The Atonement of Jesus Christ

If not for the Savior Jesus Christ, death would end all hope for a future existence with our Heavenly Father. But because of Christ’s Atonement, we can be cleansed of our sins through repentance and continued faith in Him.

Sandy's Conversion Story (2:22)

Because Heavenly Father loves us, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to voluntarily suffer and pay for your sins, pains, sicknesses, and sorrows. Through His grace? and the mercy of this Atonement?—the most important event in the history of the world—He can help you in your trials and relieve you of the guilt and shame that result from your sins.

As you rely on the Atonement, you will feel the love of God and He will help you endure your trials. You will experience joy, peace, and consolation through the mercy of your loving Heavenly Father.

Though He paid for your sins, Jesus did not eliminate your agency? or personal responsibility; He will not make you clean against your will.

To make His Atonement fully effective in your life, you must:

Exercise faith in Him.
Repent.
Be baptized.
Receive the Holy Ghost.?
Choose to follow His teachings for the rest of your life.

We can’t fully understand how Jesus suffered for our sins. But we know that in the Garden of Gethsemane, the weight of our sins caused Him to feel such agony that He bled from every pore ( Luke 22:39–44) .

Later, as He hung upon the cross, Jesus willingly suffered painful death by one of the cruelest methods ever known.

The Savior tells us, “For behold, I . . . have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer . . . even as I” ( Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–17).

You can be forgiven of your sins through the Atonement of Jesus Christ by the process of repentance? ( John 3:16; Mosiah 4:6-8).

To sincerely repent, you must:

Confess the sin to both God and anyone who has been harmed by your sin.
Ask forgiveness from God and from anyone you have harmed.
When possible, repair the damage you have done.
Forsake your sins.
Strive to keep the commandments.?

True repentance? brings peace and forgiveness. God has promised, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” ( Doctrine and Covenants 58:42).