The Atonement of Jesus Christ

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1. "To fulfill the plan of salvation, Christ paid the penalty for our sins. He alone was able to do that.... He was the literal Son of God in the flesh. He was sinless and completely obedient to His Father.... The Atonement included His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering and death on the cross, and it ended with His Resurrection. Though He suffered beyond comprehension—so much so that He bled from every pore and asked whether it were possible that this burden be lifted from Him—He submitted to the Father’s will in a supreme expression of love for His Father and for us.

"This triumph of Jesus Christ over spiritual death by His suffering and over physical death by His Resurrection is called the Atonement.... As we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." (Preach My Gospel).

2. "For when we were yet without strength... Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6-8).

What are the Blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ? How have you been blessed by the Atonement?

Group activity: Read scriptures in your section and answer: Jesus Christ came to ______.

Group 1 3. "[God] shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain. Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah... 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.... "No flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.... He shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved. And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him" (2 Nephi 2:2, 6-10). 4. "[In the resurrection] the soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame" (Alma 40:23). 5. In the resurrection "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

Group 2 6. "For the natural man is an enemy to God... and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19). 7. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye... may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8). 8. "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.... My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27). 9. Jesus said, "The Father... sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant" (3 Nephi 20:26). 10. "[The] Savior’s grace [is extended] both during and 'after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23)'.... We grow in two ways—removing negative weeds [of sin and bad choices] and cultivating positive flowers [of divine qualities]. The Savior’s grace blesses both parts—if we do our part.... We are not just paying a debt. Our purpose is to become celestial beings" (Bruce C. Hafen, April 2004 General Conference).

Group 3 11. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Ye are... in the Spirit, if... the Spirit of God dwell in you. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God... are... heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution?.... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For... neither death, nor life, .... Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:1, 9, 14, 17, 35, 37-39). Jesus said, "The Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me" (3 Nephi 28:11).  "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance [self control]" (Galatians 5:22-23). 12. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). 13. "Through His Atonement, He heals not only the transgressor, but He also heals the innocent who suffer because of those transgressions. As the innocent exercise faith in the Savior and in His Atonement and forgive the transgressor, they too can be healed" (C. Scott Grow, April 2011 General Conference).

How did Jesus Christ perform the Atonement?

14. "And [Christ] 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. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. 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" (Alma 7:11-13).

Why did Jesus Christ perform the Atonement? What does the Atonement of Jesus Christ mean to you?

Group 1 15. "There is a law given, and a punishment affixed... and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God. But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice" (Alma 42:22-23). 16. "For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us... and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence. But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him... and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance" (Alma 12:14-15). 17. "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" (John 3:16).

Group 2 18. "And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ" (Mosiah 16:7-8). 19. "Repent... lest... your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, 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 19:15-19). 20. "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!" (D&C 18:10-13).

How do we access the blessings of the Atonement? How do we show gratitude for the Atonement?

21. "[The resurrection] shall come to all... both the wicked and the righteous" (Alma 11:44).

22. Jesus taught, "And no unclean thing can enter into [God's] kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day." (3 Nephi 27:19-20).

23. "Those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets... [are] taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to [access the blessings of the Atonement]" (D&C 138:32-34).

24. "Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer.... I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me. Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their little children" (Moroni 8:8,10).

25. "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6).

What does it mean that Christ is mighty to save (see Alma 7:11-16) and that His Atonement is infinite (Alma 34:9-14)?

26. "The Atonement of Jesus Christ is available to each of us. His Atonement is infinite. It applies to everyone, even you. It can clean, reclaim, and sanctify even you. That is what infinite means—total, complete, all, forever. President Boyd K. Packer has taught: “There is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ” (“The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 20)" (Shayne M. Bowen, October 2006 General Conference).

"The Savior, the Master Healer, has the power to change our hearts and give us permanent relief from the sorrow caused by our own sin.... The Master Healer can comfort and strengthen us when we experience pain because of the unrighteous actions of others.... The Master Healer can comfort and sustain us as we experience painful “realities of mortality,” such as disaster, mental illness, disease, chronic pain, and death" (Carole M. Stephens, October 2016 General Conference).

27. "I cannot comprehend [Jesus Christ's] power, his majesty, his perfections. But I do understand something of his love, his compassion, his mercy. There is no burden he cannot lift. There is no heart he cannot purify and fill with joy. There is no life he cannot cleanse and restore when one is obedient to his teachings" (Richard G. Scott, October 1988 General Conference).

Please share your testimony of the principles covered in this lesson or share a favorite scripture or quote that wasn't included.