Gospel Topic # 2: Atonement

"What mortal being, faced with the loss of a loved one or, indeed, standing himself or herself on the threshold of infinity, has not pondered what lies beyond the veil which separates the seen from the unseen?... 

The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job’s question, 'If a man die, shall he live again?'"

President Thomas S. Monson, "He Is Risen": A Prophet's Testimony, April 2012, Ensign

That urge to rise above yourself is a recognition of your need for the Atonement to work in your life, and your need to be sure that it is working. After all you can do, after all your effort, you need confidence that the Atonement is working for you and on you.

President Henry B. Eyring, "Coming Unto Christ", April 2007, New Era

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the gift of God to His children to correct and overcome the consequences of sin. Christ came to save us. If we have taken a wrong course, the Atonement of Jesus Christ can give us the assurance that sin is not a point of no return. A safe return is possible if we will follow God’s plan for our salvation.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Returning Safely to Heavenly Father", April 2009, Liahona

The Atonement is like an eraser. It can wipe away guilt and the effect of whatever it is that is causing you to feel guilty.

Guilt is spiritual pain. Do not suffer from chronic pain. Get rid of it. Be done with it. Repent and, if necessary, repent again and again and again and again until you—not the enemy—are in charge of you.

President Boyd K. Packer, "How to Survive in Enemy Territory", October 2012, Liahona

Without the Atonement, Father in Heaven’s plan of happiness could not have been placed fully into effect. The Atonement gives all the opportunity to overcome the consequences of mistakes made in life. When we obey a law, we receive a blessing. When we break a law, there is nothing left over from prior obedience to satisfy the demands of justice for that broken law. The Savior’s Atonement permits us to repent of any disobedience and thereby avoid the penalties that justice would have imposed.

Elder Richard G. Scott, "He Lives! All Glory to His Name!", May 2010, Liahona

We are His servants, and it is critical that we understand the role of the Atonement in our own lives and in the lives of those we teach. Essential to that understanding is an understanding of the relationship between justice and mercy and the Atonement, and the role of suffering and repentance in this divine process.

The awful demands of justice upon those who have violated the laws of God—the state of misery and torment described in the scriptures—can be intercepted and swept away by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

...Sinners who are repenting will experience some suffering, but because of their repentance and the Atonement they will not experience the full, exquisite extent of eternal torment the Savior suffered for those sins.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "The Atonement and Faith", April 2010, Ensign

In fact, it ought to be a matter of great doctrinal consolation to us that Jesus, in the course of the Atonement, experienced all of the heartache and sorrow, all of the disappointments and injustices that the entire family of man had experienced and would experience from Adam and Eve to the end of the world in order that we would not have to face them so severely or so deeply. However heavy our load might be, it would be a lot heavier if the Savior had not gone that way before us and carried that burden with us and for us.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Lessons from Liberty Jail", September 2009 Ensign

Grace is the divine assistance or heavenly help each of us desperately needs to qualify for the celestial kingdom. Thus, the enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and to serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.

Elder David A. Bednar, "The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality", April 2012, Liahona

The gospel is centered on the Atonement of our Lord and Savior. The Atonement provides the power to wash away sins, to heal, and to grant eternal life. All the imponderable blessings of the Atonement can be given only to those who live the principles and receive the ordinances of the gospel—faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. 

Elder L. Tom Perry, "Bring Souls Unto Me", April 2009, General Conference

Remembering the Savior obviously includes remembering His Atonement, which is symbolically represented by the bread and water as emblems of His suffering and death. We must never forget what He did for us, for without His Atonement andResurrection, life would have no meaning. With His Atonement and Resurrection, however, our lives have eternal, divine possibilities.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "To Always Remember Him", Liahona April 2011

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My Position Statement:

I believe in the Atonement with all my heart. Jesus Christ performed the Atonement and was crucified. Then He rose again on the third day. We can all live again because of that, and we can all be forgiven of all our sins and washed clean again through His sacrifice.

There was no way we could have ever returned to God without the atonement. We are all imperfect, and we have all sinned. The atonement was the only way we could make it back to God. 

I know that we must repent of our sins for the atonement to be able to take affect in our lives. God lives, and He provided us a way back to Him in His kingdom again someday. 

Tara Howard

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