He Organized the Only True Church

Jesus wanted his gospel taught to people all over the earth, so he chose twelve Apostles to testify of him. They were the original leaders of his Church. They received the authority to act in his name and do the works that they had seen him do. Those who received authority from them were also able to teach, baptize, and perform other ordinances in his name. After his death, they continued to do his work until the people became so wicked that they killed the Apostles.

He Redeemed Us from Our Sins and Saved Us from Death

When his work of teaching and blessing the people was finished, Jesus prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for all the sins of mankind. He had been condemned to die because he had testified to the people that he was the Son of God. The night before his crucifixion, he went to a garden called Gethsemane. There he knelt and prayed. Soon he was weighed down by deep sorrow and wept as he prayed.

Latter-day Apostle Orson F. Whitney was permitted to see the Savior�s suffering in a vision. Seeing the Savior weep, he said: �I was so moved at the sight that I also wept, out of pure sympathy. My whole heart went out to Him; I loved Him with all my soul, and longed to be with Him as I longed for nothing else�. Jesus �went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt� -(Matthew 26:39).

In a modern revelation the Savior described how great his suffering was, saying it caused him �to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit� (D&C 19:18). The awful anguish of taking upon himself every sin that any human being has ever committed went through the Savior�s body. No mortal person can comprehend just how great this burden was. No other person could have endured such agony of body and spirit. �He descended below all things . . . that he might be in all things and through all things, the light of truth� (D&C 88:6).

But his suffering was not yet complete. The following day, Jesus was beaten, humiliated, and spit upon. He was required to carry his own cross up the hill; then he was lifted up and nailed to it. He was tortured in one of the cruelest ways men have ever devised. After nine hours on the cross, he cried out in agony, �My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?� (Mark 15:34). In Jesus� bitterest hour, the Father had withdrawn his spirit from him so Jesus could finish suffering the penalty for the sins of all mankind that Jesus might have complete victory over the forces of sin and death.

When the Savior knew that his sacrifice had been accepted by the Father, he exclaimed in a loud voice, �It is finished� (John 19:30). �Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit� (Luke 23:46). He bowed his head and voluntarily gave up his spirit. The Savior was dead. A violent earthquake shook the earth.

Some friends took the Savior�s body to a tomb, where it lay for three days. During this time his spirit went and organized the missionary work to other spirits who needed to receive his gospel (see 1 Peter 3:18�20; D&C 138). On the third day, a Sunday, he returned to his body and took it up again. He was the first to overcome death. The prophecy had been fulfilled �that he must rise again from the dead� (John 20:9). Shortly after his resurrection, the Savior appeared to the Nephites and established his Church in the Americas. He taught the people and blessed them. This moving account is found in 3 Nephi 11 through 28 - Book of Mormon.

What Does the Savior�s Life Mean for Us?

Jesus taught: �Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

He willingly and humbly went through the sorrow in Gethsemane and the suffering on the cross. The Savior will have died in vain for our sins if we do not come unto him, repent of our sins, and love him with all our hearts. He said: �And this is the gospel which I have given unto you�that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. �And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me . . . that they may be judged according to their works. . . �For the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; . . . �Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am� (3 Nephi 27:13�15, 21, 27).

Jesus Christ �came into the world . . . to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; that through him all might be saved� (D&C 76:41�42). The great sacrifice he made to pay for our sins and overcome death is called the Atonement. It is the most important event that has ever occurred in the history of mankind: �For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; . . . yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement� (Alma 34:9).

The Atonement Was Necessary for Our Salvation

The fall of Adam brought two kinds of death into the world: physical death and spiritual death. Physical death is separation of the body and spirit. Spiritual death is separation from God. If these two kinds of death had not been overcome by Jesus� atonement, two consequences would have resulted: our bodies and our spirits would have been separated forever, and we could not have lived again with our Heavenly Father.

But our wise Heavenly Father prepared a wonderful, merciful plan to save us from physical and spiritual death. He planned for a Savior to come to earth to ransom (redeem) us from our sins and from death. Because of our sins and the weakness of our mortal bodies, we could not ransom ourselves (see Alma 34:10�12). The one who would be our Savior would need to be sinless and to have power over death.

Christ Was the Only One Who Could Atone for Our Sins

There are several reasons why Jesus Christ was the only person who could be our Savior. One reason is that Heavenly Father chose him to be the Savior. He was the Only Begotten Son of God and thus had power over death. Jesus explained: �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� (John 10:17�18). Jesus also qualified to be our Savior because he is the only person who has ever lived on the earth who did not sin. This made him a worthy sacrifice to pay for the sins of others.

Christ Suffered and Died to Atone for Our Sins

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 he bled from every pore. Later, as he hung upon the cross, Jesus suffered painful death by one of the most cruel methods known to man.

How Jesus loves us, to suffer such spiritual and physical agony for our sake! How great the love of Heavenly Father that he would send his Only Begotten Son to suffer and die for the rest of his children. �For 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).

The Atonement and Resurrection Bring Resurrection to All

On the third day after his crucifixion, Christ took up his body again and became the first person to be resurrected. When his friends went to seek him, the angels who guarded his tomb told them, �He is not here: for he is risen, as he said� (Matthew 28:6). His spirit had reentered his body, never to be separated again.

Christ thus overcame physical death. Because of his atonement, everyone born on this earth will be resurrected. Just as Jesus was resurrected, our spirits will be reunited with our bodies, �that they can die no more . . . , never to be again divided.� This condition is called immortality. All people who have ever lived will be resurrected, �both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous� (Alma 11:44).

The Atonement Makes It Possible for Those Who Have Faith in Christ to Be Saved from Their Sins

The Savior�s atonement makes it possible for us to overcome spiritual death. Although all people will be resurrected with a body of flesh and bone, only those who accept the Atonement will be saved from spiritual death.

We accept Christ�s atonement by placing our faith in him. Through this faith, we repent of our sins, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and obey his commandments. We become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. We are forgiven and cleansed from sin and prepared to return and live forever with our Heavenly Father.

The Savior tells us, �For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer . . . even as I� (D&C 19:16�17). Christ did his part to atone for our sins. To make his atonement fully effective in our lives, we must strive to obey him and repent of our sins.

Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve gave the following illustration to show how Christ�s atonement makes it possible to be saved from sin if we do our part.

�Let me tell you a story � a parable. �There once was a man who wanted something very much. It seemed more important than anything else in his life. In order for him to have his desire, he incurred a great debt. �He had been warned about going into that much debt, and particularly about his creditor. But it seemed so important for him to do what he wanted to and to have what he wanted right now. He was sure he could pay for it later. �So he signed a contract. He would pay it off some time along the way. He didn�t worry too much about it, for the due date seemed such a long time away. He had what he wanted now, and that was what seemed important.

�The creditor was always somewhere in the back of his mind, and he made token payments now and again, thinking somehow that the day of reckoning really would never come. �But as it always does, the day came, and the contract fell due. The debt had not been fully paid. His creditor appeared and demanded payment in full. �Only then did he realize that his creditor not only had the power to repossess all that he owned, but the power to cast him into prison as well.

� �I cannot pay you, for I have not the power to do so,� he confessed. � �Then,� said the creditor, �we will exercise the contract, take your possessions and you shall go to prison. You agreed to that. It was your choice. You signed the contract, and now it must be enforced.� � �Can you not extend the time or forgive the debt?� the debtor begged. �Arrange some way for me to keep what I have and not go to prison. Surely you believe in mercy? Will you not show mercy?�

�The creditor replied, �Mercy is always so one-sided. It would serve only you. If I show mercy to you, it will leave me unpaid. It is justice I demand. Do you believe in justice?� � �I believed in justice when I signed the contract,� the debtor said. �It was on my side then, for I thought it would protect me. I did not need mercy then, nor think I should need it ever. Justice, I thought, would serve both of us equally as well.� � �It is justice that demands that you pay the contract or suffer the penalty,� the creditor replied. �That is the law. You have agreed to it and that is the way it must be. Mercy cannot rob justice.�

�There they were: One meting out justice, the other pleading for mercy. Neither could prevail except at the expense of the other. � �If you do not forgive the debt there will be no mercy,� the debtor pleaded. � �If I do, there will be no justice,� was the reply. �Both laws, it seemed, could not be served. They are two eternal ideals that appear to contradict one another. Is there no way for justice to be fully served, and mercy also? �There is a way! The law of justice can be fully satisfied and mercy can be fully extended � but it takes someone else. And so it happened this time.

�The debtor had a friend. He came to help. He knew the debtor well. He knew him to be shortsighted. He thought him foolish to have gotten himself into such a predicament. Nevertheless, he wanted to help because he loved him. He stepped between them, faced the creditor, and made this offer. � �I will pay the debt if you will free the debtor from his contract so that he may keep his possessions and not go to prison.� �As the creditor was pondering the offer, the mediator added, �You demanded justice. Though he cannot pay you, I will do so. You will have been justly dealt with and can ask no more. It would not be just.� �And so the creditor agreed.

�The mediator turned then to the debtor. �If I pay your debt, will you accept me as your creditor?� � �Oh yes, yes,� cried the debtor. �You saved me from prison and show mercy to me.� � �Then,� said the benefactor, �you will pay the debt to me and I will set the terms. It will not be easy, but it will be possible. I will provide a way. You need not go to prison.� �And so it was that the creditor was paid in full. He had been justly dealt with. No contract had been broken. �The debtor, in turn, had been extended mercy. Both laws stood fulfilled. Because there was a mediator, justice had claimed its full share, and mercy was satisfied.�

Our sins are our spiritual debts. Without Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Mediator, we would all pay for our sins by suffering spiritual death. But because of him, if we will keep his terms, which are to repent and keep his commandments, we may return to live with our Heavenly Father. It is wonderful that Christ has provided us a way to be healed from our sins. He said: �Behold, I have come unto the world . . . to save the world from sin. �Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved� (3 Nephi 9:21�22).

Applicable Scriptures