Why Do We Need An Atonement?
In the Book of Mormon the Lord Jesus Christ declared, “No
unclean thing can enter into his [God’s] kingdom;” Because we are all human and
err this scripture may be discouraging.
But the Lord continues, “Therefore nothing entereth into his rest save
it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith,
and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end” (3Nephi 27:19). What does Christ mean when
he says we must wash our garments in his blood?
Alma Explains the Atonement
In the meridian of time Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was
born on earth with a physical body. The
prophet Alma explained:
“And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is
the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel,
who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and
bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and
temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which
saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
“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.” (Alma 7:10-12)
Just as Alma prophesied, Christ suffered all the pains and
sins of mankind in the Gethsemane garden.
When he did this he acted as our mediator with God on behalf of our
sins. Jesus paid the price of our sins
and so if we listen to him he will clean our souls of the sins we have
committed, making us pure again. Through
this purification in the Savior we are then able to enter the kingdom of Heaven,
being clean of all sins.
An Apostles Testimony - Boyd K. Packer
President Boyd K. Packer, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
has expressed his feelings on this event in these words:
“No matter what our transgressions have been, no matter how
much our actions may have hurt others, that guilt can all be wiped out. To me, perhaps the most beautiful phrase in
all scripture is when the Lord said, ‘Behold, he who has repented of his sins,
the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.’”
As was expressed in the words of Alma and Elder Packer, because
of Christ’s atonement we are able to repent of sins we commit and become clean
again.
Would you like to know more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
- Mormon.org/Chat
- The Atonement of Jesus Christ
