Carl Heinrich Bloch, Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda,

Brigham Young University Museum of Art.

\
 LESSONS FROM THE
ATONEMENT
Elder Merrill J. Bateman

T
he great sacrifice wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ for
the sins of humankind is the most important event in
time and eternity. The Atonement is the centerpiece of
the Father’s plan of happiness for His children. It makes possible
the operation of mercy that saves and exalts the Father’s children
while satisfying the demands of justice (see Alma 42:15).
In planning our sojourn on earth, Heavenly Father under-
stood the importance of agency for our progress and provided
it as a gift. He also knew that Adam and Eve would transgress
by using their agency to bring about the Fall in order that “men
might be; and . . . that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). But
the Fall would also bring death—both physical and spiritual.
As mortals, the body would age and eventually die as the spirit

Elder Merrill J. Bateman is an emeritus Seventy and president of the

Provo Utah Temple.
 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

separated from it. Spiritual death, a separation from God, would

occur as a result of the Fall and as men and women succumbed
to opposition and temptation. Given agency, all would sin and
“come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
In order to be saved from the Fall and from our sins, it
was necessary that someone with sufficient power come to the
rescue. Amulek, Alma’s companion, stated that neither man nor
any other earthly thing had sufficient power to redeem. Salva-
tion was possible only through “an infinite and eternal sacrifice”
of the Son of God (Alma 34:10; see also v. 14). Lucifer, a son of
the morning, offered to be the son who would save us. But his
plan was insufficient, his motives were contrary to the laws of
heaven, and he lacked the power and glory to do so (see D&C
76:25–27; Moses 1:11–18; 4:1–4).
Jesus Christ, the Beloved Son, was chosen from the begin-
ning because of His righteous nature, which led to His even-
tual anointing and receiving glory from His Father (see Isaiah
60:2; 1 Peter 1:19–20; Helaman 5:11; Moses 1:14). Ultimately,
the Savior received all power from the Father, infinite and eter-
nal, sufficient to pay the price of sin. In humility and suffering
beyond the capacity of any human, He said to the Father, “Thy
will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2; see also
Matthew 28:18; John 17:2).
Peter, James, and John saw the Lord in the fullness of His
glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. For two and one-half
years, they had traveled the byways of Israel with Him without
fully appreciating His greatness, even though they believed in
Him. A few months before His Crucifixion, the Savior took the
three men to the top of a mountain and there revealed Himself
in all His “glory as . . . the only begotten of the Father . . . full of

2
 Lessons from the Atonement

grace and truth” (John 1:14). As the Only Begotten in the flesh,
He had the power to lay down His life and take it up again.
From His mortal mother, Mary, He received the seeds of mor-
tality that allowed Him to die. From His immortal Father, He
received the seeds of immortality and the capacity to overcome
death and live forever. As He said to the Jews, “As the Father
hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself ” (John 5:26).
On another occasion, Christ stated: “Therefore doth my
Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it
again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I
have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:17–18).
Only Christ had the power to overcome physical death both
for Himself and for us. Only Christ had the power to redeem us
from our sins. He inherited the power from His Father to carry
out the Atonement. In mortality, He lived a sinless, perfect life.
He satisfied the demands of justice for Himself, and His infinite
and eternal capacities allowed Him to pay the debts for those
who exercise faith in Him, repent, obey the laws of the gospel,
and receive the ordinances of salvation.
A reading of the nineteenth section of the Doctrine and
Covenants reveals the incongruity of a sinless God confronting
the physical and spiritual pains associated with the sins of others
as He “was wounded for our transgressions, . . . [and] bruised for
our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). The Lord said: “For behold, I, God,
have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if
they would repent; but if they would not repent they must suffer
even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest
of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore,

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 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not
drink the bitter cup, and shrink—nevertheless, glory be to the
Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the
children of men” (D&C 19:16–19).
Christ’s suffering began in the Garden of Gethsemane and
was completed on the cross. He prayed fervently in the garden
that the Father, if willing, might remove the cup, but then
acknowledged, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).
An angel appeared in the garden to strengthen Him. But the
agony was relentless and caused Him to pray even “more ear-
nestly” (Luke 22:44). As He moved from the garden to the trial
and then to the cross, the time came when the burden was His
alone. About six hours into the ordeal at Golgotha, the Savior
cried with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why hast thou for-
saken me?” (Matthew 27:46). A short time later, the Redeemer
of the world cried again with a loud voice, “Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up
the ghost” (Luke 23:46). As the prophet Nephi saw in the vision
of the tree of life, Christ was “lifted up upon the cross and slain
for the sins of the world” (1 Nephi 11:33).
On the third day following His burial in Joseph of Ari-
mathea’s tomb, He rose from the dead. His death and Resurrec-
tion make it possible for all who have lived or will live on this
earth to be resurrected and brought back into the presence of
God to be judged. Thus, He overcame physical death, one of the
consequences of Adam’s transgression, to provide resurrection
unconditionally for all people. Still, each individual is account-
able for his or her own sins. Fortunately, Christ has the power
to forgive and sanctify because He mercifully paid the price for

4
 Lessons from the Atonement

those who exercise faith in Him, repent of their sins, keep their
covenants, and receive the ordinances of the gospel.
The story of the Atonement is one of miracles. We do not
fully understand the resurrection process or how He stands as a
proxy for us in assuming our sins. We do know, however, that
there were many eyewitnesses of His Resurrection and that other
spirits were reunited with their bodies following Christ’s Resur-
rection. The scriptures state that “the graves were opened; and
many bodies of the saints which slept arose” (Matthew 27:52).
We also know through the witness of the Holy Spirit that He is
the Redeemer of the world and has the power to wash us clean,
to satisfy broken laws, and to sanctify and prepare us to be lifted
up by the Father (see 3 Nephi 27:14).
There are major lessons to be learned from the marvelous
events associated with the Atonement. The lessons concern the
importance of prayer, the role of faith and testimony in fulfill-
ing one’s eternal purpose, the importance of love as a motivating
force, the role of sacrifice and obedience in obtaining spiritual
power, and the opportunity afforded by the Atonement to build
a strong, righteous community.

T he Importance of Prayer
The first lesson from the Lord’s sacrifice in Gethsemane and
on the cross concerns prayer. Throughout His ministry, the Lord
taught His disciples to pray. He taught them to “pray for them
which despitefully use you,” to “pray to thy Father . . . in secret,”
and to “use not vain repetitions” (Matthew 5:44; 6:6, 7). He
provided the Lord’s Prayer as an example (see Matthew 6:9–13).
He prayed both in private and in public (see Matthew 14:23;

5
 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

19:13). Prayer was an indispensable part of His life. He intended

the same for His disciples. The admonition was to “ask,” “seek,”
and “knock” (Matthew 7:7).
Undoubtedly, the most intense prayers offered by the
Savior occurred following the Last Supper. The first was the great
Intercessory Prayer given before He and the disciples departed
for Gethsemane. In the prayer, Christ noted that His hour had
come and asked for strength that He would glorify the Father in
giving eternal life to the faithful (see John 17:1–2). The remain-
der of His prayer was devoted to His followers. He prayed for
their faithfulness that they might be inheritors of eternal life. He
asked the Father to bless them with the glory and love that He
had received. Uppermost in the Lord’s thoughts was the unity
the disciples would display. Their unity would be a sign to others
that the Father had sent the Son (see John 17:3–18).
The second prayer began in Gethsemane. Leaving eight of
the disciples at the entrance and asking them to pray, Jesus took
Peter, James, and John a little further into the garden. Instruct-
ing them also to pray, He went a stone’s throw further and fell on
His face, being “sorrowful and very heavy” (Matthew 26:37). He
prayed, saying, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from
me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).
His understanding and recognition of the redemptive process
led to even more earnest prayer with “great drops of blood falling
down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
The final prayer occurred on the cross with the conclusion,
“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said
thus, he gave up the ghost” (Luke 23:46).
Why did the Creator of heaven and earth, the Only Begot-
ten of the Father, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, need

6
 Lessons from the Atonement

to pray? Did He not know all things? Was He not omnipotent?

John the Beloved testified that Jesus did not receive a fullness
when born into mortality but “received grace for grace” and
grew from “grace to grace, until he received a fulness” (D&C
93:12–13). In submitting His will, He knew the importance of
communicating with the Father. Even He needed comfort! Even
He needed to pray for strength!
How important is prayer for us? Clearly, if prayer was a
critical part of the Savior’s life, it is important in our lives. Prayer
in the name of the Son is the door through which we access the
Father. It is the means by which we express gratitude and receive
guidance and direction. We receive the power to change our lives
through prayer and obedience. Through prayer we ask the Father
to help us forgive others and to bless them. Through prayer we
express our earnest desires to endure to the end and return to the
Father through the mercy and grace of His Son. The Lord set the
example for us throughout His life and during His final hours.
The Redeemer became our Advocate with the Father as a result
of the Atonement. Prayer brings the Holy Spirit into our lives,
and His guidance keeps us on the path into the celestial king-
dom. Prayer is essential for one to stay on the strait and narrow
path and the Lord was the great Exemplar.

Faith Is the Power

The second lesson learned from the Atonement concerns
the importance of faith. All will be saved from one of the effects
of the Fall, physical death, because of the Lord’s Resurrection.
Both the just and the unjust will come forth from the grave (see
John 5:28–29).

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 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

In contrast, overcoming spiritual death is conditional and

occurs as a result of our faith in the Father and the Son, faith in
Their plan, and faith in the restored gospel. Faith is referred to
not as a blind allegiance but as a strong belief that leads to repen-
tance and obedience to gospel principles. Belief and obedience
are then rewarded with quiet assurances from the Holy Spirit
that the Father and Son live, that They have a plan, and, as part
of that plan, the gospel has been restored through the Prophet
Joseph Smith. The assurance comes in the form of feelings in the
soul and enlightenment to the mind as one fasts and prays, reads
the scriptures, serves in the kingdom, and is diligent in living the
gospel (see Alma 17:2–3; 32:27–43).
The development of faith and testimony has a pattern. The
Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith that “to some it is given by
the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,
and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others it is
given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal
life if they continue faithful” (D&C 46:13–14).
The common pattern is that the strong assist the weak. At
the beginning of a new dispensation, angels are sent to teach
prophets and provide them with spiritual truths so that they, in
turn, may prepare others (see Moroni 7:30–31). For example,
the experiences Joseph Smith had with Moroni; John the Bap-
tist; Peter, James, and John; and others prepared him to teach
and share gospel truths so those who listened might believe on
his words. As members believed and acted on the principles
taught, the Spirit confirmed their belief. In like manner, parents
are expected to teach their children the fundamental principles
of the gospel. At first, children believe on the words of their

8
 Lessons from the Atonement

parents, but eventually they receive their own witness if they are
obedient to the principles and ordinances.
One of the great stories in the Book of Mormon that illus-
trates how faith develops is the appearance of the resurrected
Lord to the Nephites following His Crucifixion and Resurrec-
tion in Jerusalem. In reviewing the story from 3 Nephi, it is
interesting to note that the Lord began His visit with an experi-
ence, not a sermon.1 The special experience not only prepared
the Nephites for subsequent sermons but provided a spiritual
foundation that would be passed down through the generations
for two hundred years. The pattern was for those who received
strong testimonies to help others believe on their words until the
latter would receive their own assurances. A brief review of the
story is useful.
Twenty-five hundred of the faithful were gathered at the
temple in the land Bountiful. They were discussing the destruc-
tion and changes that had occurred earlier as well as the sign
associated with the Redeemer’s death. While conversing with
one another, they heard a voice out of the heavens. Although
they did not understand the words, they felt the Spirit pierce
them to the very center (see 3 Nephi 11:3). The voice came a
second time, and again they did not understand. The third time
the scriptures record they “did open their ears to hear it; and
their eyes were towards the sound thereof ” (3 Nephi 11:5). The
verses that follow indicate that they understood the words but
did not fully appreciate the meaning. The words were, “Behold
my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have
glorified my name—hear ye him” (3 Nephi 11:7). As they looked
into the heavens, they saw a “Man descending . . . clothed in a
white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them;

9
 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and
they durst not open their mouths, . . . for they thought it was
an angel” (3 Nephi 11:8). Not fully appreciating who the visitor
was, they stood in awe.
Christ then introduced Himself and told them He had par-
taken of the bitter cup and “glorified the Father in taking upon
[him] the sins of the world” (3 Nephi 11:11). As the multitude
listened, they realized the visitor was the resurrected Lord, and
they fell to the earth. The experience that followed changed their
lives forever as the Lord beckoned them to arise and come for-
ward one by one to feel the prints of the nails in His hands and
feet and to thrust their hands into His side. The scripture reads,
“And this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all
gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their
hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was
he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come”
(3 Nephi 11:15).
The opportunity to see, hear, and touch the Lord, sup-
ported by a witness from the Holy Ghost, gave impressions,
thoughts, and feelings that were never forgotten. In turn, the
faith and testimony of those present sunk deep into the hearts
of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as
future generations were impacted by their parents’ testimonies.
By believing on the words of their parents, the children could
gain a testimony just as strong as their parents’ if they combined
their belief with obedience to the commandments. Living the
commandments opens the heart for the Holy Spirit to confirm
the belief. One should remember the Lord’s words to Thomas:
“Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they
that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Why?

10
 Lessons from the Atonement

Because faith based on the words of others combined with a

spiritual assurance from the Holy Spirit may be as powerful or
even more powerful than faith based on eyesight.
Faith in Christ is key to receiving access to a fullness of the
Lord’s Atonement. Those who inherit the celestial kingdom are
those “who [receive] the testimony of Jesus, and [believe] on his
name,” enter into His covenants, and keep His commandments
(D&C 76:51–52). In contrast, those assigned to the terrestrial
kingdom, the honorable men and women of the earth, receive
“not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh” and are “blinded by
the craftiness of men” (D&C 76:74–75). These good people are
offered a witness of the truth but do not have the faith to receive
it. Just as the Savior exercised His faith in the Father and submit-
ted His will to God in order to complete His mission, so we will
accomplish our earthly purposes through our faith in Them.

Love as the Motivation

The third lesson from the Atonement is the importance of
love as a motivating force. It is easier to understand one sacri-
ficing one’s own life to save others than to sacrifice the life of
one’s son. And yet “God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God’s love for His
children was the motivating force that forged the Atonement.
Part of the plan was to do everything possible to extend mercy
and save His children without destroying the gift of agency.
Christ’s love for His brothers and sisters was as deep as the
Father’s. As the Good Shepherd, He was willing to give His life
for the sheep. The hireling would flee when the wolf comes,

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 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

but not the Good Shepherd, who knows the sheep (see John
10:11–15). The Savior said to His disciples, “Greater love hath
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”
(John 15:13). The pure love of Christ for His brothers and sisters
led Him into the garden and on to Golgotha even though He
could call down legions of angels to protect Himself (see Mat-
thew 26:53).
Jesus expects no less of His disciples. A restatement of the
law on love was given by the Savior following the Last Supper.
The old commandment received by Moses and repeated earlier
to a group of nonbelievers by Jesus was to “love thy neighbour
as thyself ” (Matthew 22:39). Following the Last Supper, Jesus
raised the standard when He said, “A new commandment I give
unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye
also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34–35).
As disciples, we are to love others as Christ loves us, not as
we love ourselves. Deity’s love for us defines the way we must
love. We are to become like Them (see Matthew 5:48; 3 Nephi
27:27). The expectation is that we will love not only those who
love us but also our enemies, those who despitefully use us and
those who persecute the Saints (see Matthew 5:44–47). More-
over, a sign of our love is that we keep the commandments. Jesus
said, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. . . . If
ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as
I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love”
(John 15:9–10).
Near the end of His ministry, Christ told the Twelve that
in the last days “because iniquity shall abound, the love of
many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). Paul describes the same

12
 Lessons from the Atonement

condition in his second letter to Timothy: “This know also, that

in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers
of their own selves, . . . without natural affection” (2 Timothy
3:1–3). In contrast, the Lord is building a Zion people who are
striving to have a Christlike love for one another and for all men.
And the Atonement, by changing people’s hearts, makes it pos-
sible. Christ exemplified love throughout His life, but the great-
est acts of love occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane and on
the cross.

Obedience Is the Price

The fourth lesson to be learned from the Lord’s Atone-
ment is the importance of obedience to the gospel plan. A few
years ago, I became familiar with a mission motto that outlined
gospel principles in relation to the Atonement. The motto is as
follows:
Faith is the power,
Obedience is the price,
Love is the motive,
The Spirit is the key,
And Christ is the reason.2

Thus far we have discussed faith as the power to access the

conditional blessings of the Atonement and love as the motiva-
tor that should guide our actions as evidenced by the Father’s
willingness to sacrifice His Son. In order to develop faith and
receive the power that flows from it, the price is obedience.
From the beginning Adam was taught the associated prin-
ciples of sacrifice and obedience. Upon leaving the Garden of

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 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

Eden, Adam and Eve were given a commandment to offer the

“firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And
Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord”
(Moses 5:5). After some time, an angel appeared unto Adam and
asked why he was offering sacrifices. Adam responded that he
did not know except the Lord had commanded him. The angel
then taught him about the Atonement and that the sacrifice was
in the “similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the
Father” (Moses 5:7).
When Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to
the mount, the Lord called the prophet to the top of the moun-
tain and gave him counsel for Israel. The Lord said: “If ye will
obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be
a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is
mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy
nation” (Exodus 19:5–6).
Israel was promised three blessings conditioned upon their
obedience. They would become a special people, they would
receive the fullness of the priesthood, and they would become
a holy nation (see 1 Peter 2:9). Unfortunately, they were not
prepared to pay the price, and a lesser law was substituted. It
would be more than a thousand years before the fulness of the
gospel and the higher priesthood would be given to the people
of Israel.
If there is one lesson to be learned from the Savior’s life, it
is the Son’s submissiveness to the Father, His desire to be obedi-
ent. On one occasion He said, “I do nothing of myself; but as
my Father hath taught me” (John 8:28). In the great Interces-
sory Prayer, Christ said, “I have finished the work which thou
gavest me to do” (John 17:4). In Gethsemane, He said, “Not my

14
 Lessons from the Atonement

will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). The Savior was wholly
devoted to accomplishing the mission given Him by the Father
in the premortal world.
We reap what we sow. If we want to be saved and exalted,
the price is obedience. If we are halfhearted in living the com-
mandments, the reward will not be a full measure. We will be
judged according to our “works, according to the desire of [our]
hearts” (D&C 137:9).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell has written: “The submission of
one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to
place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give,’ . . . are
actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. How-
ever, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our
individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really
giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly
ours to give!”3

A Zion People
The fifth and final lesson concerns the establishment of a
Zion people—a righteous people with all things in common (see
Moses 7:18). From the beginning, the Lord has worked to estab-
lish a community of Saints where righteousness would be a leav-
ening agent for the world. It began with Adam and Eve. They
were taught the gospel of Jesus Christ and were told to teach it
to their children “that all men, everywhere, must repent” (Moses
6:57). In time, apostasy prevailed, and the Lord began again
with Noah and his family. Abraham’s call and the formation of
the house of Israel created the foundation for building a righ-
teous kingdom, but Jacob’s descendants also fell into apostasy.

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 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

From the midst of the burning bush, Moses learned that he was
to return to Egypt and reclaim Israel in another effort to sow the
seeds of righteousness.
The Lord’s parable of the wicked husbandmen in Mark
12 describes the many attempts by the Lord to establish Zion.
Again and again, the Lord of the vineyard sends His servants
to collect the fruit. Some servants were wounded, while others
were killed. Finally, the owner of the vineyard sends His Son,
His Well-Beloved, saying, “They will reverence my son” (Mark
12:6). But the husbandmen say, “This is the heir; come, let us
kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours” (Mark 12:7). The
husbandmen take the Son, kill Him, and once again thwart the
effort to build Zion. The Lord concludes the parable by indicat-
ing that the owner of the vineyard will destroy the husbandmen
and give the vineyard to others.
Just as periods of apostasy occurred following the ston-
ing and death of earlier prophets, a great apostasy followed the
death of the Son and of the Apostles. Eventually, other servants
were called to reestablish the vineyard—the story of the restored
gospel.
The establishment of the Church and the kingdom of God
on the earth in the last days is the final effort. This time the
kingdom will never be destroyed. The prophet Daniel saw the
kingdoms that followed Nebuchadnezzar’s down to the last days.
Near the end he sees the “God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left
to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44).
Nephi also saw the kingdom of God in the last days. The
Saints were scattered upon all the face of the earth, and even

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 Lessons from the Atonement

though their numbers were small, Nephi sees the “power of the
Lamb of God” descend “upon the saints of the church of the
Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, . . . and they
were armed with righteousness and the power of God in great
glory” (1 Nephi 14:14).
Since the early 1800s, the Church has operated under the
mandate to take the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people. For the first century, new converts were encouraged
to gather to a Zion in order to build a center place of strength.
By the 1960s that foundation was in place, and members were
encouraged to remain in their own lands to build Zion there.
The Church population today is about thirteen million,
which is still small in relation to the earth’s six-plus billion. Even
if the Church grows to one hundred or two hundred million
during the decades ahead, Church membership will still be rela-
tively small. Nevertheless, the righteous influence of the Church,
flowing from members who have faith in the Lord’s Atonement
and are obedient to God’s commandments, is making and will
make a mark in the world. It is beginning to happen in various
communities as Saints live faithful, righteous lives and assume
leadership roles. The effects of well-organized groups of Saints
were seen when Hurricane Katrina hit the southern United
States. It has been seen in Florida, Oklahoma, California, Brazil,
Peru, and Indonesia.
In financial terms the Church is a modest player on the
world’s humanitarian stage; however, it is becoming one of the
largest private contributors. In terms of manpower, however, the
Church is a major force. There are few private organizations that
can muster thousands or even tens of thousands of well-orga-
nized members in times of crisis. The Church is one organization

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 To Save the Lost: An Easter Celebration

that can assemble large numbers because of the faith of its mem-
bers. Whether the devastation is caused by a hurricane, an earth-
quake, a tsunami, or some other catastrophe, the Church is able
to organize a tremendous force to assist in the recovery effort.
The world is beginning to recognize us as a people armed with
God’s power in righteousness. Again, the Atonement is at the
center as we assist the Lord in building a Zion people. It is why
we are concerned about the welfare of others.

Conclusion
The Lord’s Atonement is unique. Its reach is infinite and
eternal. The Atonement required the life of the Son of God. The
first key lesson to be learned from the Savior’s life is the impor-
tance of prayer. Even though Christ was the Jehovah of the Old
Testament, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Only Begot-
ten in the flesh, His communication with the Father was critical
in completing His mission. In a similar manner, prayer to the
Father through the Son provides the guidance we need in order
to complete our earthly missions.
Second, faith in the Father and the Son is required for us
to access the full blessings of the Lord’s sacrifice. Faith opens the
door for us to be cleansed and sanctified. Faith comes by exercis-
ing a belief in the Father and the Son that brings a witness from
the Holy Spirit. The Savior’s faith in His Father is His example
for us, shown by His willingness to submit and carry out the
plan.
A third lesson gleaned from the Atonement is the impor-
tance of love. Our Father is a very personal God who loves His
children and will communicate with them if they strive to be

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 Lessons from the Atonement

open to receiving communication from Him. His love for His

children was the motivating force that caused Him to send His
Son to be crucified for our sins. As we, His children, exercise
faith in this kind, loving God, we too will be motivated by love
in our relationships.
The fourth lesson focuses on obedience. The Son submit-
ted His will to the Father’s. Ultimately, we show our love for and
loyalty to the Father through our submission and obedience to
the Lord’s commandments. Fortunately, the Atonement allows
our deviations from the path to be corrected through faith and
repentance.
Finally, brothers and sisters, we have a responsibility to help
the Lord build a Zion people in order to leaven the whole earth.
May we contribute to this task with lives filled with faith, prayer,
love, and obedience. In turn, we will receive a full measure of the
blessings granted by the Lord’s sacrifice.

Notes
1. At a recent stake conference in the Provo Utah Grandview East Stake, President
Richard Williams shared this insight.
2. Cyril Figurerres, Japan Fukuoka Mission motto.
3. Neal A. Maxwell, in Conference Report, October 1995, 30.

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