Atonement

As declared by Joseph Smith, the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ is the fundamental doctrine for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints upon which all other principles are founded. We believe in the testimonies of the Atonement foreshadowed in the Old Testament, offered in the New Testament, and echoed in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, as well as by every latter-day prophet and apostle. These teachings, whether written or spoken, testify that Jesus Christ suffered for the sins and afflictions of the world, gave up His life on the cross, and then took it up again in the Resurrection.

The blessings of the Atonement are innumerable. Because of Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven of our sins and prepare to return to our Father in Heaven. We know that death is not permanent and each of us will one day receive a perfected and glorified body, enabling us to live forever with those we love. However, the blessings of the Atonement are not limited to life after death. Here and now, the Atonement offers us the peace, hope, and confidence we need to endure trials, make our lives meaningful, and become more like the Savior.

These discourses given at BYU devotionals offer added doctrinal depth, gleaned through years of academic and spiritual study, to our understanding of this matchless gift. They also provide powerful testimonies of the reality of Jesus Christ and His Atonement to shore up our faith and give us strength. Finally, they give us practical examples and counsel for applying the Atonement in our lives. As you read, listen to, or watch these devotional addresses, your relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will be strengthened and you will better understand the infinite worth you have.

Benjamin M. Ogles | January 30, 2018

Being “an example of the believers,” living a life of kindness and compassion, keeping your covenant “to mourn with those that mourn,” and serving others can all have powerful effects on those around you.

devotional 2018

Jeffery N. Bunker | April 5, 2016

In time, you will one day look down at the shoreline of your life and see it washed clean, purified, and sanctified, and in the water’s reflection you will see the image of Christ in your countenance.

devotional 2016

Scott C. Esplin | January 19, 2016

Faith leads to repentance of our past mistakes. But all of us need to follow up necessary repentance with belief—a belief in God and a belief that, though we all sin, the Atonement of Jesus Christ can and will save us.

devotional 2016

Lloyd D. Newell | April 11, 2014

So you see, the rigorous change required by the gospel of Jesus Christ is not meant to be disheartening or exhausting; it is exciting and exhilarating! The plan of salvation is the ultimate adventure.

devotional 2014

James R. Rasband | October 23, 2012

This is a very strong statement: if we refuse to forgive, there remaineth in us the greater sin. How can this be? As I hope to explain, our salvation is conditioned on forgiving others because when we refuse to forgive, what we are really saying is that we reject, or don’t quite trust, the Atonement. And it is our acceptance of the Atonement that ultimately saves us.

devotional 2012

Michael L. Dunn | January 31, 2012

I have seen some individuals who have confessed and forsaken their sins with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and yet are unable to accept the forgiveness that comes through the Atonement … They do not understand the miracle of forgiveness or the wonderful gift of grace that the Atonement is.

devotional 2012

Brad Wilcox | July 12, 2011

Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch; it is the Finisher’s touch.

devotional 2011

Jon M. Huntsman Sr. | November 10, 2009

You and the Lord, working together, can accomplish anything. Never forget—God did not put us here to fail.

devotional 2009

Richard C. Edgley | November 4, 2008

Hope is a most powerful influence in our lives. Yes indeed, we do live in a troubled and challenging world. But we live in one of the greatest periods of time in all the history of the entire world.

devotional 2008

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jeffrey R. Holland | September 7, 2008

Every one of us, in one way or another, great or small, dramatic or incidental, is going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail—spiritually speaking.

devotional 2008

Henry B. Eyring—second councilor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Henry B. Eyring | January 15, 2008

Today I will talk about some of the trials we are given and the power of deliverance available to us as we pass through them.

devotional 2008

Thomas B. Griffith | March 14, 2006

When we come to have some sense of what Christ has done for us—and, in particular, what He has suffered for us—our natural reaction as children of God is to want to show our gratitude and love by giving our lives to Him, by obeying Him.

devotional 2006

Merrill J. Bateman | March 5, 2006

Remember the great gifts of mortality: the physical body, additional light, and the eternal family. These gifts are sacred. May the Lord bless you during this wonderful phase of life that is yours to live so that you may receive all three of these great promises in their fulness.

devotional 2006

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

D. Todd Christofferson | January 31, 2006

It is because of the Atonement of Christ that we can recover from bad choices and be justified under the law as if we had not sinned.

devotional 2006

Gordon B. Lindsay | July 26, 2005

With the instruction to “always remember Him,” the Lord does not want some form of general, always-sort-of-in-the-back-of-the-mind kind of remembering.

devotional 2005

Daniel K Judd | December 7, 2004

What a blessing it is to be living in a day when we are privileged to have such “a wonderful flood of light” by which we may live. I testify to you of the truthfulness of the restored gospel and that we are led by a living prophet of God.

devotional 2004

Eric B. Shumway | March 26, 2002

I pray that the . . . the power of the Atonement in Lazarus, Sonya, Raskolnikov, Theany Reath, and Kats Kajiyama and millions of others will give us courage to “stand forth” and to allow our graveclothes to be removed; and that we might also be both the healers and the healed, the unbinders and the unbound.

devotional 2002

Elder David A. Bednar, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

David A. Bednar | October 23, 2001

As you and I come to understand and employ the enabling power of the Atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed.

devotional 2001

Jeffrey D. Keith | October 9, 2001

My dear brothers and sisters, I am delighted to be here today to share a few thoughts with you. I appreciate the music that was so inspiring and the prayer to invoke the Lord’s Spirit here today. Three weeks ago today, President Bateman centered his devotional talk around a scripture counseling us to “search diligently in the light of Christ” and to “lay hold upon every good thing” (Moroni 7:19).…

devotional 2001

James D. Stice | October 2, 2001

My purpose today is to remind us that we are not involved in a weight-lifting competition to determine whose world weighs the most. Instead, we are involved in the competition of helping others to lift the weight of their world when it becomes unbearable.

devotional 2001

John R. Rosenberg | April 6, 1999

He who will bring about the restoration of all things also brings to pass the intimate restorations that heal us, cleanse us, and fulfill divine promises.

devotional 1999

L. Robert Webb | November 16, 1998

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is both vast enough to apply to the entirety of the universe and intimate enough to support us in our individual trials.

devotional 1998

Bruce L. Brown | August 4, 1998

Bruce L. Brown testifies that modern prophets have revealed and will continue to reveal important truths about the great plan of redemption.

devotional 1998

Merrill J. Bateman | September 9, 1997

The Savior performed the Atonement for each of us, one by one. We can develop n individual relationship with Him through prayer, study, and loving others.

devotional 1997

Marion D. Hanks | April 16, 1996

We all have the need to know the processes by which we recoup what we could be and could have, had we chosen more wisely. So these are the three basics: Atonement, Agency, and Accountability.

devotional 1996

Gary L. Bunker | March 1, 1994

When Nephi saw in vision the condescension of both the Father and the Son in offering the Son as the Lamb of God, he could only describe the love in superlative phrases as “beauty . . . exceeding of all beauty; . . . the whiteness of the driven snow. . . . Precious above all. . . . The most desirable above all things. . . . And the most joyous to the soul” (1 Nephi 11:8–9, 22–23). That…

devotional 1994

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ.

Neal A. Maxwell | March 31, 1991

Oh, how we adore Jesus for his atonement! For his free gift of immortality to all!

devotional 1991

Stephen E. Robinson | May 29, 1990

Many of us are trying to save ourselves, holding the Atonement of Jesus Christ at arm’s distance and saying, “When I’ve done it, when I’ve perfected myself, when I’ve made myself worthy, then I’ll be worthy of the Atonement.

devotional 1990

Henry B. Eyring | October 29, 1989

I bear testimony that the yearning you’ve felt for something better is a yearning to come unto Christ.

devotional 1989

Robert J. Matthews | December 4, 1984

In living the gospel, we must understand why a Savior is necessary for our physical and spiritual salvation. He is the greatest gift ever given.

devotional 1984

John H. Groberg | June 3, 1984

Reverberating through all eternity, all creation exults: “In Christ there is always hope.” I know whereof I speak.

devotional 1984

J. Richard Clarke | March 27, 1984

We all sin, but we don't have to live with those burdens forever. Through repentance, we can be made clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

devotional 1984

A. Theodore Tuttle | December 4, 1983

Tonight I have not come to entertain you; I have come to teach you—to teach you the most important thing I know. I cannot do this, however, without your help. The words and many of the principles I intend to teach you have already heard before. Tonight we approach the season of the celebration of the birth of the Son of God. We join with the rest of the Christian…

devotional 1983

David H. Yarn Jr. | July 26, 1983

Christ was asked the question “Who then can be saved?” The answer? Everyone. Every person can be saved, but eternal life only comes on God's terms.

devotional 1983

Truman G. Madsen | May 9, 1982

Drawing parallels between the olive press and the events in Gethsemane, Truman G. Madsen invites us all to reflect on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

devotional 1982

J. Richard Clarke | December 6, 1981

Tonight, I have come to testify in behalf of Jesus Christ. How you accept him and how valiant you are in your testimony of him will have an enormous compounding impact upon the Church.

devotional 1981

Bruce R. McConkie | February 17, 1981

God grant that we may all believe and know and understand the great eternal verities by which salvation comes and that, believing and knowing and understanding, we may so live as to gain eternal life.

devotional 1981

Joseph Fielding Smith - Mormon Prophet and Apostle

Joseph Fielding Smith | May 14, 1957

The scriptures say that we are "bought with a price." We forever owe our love and devotion to Jesus Christ for His ransoming sacrifice.

devotional 1957

Joseph Fielding Smith | January 25, 1955

The atonement of Jesus Christ saves us from the effects of the Fall and from our own transgressions. Understanding it gives us hope to repent and improve.

devotional 1955

Bruce R. McConkie | May 6, 1953

Jesus Christ’s atonement for our sins was an eternally necessary sacrifice for us that we could not have completed for ourselves.

devotional 1953