Atonement

1.  "The Atonement was absolutely essential for men to cleanse themselves from sin and overcome the second death, which is the spiritual death, which is separation from our Father in Heaven. For the scriptures tell us, seven times they tell us, that no unclean thing may enter the presence of God."

Boyd K. Packer, "Atonement, Agency, Accountability", General Conference, April 1988

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2.  "With our heart and soul we yearn to become better with the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Come, Join with Us", Ensign, November 2013

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3.  "Considering the incomprehensible cost of the Crucifixion and Atonement, I promise you He is not going to turn His back on us now. When He says to the poor in spirit, “Come unto me,” He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up. He knows it because He has walked it. He knows the way because He is the way."   

Jeffrey R. Holland, "Broken Things to Mend", General Conference, April 2006

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4.  "The Atonement can put you free again to move forward, cleanly and worthily, to pursue that path that you have chosen in life."  

Boyd K. Packer, "The Plan of Happiness", General Conference, April 2015   

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5.  "With our spiritual bodies it is another matter.  Our spirits are damaged when we make mistakes and commit sins.  But unlike the case of our mortal bodies, when the repentance process is complete, no scars remain because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ."  

Boyd K. Packer, "The Plan of Happiness", General Conference, April 2015

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6.  "That is part of the great plan of happiness the Father gave us.  He allowed His son to provide, by His atoning sacrifice, the hope that comforts us no matter how hard the way home to Him may be."   

Henry B. Eyring, "The Comforter", General Conference, April 2015

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7.  "The power of the Atonement makes repentance possible and quells the despair caused by sin; it also strengthens us to see, do, and become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity."  

David A. Bednar, "Therefore They Hushed Their Fears", General Conference, April 2015   

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8.  "That Atonement would achieve complete victory over physical death, unconditionally granting resurrection to every person who has been born or ever will be born into this world.  Mercifully it would also provide forgiveness for the personal sins of all, from Adam to the end of the world, conditioned upon repentance and obedience to divine commandments."   

Jeffrey R. Holland, "Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet", General Conference, April 2015

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9.  "The Savior's Atonement cannot become commonplace in our teaching, in our conversation, or in our hearts.  It is sacred and holy, for it was through this "great and last sacrifice" that Jesus the Christ brought "salvation to all those who shall believe on his name."   

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Gift of Grace", General Conference, April 2015

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10.  "He [Our Father in Heaven] prepared a way through  the life of His perfectly obedient Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, for His Atonement to overcome every difficulty that we may experience in mortality."   

Richard G. Scott, "Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority", General Conference, October 2014

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My Position Statement - The Atonement

Whenever I stop long enough to allow myself time to think about the actual gift that my Savior has given to me, what He has done for me and on my behalf, my heart swells and my throat constricts to hold back the emotion that is sure to boil over.  I know that I will never be able to say “I’m sorry” for all the hurt and sorrow I have caused as part of His suffering in Gethsemane.  I know that I will never, in a million lifetimes, be able to repay the debt that He has given in my behalf as He hung on the cross at Calvary.  I know that I will never to able to say “Thank You” enough times to even come close to letting Him know how thankful I truly am that He gave Himself to atone for all of our sins.  To truly think about this, to truly comprehend what He did, and to truly accept this most generous gift, is to come to terms with the fact that He is the Christ, the Son of God and our Savior.  For me, it is so hard to put these feelings into words and I know I don’t do justice to the glory He deserves.  But I repeat the words from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland as only he can relate with such power and such emotion, “Considering the incomprehensible cost of the Crucifixion and Atonement, I promise you He is not going to turn His back on us now.  When He says to the poor in spirit, ‘Come unto me,” He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up.  He knows it because He has walked it.  He knows the way because He is the way.”  For anyone who is feeling lost, afraid, or confused, don’t turn your back on Him because He will not turn His back on you.  He is waiting for you to open the door from the inside.  He is waiting and hoping for that flicker of remembrance for where you came from, and for what He has done for you, so that you can join Him again in the eternities.  Oh, how great the wisdom and the love!