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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).
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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).
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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).
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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).
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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).
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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.
