Imagine what life would be like if you had to live entirely without sin your whole life or be unable to return to live with your Father in Heaven. Would life on earth seem worth it? Would you have agreed to leave Heaven to come to earth if you knew it would be most certainly impossible for you to live well enough to return?
God knew we could not live a perfect life here, and that every person who came to earth other than Jesus Christ would sin, starting with Adam and Eve. He wanted us to return home because He loves us, and so He included in His plan a way to serve justice, but still return home.
Jacob, the brother of the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi, taught:
6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord. (Jacob 9)
7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
Jacob explains in these verses that without the atonement of Jesus Christ, we could never have been forgiven of the sins we would inevitably commit here on earth, and could never have returned to our Heavenly Father. This is why God sent his Son, Jesus Christ to come to Earth to live, and then to atone for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, and finally, to die on the cross and be resurrected. This was a gift from Them to us, because They love us and want us to return home to God.
We receive blessings from God for everything we do, but Richard G. Scott, a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, explained that no matter how much good we do, we can’t save up the extra points to redeem ourselves from our sins. We can’t buy atonement. Only the Savior, who never sinned, could bring about our atonement, and give purpose to the life we live here on earth. (Richard G. Scott, “The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 40–42)
The atonement was a completely selfless act of love on the part of the Savior. He had no sins of His own to atone for, and the atonement was a very painful, agonizing experience, as he felt and atoned for the pains of every sin each of us individually have committed or will commit. He didn’t suffer once for every act of cruelty people on earth would do, for instance. He suffered for each individual act of cruelty. The atonement was a very personal gift to you, because each of your individual sins was atoned for.
This is also one reason the Savior so completely understands and loves us. He experienced all our sins, and understood from this what we went through. He came to know us in a way no one else ever could.
Elder Scott said, “Pondering the grandeur of the Atonement evokes the most profound feelings of awe, immense gratitude, and deep humility. Those impressions can provide you powerful motivation to keep His commandments and consistently repent of errors for greater peace and happiness.
I believe that no matter how diligently you try, you cannot with your human mind fully comprehend the eternal significance of the Atonement nor fully understand how it was accomplished. We can only appreciate in the smallest measure what it cost the Savior in pain, anguish, and suffering or how difficult it was for our Father in Heaven to see His Son experience the incomparable challenge of His Atonement. Even so, you should conscientiously study the Atonement to understand it as well as you can. You can learn what is needful to live His commandments, to enjoy peace and happiness in mortal life. You can qualify, with obedient family members, to live with Him and your Father in Heaven forever.”
Although we can’t comprehend what the Savior suffered on our behalf, we can dedicate our lives to trying to repay Him through our love, dedication, and service.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
