Atonement

1.“Before we can comprehend the Atonement of Christ, however, we must first understand the Fall of Adam. And before we can understand the Fall of Adam, we must first understand the Creation. These three crucial components of the plan of salvation relate to each other.”

Elder Russell M. Nelson

“The Atonement” October 1996 General Conference

2."Many lessons can be learned from the account of the Atonement. It is comforting to know that, though suffering, Jesus Christ was able to look down from the cross and be concerned for His mother, that she should be properly cared for, as He asked for the help of a disciple. This is one of the great messages we have heard this conference—that we turn some of our attention from our own trials and tribulations to concern and caring for others."

Elder Robert D. Halles

“Lessons from the Atonement That Help Us Endure to the End”

October 1985 General Conference

3."Protection against the influence of the devil comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the good news that Jesus Christ has made a perfect Atonement for mankind. It is the message of love, hope, and mercy that there is a reconciliation of man with God."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Point of Safe Return” April 2007 General Conference

4."We thank Thee for the infinite love manifested in the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son, who gave Himself a ransom for all, who broke the bands of death and opened the gates of salvation to all of Thy children. We praise His holy name. His atonement gives purpose to our being and turns our thoughts heavenward." (President Thomas S. Monson, Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication, 21-23 August 2009).

5."As the challenges around us increase, we must commit to do more to qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  Casual prayer won't be enough.  Reading a few verses of the scripture won't be enough.  Doing the minimum of what the Lord asks of us won't be enough.  Hoping that we will have the Atonement work in our lives and that we will perhaps sometimes feel the influence of the Holy Ghost won't be enough.  And one great burst of effort won't be enough. Only a steady, ever-increasing effort will allow the Lord to take us to higher ground." (President Henry B. Eyring, "Raise the Bar", 25 January 2005 BYU Idaho Devotional).


6."Among the most significant of Jesus Christ’s descriptive titles is Redeemer. As indicated in my brief account of immigrant 'redemptioners,' the word redeem means to pay off an obligation or a debt. Redeem can also mean to rescue or set free as by paying a ransom. If someone commits a mistake and then corrects it or makes amends, we say he has redeemed himself. Each of these meanings suggests different facets of the great Redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ through His Atonement, which includes, in the words of the dictionary, 'to deliver from sin and its penalties, as by a sacrifice made for the sinner'.” (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Redemption," April 2013 General Conference).

7."You will learn that sincere, repeated prayer, study, and meditation bring a fuller understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ". (Elder Richard G. Scott, "We Love You--Please Come Back", April 1986 General Conference).

8.“What we can do to help--teaching, and doing it with the spirit of righteousness, with love, with tenderness, with example--centers on the Savior and his atonement. That is what we would teach. The Atonement working in our lives will produce in us the love and tenderness we need. And by remembering Him and His gift, which we promise to do as we take the sacrament each week, we can put a light of hope in our faces which those we love need so much to see."

Henry B. Eyring, "The Spark of Faith", Liahona and Ensign, November 1986

9.“The enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and to serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity."

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

10."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."
~Elder Jeffery R. Holland
http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/his-life-and-teachings/articles/the-atonement-of-jesus-christ)

 

Capstone Position Statement:

The atonement is such a great gift that our Savior gave us, without it, we would all be in trouble.  The atonement is so vast and amazing and includes so much, and can be used so much, it’s almost hard to comprehend the gist of it all, or the great sacrifice our Savior went through so that we may have it.

I know our Savior loved us so much, and  when he went through so much suffering, he was doing it all for us.  The atonement is part of the Plan of Salvation and is there for us whenever we need it; it does help us to endure to the end, and helps us by making up the parts where we struggle.

I know I will continue to use the atonement many times  in my life. I know that I am not perfect by any means, but I am so grateful for my Savior and for all he has done for me so that we may make it through this life and live again with him and our Father in Heaven again someday.