The Atonement

1.      “Repentance is individual, and so is forgiveness. The Lord requires only that one turn from their sin, and ‘[He] will forgive their iniquity, and… remember the sin no more.’” (Boyd K. Packer in Conference Report, The Key to Spiritual Protection, Oct. 2013)

2.      “Our destiny is not determined by the number of times we stumble by by the number of times we rise up, dust ourselves off, and move forward.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf in Conference Report, You Can do it Now, Oct. 2013)

3.      “We know that Heavenly Father has spirit children in this world who sometimes choose sin and great unhappiness. That is why He sent His Firstborn to be our Redeemer, the greatest act of love in all creation. That is why we must expect that it will take the help of God and time to polish for eternal life, to live with our Father.” (Henry B. Eyring in Conference Report, To my Grandchildren, Oct. 2013)

4.      “It is a fundamental truth that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be cleansed. We can become virtuous and pure. However, sometimes our poor choices leave us with long-term consequences. One of the vital steps to complete repentance is to bear the short-term and long-term consequences of our past sins.” (Richard G. Scott in Conference Report, Personal Strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Oct. 2013)

5.      “Because we are accountable and we make the choices, the redemption from our own sins is conditional-conditioned on confessing and abandoning sin and turning to a godly life, or in other words, conditioned on repentance.” (D. Todd Christofferson in Conference Report, Redemption, April 2013)

6.      “Oh, how we all need the healing the Redeemer can provide. Mine is a message of hope for you who yearn for relief from heavy burdens that have come through no conscious act of your own while you have lived a worthy life.” (Richard G. Scott in Conference Report, To Be Healed, April 1994)

7.      “Many lessons can be learned from the account of the Atonement. It is comforting to know that, though suffering, Jesus Christ was able to look down from the cross and b concerned for His mother, that she should be properly cared for, as He asked for the help of a disciple.” (Robert D. Hales in Conference Report, Lessons from the Atonement that Help us Endure to the End, October 1985)

8.      “I ask the Lord’s blessings to be with us, that we can understand the importance of the atoning sacrifice in our lives, that it is the greatest even in all history. In fact, the Atonement was the very purpose of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, coming to earth.” (Robert D. Hales in Conference Report, Lessons from the Atonement that Help us Endure to the End, October 1985)

9.      “Ultimate hope is a different matter. It is tied to Jesus and the blessings of the great Atonement, blessings resulting in the universal Resurrection and the precious opportunity provided thereby for us to practice emancipating repentance, making possible what the scriptures call ‘a perfect brightness of hope’.” (Neal A. Maxwell in Conference Report, Hope Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, October 1998)

10.  “Protection against the influence of the devil comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the good news that Jese Christ had made a perfect Atonement for mankind. It is the message of love, hope, and mercy that there is a reconciliation of man with God.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf in Conference Report, Point of Safe Return, April 2007)

Position Statement: There have been many times in my life that I have needed the atonement. But while growing up, I thought that it was only to be used when we sinned, so that we could be made clean and be forgiven of those sins. Although that is what the atonement is used for, i have learned that it can also be used for comfort. There have been hard times throughout this semester, and I have learned through personal experiences this semester that the atonement is there to comfort us! It always has been and always will be! My brother Jesus Christ is my Redeemer. It is because of Him that I will never have a trial too hard to get through, and not sin that I cannot be forgiven. I have been reminded that the atonement may not be able to erase a sin over night, but I know that through time we can and will be forgiven, because the Savior atoned for me and my sins.