“The Savior of All, a Gospel for All,” Liahona, Mar. 2024.
The Savior of All, a Gospel for All
The gospel, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ bless all God’s children.
Christ and the Palsied Man, by J. Kirk Richards, may not be copied
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is, first, foremost, and forever, the source of lasting happiness, true peace, and joy for everyone in these latter days. The blessings that flow from the gospel and from Christ’s unlimited benevolence were never meant for only a select few, anciently or in modern times.
No matter how inadequate we may feel, and despite the sins that may distance us from Him for a time, our Savior assures us that “he stretches forth his hands unto [us] all the day long” (Jacob 6:4), inviting us all to come unto Him and feel His love.
Gospel Blessings for All the World
The gospel of Jesus Christ has been “restored in these latter days to meet the … needs of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people on the earth.”1 The gospel transcends all nationality and color while crossing all cultural lines to teach that “all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33).2 The Book of Mormon stands as a remarkable witness of this truth.
This great record testifies that Christ remembers all nations (see 2 Nephi 29:7) and will manifest “himself unto all those who believe in him, … [and work] mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men” (2 Nephi 26:13). Among these mighty miracles, signs, and wonders is the spreading of the gospel. So, we send missionaries throughout the world to testify of its good news. We also share the gospel with those around us. The exercise of restored priesthood keys for the living and the dead ensures that the fulness of the gospel will ultimately be available to every son and daughter of our heavenly parents—past, present, or future.
The heart of this gospel—the central message of every prophet and apostle ever called to the work—is that Jesus is the Christ and that He came to bless everyone. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we declare that His atoning sacrifice is for all the world.
The Need for an Infinite and Eternal Atonement
As I go around the world, I hold interviews with a broad array of Church members. I am inspired to hear how they feel the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in their lives, even when they confess some distant sin. How wonderful it is that the cleansing comfort of His Atonement is always available to us all!
“There must be an atonement made,” Amulek declared, “or else all mankind must unavoidably perish.” We would forever be “fallen and … lost, … except it be through the atonement,” which required “an infinite and eternal sacrifice.” For “there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world” (Alma 34:9, 10, 12).
The great prophet Jacob also taught that because “death hath passed upon all men, … there must needs be a power of resurrection” to bring us into God’s presence (2 Nephi 9:6).
Both sin and death needed to be overcome. This was the Savior’s mission, which He courageously completed for all of God’s children.
Gethsemane, by J. Kirk Richards, may not be copied
Our Savior’s Sacrifice
On His last night in mortality, Jesus Christ entered the Garden of Gethsemane. There, He knelt among the olive trees and began a descent into a depth of agony that you and I will never know.
There, He began taking upon Himself the sins of the world. He felt every pain, heartache, and grief, and He endured all the anguish and suffering experienced by you, me, and every soul who has ever lived or will ever live. This great and infinite suffering “caused [Him], … the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18). Only He could have done this.
There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin.
He only could unlock the gate
Of heav’n and let us in.3
Jesus was then taken to Calvary, and in the most tragically unjust moment in the history of this world, He was crucified. No one could have taken His life from Him. As the Only Begotten Son of God, He had power over physical death. He could have prayed to His Father, and legions of angels would have come to vanquish His tormentors and demonstrate His dominion over all things. “But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled,” Jesus asked at His betrayal, “that thus it must be?” (Matthew 26:54).
Out of perfect obedience to His Father—and perfect love for us—Jesus willingly gave His life and completed His infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice, which reaches back in time and forward throughout all eternity.
Our Savior’s Victory
Jesus charged His Apostles to carry on His work after His death. How would they do it? Several of them were only simple fishermen, and none were trained in synagogues for the ministry. At that moment, Christ’s Church seemed destined for extinction. But the Apostles found strength to shoulder their call and shape the history of the world.
What caused strength to come from such apparent weakness? Anglican church leader and scholar Frederic Farrar said: “There is one, and one only possible answer—the resurrection from the dead. All this vast revolution was due to the power of Christ’s resurrection.”4 As witnesses of the risen Lord, the Apostles knew that nothing could stop this work from progressing. Their witness was a source of sustaining power as the early Church overcame all odds.
This Easter season, as one of His ordained witnesses, I declare that early one beautiful Sunday morning, the Lord Jesus Christ rose from death to strengthen us and break the bonds of death for everyone. Jesus Christ lives! Because of Him, death is not our end. The Resurrection is Christ’s free and universal gift to all.
Christ and Mary at the Tomb, by Joseph Brickey
Come unto Christ
The gospel and Atonement of Jesus Christ are for everyone—that is, every one. The only way we experience the full blessings of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice is by individually accepting His invitation: “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28).
We come unto Christ as we exercise faith in Him and repent. We come unto Him as we are baptized in His name and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We come unto Him as we keep the commandments, receive ordinances, honor covenants, embrace experiences in the temple, and live the kind of life disciples of Christ live.
At times, you will face discouragement and disappointment. Your heart may break for yourself or someone you love. You may be burdened by the sins of others. The mistakes you’ve made—maybe serious ones—may cause you to fear that peace and happiness have left you forever. At such times, remember that the Savior not only lifts the burden of sin but also “suffer[ed] pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind” (Alma 7:11), including yours! Because of what He went through for you, He knows personally how to help you as you accept His life-changing invitation: “Come unto me.”
All Are Welcome
Jesus Christ has made it clear that all Heavenly Father’s children have equal claim on the blessings of His gospel and Atonement. He reminds us that all “are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden” (2 Nephi 26:28).
“He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33).
“He inviteth them all”—that means all of us! We should not place superficial labels and artificial distinctions on ourselves or others. We should never put up any barriers to the Savior’s love or entertain thoughts that we or others are beyond His reach. As I have said before, “It is not possible for [anyone] to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”5
Instead, as Sister Holland and I taught just a few months before her passing, we are commanded to “have charity, which charity is love” (2 Nephi 26:30).6 This is the love the Savior shows us, for “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him” (2 Nephi 26:24).
I testify that the gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ are for all people. I pray that you will joyfully embrace the blessings He brings.