What would life be like without the Atonement?

Take just a minute and think about life as we know it. What parts of our life are directly related to Jesus Christ? What blessings do we enjoy that directly come from Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice? What consequences of life will we avoid by recognizing, and following, our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ?

Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation was contingent on a Savior that would make it possible for us to return to Him. So, without a perfect volunteer, we wouldn’t have this earth life.

This earth was created under the direction of Jesus Christ and we were asked to participate from the very beginning. In the Spirit World we knew and understood the plan. We were involved in every detail, knowing and anticipating our chance to prove ourselves worthy to become Gods and Goddesses. But without Christ there would have been no need to create an earth for us to be tested on.

When we crossed the veil into this world all of our previous knowledge was taken away from us so we could start from scratch, choose afresh, begin anew. But we are not left alone. Each one of us has been given the Light of Christ. This gift is ours to use as a resource, a guidepost, a backbone. The more we use this light, the more pronounced it will be, guiding us to the Great Counselor, the Holy Ghost, who testifies of Jesus Christ. Then if that’s not enough, Jesus Christ has commanded us to seek after the Second Comforter, who is Himself. He has not left us alone. He and the Holy Ghost travel with us through life, refining us, polishing us, serving us, inspiring us, and guiding us along our journey.

Without Jesus Christ there would be no scriptures to read. No reason to obey. No faith. No hope.

As Latter-day Saints, we know where we came from, who we are, why we are here, and what we are to do as we live here. And we know where we are going. Without Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice, we would know nothing because there would be nothing to know.

So many people on this earth have never known Jesus, or worse, have turned their back on Him. There are people who focus so much on the material things of this world they don’t have time to show their gratitude. How many of us get so caught up in our day-to-day lives that we forget about the Lord. We forget that we can turn to Him for any problem we face. We forget that we can, and should, repent of every unclean thing. We forget that we are not alone.

Without the Atonement, we wouldn’t have the gospel of Jesus Christ. A gospel that saves. A gospel that teaches us what we must do to be saved. A gospel that guides us back to our Heavenly Home. A gospel that gives us prophets and apostles, both ancient and modern; heroes that inspire us to obey, humbly serve us, and gather us into the fold. The gospel of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ.

Marion D. Hanks read from a letter he received once from a new convert who said,

“How I rejoice to know the truth and drink in the precious words of men like Nephi and Mosiah and Alma.” Then he commented, “How marvelous it is to be able to drink in the precious words of Nephi and Mosiah and Alma, and yet how many Latter-day Saints have lived and died without ever having known them.” (Hanks, CR, Apr 1954)

Without a gospel there would be no religion—Mormon or otherwise. There would be no reason to go to church, to learn how to serve one another or make eternal friendships. Without the Atonement, there would be no purpose to life or death. No one would preach faith, repentance, baptism, or the gift of the Holy Ghost. We would still be in the Spirit World wondering how to become like Heavenly Father and never becoming like Him.

Without the Atonement there would be no gifts; no endowment, no ordinances, no forgiveness, no repentance, no eternal life.

“Our responsibility is to learn to draw upon the power of the Atonement. Otherwise we walk through mortality relying solely on our own strength. And to do that is to invite the frustration of failure and to refuse the most resplendent gift in time or eternity.” (Sheri L. Dew, CR, Apr 1999)

If there hadn’t been an Atonement, we would have no bodies. No hope of resurrection. Our spirits would be prisoners of Satan. Without our bodies we could never be like our Heavenly Father. Death would rule and Satan would win.

If there had been no atonement, even the righteous would be engulfed in eternal damnation. Tad R. Callister lists all that we would lose if Christ had not drunk the dregs of that oh so bitter cup:

1. There would be no resurrection, or as suggested in the explicit language of Jacob: “This flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more” (2 Ne 9:7)
2. Our spirits would become subject to the devil. He would have “all power over you” and “seal you his”. (Alma 34:35)
3. We would be “shut out from the presence of our God” (2 Ne 9:9), to remain forever with the father of lies.
4. We would “endure a never-ending torment”. (Mosiah 2:39)
5. We would be without hope, for “if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain…If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable”. (1 Cor 15:14-19)

There are still many people on this earth who have never heard of Jesus Christ. There are those who don’t want to hear about Him. There are those who ignore who He is. There are those who forget to show gratitude for who He is and what He did.

“For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.” (D&C 88:33)

Without Jesus Christ could we ever be grateful for anything?

David O. McKay quoted James L. Gordon (a Filipino who fought oppression and acted on compassion in building his native country),

“A cathedral without windows, a face without eyes, a field without flowers, an alphabet without vowels, a continent without rivers, a night without stars, and a sky without a sun—these would not be so sad as a world without a Bible or a soul without Christ.” (McKay, CR, Oct 1952)

But, there was an Atonement. Jesus Christ gave us the greatest gift known to mankind. Because of Him we have an

earth and an earth life with purpose. We have a gospel that preaches and teaches salvation to all men. We can have faith to believe. We can have hope in Christ who will save us from the clutches of the destroyer.

“Whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives.” (Howard W. Hunter, CR, Oct 1979)

May His blessed hands be laid upon you.