Rejoice in the Atonement of Jesus Christ

Prayerfully select and read from this message the scriptures and teachings that meet the needs of the sisters you visit. Share your experiences and testimony. Invite those you teach to do the same.

The Prophet Joseph Smith: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (History of the Church, 3:30).

How Do We Rejoice in the Atonement?

Romans 5:10–11: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”

President Heber J. Grant (1856–1945): “I rejoice in knowing that Jesus is the Redeemer of the world, our elder brother, and that His name and His name alone, is the only one under heaven whereby we can gain salvation and come back and dwell with our Heavenly Father and our Savior, and our loved ones who have gone before” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2002], 225).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Jesus’ glorious Atonement is the central act in all of human history! It provides the universal Resurrection; it makes our personal repentance and forgiveness possible. … We are to change our thoughts and then behavior until we are turned away from our sins. … Repentance is thus a continuing process in which each of us needs to draw on the Atonement for real relief, real forgiveness, and real progress. … It remains for us … to claim the blessings of the great Atonement” (“Testifying of the Great and Glorious Atonement,” Liahona, Apr. 2002, 7–8, 13; Ensign, Oct. 2001, 10, 15).

How Can We Claim the Blessings of the Atonement?

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Essential ordinances of the gospel symbolize the Atonement. Baptism by immersion is symbolic of the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Redeemer. Partaking of the sacrament renews baptismal covenants and also renews our memory of the Savior’s broken flesh and of the blood He shed for us. Ordinances of the temple symbolize our reconciliation with the Lord and seal families together forever. Obedience to the sacred covenants made in temples qualifies us for eternal life” (“The Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 35).

Anne C. Pingree, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency: “It is essential to have Christ at the core of our lives. In these ‘perilous times,’ oh, how we need Him! He is the source of strength and safety. He is light. He is life. His peace ‘passeth all understanding.’ As our personal Savior and Redeemer, He invites us, one by one, with outstretched arms to ‘come unto him.’ … I testify that He is always there, His merciful, loving arms outstretched” (“Choose Ye Therefore Christ the Lord,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2003, 110, 112).

Detail from Christ in Gethsemane, by Harry Anderson

Inset: photograph by John Luke, posed by models