The Atonement: How We Can Heal and Forgive

The Atonement of Jesus Christ not only helps us repent; it can also give us the strength to forgive others.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most important event in history, but it is often hard to understand. How does it apply to each of us? And what must we do to benefit from it? In his article “The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope,” President James E. Faust explains how we can can turn to Christ to not only repent when we are wrong, but also to also forgive when we are wronged.

President Faust begins by explaining that in Jesus Christ, all humankind is made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). That is the purpose of the Atonement—to save each of us physically and spiritually so that we may live with God again. We are imperfect and flawed, but as we strive to learn more about the Atonement, we come closer to Christ and learn of his endless love for us. President Faust goes on to explain that we activate the Atonement’s healing power in our lives after we do all in our power to make right what was wrong. Though we may feel discouraged or guilty, we can use the free gift of the Atonement because Jesus Christ suffered more than we ever will.

But what about when we are wronged by others?

Shortly after 9/11, when America was coming to terms with the horrors that occurred in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh, President Faust delivered this address and stated that those who rely on Christ’s Atonement are healed not only from their own sins but also from the sins of others. He says that by forgiving those who have wronged us, “the Atonement brings a measure of peace and comfort to those who have been innocently victimized by the sins of others.”

We may experience emotional pain unlike anything we ever thought possible in this life. However, if we create a space for forgiveness in our hearts, Jesus Christ can help us completely forgive. He will always be there to lighten our burdens because he understands us personally. With the Atonement, we can eventually obtain the ultimate blessing of becoming one with the Savior by being perfected through him.

Read or watch President James E. Faust’s article “The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope.”

Source: lds.org

—Sarah Brown, Mormon Insights

feature image courtesy of lds media library

Find more insights

Read or watch Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk “None Were with Him” to understand how we will never be abandoned by Jesus Christ.

Watch the video “Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ” to hear apostolic witnesses of and teachings about the Atonement.

Read the Mormon Insights article “Applying the Savior’s Atonement to My Own Life” by Jennifer Johnson to read one young woman’s personal experience with the Atonement of Jesus Christ.