Interesting Quotes on the Atonement from Mormon writings

by Matt Slick | Dec 13, 2008 | Mormonism, World Religions

“We honor His birth. But without His death that birth would have been but one more birth. It was the redemption which He worked out in the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross of Calvary which made His gift immortal, universal, and everlasting,” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Season for Gratitude,” Ensign, Dec. 1997, p. 4, emphasis mine).
“The Savior’s atonement in the garden and on the cross is intimate as well as infinite,” (Merrill J. Bateman, “The Power to Heal from Within,” Ensign, May 1995, p. 14, emphasis mine).
“We don’t know exactly how Jesus accomplished the Atonement. We only know that somehow during the course of the excruciating and agonizing hours in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, he became our Redeemer,” (Joseph Walker, “Singing the Song of Redeeming Love,” Ensign, Mar. 1993, p. 58, emphasis mine).
“Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind, even as many as will, shall be redeemed. The Savior began shedding His blood for all mankind, not on the cross but in the Garden of Gethsemane. There He took upon Himself the weight of the sins of all who would ever live. Under that [page 6] heavy load, He bled at every pore,” (Russell M. Nelson, “His Mission and Ministry,” New Era, Dec. 1999, p. 4, 6, emphasis mine).
“The Savior’s atonement in the garden and on the cross is intimate as well as infinite. Infinite in that it spans the eternities. Intimate in that the Savior felt each person’s pains, sufferings, and sicknesses. Consequently, he knows how to carry our sorrows and relieve our burdens that we might be healed from within, made whole persons, and receive everlasting joy in his kingdom,” (Merrill J. Bateman, “Healing Our Hearts,” New Era, Apr. 1996, p. 49, emphasis mine).
“Our church believes that Christ’s crucifixion was an important part of the atonement, but we believe that a more important part was when he suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane,” (“Q&A: Questions and Answers,” New Era, Sept. 1996, p. 18, emphasis mine).
“It was then that his father taught young Paul a great lesson. He asked the ministers if they understood the principle of Christ’s atonement. They seemed a little puzzled. His father said, “In our Church, we believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel” (third article of faith). He explained that the atonement allows each of us to be forgiven of our sins if we repent. Jesus paid for all our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane. As the only perfect person who ever lived on earth, He was the only one who could do this for us. We could not do it for ourselves. Without His sacrifice, we could never be forgiven of our sins and would not be able to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus again,” (Laurel Rohlfing, “Sharing Time: The Atonement,” Friend, Mar. 1989, p. 39, emphasis mine).
“There is perhaps one other occasion on which Michael, as a spirit, may have played a particularly significant role in the plan of our Father. Luke records that on the night of Atonement, following the Last Supper, Jesus bowed in awful alienation and grief in the Garden of Gethsemane beneath the load of the world’s sins. He uttered his soul-cry: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done,'” (Robert L. Millet, “The Man Adam,” Liahona, Feb. 1998, p. 19, emphasis mine).
“The Savior atoned for our sins by suffering in Gethsemane and by giving his life on the cross. It is impossible for us to fully understand how he suffered for all of our sins. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the weight of our sins caused him to feel such agony and heartbreak that be bled from every pore (see D&C 19:18-19). Later, as he hung upon the cross, Jesus suffered painful death by one of the most cruel methods known to man.” (Gospel Principles, Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979, p. 66, emphasis mine).
“We accept Christ’s atonement by repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and obeying all of the commandments,” (Gospel Principles, Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979, p. 68, emphasis mine).