, we would perish and become as satan, no resurrection. But because of the Savior’s atonement, we have freedom and agency to choose, either damnation or eternal life--the choice is ours.

Click HERE to hear Elder Randall Bennett teach us about Choosing Eternal Life.

JESUS: THE CHRIST

Jesus Christ is Lord Omnipotent

Jesus gave His disciples a charge or directive at one point, [Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ].

Jesus bore testimony of himself, that He was the Christ. Jesus was and is the only true Christ. He is the literal Messiah and Redeemer of the world and all world created by Him under the direction of the Father. His name is the only name wherein man can obtain salvation and gain eternal life.

“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.”

Jesus is the perfect role model of righteousness and godliness. Seek to become like Jesus the Christ.

JESUS CHRIST: SAVIOR and REDEEMER

For God so Loved the World…..

6 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved

.

Through Jesus Christ all will have the opportunity to have everlasting life. No everyone will, but at least they will have the chance. It is all up to the individual and the choices he/she makes. If one gains eternal life it is because they chose it because they chose to live obedient lives and this is what qualifies one for everlasting life in the highest heaven of the Celestial world.

God, the Father, loved the world so much that He provided a Savior, to atone for the sins of all people. So He sent His son, Jesus, to be the Great Atoner. Jesus suffered death in the flesh, and He suffered pain and agony and bled from every pore of His body, all stemming from the love the Father and Jesus have for us. Jesus’ role isn’t to condemn, but to save.

CHRIST'S ATONEMENT IS SUPREME

Jesus Christ's Atonement: The Single Most Important Event

President Joseph F. Smith testified: "On the third of October, in the year nineteen hundred and eighteen, I sat in my room pondering over the scriptures; and reflecting upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the Son of God, for the redemption of the world; and the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; that through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, mankind might be saved."

--Doctrine and Covenants 138:1-4

God the Father demonstrated His deepest love for us by sending to us His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins and the sins of the world, to enable us with a resurrection of body and spirit. Jesus’s great atoning sacrifice marked the single most important event to ever occur throughout history. His atonement brought redemption to the world and affects all eternity. His atonement makes salvation possible, for without Christ’s atonement, no one could gain forgiveness of sins and inherit eternal life predicated upon our obedience to gospel principles. Christ’s atonement is supreme.

JESUS CHRIST: CELESTIAL KINGDOM INHERITANCE

Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation

God, the Father, said,  “I am God, and have sent mine Only Begotten Son into the world for the redemption of the world, and have decreed that he that receiveth him shall be saved, and he that receiveth him not shall be damned.”

God, our Heavenly Father, sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem all from sin and death, to establish a path and pattern for happy and successful living now and how to prepare for eternal life in the hereafter. The plan and pattern that God established is for those who believe in Christ and receive Him with all their hearts, will be rewarded, and this reward is salvation in the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven. On the contrary, those who reject Christ and His true gospel, will not gain eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom, but they will inherit another degree of glory, either Terrestrial or Telestial, lesser degrees of Glory. We have the freedom to choose  which path we will follow.

 “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nephi 2:27).

God forces no one to choose righteousness or evil; for, He grants us our agency to act for ourselves. Herein, all have equal opportunity for freedom of choice whether to follow Christ or not. Choose wisely,

“Decisions Determine Destiny” (Thomas S. Monson)

JESUS CHRIST: LIGHT AND LIFE

The Bitter Cup

Jesus said, “And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.”

--Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 11:11

Jesus is the light and life of all created beings and things. His light is within every individual soul, animal, planet, the sun, the moon, star, tree, all things that were created by the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus drunk from the bitter cup; He suffered pain and agony in Gethsemane and on the cross to glorify the Father and to fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation and exaltation. Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world from ages past to eternities to come-no ending. His atonement was infinite and eternal. His influence extends in the past to no beginning and to the future to no ending. His life and atonement is unlimited and never-ending. He is the Great Atoner.

JESUS CHRIST: THE ONLY NAME

The Only Way: The Atoning Blood of Christ

O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

--Book of Mormon 5:9

Through the atoning blood of Christ is the only way than humankind can be saved. There is no other way nor means for salvation to occur. Christ’s blood atoned for all is the one and only way to eternal life and never-ending happiness. Christ is the Redeemer of the whole world, and all worlds created by the Almighty God. Put Him first in your life and He will put you in the top kingdom of glory in the hereafter, even the Celestial Kingdom. Jesus said, “I am the way.”

JESUS CHRIST: LOOSING THE BANDS OF DEATH

Remission-Redemption-Resurrection

Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have

eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.

--Book of Mormon Alma 11:40-41

Elder Richard G. Scott said, "Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, each of us can become clean and the burden of our rebellion will be lifted. Look here how to receive personal strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ as delivered by Elder Scott, Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the world to remit our sins and redeem the people.  By so doing, He took upon himself the sins and transgressions of the people that believed in Him. Believers repented and received a forgiveness of their wrongs and opened the gate for them to gain eternal life if they endure; however, the wicked will be resurrected, but will not be redeemed unless they do repent. God knows all things. We will all be judged on Judgment Day and all truth will surface at that time. Those who live in secret and think they are getting away with it will be surprised when they stand before their Maker. Here is the time of reckoning and they will be accountable for every action here in mortality. It will be a rude awakening for lots of people because satan deceives them into thinking they can sin, hurt others, be dishonest and never get caught. God will not be mocked; therefore, their time will come.

Jesus made the resurrection possible. He is the Redeemer and purifier of souls. He is the center of all true religion. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is supreme to all other events and doctrines. The Atonement does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We stand all amazed at the Atonement of Jesus Christ, His infinite and eternal sacrifice.

JESUS CHRIST: THE RESURRECTED LORD

22 And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection.

Mosiah 15:22-24 (Book of Mormon)

23 They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death.

24 And these are those who have part in the first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord.

Jesus made possible both the first and second resurrections. The first resurrection is for the righteous, and the second resurrection is for the wicked and evil people. Jesus redeemed all humankind, but it is up to each individual to choose the life he/she will live, and they will be rewarded accordingly. Those resurrected in the morning of the first resurrection will inherit a Celestial Glory in the Celestial Kingdom living with God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, God the Holy Ghost, family members and others who also qualify for Celestial glory. Jesus removed the bands of death and opened the door for eternal life for the righteous to enter therein and dwell in a state of neverending happiness.

JESUS CHRIST: HE ATONED

Ephesians 1:7

We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

We are redeemed through the shedded blood of Jesus Christ. His atoning blood gives Christ power to forgive us of our sins and imperfections. Jesus’ blood atoneth for us; we just need to apply the atoning blood of Christ into our lives through obedience to the commandments and ordinances in order for the power of the atonement to take effect in us; otherwise, we remain in our sins and fall short of the glory of God.

Jesus’ grace makes us feel rich. As we are forgiven of our sins, we become reconciled to God, and we feel peace. The peace of Christ makes us feel rich toward God, and growing rich toward God is the only true form of being rich, for herein we have potential to experience the riches of eternity in the Celestial Kingdom with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, family and friends. This is exaltation, living forever in the hereafter the life that God lives now. It is all possible because of the infinite blood atonement and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know this is true.

Jesus Christ: Redemption Through

Romans 3:23-24

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Jesus Christ brings about redemption through His grace. “By grace we are saved after all we can do” (See 2 Nephi 25:23). Grace is divine assistance, help from God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost. No one is perfect since we have all sinned, but the gift of eternal life is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Salvation is obtained in His name and no other. He is the first and the last, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He holds all creations in His hands and sees everything and everybody all in the present, eternity past and eternity future. Jesus makes all things possible, for “With God, nothing shall be impossible.”

Jesus Christ: Our Utmost Redeemer

Luke 1:18

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people.

Jesus, the Lord God of Israel, redeemed His people through His suffering in Gethsemane and His crucifixion on the Cross. The prints of the nails in His hands and feet evidence His infinite love for us all

. He opened the door for His people to enter into the path of life leading to eternal life, the life that God and Jesus Christ live, one of peace and everlasting joy, having spiritual offspring and being a God of many worlds.

Jesus descended below all things in order to rise above all things. He lifts us up when we are downtrodden, for His yoke is easy and His burden light. He knows our every thought and desire, our wants and needs. He knows all, for there isn’t anything He doesn’t know.

The prints of the nails in His hands and feel mark the way, for He is the way.

Jesus Christ: Blood of the New Testament

Matthew 26:27-28

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Jesus shed His blood in Gethsemane and on the Cross for the remission of sins. The Cross was Jesus’ altar of sacrifice, for here upon is where Jesus offered and sacrificed His own life by suffering to the end. He never faltered, but He always did the will of His Father. Jesus’ blood represents life, mortal life and eternal life, the most desirable life one could desire, but many don’t know about this life that can be eternal., and eternal life is the greatest of all the gifts that God can offer.

Jesus Christ: Supreme Lovingkindness

Isaiah 63:7-9

7 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

8 For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

Jesus, our Redeemer, constantly demonstrated lovingkindness. His  supreme love and kindness came to a summit on two occasions in two places:

(1) While suffering and bleeding from every pore when in Gethsemane

(2) While bleeding and dying when on the cruel Cross

Jesus suffered, bled and died, sacrificing His life for all humankind and all living things. He shed His blood in the perfect atonement so that we might be forgiven of our sins and gain eternal life.

How do we gain access to the Power of the Atonement?

1. Put God first: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”
2. Exercise faith in Christ
3. Repent
4. Be worthily baptized by proper authority
5. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
6. Make and keep sacred covenants in the temple
7. Obey all God’s commandments
8. Be meek and humble
9. Pray 100% perfectly honest prayers
10. Praise the Lord with all our hearts
11. Be perfectly honest and upright at all times
12. Serve others with love
13. Acknowledge God’s hand in all things
14. Always be temple worthy

Jesus is the author and finisher of our salvation through His perfect atonement