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What is the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

What is the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

The Atonement is the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to help us overcome sin, adversity, and death. Jesus’s atoning sacrifice took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary. He paid the price for our sins, took upon Himself death, and was resurrected. The Atonement is the supreme expression of the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

How have you gained a testimony of the Atonement? How has the Atonement been a blessing in your life?

What do the young men understand about the Atonement? What can they discover in the scriptures, and what can they teach each other about the Atonement? How can they feel and show gratitude for the Atonement?

What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior used scriptures to teach about His mission. He taught people to think for themselves about the scriptures. What can you do to help the young men use the scriptures to understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the quorum; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.

  • Invite the young men to review President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives” and find scriptures that include things the Savior said or did. What do we learn about the Savior from these scriptures? What counsel did President Nelson give to help us draw the Savior’s power into our lives? Invite the young men to think of ways they can accept the challenge that President Nelson gave to the young adults of the Church. Invite the young men to commit to the things they choose to do. Plan a future time when they can share experiences they have had with studying about the Savior.

  • Ask the young men to match an event that happened during the last few hours of the Savior’s life with scripture references in Matthew 26–28 (such as the suffering in Gethsemane, the betrayal, the trials of Christ, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection; for depictions of these events, go to biblevideos.ChurchofJesusChrist.org or the Gospel Art Book). What do the young men learn about the Savior and His Atonement from these events? Invite a few quorum members to share their feelings about what the Savior has done for them.

  • Ask the young men what they learn about the Savior and the Atonement from His final words on the cross (see Luke 23:34, 39–43, 46; John 19:26–30) or from His account of His suffering (see Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19).

  • Invite the young men to read 2 Nephi 9:6–16 or watch one or more of the videos in this outline and listen for what they learn about the need for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Give time for several young men to share the verses they selected and what they teach. Encourage them to write a letter to someone who does not believe in God and use these verses to explain why the Atonement is important and why we need a Savior. Ask them to share their letters with each other.

  • Invite some of the young men to read Alma 7:11–13 or selections from Sister Carole M. Stephens’s talk “The Master Healer.” Ask them to share what they learn about how the Savior can bless their lives through His Atonement. How can the power of the Atonement help us, in addition to paying the price for our sins? Invite the young men to share an example from the scriptures or from their own lives in which someone received strength or healing through the Atonement.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young men apply what they learned in this lesson.