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

JESUS CHRIST: REPENTANCE MADE POSSIBLE

The Suffering of Jesus

"Glory be to the Father"

16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

18 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—

19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

--Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19

Jesus suffered for all, giving us the opportunity and freedom to repent if we choose to do so; otherwise, we must suffer as He suffered. One of the sufferings we will experience if we don’t repent is that His Spirit will withdraw from us. Jesus’ suffering was so great that it caused Him to tremble because of pain, to bleed at every pore. He suffered both body and spirit to fulfill the will of the Father and bring about the Father’s desire of providing a Savior for all.

Jesus is that Savior who glorified the Father from the beginning. We to can glorify God by repenting and following our Savior in righteousness; herein, is peace and happiness and joy.

JESUS CHRIST: REPENTANCE MADE POSSIBLE

Repentance

Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Book of Mormon Alma 7:13

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He suffered, bled, and died so that He could fulfill the Father’s purpose: working out the infinite atonement for all humankind and all living things. Jesus suffered according to the Father’s will in order for us to receive a remission of our sins and transgressions based upon our faith and repentance. Read a thorough description of Repentance here. REPENTANCE: From the LDS Bible Dictionary, Repentance is defined as followers: The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God.

Repentance denotes:

1. A change of mind: We are literally in charge of our thinking. We control our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. “As a man thinketh, so is he.”
2. A fresh view about God: As we study the holy words of God, ponder, and pray, our views and perceptions about God improve that increases our faith in Him. Faith leads to good works.
3. A fresh view about oneself: The more we learn about God, the better we feel about ourselves, that we are His spirit offspring, His children, and that He loves us and wants the best for us, that which we need.
4. A fresh view about the world: Knowing God and His gospel gives us reasons for living, purposes for being on the earth. Knowing the ‘WHY” of earthlife motivates to action in doing that which is righteous and pleasing to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Our lives become single to the Glory of God.

Jesus is our Master teacher and friend. We sin-He saves. He is our Savior and Redeemer. May we repent and enjoy our mortal experience.

Christ's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane

Elder James E. Talmage taught: 

Christ’s agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause. … He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even con-ceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused him to suffer such torture as to produce an ex-trusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of expe-riencing. … In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors that Satan, ‘the prince of this world,’ could inflict. … In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehen-sible, the Savior took upon Him-self the burden of the sins of man-kind from Adam to the end of the world‖ (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 613). 

Christ in Gethsemane

Several years before Elder Orson F. Whitney was ordained an Apostle, he received a vision of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. Elder Whitney’s description of his vision: 

―I seemed to be in the Garden of Geth-semane, a witness of the Savior’s ago-ny. I saw Him as plainly as ever I have seen anyone. Standing behind a tree in the foreground, I beheld Jesus, with Peter, James and John, as they came through a little … gate at my right. Leaving the three Apostles there, af-ter telling them to kneel and pray, the Son of God passed over to the other side, where He also knelt and prayed. It was the same prayer with which all Bible readers are familiar: ‘Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ “As He prayed the tears streamed down his face, which was toward me. I was so moved at the sight that I also wept, out of pure sympathy. My whole heart went out to him; I loved him with all my soul, and longed to be with him as I longed for nothing else. “Presently He arose and walked to where those Apostles were kneeling—fast asleep! He shook them gently, awoke them, and in a tone of tender re-proach, untinctured by the least show of anger or impatience, asked them plaintively if they could not watch with him one hour. There He was, with the awful weight of the world’s sin upon his shoulders, with the pangs of every man, woman and child shooting through his sensitive soul—and they could not watch with him one poor hour! “Returning to his place, He offered up the same prayer as before; then went back and again found them sleeping. Again he awoke them, readmonished them, and once more returned and prayed. Three times this occurred‖ (Through Memory’s Halls [1930], 82).

The Pains, Afflictions, and Temptations of Jesus

Book of Mormon-Alma 7:11

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

Jesus suffered pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind. Jesus said, "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations" (Luke 22:28). Through His atoning sacrifice, He knows what it is like to have cancer, a severe common cold, leukemia, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, toothache, hurt feelings, broken hearts, brain damage, heart attack, depression, stroke, leprosy, and all the other countless diseases that afflict mankind. In Gethsemane, He descended below all things, including the experiencing of every pain and disease and suffering and temptation. He knows what it is like to be tempted by Satan, and there isn’t anything He doesn’t know.

Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection constitute the Atonement. He is The Great Atoner. While hanging on the cross, the pains and sufferings of Gethsemane returned to Him. Yet, He never complained nor murmured against the Father. He accepted His role as The Great Atoner in perfect stride. He never forsook His responsibilities. He atoned out of His infinite love for His Father and all humankind.

With His Stripes We Are Healed

Book of Mormon--Mosiah 14:5

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Jesus is the Great Atoner. He was foreordained in premortal life to come to this earth and be the Savior, Redeemer, and Atoner of the world for all. He was smitten, spit upon, smote, cursed at, scourged, and crucified-all for the atonement and reconciliation of humankind. While in gethsemane, Jesus suffered the pains and afflictions of everyone past, present, and those who will yet be born, and here is when he sweat great drops of blood from every pore so great was His pain and suffering. He even asked the Father to remove this cup from Him, but if it wasn’t the Father’s will, then Jesus would endure and suffer through it. This He did.

He suffered the Atonement so we could have peace, and as a result of His stripes, His seven special wounds, we are healed of our sins and shortcomings.

His seven special wounds included:

1. Print of the nail in His left hand
2. Print of the nail in His right hand
3. Print of the nail in His left foot
4. Print of the nail in His right foot
5. Print of the nail in His left wrist
6. Print of the nail in His right wrist
7. The spear wound in His right side

In addition to Jesus’ seven special wounds, He received body torture from the scourging, from the crown of plaited thorns pressed down upon His head, and whiskers of His beard were pulled out.

“I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6).

He suffered for the pains and sicknesses of all mankind.

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people” (Book of Mormon, Alma 7:11).

Jesus is our Advocate with the Father. Without Him, we are as nothing. May we praise and thank Him humbly from the depths of our hearts forevermore. Above all, may we live so that our good lives demonstrate and reflect our abiding love for Him. Our lives show the depth of our love, commitment, and devotion to Him.