The Atonement of Jesus Christ

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Sandy's Conversion Story

Sandy's Conversion Story
(02:22)

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My life was perfect. Then my husband died in the attack on the World Trade Center towers. I crumbled on my kitchen floor. I needed to know that Heavenly Father was there. Without this knowledge I didn't know what my purpose was. I came to know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's Church.

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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).

Atonement

The suffering and death of Jesus Christ, through which resurrection is provided to all mortals and eternal life is offered to those who have faith in Christ and repent of their sins.

Grace

It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.

Agency

The ability and freedom to choose good or evil.

Holy Ghost

Also called the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, and the Comforter. He witnesses, or testifies of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and reveals and teaches the truth.

Repentance

The process of experiencing sincere regret or sorrow for wrongdoing, confessing one’s sin and asking for forgiveness, making restitution for any damage done, and committing not to repeat the sin. Repentance is made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, who paid the price for the sins of all humanity.

Commandment

Instructions given by God to His children to prepare them for eternal life in the world to come.

Repentance

The process of experiencing sincere regret or sorrow for wrongdoing, confessing one’s sin and asking for forgiveness, making restitution for any damage done, and committing not to repeat the sin. Repentance is made possible by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, who paid the price for the sins of all humanity.