The Atonement & Resurrection of Jesus Christ

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.

I marvel that he would 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.

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.

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me! That beautiful hymn, written by Charles H. Gabriel, is a favorite of mine! It is such a powerful reminder that the Savior's Atonement is so personal. Until we come to an understanding that the suffering of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross was for each of us personally, we will never fully appreciate the Atonement. M. Russell Ballard said, "The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person at a time."

The Atonement is the ultimate act of love by both the Father and the Son! In Lesson 6, The Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Howard W. Hunter taught, "The Atonement of Jesus Christ was an act of love by our Heavenly Father to permit his Only Begotten to make an atoning sacrifice. And it was a supreme act of love by his beloved Son to carry out the Atonement."

In Alma, Chapter 7, we read: “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 according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”

President Hunter said, "Think of it! When his body was taken from the cross and hastily placed in a borrowed tomb, he, the sinless Son of God, had already taken upon him not only the sins and temptations of every human soul who will repent, but all of our sickness and grief and pain of every kind. He suffered these afflictions as we suffer them, according to the flesh. He suffered them all. He did this to perfect his mercy and his ability to lift us above every earthly trial.

"He has provided a mediating atonement. He is our advocate with the Father and has paid, in advance, for the faults and foolishness we often see in the exercise of our freedom. The offer is always there; the way is always open. We can always, even in our darkest hour and most disastrous errors, look to the Son of God and live."

In her book "Amazed by Grace," Sheri Dew reminds us that the Atonement of Jesus Christ "makes available all of the power, peace, light and strength that we need to deal with life's challenges."

We can look to the Son of God and live, not just in this life as we look to Him to be forgiven for our sins and for help in dealing with life's challenges, but always because, as Alma taught, He loosed the bands of death. The Savior promised us in John 14:19, “Because I live, ye shall live also.” President Hunter reminds us that "we shall rise from mortal death to have life everlasting, because of the atoning sacrifice and resurrection of the Savior."

James E. Faust taught that a knowledge of the resurrection "should transform all of us to be confident, settled, unafraid, and at peace in our lives as followers of the divine Christ. It should help us carry all burdens, bear any sorrows, and also fully savor all joys and happiness that can be found in this life."

I will never forget that first Easter only a few weeks after Adrianne passed away. The reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ brought a peace and joy which is hard to describe! David O. McKay said: "The message of the resurrection, therefore, is the most comforting, the most glorious ever given to man, for when death takes a loved one from us, our sorrowing hearts are assuaged by the hope and the divine assurance expressed in the words: 'He is not here: he is risen.' Because our Redeemer lives so shall we."

"He is not here, but is risen." President Hunter said, "These words contain all the hope, assurance, and belief necessary to sustain us in our challenging and sometimes grief-filled lives."

President Hunter testifies, “Nothing is more important in the entire divine plan of salvation than the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ." That beautiful declaration should help us understand the need for a continual study of and an unshakable testimony in the Atonement of Jesus Christ! It seemed to me that President Hunter offered us a challenge and a promise when he said, "It is the responsibility and joy of all men and women everywhere to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have testified and to have the spiritual witness of his divinity. It is the right and blessing of all who humbly seek, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness of the Father and his resurrected Son."

Seeking Jesus and gaining a testimony of His Atonement is a life-long quest. It seems the more I learn, the more I want to study. And the more I study, the more I realize I have so much more to learn!

Jeffrey R. Holland declared, "After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it."