What is the Atonement of Jesus Christ? Why was it necessary for Jesus Christ to sacrifice His life?

June Patricia W. answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is where The Saviour went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed to His Father and took upon Himself the sins of the world. Following this,He was cruxified on the cross,where He willingly gave His life, for everyone of us.
It was necessary for Him to do this and He was the only one who could.

Danny answered…

That is one of my favorite things to discuss. I will try to be brief though. We believe that we are on this earth to grow and progress by making choices. As we exercise our agency, or ability to choose, we all do and will make mistakes. When we break God's laws, we fall subject to justice, and we become unclean.
Without Christ's atonement, we would have no way to be cleansed from our sins, and the demands of justice would be enough to fill us with fear at the thought. Christ's Atonement is the perfect expression of God's mercy. Christ has in effect offered to pay our debt to justice, thus granting us mercy. It is the way that God is both perfectly just and perfectly merciful. The conditions of receiving God's mercy through Christ is by repentance, which process also washes us clean from the stains of sin. Thus Christ's Atonement extends us mercy and cleanses us so we can return to God's presence.
Christ's sacrifice was necessary because he knew that we needed the experiences of our life, with all of our failures and triumphs to grow and progress. Christ knew that we would need mercy, and need a way to be cleansed from our sins, and he loves us so much that he voluntarily accepted that heavy burden for all of God's children.

Lesly! answered…

The atonement of Jesus Christ is something that I am still trying to understand at least to the best that I could. I know, though that because of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ did out of pure love for us, all of Heavenly Father's children, us, can have that opportunity to go back to Him with our families. We can make it, with His help.

Tasanee answered…

Atonement, the word breaks down to become one with God. We cannot be in the presence of God if we are spotted with sin. Jesus's Atonement was made that we may become one with God and be in His presence. We cannot clean our own sins. Christ died for our sins, suffering for us that we do not have to, if we accept his terms on this contract. He then was Resurrected that we may all live again in our bodies in God's presence forever. Accepting those terms brings the most wonderful peace into our lives.

Tom answered…

Through the Atonement, our Savior took upon Himself all of our sins and suffered for us that we might not have to suffer the same if we will follow Him. The laws of God are eternal. The consequence for breaking God's laws (sin) must also be eternal. The consequence of sin is spiritual death. Spiritual death means that we become separated from God. Without the Atonement, instead of receiving the joy that God desires all of His children to experience, we would be miserable forever. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins by offering Himself as a sacrifice in order to satisfy the demands of justice. It is only through the Atonement of Christ that we can become washed clean from our sins and return to God, our Heavenly Father, and partake of the eternal joy that He desires for all of His children.

Eric answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important thing that ever has happened and will ever happen. It enables us to receive forgiveness from our sins so that we may return to live with God after we die.

It is comprised of three things: His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from death. By experiencing these three things he can truly "succor [us] according to [our] infirmities..." and "he [took] upon him death that he could loose the bands of death...". (Alma 7:11,12)

Through the atonement we can be forgiven, if with live the gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end.

Tom answered…

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the fundamental principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of us must pass through death, and Christ's atonement makes is possible for us to be redeemed from death through the resurrection. And as all of us have sinned and come short of perfection, the atonement provides a way for us to be cleansed from sin through repentence.

Jason Mount answered…

We believe that there are two obstacles preventing us from being able to return to live with God after this life. These obstacles are sin and death. Death separates us from living with God. Sin also separates us from God. Much like in our society when a crime is committed, there is a punishment or price to be paid as a result. For instance, if a man steals a car, society demands repayment and sometimes even prison time. In God's universe, sin is the crime and separation from God, pain, and regret are the punishments fixed to it. If a man sins, he is deserving of pain, regret, and is unable to live with God. Jesus Christ came here and paid the price for every sin committed by those who believe in him. This act is called the Atonement. His suffering satisfies the required punishment of sin and therefore allows us to return to live with our Father in Heaven instead of remaining separated from him. His resurrection also frees us from death. Because of him, we will all be resurrected someday. 

Ashley answered…

President Thomas S. Monson said in Apr 2010 Gen. Conference, “[due to] revelation...we know that we lived before our birth into mortality. In our premortal state, we were...the sons and daughters of God who shouted for joy because of the opportunity to come to this challenging yet necessary mortal existence. We know that our purpose was to gain a physical body, to overcome trials, and to prove that we would keep the commandments of God. Our Father knew that because of the nature of mortality, we would be tempted, would sin, and would fall short. So that we might have every chance of success, He provided a Savior, who would suffer and die for us. Not only would he atone for our sins, but as part of that Atonement, He would also overcome the physical death to which we would be subject because of the Fall of Adam...No mere mortal can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane. He Himself later described: 'The 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.' “(D&C 19:18)

Furthermore, “He shall go forth suffering pains, afflictions and temptations of every kind... 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...how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11-12)

Mike answered…

The atonement was a two step process. First, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of all the world. That process caused him so much pain that he bled from every pore. Second, was on the cross, when he was crucified and died for us. He was the only perfect man, and therefore, the only one eligible to atone for our sins. Because of what he did, we will ALL resurrect. Because of what he did, we MAY regain His presence through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. We must endure to the end. The first is a free gift. The second requires our effort.

Matt answered…

The answer to this question can be found in part in one of my favorite chapters of the Book of Mormon; Alma 34:8-17. Amulek was a missionary and he is talking about mercy vs justice and how the Atonement fills the gap.

Tyrel answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is Christ overcoming both spiritual and physical death. More specifically, when we make mistakes and sin (spiritual death), it is because of Christ's Atonement that we can overcome and be forgiven of those mistakes and sins. Because Christ was crucified, and later resurrected, we too can overcome death (physical death) and live again with our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our families forever.

Having a testimony in the Atonement of Jesus Christ has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. It has allowed me to evolve into the person I am today, and provide the knowledge that I will be with my family beyond this life.

Steven answered…

The justice of God will eventually bring blessings to those who are obedient and suffering to those who disobey. As an example, if you touch a hot stove your hand will burn, no matter who you are, what you beliefs about stoves are, or how special or different you think you may be. We all have shortcomings and make mistakes, thus disobeying the laws of God, whether accidentally or intentionally. But God is so loving that instead of forcing us to be punished for these mistakes He sent His son to atone for us. By suffering, or atoning for our sins, Jesus Christ has already suffered the consequences of our all our choices. If we allow him to take our sins away and repent like He asks, He will replace guilt with peace. We then will be clean and able to return and live with God one day. There are many things in life I simply cannot do or change on my own, but with His help I can do all things. 

Jeff answered…

The true nature of Christ's atonement is beyond the grasp of mortal comprehension. However, the teachings of the Book of Mormon and the Bible do shed light on certain aspects of the atonement, and why it was necessary.

The Book of Mormon teaches us that "no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God" (1Nephi 15:33-34). Since we all sin (break God's commandments), we fall short of being worthy to be in God's kingdom. God realizes that we are imperfect beings, and wants us to learn from our mistakes, and become better people. In His great mercy, he has provided a savior for us to deliver us from the consequences of sin.

The miracle of Christ's atonement is that by coming unto Him, our very hearts and our character can actually be changed such that we "no more desire to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2). Thus we can actually change at our very core to become more like Christ. This is what is meant by the expression 'being born again' the Lord used in His mortal ministry. This is the great hope that the atonement brings - that we can actually change who we are by coming unto Christ.

I do not fully comprehend why Christ had to die for our sins, but I do believe that something about the atonement required Christ to 'descend below us all' in his suffering, so that he could truly understand each of us individually, and the suffering of mankind as a whole. I believe that this deeply personal understanding He has of each one of us is central to the atonement.

Richard answered…

Latter-day Saints understand that the Atonement had a two-fold purpose: First, Christ redeemed humanity from physical death: all shall be resurrected. (See 1 Cor. 15: 20-22.) Second, Christ atoned for our sins so we could return to the presence of Heavenly Father if we would repent. These two concepts were taught by the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob: "He (Christ) cometh into the world that He may save all men if they will hearken unti His voice; for behold, he suffereth... this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before Him at the great and judgment day. And He commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in His name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God." (2 Ne. 9:21-23.)

Roger Dean answered…

I feel blessed in knowing that Jesus Christ atone for all mankind. His act of love gave me a purpose to live. The Atonement is the greatest act of Love ever experienced in my life. When Jesus said that he suffer that we might not suffer, I strive to take this to heart and do as I should and repent and follow Christ as he would have me do.

Kevin answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ centers around three major parts: 1) it provides us the opportunity to live again after death 2) it provides us the blessing of being forgiven of our sins if we sincerely repent and 3) it provides a source of power for us to use to help in overcoming challenges and adversity that we may face in this life. From before the foundations of the worlds it was understood that in order for us to return to live with God that we would need a way to overcome our imperfections and weaknesses thus allowing for imperfect humans to be perfected so as to allow this. There would need to be someone willing to sacrifice their own life to pay for this opportunity and would need to be an infinite atonement thus the need of more than a mortal man to accomplish this task. This is why Jesus Christ had to be the one. He was God's own son with God characteristics that meant that he had the power to overcome but also power to choose to do it. Hence the idea of the perfect sacrifice. I think in order to appreciate and understand the Atonement one really has to apply it to their lives.....and we will all need to do this as we are all imperfect. I have used it and I can say as a result of this I am able to find joy, hope, strength as a result of it. Without it I really don't know how I could deal with this world on a daily basis without the power found in it. I am so grateful that my Father in Heaven loved me so much as to allow this to happen and that my Savior and brother, even Jesus Christ, would willingly choose to do this on my behalf.

Alissa answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a very deep and sacred event for what happened to our Savior. When He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, His soul was filled with sorrow for all the sins that were happening in the world. And for the world today. Jesus Christ suffered for all of us, for our families and our loved ones. Once I came to a better understanding of the Atonement, I felt sad but then felt true joy in my heart.

Everyday when I think of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, I feel more and more closer to God. My faith in Him keeps growing and following Him, reading the scriptures, praying to Him and attending church, I feel that I can be with my family and friends forever. I thank our Father in Heaven so much for His love. I am thankful and grateful for our Savior. The Atonement is what keeps me having hope and faith in all things for my family and friends. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and He lives.

Melody answered…

Before Jesus Christ came to this earth he volunteered to be our savior and take upon him our sins, sicknesses and sorrows. While he was hear on the earth before he was hung on the cross he went through a tremendous amount of suffering in the Garden of Getheseme taking upon himself our sins and making a way back to live with our Heavenly Father if we repent. This was called the Atonement.

Zachary Coleman answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a free gift given to us. It comprises of His suffereing in the Garden of Gethsemane, crucifixion on Calvary, and His resurrection on the third day. Jesus Christ suffered every human pain, affliction, sin, and hardship that all who that have lived, are living, and are yet to live. And he did it willingly.

Through the Atonement of Christ, we may be redeemed with our families in the Celestial Kingdom. We will overcome death, which is a free gift from Jesus Christ. And we can overcome sin if we have faith, repent, are baptized by someone holding the Priesthood authority of God, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. As we do this, we take full advantage of the Atonement and can receive peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

Matthew answered…

If the bank gives you a loan then they expect you pay it back in full. The bank sets the terms, you're playing by their rules. Let's say you take out a loan and there's no way you can pay back on your own. Well you'll need to find another way to pay it. If you don't, then there will be consequences. You may have to file for bankruptcy, you may even end up in jail. Not just anyone can pay off this debt. They'd need to have enough money. Someone who has debt themselves can't do it.

We are children of God. He sent us here with a loan. What loan? Let's see, He created a place for us to live and made life possible. That's just naming one of many.

Well, God told us that all we had to do was play by His rules and we would be okay. Why would we agree to this? Well, if we didn't break any of His rules we'd gain Eternal Life. However, if we broke His rules (even just one) we'd have to suffer the consequences: hell, torment, death, misery.

Here's the bad news- everyone breaks His rules, every day, it's called sin. Here's the good news- someone who didn't break any of the rules suffered for us. His name is Jesus Christ. Now we're in debt to Christ. Our Redeemer doesn't ask us to pay Him back. Instead He asks us to have faith in Him and what He did. He asks us to become the best we can with His help (repentance). He's asked us to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. After that we just move forward and endure to the end.

What a small price to pay compared to Eternal Damnation.

Cody answered…

It is simple, the goal of this life is to return to our Heavenly father's presence, and no unclean thing can dwell with our Heavenly Father, and as we all know, we are not clean. We all sin and come short to the glory of God. What Christ did for us is how we return to the prescence of our Heavenly Father without sin and can become clean through the Atonement of Christ. The Atonement started with Christ suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and ended with his Resurrection. Christ is the only name and way wherein we can be cleansed and saved. He commands us to follow his Doctrine in order to receive the atonement in our live and apply it.

David H. answered…

I understand the Atonement as intended to heal the breach between God and human beings, a process by which God reaches toward us so that if we reach toward God (including through rituals, sacraments or ordinances) we can become one with God and one with each other. God (the Son) descended from the godly throne to become human and mortal, and to feel the pains, challenges and temptations of life. Through that "condescension"--that "at-one-ment"--God (the Son) took upon Himself the pains of all humanity, including physical torture and death. God is, therefore, a "wounded healer", who can heal us, and who knows what life (and death) are like. And as God returned from the dead, resurrected (a dying and rising God), we too can be returned from physical, emotional, spiritual death through that same gift of God.

Felipe Perrotti answered…

the atonement of Jesus Christ is God's deepest love for all his children; through the atonement God allow us to repent when we fall short and enable us to be better; its through the atonement that we can be able to resurrect and one day come back to live with our Heavenly father again

Jeremy answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice and selfless act that He performed for mankind. It was in this powerful yet gruesome personal suffering that the Savior was able to take upon Himself, both in body and in spirit, in behalf of the unrighteous who are willing to repent and return to the Lord and keep his commandments. It was the suprement act of vicarious work for others.

His sacrifice caused Him such agony that the burden of it all caused his body to sweat great drops of blood for each of those that believe in Him and keep His commandments.

Jesus Christ did this because He loves us and for the simple reason that we are all sinners. He led a sinless life so that through him we might be saved in the Kingdom of His Father. Because of our imperfections and sins we could not return to the presence of our Eternal Father without some form of a payment made to appease the demands of justice upon us for our own sins.

His sacrifice and our obedience to His commandments allows us to enter the straight gate that the Lord spoke of in the Scriptures and live together in the presence of His Father and our Father.

Aaron answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the act of the enduring the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering on the cross. By suffering those things, the Savior atoned, or paid the price, for the sins of all mankind. It is the most important event that has ever taken place.

None of us are perfect. That is why we needed a Savior, Jesus Christ, to perform that sacred act so that we could become cleansed from sin. This sacrifice had to be pure and perfect. We can access the power of the Atonement and thereby obtain forgiveness, peace and happiness. To feel that power in our lives, we must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins (make changes), be baptized by one who has the proper authority, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and continue to stand as a witness of Christ throughout our lives (obey His commandments, good example, etc).

Because of Christ's Atonement, we all do not have to walk the path of life alone. Jesus Christ loves EVERYONE. If we turn to him, He will be there for us. He has felt your pain. He has felt your sorrow. He has felt your loneliness. Come unto the Savior and you will find the joy that comes through living his gospel. Through his Atonement, we can overcome our shortcomings and once again return to live with God again.

Ryan answered…

I believe each of us are a unique result of our indivudual life experiences. Each of us sees life differently because of how and where we are "when life happens" to us. No two people are the same.
Many of these experiences leave us confused and sometimes unprepared. This creates for us to the potential to make error. Sometimes they effect us, sometimes they effect others. They can be good or bad.
The atonement of Jesus Christ for me is very personal. I know that Jesus loves all of his children equally, and as a father I understand his desire to have us "all" return to him. We will all fall short somewhere in this life, its a given. How can we return if we continue to exist in our shortcomings?
In order for us to move through this mortal existence and be forgiven of our mistakes, it was necessary for a consistent "standard" for all mankind to be established. ONE standard. That standard of truth was the atonement of Jesus Christ.
A loving father allowed for this "ONE" son to come to earth, and experience of each of our unique shortcomings. This cumilative and unimangineable experience was the atonement of Jesus Christ.
As we go through life, dont we have pain, sorrow, and questions that can seem impossible to answer? As we allow Christ into our lives by accepting his sacrifice in Gethsemane, and humble ourselves enough to listen... We can find that there is ONE who does know and understand, and we can become one with him.

April. answered…

The Atonement is all of the suffering, pain, and death Christ went through so He could take our sins upon Him and forgive us from our sins. Because of the Atonement He can also understand our suffering so He can help us overcome and feel comforted in our trials.

James answered…

Jesus died so we can live again.

Christine answered…

A while ago, I did something stupid. It was just a joke, but the fall-out went a lot further than I had ever expected, and as I saw this happening, I realized that some absolutely innocent people were going to get hurt. And there was nothing I could do to stop it. I felt horrible. The more I thought about what I had done, the worse I felt. Finally, I fell to my knees and plead with the Lord to give whatever consequences He wanted to me, but to not let these innocent people get hurt. As I prayed, I felt almost as if the Savior whispered to me, "It's ok, I already took care of it." And I suddenly pictured him on the cross, paying for our sins - my sin, the one I had just made. Through the Atonement, Jesus took upon himself our sins, and made it possible for us to erase that sin - just like it had never happened. And not just for me. He could heal me from the burden of knowing that I had made a mistake and hurt someone else. And, he could heal my friends from any hurt that they received from my action. People get hurt every day, serious and horrible physical, emotional, spiritual wounds. Our loving Heavenly Father didn't intend us to walk around life maimed, he made a way for healing, and that was through his Only Begotten Son. Christ can do that for us because he took our wounds for his own. "With his stripes, we are healed."

Dean Morrison answered…

 I read a book recently of a 3 yr old boy who when he asked Jesus why He had markers on his feet and hands, Jesus told him it was so that every one could come back to His Dad. What a simple beautiful explanation of what the Atonement can do for each of us if we will love Him and accept His offering for us. How dearly He loves us and if we will become as little children and obey His example, and love Him back, we will be with His Dad. That can happen now, today if we let it.

Jennifer answered…

The Atonement is for everyone, everyday! I love that part of how we can apply it in our lives daily, to become a better person each day, just a little bit better.

Jesus Christ suffered pains and afflictions, he paid the price of sin for each ONE of us. He did this so that we can be closer to Him and not have to suffer like he did, if we but repent.

Adam and Eve partook of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, thus causing the Fall from being close to Heavenly Father. We needed someone, a Savior, who could help redeem us from our spiritual fallen state. Jesus Christ is our Savior! And that is why he sacrificed His life....It was for us.

Nicholas answered…

 The Atonement of Jesus Christ is everything to me. When Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane He took upon Himself all the pains, sicknesses, and hard times we will ever have to go through. The Atonement continues when Christ was tortured and beaten, and carried His cross to Calvary. His crucifixion was essential as He laid down His own life, becoming subject completely to the will of His Father. The resurrection completes the Atonement, as Jesus Christ broke the bands of death and rose so that we all may return to the presence of the Father.

Amy. answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is two-fold. First, Christ suffered for the sins of all mankind as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Secondly, Christ died on the cross for us and broke the bonds of death when He rose from the tomb three days later. Because of Christ's perfect love for us and His willingness to sacrifice his own life, we have the opportunity to be forgiven of our mistakes, and to one day be found pure and spotless before our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. Reading about these events in the Bible and pondering their significance to me has brought me answers to life's toughest questions, and given me unspeakable comfort and joy. I am in awe of Jesus Christ's eternal love for each of us.

Dano answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ was/is/and will always be the most important event that has ever happened on this earth. The Atonement is Jesus Christ's sacrifice that has made it possible for us to live with our Heavenly Father again, and with our Families forever! It includes 3 things his Sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane, His Death on the Cross, and his Resurrection.

His Sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane is where he bled from every pore for our sins. There is where he suffered for everyone that had lived, was living, or whoever would live.... Everyone! I know that he saw everyone of us personally, and knowing that he was going to have to suffer because of our sins, He continued on because he loves everyone of us. Not only did he suffer for our sins, but for our pains and sicknesses as well.

His Death on the Cross is where he was cucified. He was nailed to a Cross, whipped, beaten, and more. I keep thinking to myself "how did he keep going?" The only answer that i can think of is that he loves us.

After he died on the cross he was resurrected, which means that he was raised from the dead. This allows all of us to also be raised from the dead after we die. He came back to his apostles with a perfect body an immortal body.

"No unclean thing can enter into the pressence of God." 3 Nephi 2719 We are cleaned of our sins because of his atonement. All we have to do is have faith and ask for forgiveness knowing that he will forgive us.

GordonM answered…

A loving Heavenly Father knows the nature of man and knew we would make mistakes. So, he sent his "Son" to the earth and was crucified, earning the right to extend to us mercy so we can rid ourselves of the guilt we might feel from our sins. I have personally experienced the blessing of his grace and seen many many people find peace and freedom from their guilt and sin. You too can receive this same blessing! It is for all if we will be repentant.

Andrew Jenson answered…

The Atonement if Jesus Christ is why I am a Mormon.

After High School I drifted away from God. I felt lost and confused, frustrated and discouraged. At the time I was working as a teller at a bank and one of my co-workers asked if I wanted to attend 'Institute' or a college aged class on religion with her. I had gone to some seminary in high school, it was mostly just a class to skip for me so I declined her request. She continued to hassle me about it until one night she set me up, she asked if I was free to hang out after work, and then once we got off she had me to follow her to the class.

In the class the teacher was talking about the Jesus Christ. He spoke of how Jesus was beaten and bruised, battered and tortured. How when he had the most right to be furious or upset, he still said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". When he related this point, I was slammed with the Spirit. I felt complete mental clarity, overwhelming joy and happiness. In a class with many people, tons of cute girls, I'm sitting there with tears rolling down my face. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes. That was it, that was the point where the Atonement and the forgiveness and cleansing effect became relevant in my life. I wanted to feel that Spirit more in my life so I made a commitment from that time forward that I would attend that class each week, from then on my life was never the same.

Teresa answered…

We believe that God is perfect and to be like God and live with him (our ultimate goals) we must also become perfect. Sin separates us from God and without the Savior we could not return to him. The Savior lived a sinless life and because of these he is able to take the sins of all mankind upon him. His sacrafice makes us clean again. We must come to know the Savior, be baptized into his church, receive the Holy Ghost, and live like he did. This sacrifice is called the Atonement. It can be utilized throughout our lives. Our Heavenly Father knew that we would make mistakes and lovingly provided a way back to him.

Spencer answered…

Jesus Christ died and suffered so that we could seek forgiveness for the sins we have committed. This is what we refer to as the Atonement. Because He suffered for our sins, we now have the opportunity to seek His help in overcoming our weaknesses and forsaking those things that we do wrong.

In order to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ, we must overcome the wrongs we commit here on Earth. The debt that Christ paid by sacrificing His perfect life and paying the price for our sins is simply a debt that we could not pay on our own. Left completely on our own without Christ and His Atonement, we would not be capable of paying the price necessary to return back to God. This is why Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer.

Jeanne answered…

The atonement of Jesus Christ is his voluntary suffering for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, during his trial and judgment and on the cross of Calvary. God established this universe based on laws of justice and mercy. When we commit a sin or make a mistake we become impure and cannot return to God our Father. Christ's atonement makes it possible for us to repent. This means that we change our ways, strive to right the wrongs we have committed and turn our souls to Christ. We strive to follow his loving example in all that we do. Because Christ paid the penalty for our sins, we can be forgiven and return to the presence of God after this life.

Sunday answered…

Atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin, from the time of Adam to the death of Jesus Christ. True believers were instructed to offer animal sacrifices to the Lord. These sacrifices were symbolic of the forthcoming death of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ as the only Begotten Son of God and the only sinless person to live on this earth, was the only one capable of making an atonement for mankind.

Lillian answered…

The Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ consists of three main important events. The Suffering in the garden of Gethsamane, the cruscification on the cross at Calavary and when he rose on the third day. This three significant events plays a big role in the saviors Atonement. As he suffered in the Garden, he took upon himself the pains and afflictions of all mankind. So whatever struggles, huddles that we go through in life, the Savior had been there. He knows our needs. He paid the price of sin. Everyone is not perfect and we fall short of given circumsatances, thus we are drawn away from the privildges of having the Holy Ghost in our lives. The Savior's sarifice has allow us to reconcile with our father in Heaven and always His spirit to be with us tho help us through this life. Christ died and is risen that you and I may live again with our father in heaven. His resurrection is a gift to everyone that we our bodies and our spirits will be reunited in perfect form upon the second coming. i know he livesand he is my Savior and Redeemer.

Ryan answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is what allows us to return to our Heavenly Father. It includes His suffering for all of our sins, His death on the cross, and HIs glourious Resurrection. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to sacrifice His life for us because we cannot overcome our sins by ourselves. Someone has to pay the price for the sins we commit, and if He did not do it, we would have to suffer for them. Thankfully, He did suffer for them and so if we follow Christ we can be forgiven for our sins and return to our Heavenly Father. All He asks that we do is have faith, repent of our sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and serve Him faithfully to the end of our lives.

Tyler answered…

The Atonement is the personal sacrifice that Jesus Christ made to overcome sin and physical death on our behalf. It began near Jerusalem in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Golgotha, and ended with His Resurrection from the tomb three days later.

Physical death (the separation of our mortal body from our immortal spirit) and sin (also called spiritual death), are two important consequences of the Fall of Adam and Eve. When we disobey God’s commandments we separate ourselves from His presence and require the assistance of someone else to meet the requirements of justice and pay the price for our sins. Jesus is our Savior, that ‘someone else’ who payed for our sins and now invites us to follow His teachings.

By completing the Atonement, Christ payed the price for our sins and overcame physical death through the Resurrection. All of God’s children who have ever lived on the earth will be Resurrected and receive an immortal body. To overcome spiritual death, which is the result of sin, we must repent. We can be forgiven and draw closer to God in this life by trying each day to be more like Him. If we are righteous, we can live with our Heavenly Father after this life.

Jason answered…

For me, the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the supreme doctrine of the Gospel...it is "the good news" that declares we can return and live with our Heavenly Father again. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is what allows us sinners to overcome the demands of justice. There is a basic, eternal law that requires us to be "clean" before we can live in the presence of God. During our mortal life here on earth, we most definitely will sin and in every way, break that law.

However, there is good news! Because "God so loved the world" he sent us his Son. As the only person to live among us without sin, only he could pay the price for sin. He took upon himself every sin, every pain, and every suffering of each soul that would be born into this world. In the Garden of Gethsemane is when the Son of God drank from that bitter cup. Then, so we could overcome the obvious obstacle of physical death allowing us to rise again, he ultimately and voluntarily gave up his life and rose from the grave. I love him and humbly revere his name for what he did for "me." I know that I can overcome my sins, and that I will be resurrected some day because of his sacrifice. This is the Atonement of Jesus Christ and I know it is real and I know I can live in the presence of my Heavenly Father again.

Stephen answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ can have personal meaning for each of us. It includes the suffering He made for our sins in the garden called Gethsemane (in Luke 22), His death on the cross, and also His resurrection (or raising up from the dead). Each part plays a significant role in our lives inasmuch as we apply it. His suffering both in the garden and on the cross allow us to repent, or remedy our mistakes. His resurrection allows for the resurrection of all mankind when He comes again in His majesty and glory. I have seen these valuable events take meaning in my life as I have needed the purification of the Savior's Atonement for mistakes (sins) i have made. He gave me the peace of forgiveness. He anxiously waits for us to COME TO HIM so that He can HEAL our soul. He loves us. He lived and died for us so that we could have the chance to return to live with God. I know this is true.

Leighton answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the central doctrine and all that we teach revolves around the core belief that Jesus Christ lived, suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, gave his own live, and was resurrected. He did this from pure love in order to enable us to come back and live with Him and God the Father and our families again. The power of the Atonement allows us to repent of our sins and overcome our burdens in life. He knows our pains and sorrows and can bear us up like no one else can.
I love him more than I can express for all that He has done for me.

Nathanael answered…

The atonement of Jesus Christ included His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and His subsequent suffering and death on the cross. The atonement was culminated in Christ's glorious resurrection on the third day. The word atonement, broken apart, is "at-one-ment" meaning "at one with." It is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we are able to become at one with God.

In the Book of Mormon it states: "it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made. For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice" (Alma 34: 9-10). The necessity of Christ's atonement comes from the fact that we are all imperfect. In Romans we read that all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And from the Book of Mormon we learn that we cannot, in and of ourselves, pay the price associated with our sins. It is as if we are debtors to God for the sins we have committed and we are unable to pay the price necessary. Jesus Christ, as a benevolent benefactor, stepped in, paid the price for all sin, and asks that we have faith in Him, repent of our sins, and strive our best to keep His commandments. It is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we are able to repent of our sins, thereby escaping the punishment and price associated with those sins. Without the infinite and last sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all mankind would perish and would be lost.

Tyler answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the way to overcome two obstacles we can't overcome ourselves. One is physical death. The other is spiritual death which means that when we sin we distance ourselves from God. Through the Atonement we will all live again and can have our mistakes washed away by Jesus Christ during this life.

Danielle answered…

 The Atonement is what I call Jesus' final act in life. He suffered all of our sin, pain, anguish, hunger, thirst, disappointment etc. while in the Garden of Gethsemane. He bled great drops of blood because of the amount of pain he suffered for us. He hung on the Cross and died then was resurrected that all may live again. The Atonement was the greatest act of love Jesus could possible give to mankind. No one else could have performed this action. Jesus Christ was the only sinless man who walked the earth and thus was the only man who could take upon Himself the sins of the world.

James Schultz answered…

The Atonement is one of the most important events that occured during the ministry of Jesus Christ on this earth. It was the time where He, as a sinless man, took upon Himself "the pains...the sicknesses...the sins of his people". Alma 7:11-13

This sacrifice of God's own son was necessary because "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 [Christ's] blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." 3 Nephi 27:19

As we apply the Atonement to our lives, we have faith in Christ, are baptized and confirmed by priesthood authority, and continue faithful to the end, following His perfect example.

Steve answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important thing that ever happened. Without the Atonement, there would be no way for us to return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father. No unclean thing can enter His presence, and Christ's Atonement makes it possible for us to be forgiven of our mistakes, through repentance. Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for us. He suffered for all things for everyone of us, so that we don't have to if we will trust in and follow Him. Also, He died and was resurrected so that each of us will be able to overcome death.

Troy answered…

The Atonement Of Jesus Christ started in the garden of getsemani, and ended with His resurrection. in short, it was the great sacrifice He made in behalf of us. He payed for our sins, allowing us to, if we will follow Him and His commandments, return to Live with our Heavenly Father. On our own we could never return to live with Him, for it is impossible for us to live perfect lives. Only one was perfect, Jesus The Christ, and only through His blood and sacrifice, can we be cleansed of our sins and have our natures changed, becoming more like Him, and being able to return to live with God.

Sandra. answered…

The word "atonement" means literally "at one". It is the process of bringing two things that have become estranged back together, like an imperfect me and our perfect God. The atonement of Jesus Christ is the thing that makes it possible for us to be reunited with Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, when we leave this life.

I'm sure I don't understand the full implications of the atonement, but I know that our Savior, as he hung on the cross and suffered in Gethsemane, made up for all of the imperfections of this world. He made it possible for us to repent and be forgiven of our sins. He made it possible for our bodies to be resurrected in a perfected state. He made it possible for us to be healed from the pain and loneliness and heartache that are a part of this mortal experience. He made it possible for us to overcome every imperfection in this world: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. And He did it because He loves us and wants us to share in everything that He has.

We have to do our part and take upon us the covenants that come with sacred ordinances that are available to those striving to keep the commandments. But the glorious reality is that if we are trying our hardest to live the teachings of Jesus, we can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father forever.

Clark answered…

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest act of love & service ever performed. Jesus Christ volunteered to take upon himself every discomfort & sin experienced by mankind; it is a universal act. The atonement is required to save mankind from a fallen state & enable mankind to become exhalted and live in God's presence again.

Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden not knowing good from evil. Progression cannot occur without opposition. God & Jesus Christ knew this and placed access to knowledge of good and evil in the garden and purposefully forbid Adam and Eve to access it. This was done with perfect knowledge and wisdom. God and Jesus Christ knew that for oposition to occur, there had to be something for Lucifer to oppose, which is why they Forbid access to knowledge of good and evil. They were well aware that by doing so Lucifer would oppose their will and tempt Adam and Eve.

The result is the fall of mankind from perfection and a seperation of mankind from the literal presence of God. Man alone is not capable of perfection without intercession. Jesus Christ volunteered to provide the required intercession and purchased the rights to our imperfection with his atoning sacrifice. In doing so he answered the demands of justice and extended sufficient grace & mercy to redeem and perfect all mankind.

His atonement, grace and mercy are gifts to all who will accept them through obedience to the principles & ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

James answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the crowning event of the Plan of Salvation. This event, which took place in the Garden of Gethsemane, invloved Jesus Christ willingly accepted all of the misdeeds of the world as his burden to suffer. This culminated with the crucifixtion of Jesus at Calvary Hill. By doing this Our Lord and Savior has removed all ouf our misdeeds from our lives. The thoughtless acts we have committed, the hurtful things we have done and the pain we have received have all gone to Him. We will not suffer those things when we repent and place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. By this same Atonement we will not suffer permanent death but be resurrected (rescued) from death and live again.

Josh answered…

The atonement, to me, is the incredible sacrifice Jesus took upon himself to pay the price for our sins, to make the resurrection possible, and to give him the understanding of every single one of our pains. His life was given, as the ultimate sacrifice, so that we might live.

Adrienne Carol answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a wonderful blessing that has been given to each and every one of us. Because none of us are capable of living a sinless life, our loving Father in Heaven sent us His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life, and then suffer and die for us, a task only He could perform. Because of this sacrifice, we are given the opportunity to repent of our sins and have closer relationships with both Heavenly Father, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. The suffering wasn't enough, as Christ willingly gave his life, He broke the bands of death, making it possible for us to live again after this life is over. It's as if Christ pleads for us to His Father saying something along the lines of, "Father, I suffered this pain so that they wouldn't have to if they would only come to me."

Charley answered…

the atonement of jesus christ is the way that humans can return to live with god and our families forever. The atonement consist of three parts. first the suffering in the grden of geseminy. in the garden Christ takes appon himself the sins of the world and suffers for them bleeding from every poor. the second part of the atonement is the death on the cross in wish Jesue the Christ gives the final price for the world and dies for the sins of the world. The third and final part of the atonement is the rising from the dead. Jesus the Christ is the master of all and this includes death. by dyeing then rising he broke the bonds of death so that the world threw his example and by fallowing him would be able to excape death and be saved. jhon 316-18 the reasen he had to preform the Atonement is to do these things.

Christine answered…

I have sought through prayer and soul searching to understand how and why Jesus could sacrifice his life for all of mankind. I am incapable of expressing the love and gratitute I have for the Savior and the price he paid for my sins, but I have felt the meaning of the atonement in my heart and through the process of repententing of mistakes I've made. Let me share a poem with you by Ella Wheeler Wilcox: http://www.lds.org/ensign/1971/12/the-purpose-of-life-to-be-proved

“All those who journey, soon or late,
Must pass within the garden’s gate;
Must kneel alone in darkness there,
And battle with some fierce despair.
God pity those who cannot say:
‘Not mine but thine’; who only pray:
‘Let this cup pass,’ and cannot see
The purpose in Gethsemane.”

"My whole heart went out to Him. I loved Him with all my soul and longed to be with Him as I longed for nothing else." http://www.lds.org/liahona/2008/03/the-atonement-of-jesus-christ

“Sometime in your life you need to visit Gethsemane; and when you have been there, you’ll understand what repentance is. Only after you have suffered in some small degree as the Savior suffered in Gethsemane will you know what repentance is." http://www.lds.org/new-era/1999/11/do-you-know-how-to-repent

Cameron! answered…

God is Perfect. God is full of Justice. When we sin we distance ourselves from Heavenly Father and become unclean. No unclean thing can enter into the presence of heaven. Through Heavenly Father all things are possible, so He created a plan and the Atonement of Jesus Christ is essential. Jesus Christ suffered for us and he payed the price that we would have paid because of our sins and iniquities. No matter how much we sin, the Atonement is infinite. If we but follow his Gospel and come unto him we can utilize the Atonement and be clean so we are worthy to return to our Heavenly Father. Coming unto Christ consists of Faith in the Lord, Repentance, Baptism by Immersion for the Remission of sins, Receiving of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. That is why we must take up sacred Covenants such as Baptism. Baptism however is just the beginning we take other covenants in the Temple.

Bryce answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ in the center piece to the great Plan of Happiness. It is what gives purpose and meaning to every other aspect of our lives. Specifically, the Atonement of Jesus Christ refers to the moment when the Savior suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross. He suffered and paid the price for all of our sins, no matter how big or small they are. Furthermore, He felt our pains, tribulations, and sufferings so that He might be able to understand us and comfort us in times of need.

I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that it is real. I know that it has real power to provide real healing and peace that we all look for in this life. I know that it can take away our guilt for the wrong things that we have done, and I know that it can allow anyone to change. I have felt its power in my life, it has helped me change, and continues to do so. It is the single greatest event in the history of mankind.

Without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all of us would be be forever separated from God, forever dwelling in our sins unable to repent and change. What a marvelous gift the Savior has given to us all!

Christopher answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is something very personal to me. It was the loving act of our Savior, who suffered in both spirit and body, for all of our sins, pains, afflictions, temptations, and sicknesses. He has felt every pain that any of us could ever know--whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. Christ felt all that we have ever felt, choosing to understand our pains "according to the flesh" so that He might help each of us individually. "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" -Alma
The Atonement consists of His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane--where His suffering for us caused Him to bleed from every pore--His suffering and death on the cross, and His Resurrection where He overcame physical death. Through these three things, He truly did suffer for all of our sins and pains. He invites all of us to repent, so that through His Atoning Sacrifice, we can be perfected in Him.

Danny answered…

Atonement is a word not too many outside of the Mormon world are familiar with, but most Christians have a belief in. The atonement of Jesus Christ refers to the sacrifice of his own life that Jesus Christ offered for all mankind when He drank of the bitter cup in Gethsemane and died on the cross. It's the most significant thing that has ever happened or ever will happen. That suffering that Christ experienced, when he descended to the lowest depths of sorrow and sin, means that we aren't lost, that there's hope yet for men. It was the principal reason our Heavenly Father sent His Son to earth. It couldn't have been easy for the Father or the Son, but out of love for us, the Father let Christ come and Our Savior chose to pay the price for us. It was an infinite love that produced an infinite sacrifice, a sacrifice of the only sinless being to ever walk the earth. It was absolutely necessary for Christ to carry out the Atonement because God is just and no unclean thing can dwell in His presence. There is no one that has lived to maturity and not sinned, save Christ, and all would be lost were there not provided a way for them to become clean and pure, worthy to enter back into God's presence. The atonement conquers both physical death and the separation from God's presence that sin creates, and will allow all men to live again in an immortal body, and it will allow those who make themselves clean through obedience to Christ's Gospel to return to live with Him forever.

Zak answered…

To set balance to all the creations of our Heavenly Father that obey the laws he has set, and because of the imbalance brought into that creation by us (due to our mistakes & sins) there must be a reckoning.

This reckoning must not be a temporary solution - a bandaid, if you will - for the scale of imbalance that our mistakes have caused...but must be a perfect, enduring reckoning.

This reckoning could only have been made by one who is perfect and that individual must be brought to an awareness of each of the causes for the imbalance - each of our sins.

That is why Christ sacrificed himself for us, and why he knows each of us so well and so intimately. And His sacrifice is infinite.

If this were not so, the imbalance of creation would tear creation itself apart.

Ammon answered…

The atonement of Jesus Christ is His great sacrifice when he took upon himself our sins and infirmities. It was necessary for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father because no unclean thing can enter into the Kingdom of God.

Jamie Ann answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is His sacrifice for us so that we could be forgiven and that we could have repentance.
In one of my favorite songs, (I Stand All Amazed) the words say all I need to know about His atonement and sacrifice for us. It says:
"1. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That FOR ME, A SINNER, HE SUFFERED, HE BLED and DIED.
[Chorus]
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
2. I marvel that he should descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem and to justify.
[Chorus]
3. I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
[Chorus]

Text and music: Charles H. Gabriel, 1856-1932

Those words say everything to me about His suffering and through that suffering we can be whole again and redeemed by his sacrifice. He gave all for us so that we could live.
The atonement is something we may not fully understand in our life here on earth but I do know that through His Atonement I am renewed again with the Lord even after all the mistakes I have made in my own life.

Brooke answered…

Heavenly Father sent us here and gave us free agency. He gave us a choice in everything we do in life. The blessings of this gift are so amazing. One such example is that I have a choice in when and how I will pray each day. With this gift, though, I have the choice to not pray. Or even to steal something from the store. If I were to do this, I have now sinned and although I can return the stolen item, suffer the social consequences or do time in jail, I still have not made it completely right. I am no longer perfectly clean. This is where the Atonement of Christ comes in. He suffered for the sin I committed and if I go to the Lord with my mistake and tell him I am sorry, and feel sorry, and promise to never do it again, then I have repented and am now a clean as I was before I stole.
Christ suffered tremendous things in the Garden of Gethsemane and in his further persecution by the hands of the Roman soldiers and lastly upon the cross. He was paying for all the sins that all the people who had lived, were living and were going to live upon the earth. Not only did he suffer all of the pain of our sins, he also bore the immense weight of all of our heartaches and pains that are simply a part of being a human being. He suffered these so that when we offered up our prayers of supplication, he would know how to calm, help, and succor us. That is an incredible thing to me.
The part of this story that gives me the most joy is when Christ is resurrected! He lives and we will one day all be resurrected as well! We will be able to weep upon his feet and bathe them with our kisses of thanksgiving. What a beautiful thing to look forward to.

Jonathan answered…

That is a question that few can answer fully. Mainly because it is such a personal answer that can only be answered by experiencing it. For starters though, think back on your life as a whole, there have been mistakes that you've made that cannot be changed, people you've hurt in ways that cannot be mended. Hurts of your own that have never healed and never cease to haunt you. That is why Christ Sacrificed Himself for us, to heal us and those around us when we cannot go on by ourselves. It is why millions upon millions have been healed both physically and spiritually, because He lived, He died, and because He still lives. Because He is The Christ, our personal Savior and Redeemer. My Hope and my Strength.

Andrea answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in our history. The main reason Jesus came to earth was to provide a way for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father. He did many wonderful things while here on the earth, but his main task was to atone for our sins.
The meaning of his Atonement is that he took on all of our sins. He literally felt all of our pain, sorrow and anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane when he bled from every pore. By Him taking on our sins, we are able to return to live with our Father in Heaven when our time on earth has passed.
Jesus Christ performed this miracle for us because he knew we would falter and stumble through life. None of us are perfect and He knew that. His act of love for us humbles me and helps me to know that I can repent and be forgiven, despite how hard it might be.
I know, that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for us. I know that this was His purpose. I know that He did it willingly and with pure love for us. I know that he suffered pain beyond anything I can imagine and I know he was perfect. I love my Savior because he loved me enough to make such a large sacrifice.

German answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ includes 3 things:
1) Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane.
2)The crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary.
3) The Resurrection from the dead.
Through Jesus Christ's suffering, death and resurrection , we can conquer our suffering in this life and live again in the presence of God.We can be cleansed from sin as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ and repent of our sins. We must also be baptized for the remission of sins and endure to the end.

Alamoti answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most blessing that I could ever get in this life. Jesus Christ pay the price of our sins so that it make it possible for everyone to return back home to our Heavenly Father.

It is necessary for us because we are sinners and we cant return to his present unless we are cleanse from our sins. But thats whey Jesus Christ willing to so that we have that opportunity to go back.

Ron answered…

OK. Now it's time to get perfectly and brutally honest with yourself. Do some introspection and answer honestly. Are you perfect? Am I perfect? Is there anybody in the history of the world, save Jesus Christ, who has lived a perfect life? I promise you the answer to all of the above questions is no! Yet, our Father in Heaven demands perfection. How can this be? He knows we're incapable of being perfect. So, how could he demand perfection of us. It would be like asking one to hold onto a tree on one side of the Grand Canyon and reach across to the other. But our Father is not unjust, unfair, or uncaring. Because of His perfect love for us, He provided His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, who, through his perfect life and perfect atoning sacrifice, bridges any chasm that comes between our most flawed effort towards perfection and the actual perfect standard established by the Father. If we will only believe in him, come unto Him, and live as He asks, He will lift us to perfection. Through Christ and the Atonement he made for us, we can be, yes, perfect!! This is why it was necessary for God, who loves His Son dearly, to offer him as a sacrifice for all the rest of His children (us) who He also loves, just as dearly.

Joe answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important event that has ever happened in the history of the world! There are two different parts to the Atonement which brings two different results.

1. When Jesus's prayed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane he took upon himself, "the bitter cup." Which includes all of our mistakes, weaknesses, faults, and sins. Because of this we can be cleansed from sin. Later he was crucifued on the cross where he continued to suffer and eventually died. We know from the sciptures that "No unclean thing can enter into the Kingdom of God." And since we will all get atleast a little dirt on us (sin) while we are here on earth we needed a Savior so we could be cleansed from sin and enter into Heaven. If Jesus Christ didn't suffer for us then we would experience Spiritual Death.

2. 3 days later Jesus Christ rose from the grave, now having an immortal body. Because he conqoured physical death our spirits and bodies will be re-united again after death. This is a gift that everyone will recieve no matter what we do here on earth.

To get full access of this Atonement we have to try and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having Faith in him, repenting, being baptized, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. Because of the Atonement we can feel joy in this life and in the life to come! I am very thankful for Jesus Christ and will forever love him!

Robbie Platt answered…

The Atonement is the Suffering Jesus experienced in the garden of Gethsemane the scripture says his sweat were as drops of blood as he prayed unto the father, and also His death on the cross. Jesus suffered as a ransom for our sins... God gave a Commandment and since we all are sinners we all would be condemned to eternal punishment if it weren't for Christs sufferings. comparatively it would be like if we were sentenced in a court of law to die but our brother chose to take our place for us.

Brent answered…

To atone is to reconcile, and through Christ's Atonement we can be made at-one with God.

"...yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made."(Alma 34:9)

As a missionary I remember a few times discussing with people the question of why Jesus had to give up his life. Didn't he pay the price of suffering for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross? Why did Jesus have to physically die on the cross? Jesus foretold what would happen to Him after His death:

"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up...But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them;"(Luke 2:19-22)

Jesus willingly gave His life in order that He could be resurrected. Through His resurrection, the Savior made it possible for all of us to be resurrected and receive immortality– this is a free gift.

The Atonement has two parts, a sacrifice for sin and a sacrifice for death, both are necessary to bring us at-one with God. We must act to take advantage of His sacrifice for sin by repenting of our sins, being baptized into His church and continue serving and living in obedience to God to the end of our lives.

"...For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost."

Lance answered…

When we sin we draw ourselves away from God. We must be perfect to return to Heavenly Father's presence. All of us sin and there is not one person perfect. Knowing this, Heavenly Father provided us a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who would pay for our sins, and help us bridge the gap that we've placed between ourselves and God. Jesus Christ takes our sins away, in exchange, we do his commandments, and ultimately give our hearts to him. Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for us and that is how he pays for our sins. When Jesus Christ rose again, he gave the rest of the world an opportunity to rise to something greater than ourselves.

Taylor answered…

The atonement is something that I don't think I will ever be able to fully understand here in this life, but it means everything to me, and to each and every one of us. The atonement was when Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, suffered and bled in the Garden of Gethsemane and died upon the cross. In doing so he paid for our sins. He was the only perfect being to live on the earth, and only He could have paid for our sins, and that is exactly what he did. Every day of our lives we make mistakes. Every day of our lives we doing something, whether it be great or small, that makes us unworthy to stand in the presence of God. Through the atonement Jesus Christ made it possible for us to receive a remission of our sins and to be able to clean our spirits from the stains of sins, thus making us worthy again to stand in the presence of God. Without the atonement we would not have any hope of a life after this, and there would be no point in living. But because of the atonement we can continue living in faith and know that Christ is the way to clean ourselves of our sins.

Benjamin Clarke answered…

In our society we often seek for fairness and/or equality. Well not everyone who has ever lived on this world has had the oppotunity for peace, for happiness, for knowledge and for love. It is because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that every single person who has ever lived on this earth shall live again. It is because of the atonement of Jesus Christ that we may be forgiven of our sins and try again dependant of the knowledge we have gained. Because of the atonement every single person will have the opportunity to accept or deny the gift of the atonement. Everyone will be given a fair and equal opportunity for happiness. All because He loves you.

Tiffany answered…

The Atonment is the Ultimate of all Sacrifices. It's the Utimate Example of all things that are Godly. Love, Brotherhood, Sisterhood, enduring.... Purest example of unconditional Love. It was our only way we were to be brought back as an Etnernal Family. Not only earthly our Heavenly Family. Heavenly Father loves all his children. He wanted to have a way that he may reign with them again. Jesus Christ volunteered. He said, he would go. Set the Example, teach us the way on Earth to live so we may return to Our Father in Heaven again. He was already perfect, but still chose to endure all our sins. Everyone's. Threw ever pore he bled with agony. He felt every abandonedment every hate. He atoned for all.

Alan answered…

It's always much harder to confront something wrong and help fix it than to shrug it off, or hope someone else will deal with it. Throughout my life, I have been grateful to parents, friends, and teachers who took an interest in my development and were willing to confront and help me with my weaknesses.

Jesus Christ is this kind of friend and more. Through the Atonement, He was able to pay the price for all the sins and weaknesses of all mankind - making Him uniquely able to nourish us through any challenge!

Peter Blomfield answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ was what Christ came to earth to do, along with being resurrected. He suffered for the sins of the world. He felt all the pain, suffering, and struggles of everyone, and took the punishment of our sins upon Him. Through sincere repentance, we can utilize His atonement to gain forgiveness of sins and return to live with Him after we die. Without His atonement, we could never hope to return to live with God because we would remain unclean forever.

Zury answered…

Before the world was organized, our Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Redeemer. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ made it possible for us to overcome the effects of the Fall.We will suffer physical death, but Jesus Christ overcame the obtacle of physical death for us.When He died on the cross, His spirit became separate from His body.On the third day, His spirit and His body were reunited eternally, never to be separated again.The reunited of body and spirit is called resurretion and is a gift promised to each of us.

Alex H. answered…

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the acts of God to prepare the way for our salvation, which is the gift of eternal life and immortality after death, a never ceasing life with our family and God. It may be astonishing that the acts of one person can cause the mercy for forgiveness. We have complete accountability for all our actions unless, we take upon us the name of Christ and this accountability through faith in Christ, repentance, and baptism by immersion and the laying of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ has performed the infinite perfect sacrifice, and his suffering is incomprehensible to a mortal. Jesus is the only begotten of the Father, so his intelligence is the greatest of all, and with this blessing he lived on this earth with infinite capacity even overcoming death however, he lived in all humility submitting himself to the will of the Father, fulfilling all the prophecies of him and the word of the Father. I know that Jesus Christ provides the way for true happiness that we may live forever with a complete family with God the Father. I know that with the gospel we can have a hope for this great blessing in mortality. I feel a hope for my family. Jesus Christ lives today. He has resurrected, taking up his body again never to die.

Leslie answered…

It is impossible for me to put adequately put into words what the Atonement means in my life. First of all, it is the means by which, I a sinner, can be forgiven. What an amazing gift. Through this gift I feel the Savior's love. He paid a price so great that I can't even fathom...for me who did not deserve it because He loves me. That is beyond words.

Lately I have found another meaning in the Atonement. I am working through the long and painful process of healing from childhood abuse. I know that through the Atonement, Christ understands my pain. Sometimes I feel utterly alone, and then I remember that the Savior knows, He understands.

Finally, I have hope that through the Atonement I will one day be able to forgive my abuser. Through Christ I will receive the healing, the strength and the faith to do that. It will be a glorious day.

The Atonement blesses my life every day in many ways. The longer I live, the more I come to see the blessings of it.

Alex answered…

  The Atonement of Christ is what Jesus did for us so we can be saved. He suffered for us in every way, and his motivation was love for us. We are his spiritual brothers and sisters. Christ said in John Chapter 15 Verse 13, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. We are his friends and very dear to him. He had to sacrifice himself for us so we can be able to live with our father in heaven and be cleansed from our sins. All he asks is that we have faith in him, repent, be baptized, recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. He will cleanse us and we will be able to return to our Father. 

Jarrett answered…

 The Atonement of Jesus Christ is what is makes it possible for us to enter again into God's presence. Jesus taught us that no unclean thing can be in the presence of God. We all are imperfect beings, chained down and wounded by sin, but through the Atonement, we can have those wounds healed and the chains removed. The more we begin to understand that sacrifice, those closer we can come to Him and develop a better love and appreciation for who He is.

Rachel answered…

The Atonment of Jesus Christ occured when the Savior suffered for the sins, sorrows and pains of all mankind in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Golgotha at the end of his ministry here on Earth. Although it is impossible for us mortals to fully understand how this took place, the Savior's Atonement made it possible for all of us to return to live with our Heavenly Father after our deaths. The Atonment provides a way of escape from our sins by giving us the oportunity to repent and be reconciled with the Father. It influences our lives now and in the life beyond.

Jay answered…

Scripture teaches us that we are children of God just as much as Adam and Eve are. Their story and the story of their fall from his presence teaches me some things:

1. That when I left my heavenly home to come to Earth as a mortal I became separated from God. As I live here on earth, I sin and that makes me unclean or not able to dwell in God's presence. I need to be made clean to return to His presence to "live" again spiritually.

2. My Heavenly Father wanted me to have the life that he has. Coming to earth I would have a mortal body that would die. His body is immortal and perfect. This was the second separation from him.

Spiritual death (a state of being unclean) or being out of His presence and physical death were things that I could not in any way overcome by myself. I needed a Savior. His atonement is that help I so desperately needed.

I needed someone who was literally the Son of God who had power over death, who had the ability to live a perfect life, so that He might perfect sacrifice for me and pay the price that justice requires for my sins.

Jesus Christ offered that perfect sacrifice for my sins and then offers it's benefits to me.

His offering of love brings the aid that I would need to enable me overcome sin and eventually be resurrected to a perfect body just as He was.

In a practical sense, I can be forgiven, made whole, and have peace in my life based on the spiritual healing that comes from coming unto Him (doing what He says) for answers, for healing, and for peace instead of the options that are presented in culture of today.

Elder Zabriskie answered…

The Atonement is a word that refers to Christ's sacrifice for us. There are three parts to the Atonement: Christ's suffering a bleeding from every pore in the Garden of Gethsemane, His crucifixion, and the ressurection three days later. All three of these parts were necessary.

The Atonement overcomes two things for us, physical and spiritual death. Each of us will eventually die a physical death, meaning that our bodies and our spirits will separate. The ressurection of Christ makes it so that each of us will be ressurected. Spiritual death is the separation from God that comes because of sin. When we use the Atonement in our lives by repenting, we can be cleansed from sin and the consequences of spiritual death and return to live in the presence of God

Greg answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the single greatest act of Love by anyone who has ever lived. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to sacrifice His life for everyone who lives or has ever lived. It is an important part of our Heavenly Father's plan. If Jesus had not done this, we would all be lost forever.

Tara answered…

The atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible for everyone to return to live with God again. There is no other way to receive such happiness. Christ suffered for all of our sins so we can repent and be cleansed from them. We can always change and become who God wants us to be. The atonement gives us hope. Life would be meaningless without it.

Ethan. answered…

 The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important event in the entire history of the world. It was when Christ suffered for the sins and transgressions of everyone. He suffered for each of us personally. His sufferings were so great, He bled from every pore in Gethsemane, and He was crucified—He was murdered when He could have escaped. He didn't, though. He didn't because He loves us, and He knew that His death sealed this great event, that it made it possible for us to be happy—to live happily with God after this life.
The Atonement was necessary because we all sin. In sinning, we are imperfect and unclean, and thus unable to return to our Father in Heaven, who is a perfect being. Christ, an innocent and perfect Man, gave His life and suffered for us so that we could return to God. Christ's atoning sacrifice—and God's mercy—allow us to return to live with the Father. If we accept Christ's atonement—if we choose to follow Him through the ordinance of baptism and continue on in our lives in living the best we can for Him—we can live happily, forever, with our families.
God is awesome.

Jake Webb answered…

Imagine that you have a valuable piece of gold. It's worth a lot so you want to protect it but you lose it! You search everywhere for it you flip your house upside down. When you finally find it it's covered in filth! Cat hair, dust, gum and icky, gross stuff but you clean it! And even while it's dirty it's just as valuable! And after you clean it, it's shiny and beautiful again. But only you could do this because it was your gold, you wanted to clean it, and you had the power to do so. Well, we are all Jesus' gold! Luke 15

Britt answered…

There is no possible way to describe in 1500 words what the Atonement is and why it was so necessary. If the 'what' and the 'why' could be explained in one word, it would be--love. What is the Atonement? The love of God. Why was it necessary? Because of God's love. It may seem a too simple answer for such a complex question, but as I have studied about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, I have learned that the transcending theme of the scriptures teaches about a pure love that only God can provide. "Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?" They have been all been explained to me by the gift of love that is called the Atonement.

Brodi answered…

The Atonement of Jesus Christ was one of the most important things that has ever happened in our history here on earth. Jesus Christ took upon himself all of the sins of all mankind so that we can have a way to live with our Heavenly Father again. Before his atonement we had two obstacles: Physical death and spiritual death. This sacrifice was required because no unclean thing can enter into the Kingdom of God. By taking our sins away, Jesus Christ became our mediator with the Father and only asks us to do the best we can in return for his paying the price for our sins. He asks us to repent and believe in his name so that we can be brought into the presence of him again. Jesus Christ's death on the cross sealed the sacrifice and sanctified the gift to every member of God's eternal family.

Justes answered…

The Atonement of jesus is the most important principal in the gospel. The atonement is the sacrifice of the savior, how he took upon him our sins, pains, & afflictions. The atonement is so simple & yet the hardest to completely comprehend. Throught this great love we are able to have mercy & grace to comfort us & allow us to return with god again. With out this atonement we would all be lost & there would be no point to life at all. I know that jesus suffered this for us so we could live with our heavenly father again.

Caleb answered…

The Atonement of Christ is at the center of our beliefs. Everything else is an appendage to that great event. The full meaning and ramification of the Atonement is something beyond our mortal ability to understand. There is always something else to learn about the Atonement, and I don't think any of us will learn all there is to learn about it in this life.

The actual event is recorded in the New Testament, but all the scriptures point to it. At the end of His life, Christ took upon himself the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane. Bue that wasn't the only thing He did. He also felt the pains, afflictions, emotions, thoughts, feelings and suffering that anyone will ever experience, so that he would know what we have felt. He was in such pain and agony that He cried out to The Father to let this burden pass. But being obedient to His Father, he went through with it. The Atonement continued with his arrest and torture, and climaxed with his crucifixion at the hands of the Roman soldiers. The crowning event of the Atonement was when Christ rose three days later.

Because of the Atonement, Christ has overcome all things. Through His power, mercy and grace, each of us can overcome anything in our lives. He had to perform the Atonement, because if he hadn't, each of us would be limited to and trapped by our own imperfections. He did what He did to bring about the power of Mercy, and through our obedience to His commandments, we can receive of that mercy.

Julia answered…

Jesus was the only one who could die and then overcome death. This means that because Christ overcame physical death, all of us will live again someday. He also overcame sin by living a perfect life and then suffering for all of our sins. He paid the price so that we can overcome our sin through Him. This is why Christ said that "no man cometh unto the Father but by me" in John 14:6. Christ is the only one with power and authority to help us get back home, and that is why He sets the terms for how we receive forgiveness and qualify for God's presence. No one else can make a family relationship last beyond death or cleanse a person from sin because no one has power over sin and death except Christ. Christ has always taught His way through His appointed apostles and prophets so that there will be no confusion about what we are to do. The Atonement is why it is so important that we find Christ's way and follow it.

Nichole answered…

 The atonement of Jesus Christ was part of a plan that Heavenly Father has designed to help as many of his childern who choose to return to him. Because none of us are capable of being perfect Jesus christ preformed the atonement which allows all those who are humble to give their sins to christ and become clean. through the atonement we can be made perfect and one day return to our heavenly home.