All of us have sinned at least once in our lives, even if we did it in ignorance. Many children are taught incorrect truths as they grow up: swearing, hatred, intolerance, etc. I have known such sweet and innocent children, and even teens and adults, who have come to think evil things to be good, because that’s what they have been taught. Christ took every one of those sins upon Himself. But this is not all.

There are those out in the world who know what the laws of God are, and knowingly break those laws. At some point in their lives, they have been taught what is right or have felt the promptings of the Holy Spirit telling them what they are doing is wrong and have ignored those feelings. Even to the most vile sinners has the Lord offered the chance to be cleansed, by taking upon Him those sins, fully experiencing what they experienced and knowing why they did what they did. But this is not all.

“In Gethsemane Jesus took the full force of God’s overwhelming and retributory punishment. Justice demanded it, and we, who are sinners, deserve it. According to the rules framing the universe, the full consequences of transgressed laws cannot be dismissed or overlooked. They must be borne by someone – the sinner or the substitute. Jesus was that substitute for all of us who will allow him to be so” (Andrew C. Skinner, Gethsemane, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002, p.51).

In other words, when we sin, justice demands a punishment. If we do not repent, we must face the punishment ourselves. However, if we become remorseful, and truly repent of the sin(s) committed, Christ’s suffering in the Garden will be enough to erase the sin. He has already endured the punishment for us. But this is not all.

In the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Christ, we are taught a new truth concerning what the Savior took upon Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane. These words come from a prophet by the name of Alma, who lived in the Americas around 80 BC.

“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 7:11-12).

Christ took upon Himself our infirmities. What does this tell us? It means that He knows what it’s like to have cancer, lupus, multiple sclerosis, autism, depression, and myriads of other illnesses and diseases we are sometimes asked to endure to bring us a little closer to Him. Not only this, but He understands our pains. He knows what it’s like when we lose a loved one to death, to watch someone suffer needlessly and feel unable to help, to be tempted to the point of aching to give in. He knows and understands everything we will ever go through, whether it’s what God the Father places on our shoulders to endure, what we will bring upon ourselves through incorrect choices, or simply just the trials associated with mortality. He knows. Surely all of this should be enough for us to be spiritually saved, but even this is not all.

There came a point in those awful hours, when He had gone through so much already even to the point of having an angel there to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43), when one more thing had to happen for the Atonement to truly be complete. The Spirit of God was removed from Him. Think for a moment about how terrifying and horrible this must have been to someone who had never been without the light of God the Father in His entire life. In that moment of spiritual darkness, He became subject to the fullness of Satan’s wrath.

Boyd K. Packer, a late apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said:

“He, by choice, accepted the penalty for all mankind for the sum total of all wickedness and depravity….In choosing, He faced all the awesome power of the evil one who was not confined to the flesh, nor subject to mortal pain. That was Gethsemane” (Boyd K. Packer, “Atonement, Agency, Accountability“, Ensign, May 1988).

It was then, divided from the light of His Father, enduring everything we choose and are asked to go through, subject to the worst Satan could inflict, that Christ began to bleed from every pore (Luke 22:44). What did Christ do in this awful moment? He began to pray more earnestly. This man, who knew more about prayer than anyone on Earth could ever hope to understand, prayed even harder.

At last it was done. Can there have been a more achingly glorious sight, unless it be the Resurrected Christ, than the picture of Him rising to His feet. Shaking, drenched in sweat and blood, He arose victorious! How the angels in Heaven must have cried out in joy! I would imagine the most comforting words to Jesus must have come from His Father. “Soon,” He might have said, “you will have rest. Just a little while longer, and we will be together again.”

Christ did all of this for us and for His Father. In taking upon Himself everything, justice has been satisfied. We can repent and become clean again. The light of God can be a constant in our lives. All of these blessing and more, because our Elder Brother descended far below us all.

All of this because He loves us.

This post was originally published in 2013. Minor changes have been made.

Laurie W

Then a voice was heard in the darkness, calling on the people to repent. Imagine how they felt to have a voice coming out of such intense darkness. The people had already realized that if they had repented earlier, the lives of all those that had been lost in the storms might have been saved, and now a heavenly voice confirmed that this was the case. The voice said:

Jesus Christ Speaks to the People of the Book of Mormon

O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they [those who were killed in the destruction], will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name (3 Nephi 9:13-15).

Jesus explained to the people that since He had completed the Atonement, they would no longer be required to perform animal sacrifices. Animal sacrifices had been symbolic and looking towards Christ’s infinite sacrifice. Once His Atonement was complete, He required sacrifices of broken hearts and contrite spirits. They were to repent of their sins and allow Jesus Christ to heal them. This would lead them towards eternal life.

The people were so astonished—despite the prophecies which had foretold of this very event—that they stopped moaning and groaning about their problems. There was complete silence as they pondered what had just happened. Several hours later, Jesus Christ spoke to them again. After He had spoken, the people began crying again for those who had died. Finally, the three days of darkness ended and morning arrived—a morning of beautiful, welcome, and appreciated light. The last remnants of the storm ended and parts of the earth that had been torn apart came back together.

The people stopped wailing and started praising God, thanking Him for returning the world back to normal. They began gathering at the temple to talk about what had happened. As they were at the temple site, they heard a voice in the heavens again. Somehow, though, they were not able to understand what the voice was saying to them. It was not loud or harsh, but it pierced their souls. They began looking around, trying to see where it was coming from. The voice repeated the words, and again they didn’t understand. The third time, however, they realized what was happening and looked heavenward. The voice said, “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him” (3 Nephi 11:7).

Jesus Christ Appears to the People in the Book of Mormon

A man descended from heaven after the voice spoke. He was dressed in a white robe and the people thought He was an angel. They were silent, too nervous to speak.

And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Nephi 11:9-11).

In the next article, we will learn what Jesus did during this time with them and then we’ll talk about why it is so important!

Terrie Lynn Bittner

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.

He explained that he had come in answer to the prayers of Alma’s father to command Alma the Younger to turn his life around. Alma was so frightened he could neither speak nor move. His friends carried him back to his father, who rejoiced after learning about the angel’s visit. Priests gathered to pray over Alma the Younger and after two days of prayer, the young man recovered.

Born Again and the Book of Mormon

He spoke to the assembled crowd and announced that he had renounced his sins.

For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God (Mosiah 27:24-26).

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins and that without His extraordinary gift to us, we could never return to live with God. He did this for every single person and all of us who ever live on earth will have access to this gift. Everyone, even those who reject Jesus Christ, will rise from the dead and live forever. Everyone has the opportunity to repent and to come to Christ and be born again.

Unfortunately, some people choose to reject the full measure of the atonement. They have no choice but to receive resurrection, but the opportunity to be born again is a choice. We must decide to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, repent, forsake our sins, and live as Jesus taught us to live.

When we do this, we are born again, a concept Jesus Christ taught is necessary in order for us to live with God again someday. It is not a one-time event, but a lifetime process of gradually bringing our own short-sighted goals and desires in line with those of God’s. Since no one but Jesus Christ has ever been perfect, we are continually working on this in our lifetime.

Born Again: Becoming Worthy of God’s Presence

Our first birth gave us our bodies and the opportunity to live on Earth. Our second birth—the process of being born again—prepares us for the final stage of life, which is after we die. In the meantime, it also helps us to live this life. We can be baptized and forgiven for our sins. Then we can receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, which provides us with guidance, comfort, and safety throughout our lives. This makes it so much easier to continue the process of becoming worthy of God’s presence.

And that is really what we’re striving for. We don’t want to enter God’s kingdom having been comfortable and happy with a life of sin. While no one is perfect, the person worthy of God’s presence has a deep love for God and Jesus Christ and is willing to honor the request the Savior made. He told us in the Bible that if we love Him, we must keep His commandments. Being born again is an act of love for Jesus Christ.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

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.