The Atonement of Jesus Christ Is The Most Important Gospel Principle

Gospel Basics Series: The Plan of Salvation

Jesus Christ was chosen in the pre-existence and before this earth was created to be our Savior and Redeemer. There is nothing more important in the gospel than the atonement. We overcome the consequences of the fall because of the atonement. All the prophets from the beginning have testified of Jesus Christ as our Redeemer and Savior.

Jesus Christ overcame spiritual and physical death. Jesus lived a perfect life and He never sinned. The Lord took upon Himself all of our sins and because He did that we can repent of our sins and become clean. He overcame physical death. He died on the cross and was resurrected three days later. Resurrection is the uniting of the physical body and the spirit. We then for the first time have a perfect immortal body that can never again experience physical pain, suffering, disease or death. We continue living beyond the grave.

Everyone will be resurrected regardless of how they lived during their earth life. The resurrection is an unconditional gift given to everyone because of Christ’s atonement. The resurrection prepares us for our final judgment before Christ. If we have remained in our sins, we will be shut out from His presence forever.

The whole purpose of the plan of salvation is to return to live with God and have His kind of life. The atonement is what makes this possible. Christ overcame the two major obstacles of sin and death. We are not responsible for what Adam and Eve did, but we are responsible and held accountable by Jesus Christ for what we do.

Jesus cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. He has this attitude because sin makes us unworthy of His presence. We are clean through Christ’s grace and mercy through His atonement. The prophets teach that His grace is not cheap. We receive his grace and mercy by repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the plan of salvation by paying the penalty of our sins. He was the only one who could do that, and we chose Him in the pre-existence to perform that role. He gave us a gift (the atonement) that we will never be able to repay him no matter how much we give back. This is why His grace is not cheap. It cost Him all His blood. He expects that we give Him all we have.

Jesus Christ was sinless his entire life and was completely obedient to His Father’s will. Satan gave his best effort to tempt Jesus, but He overcame all temptations. Jesus was ready and prepared for the atonement. The atonement was hard for Him and He wanted another way if possible but there was no other way. Christ knew did it because of His love for us and because it was Heavenly Father’s will that He do it.

Jesus Christ literally bled from every pore of His body. We will never understand in this life the magnitude of His sacrifice and suffering for us.

The atonement consists from the period of Gethsemane to the cross and ended with His resurrection. The atonement is Christ’s triumph over spiritual and physical death.

Jesus Christ promises that He will forgive our sins, but He expects that we do something. There are conditions. He will forgive us and make us clean if we believe in Him and have faith in Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and keep the commandments until the end of our life. This is a small price to pay compared to the unfathomable price He paid.

The prophets teach that we should repent daily. This daily habit will keep us continually clean before God. Repentance lifts the oppressive burden of guilt and shame and replaces it with the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Relying on Jesus Christ and His atonement does more than help us overcome our sins. It will help us in our pains and sorrows and in our sicknesses. Many are victims of cruelty and evil. If that has happened to you, the atonement is how you will find healing and relief from your nightmare. It will help us in our failures. It will help you realize your full potential. It is how you become more like God.

Chapel Address and contact information: 1928 E. South Campus Drive, Salt Lake City; (University of Utah, next to the institute) 801-562-8089. You can also call 801-259-6709 for the mission home in Midvale if you want to talk to someone.