Atonement is for All

15 Therefore I command you to repent--repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore--how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--

19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. (Emphasis added)

21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.

There was never a sin committed in this world for which reparation has not been, or will not have to be made. If I sin, there must be a reparation or penalty required to pay the debt. If you sin, it is the same. There never was any sin committed, big or small, that has not been atoned for, or that will not have to be atoned for.... Justice made certain demands, and Adam could not pay the price, so mercy steps in. The Son of God says: "I will go down and pay the price. I will be the Redeemer and redeem men from Adam's transgression. I will take upon me the sins of the world and redeem or save every soul from his own sins who will repent." That is the only condition. The Savior does not save anybody from his individual sins only on condition of his repentance. So the effect of Adam's transgression was to place all of us in the pit with him. Then the Savior comes along, not subject to that pit, and towers the ladder. He comes down into the pit and makes it possible for us to use the ladder to escape. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:122-123)

"Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4.), and for such transgression a punishment is affixed under eternal law. Every normal individual is responsible for the sins he commits, and would be similarly liable to the punishment attached to those broken laws. However, Christ's death on the cross offers us exemption from the eternal punishment for most sins. He took upon himself the punishment for the sins of all the world, with the understanding that those who repent and come unto him will be forgiven of their sins and freed from the punishment. (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.133)

To possess a testimony of Jesus is to know that He voluntarily took upon Himself the sins of all mankind in the Garden of Gethsemane, which caused Him to suffer in both body and spirit and to bleed from every pore. All this He did so that we would not have to suffer if we would repent. [See D&C 19:16, 18.] (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pp.465-466)

Our Mediator, our Redeemer, our Brother, our Advocate with the Father died for our sins and the sins of all mankind. ("They Showed the Way," Ensign, May 1997, p. 52)

He suffered so much pain, "indescribable anguish," and "overpowering torture" [John Taylor, The Mediation and Atonement (1882), 150] for our sake. His profound suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He took upon Himself all the sins of all other mortals, 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 Atonement: Our Greatest Hope," Ensign, Nov. 2001, pp. 18ff)

Thankfully, Jesus Christ courageously fulfilled this sacrifice in ancient Jerusalem. There in the quiet isolation of the Garden of Gethsemane, He knelt among the gnarled olive trees, and in some incredible way that none of us can fully comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin--yours, mine, and everyone who has ever lived. ("The Atonement and the Value of One Soul," Ensign, May 2004, pp. 84ff)

Learn of your Savior. Jesus Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane more than you can comprehend. Willingly and lovingly, He took upon Himself not only our sins but the pains, sicknesses, and sufferings of all mankind. ("Growing into the Priesthood," Ensign, Nov. 1999, p. 40)