What do I know about the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

As we begin the month of April our thoughts begin to turn to the beginning of what we hope will be a beautiful Spring season and while Spring in and of itself is a great reason for rejoicing after a very long and very cold winter I would like you to consider another joyous event. The event I am referring to is the Atoning sacrifice made by our Beloved Savior Jesus Christ. This great event happened long ago and in a far away place and yet it is one of the most important events in the history of mankind. Without this Atonement our life here on earth would serve no purpose for we would not be able to overcome both physical and spiritual death without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

As you begin to count down to Easter Sunday at the end of this month I would invite each of you to ask yourselves two simple and yet profound questions. The first question is: “What do I personally know about the Atonement of Jesus Christ?” The second question is: “What does his atonement mean for me personally?” I would ask that you seek to answer these questions in your heart and then to diligently seek to know and understand more about the Atonement. We should all seek to learn all that we can about the Atonement of Jesus Christ for it applies to each of us as individuals. No one can work out your salvation for you. The task is given to each one of us, as children of a Heavenly Father who loves us, to work out our own salvation. We have been placed here as a test of our faith and obedience and we have promised that we will do everything we can to find our way back to him.

By sacrificing His only begotten Son, Heavenly Father provided us with the tools we need to work out our Salvation and indeed find our way back to Him. The Atonement at its most basic level serves two functions. The first is to save all mankind from Physical Death. This gift is freely given to all and requires no effort on our part. The second purpose of the Atonement is to provide a way for us to repent of our sins. The Savior took upon himself all of our sins, yours and mine. He suffered, he bled and he died for each one of us individually. Thus he provided away that both justice and mercy might be served. We have been given a great gift and all we have to do is accept the gift and do our very best to keep the commandments and be obedient. When we make a mistake we can repent and through the Atonement be made clean, thus allowing us to return to our Heavenly Father.

I testify to you that I know Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that in the Garden of Gethsemane and again on the cross He suffered for my sins so that I need not suffer here alone. He has borne my burdens, he has known my pain, and He has felt my grief and my sorrows. I know that my Savior loves me.

I know that Jesus Christ broke the bands of death and rose from the tomb on that glorious Easter morning so long ago, and because of that I can overcome physical death and be reunited both body and spirit so that I too may become like him.

I know that Jesus Christ suffered, bled and died for each one of you so that you may, through your obedience once again return to live with Him and Heavenly Father when your time on this earth is done. I invite each of you to search, ponder and pray about the Atonement and to make Jesus Christ the center of your lives. Make learning about the Atonement a priority in your life this Easter Season so that you may gain an unshakable testimony of its eternal importance in your life.