The Atonement
There is power in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the center of that power is the atonement wrought by the Savior of the World. “Understanding the Atonement of Christ and its relationship to our eternal existence is the greatest knowledge we can have in support of our quest to return to God, our Eternal Father.”
In the Mormon faith, an understanding of the atonement immediately leads to the necessity and desire to make covenants with the Lord ? the process beginning with faith unto repentance, then baptism with the receipt of the gift of the Holy Ghost. This covenantal process liberates us from our fallen state. The covenants we make are bound in heaven as on earth through the power and authority of the priesthood. Obedience frees us from our sins and liberates us from our fallen state. By the grace of God we can be saved by enduring in righteousness and repenting continuously (2 Nephi 25:23).
The Lord said, “Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be Judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be Judged according to their works” (3 Nephi 27:13?15).
The reality of the Atonement demonstrates the tender mercy and the goodness of God, who gave His Only Begotten Son for the salvation of mankind.
In 2 Nephi 9:7 it says, “Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.”
In 2 Nephi 9:21-22—21 it says, “And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam. And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.”
In 2 Nephi 9:26 it says, “For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.”
In Alma 7:11-12 it says, And he 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, for me, at the right moment, I can begin to feel the pain the Savior felt for sins, yours and mine. His groan within himself came after he had paid the price for us, after the Atonement. His being troubled was not some abstract grief for our sins and those of the house of Israel. His was real pain, recently felt, as he took upon him the sins of the world. I can’t experience that, but I can sense it enough to have sorrow for what I have added to it. I can resolve to add no more. And I can feel determination that I will help offer the full blessings of the Atonement to as many as I can, because that passage helps me feel, in a small way, what taking upon him the sins of all mankind cost the Savior” (Henry B. Eyring, To Draw Closer to God: A Collection of Discourses [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 69 – 70).
Christ said through revelation to Joseph Smith: “I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent”? (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16.) Thus, laying hold upon the power of the atonement demands that we repent of our sins. This is why resurrection is a free gift to all men (part of the result of the atonement), but exaltation is dependent upon our behavior.
SOME MORE THOUGHTS ON THE ATONEMENT
- “It is for the exaltation of man to a state of superior intelligence and Godhead that the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ is instituted. . . .” —John Taylor, Mediation and Atonement (1892), p. 140.
- “The Latter-day Saints believe…that all who attain to any glory whatever, in any kingdom, will do so because Jesus has purchased it by His atonement.” —Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 13:328, April 24, 1870.
- “By the atonement of Jesus Christ, the sins of the repentant shall be washed away; though they be crimson they shall be made white as wool.” —Joseph F. Smith, CR, p. 41, October, 1899.
*Adapted from What We Need to Know and Do, by Ed Pinegar and Richard J. Allen
August 30th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Hello,
This sounds to me exactally as atonement is to me in my Protestant Christian belief.
August 30th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
You are correct. Mormons and Protestants have the same view of the atonement — that Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world that all those who come unto Him might be saved. Mormonism differs from some Christian sects in that Mormons believe that repentance is a large part of “coming unto Christ,” and that Christ expects us to abandon our sins and keep His commandments. Some Christians believe that all that is necessary is confessing a belief in Christ.
February 9th, 2011 at 11:52 pm
Whoa. Hold your horses. It will take but a little research to find that the difference between Protestant Christian belief concerning atonement (and Jesus) differs considerable from the Mormon belief concerning atonement (and Jesus). To categorically say (or believe) the two constitute the “same thing” is naive at best. And dishonest at worst.
February 11th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Not dishonest. Both Protestants and Mormons believe that Christ took our sins upon Himself when He wrought the atonement, and that His resurrection guarantees that all will be resurrected. The only difference is that Mormons believe that exaltation comes on condition of repentance, and that we are judged by our works, thoughts, and intentions. Mormons believe that no manner of works, however, are enough to save us. Only God’s grace can do that.
February 11th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
There are literally thousands of Protestant denominations, with as many beliefs and doctrines. It is inaccurate to label a particular belief as “Protestant”. The liturgical denominations (Anglican, Episcopalian, Lutheran,etc.) are much closer to Catholics in their beliefs than, say, Baptists or Assemblies of God. Please be careful when broad-brushing other’s beliefs.
February 19th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Agreed. But all Christian churches believe in the central tenet of the atonement of Jesus Christ. That He took upon Himself the sins and sorrows of the world and provided us with the resurrection.
July 8th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
From a protestant believer(some are just religious): YES, Jesus’death atoned for the sins of all mankind, but there is a step each person must take before that atonement is effectual: “Except a man be born again he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” The believer chooses by the prodding of the Holy Spirit to repent of their sins and receive(born again)this sacrifice. A new life begins and shows itself in a commitment to the service of God(works). The only exaulted one is Jesus Christ(I am his servant)we do not become gods, there is one GOD and he is represented in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
July 11th, 2011 at 9:42 am
All correct until you make the statement that we do not become Gods. Our goal is to become more and more like Christ, to emulate Christ and develop Christ-like attributes. You mention that we are His servants here and in the life to come. This is true. We become more like Him as we serve Him. Now, remember that life in heaven is eternal. If you have become born-again on earth, and in your short life have become more like Christ, how much more like Him will you become after millions of years in heaven? After billions of years, could you become so like him that you would be godlike? Why deny this possibility, if the Bible says we will become co-heirs with Him, that He will give us all He has?
July 12th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
A king may give all he has to his children, but he is still the only King. A co-heir is given the same rights as the Son, but he is still the Son. I do not want to surpass my GOD; He is too wonderful for that. I am sure that heaven will be far greater than we could ever imagine, even without becoming a god. I worship Him now and will worship Him then; I’ll let Him remain the King and I his humble servant.
Maybe it isn’t wise to fit God into a totally human understanding…Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!
July 13th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
You completely misunderstand our doctrine, Sheryl. We will always be the humble servants of our God. We will always worship Him, and we will never overcome or supplant Him. In the millions and billions of years that eternity lasts, as we serve Him, we are promised that we will become like Him. Right now, we are like little children and can hardly fathom what eternity holds. He teaches us in simple terms right now, but eternity is a very long time, and He promises us that we will progress and learn forever.
July 16th, 2011 at 9:06 am
Yes, we will be like Him; “Like” meaning similiar or resembling(I John 3:2). The promise of progress and learn forever must come from extra literature and I do not add to the word of God. I get all information about God from the old and new testaments. You say you do not overcome or supplant Him, is this because He remains the God of this planet as you go on to your own?
July 16th, 2011 at 9:15 am
Maybe the following scripture will help:
And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.
And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.
And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.
For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the cimmortality and deternal elife of man (Moses 1:36-39).
July 19th, 2011 at 10:59 pm
And where would I find Moses 1:36-39? Any proof you give me for anything must come from the bible.
July 26th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
And this is what is so interesting. Moses had amazing revelations that are missing from the Bible, including that he had a perfect knowledge that Jesus is the Christ. Because many Christians will not accept that the Lord wants us to have more and more information, they limit themselves to what has remained in the Bible from much richer ancient texts. Many things have been lost from the Bible, and the Bible itself refers to many prophets and texts that are missing.
August 5th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
If the bible contains all that God has to teach His children here on earth, we can gladly say that there is only one church, one faith, one baptism and we are all worshiping the Lord in that church because it is His church. I do not know if I am mistaken but the last tine i checked, Christianity is divided into many different churches and denominations and ministries.
So if we feel that we do not need any other teachings from God than what is in the Bible, then we should be able to worship together in one church as Paul mentioned it should be.
If that is occurring, today then we do not need so many denominations with so many different interpretations of the scriptures.
To avoid confusions for His children, God always choose prophets, to whom He gives revelations to help everyone of us.
if we reject prophets, there is nothing new about that, but as it has always be, we will continue to be confused until we become humble enough to believe in God’s way of doing things and embrace by faith what He continues to reveal beyond Bible teachings.