Access the Atonement

The Individual "One"

"Sadly, in today’s world, a person’s importance is often judged by the size of the audience before which he or she performs. That is how media and sports programs are rated, how corporate prominence is sometimes determined, and often how governmental rank is obtained. That may be why roles such as father, mother, and missionary (and school teacher) seldom receive standing ovations. Fathers, mothers, and missionaries and school teachers “play” before very small audiences. Yet, in the eyes of the Lord, there may be only one size of audience that is of lasting importance—and that is just one, each one, you and me, and each one of the children of God. The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person at a time."

M. Russell Ballard
(italics information added by Steve Haymore)

Christ was Slain for the Sins of the World

Nov. 28, 2015

3 Nephi 11:14

Whenever people do wrong, we think they need to be punished, that we cannot and should not be punished for them. We actually don't want to be punished in their behalf because they did wrong and therefore they deserve to pay the penalty. It is true that "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression." However, in the case of Christ and His atonement, He did suffer for the wrongs and sins of others, not for just a few people, but for the sins of ALL people--those who have lived in the past, those who do live in the present, and those  will yet  be born and live in the future. Jesus was slain for every individual and specific sin.

When we commit one sin, it hurts. Christ, being sinless, hurt and felt the pain of ALL sins, and this thought staggers the imagination. Our finite minds cannot think deeply enough or stretch widely enough to even begin to comprehend the suffering of Jesus.

Jesus said, (D&C 19:16-19)

 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.

“Coming to understand this great gift (the Atonement) is an individual pursuit for each child of God.”M. Russell Ballard

“The Atonement and the Value of One Soul” Ensign, May 2004, 84

Jesus Our Redeemer

Novmber 27, 2015

Helaman 5:9 “Jesus, the Only Sure foundation”

The only way we can be saved in one of God’s kingdoms forever is through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ and our constant repentance. There is no other way.

Jesus is the only life foundation upon which we can build and have a sure and dependable foundation. We cannot fall or fail if we build our lives upon the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Knowing Jesus and obeying His teachings and commandments is like building a house upon a rock. The winds,, waves, and the rains may come, but the house will not fall. Christ is the rock upon which we must build; otherwise, we are built upon sand.

November 26, 2015

Alma 42:23  “The Atonement of Jesus Christ”

The atonement of Jesus Christ allows the Law of Mercy to be in effect. God is a just and a merciful being; however, justice cannot rob mercy, and mercy cannot substitute for justice when each has its place in the Lord’s purposes. His purposes, ways, and works are always right and true.

Jesus’ atonement brings men back into the presence of God. Jesus’ infinite atonement saves us from sin and death. The atoning blood of Christ is applied to us as we repent. His blood cleanses and sanctifies us. If we continue to repent always, we can become spotless, clean, pure, and white, cleansed from the blood and sins of this generation.

The atonement reconciles us to God the Father, since Jesus is our Mediator between us and the father. Christ’s atonement started in Gethsemane, continued on the cross, and culminated with His resurrection.

November 24, 2015

Alma 34:14 “Jesus Christ, the Great and Last Sacrifice”

A great and last sacrifice was essential for the salvation and exaltation of all living people and things. Jesus sacrificed himself as the greatest sacrifice ever-He was the sacrifice, and it was the last sacrifice that required the shedding of blood. Jesus’ great and last sacrifice was the ultimate sacrifice, the pinnacle sacrifice, the zenith and apex of all sacrifices, the final sacrifice of blood. Now the Law of Moses was fulfilled insomuch that the sacrificing of blood terminated. All sacrifices and the entire Law of Moses pointed to the savior and His great and last sacrifice. His was the sacrifice of all sacrifices.

Jesus was without blemish. There was no sin in Him; hence, he was the only person qualified to make this great and last sacrifice possible. No person or thing could substitute in His behalf. He was the only person who could give His life for the sins of another. Besides Him, there is no other Savior.

Jesus Christ: His Atoning Sacrifice

"The atoning sacrifice had to be carried out by the sinless Son of God, for fallen man could not atone for his own sins. The Atonement had to be infinite and eternal―to cover all men throughout all eternity."

See the complete discourse: "The Miracle of the Atonement," by Elder Scott Grow, April 2011 General Conference

References

1. 
   
   1.  Luke 15:17.
2.  
   2.  Doctrine and Covenants 58:42–43.
3.  
   3. See 2 Nephi 2:25–26.
4.  
   4. See Alma 34:14.
5.  
   5.  Alma 42:15.
6.  
   6. See Alma 34:11.
7.  
   7. See Alma 34:10.
8.  
   8. See Alma 22:14.
9.  
   9.  Mosiah 15:7.
10.  
    10.  Mosiah 14:10.
11.  
    11.  Mosiah 3:7.
12.  
    12.  Alma 7:11–12.
13.  
    13.  Mosiah 14:4.
14.  
    14.  Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service (2004), 2.
15.  
    15.  Doctrine and Covenants 18:12.
16.  
    16.  Doctrine and Covenants 19:15–18.
17.  
    17.  3 Nephi 9:13.
18.  
    18.  Doctrine and Covenants 88:74.
19.  
    19.  Doctrine and Covenants 45:4–5.
20.  
    20.  2 Nephi 2:27.
21.  
    21.  3 Nephi 9:13.

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's Infinite Atonement

Atonement: Infinity vs Finite

In preparatory times of the Old Testament, the practice of atonement was finite—meaning it had an end. It was a symbolic forecast of the definitiveAtonement of Jesus the Christ. His Atonement is infinite—without an end. It was also infinite in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope—it was to be done once for all. And the mercy of the Atonement extends not only to an infinite number of people, but also to an infinite number of worlds created by Him. It was infinite beyond any human scale of measurement or mortal comprehension.

Jesus was the only one who could offer such an infinite atonement, since He was born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father. Because of that unique birthright, Jesus was an infinite Being.

Creation-Fall-Atonement
The Atonement, October 1996 General Conference, Elder Russell M. Nelson

Jesus's Atonement: The Reconciliation

“Christ died for us. …

“We were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

“And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Rom. 5:8, 10–11; italics added).

Joy cometh through our Savior, Jesus Christ because of His atonement. "Man is that he might have joy" (2 Nephi 2;25),  and this joy is available to the obedient.

See Atonement-Agency-Accountability, by Elder Boyd K. Packer, for Elder Packer's entire discourse.

Jesus-Gethsemane-Crucifixion-Me

To begin to meet the demands of the Atonement, the sinless Christ went into the Garden of Gethsemane, as Elder Whitney saw in his dream, there to bear the agony of soul only He could bear. He “began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy,” saying to Peter, James, and John, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, unto death.” Why? Because He suffered “the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.” He experienced “temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great [was] his anguish.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Christ's Atonement: at-one-ment

The literal meaning of the English word Atonement is self-evident: at-one-ment, the bringing together of things that have been separated or estranged. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was indispensable because of the separating transgression, or Fall, of Adam, which brought two kinds of death into the world when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Physical death brought the separation of the spirit from the body, and spiritual death brought the estrangement of both the spirit and the body from God. As a result of the Fall, all persons born into mortality would suffer these two kinds of death. But we must remember the Fall was an essential part of Heavenly Father’s divine plan. Without it no mortal children would have been born to Adam and Eve, and there would have been no human family to experience opposition and growth, moral agency, and the joy of resurrection, redemption, and eternal life.

Read the entire document "The Atonement of Jesus Christ" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ

"It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts."
David L. Bednar
In the Strength of the Lord, David L. Bednar, BYU-I Devotional Address, then President of BYU-I. 

Christ's Atonement and Eternal Life

“We understand that the Atonement of Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity to overcome the spiritual death that results from sin and, through making and keeping sacred covenants, to have the blessings of eternal life.”

—Dallin H. Oaks

“Teachings of Jesus,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 93

Gethsemane-Crucifixion-Resurrection

Scott Grow, regarding the Atonement of Jesus Christ, said, “His Atonement began in Gethsemane and continued on the cross and culminated with the Resurrection.”

Click here for the entire discourse on "The Miracle of the Atonement," by Scott Grow

JESUS CHRIST: FOREORDAINED IN HEAVEN

Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.

--Ether 3:14

Jesus was selected and foreordained before the world was created to redeem the children of Heavenly Father.  He bore witness of His name when He said, “I am Jesus Christ.” Those who believe in Christ can become His sons and daughters. In Him is life and light, even the abundant life. Jesus is the Savior of the world. His mission was to carry out the perfect, infinite atonement. His ministry was to bless and teach people. We can follow His ministry example, but we cannot follow His atonement example. He was and is the only one who could perform the perfect and infinite atonement. For Him we will be eternally grateful. We can really pay Him back. All He asks of us is to keep His commandments.

JESUS CHRIST: LOVE ONE ANOTHER

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

--Mosiah 3:8

Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh, the creator of all things from the beginning. He is the Savior of the world and Redeemer of Mankind. Beside Him there is no other Savior or Redeemer. Jesus was tortured, beaten, spit upon, scourged, mocked, and crucified to carry out the infinite and perfect atonement. Only Jesus could carry out this ultimate atonement. Our part is to live all His commandments, including having charity for all people. Charity is the pure love of Christ, loving as He loved. May we all love one another.

JESUS CHRIST: SHILOH

Jesus Christ Lift Our Burdens

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh

come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

--Genesis 49:10

Jesus is Shiloh that would come, and He came to fulfill this and many other prophecies pertaining to His coming to the earth to rule and reign and Savior and Redeemer of the world. People would gather unto Him to be healed of their afflictions and to receive from Him guidance and direction. Jesus came and fulfilled His Father’s will by performing the infinite atonement, the perfect atonement, the only atonement that would satisfy the Father’s will and plan the salvation and exaltation of His children.

Jesus suffered in Gethsemane for the sins of all people, suffered death on the cross, and resurrected himself, becoming the firstfruits of them that slept. Because of His resurrection, all will be resurrected to a newness of life to inherit mansions in the heavens predicated upon their lifestyles here in mortality.

JESUS CHRIST: GRACE AND TRUTH

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

--2 Nephi 2:6

Jesus Christ is the Holy Messiah, the one person possess totality of grace and truth, and “grace and truth forsake the evil one.” Jesus sacrificed himself, His own life, for the sins of the world, to fulfill the law, the law of Moses and the Law of God. His Atonement affects everyone such that all will experience a resurrection of body and spirit. The Atonement also impacts those who have a broken heart and contrite spirit, in other words, a repentant heart and an obedient spirit, for these are the ones who humble themselves in godly sorrow for their wrongs, change, and improve; they seek to live more Christlike lives; herein lies the deep impact from the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

JESUS CHRIST: THE MESSIAH

Jesus’ Atonement affects Eternity Past to Eternity Future

"One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ."
--John 1:40-41

Andrew, Peter’s brother, locates Simon and testifies unto him, “We have found the Messias” (Messiah). Messiah interpreted means ‘the Christ.’ These men had a testimony of Jesus called the Messiah, that He was the Savior of the world. They learned that Jesus would suffer and provide the infinite atonement for all mankind. The Messiah’s atonement affects all people and all created things from eternity past to eternity future. There isn’t any person or thing that the atonement doesn’t influence. The atonement of the Messiah is real and powerful. We access the power of the atonement when we repent, live righteously, and strive to keep all God’s commandments. The motto, “Put God First” is a sure success formula in this lifetime and will assure happiness now and eternal joy forever in the mansions of heaven. Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

---

A Testimony of Jesus Christ by Elder Bruce R. McConkie