The Atonement is Infinite

How is Christ's Atonement Infinite?

Infinite in Duration

2 Nephi 9

7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement--save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

It is For ALL Mankind

2 Nephi 25:16

... believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind ...

It Was An Infinite- Not Mortal-Sacrifice

Alma 34

10 For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.

11 Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another. Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay.

12 But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.

Infinite in Intenseness and for All Worlds

Russell M. Nelson

In preparatory times of the Old Testament, the practice of atonement was finite--meaning it had an end. It was a symbolic forecast of the definitive Atonement of Jesus the Christ. His Atonement is infinite--without an end [see 2 Ne. 9:7; 2 Ne. 25:16; Alma 34:10, 12, 14]. It was also infinite in that all humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope - it was to be done once for all [see D&C 76:24; Moses 1:33]. And the mercy of the Atonement extends not only to an infinite number of people, but also to an infinite number of worlds created by Him. It was infinite beyond any human scale of measurement or mortal comprehension.

Jesus was the only one who could offer such an infinite atonement, since He was born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father. Because of that unique birthright, Jesus was an infinite Being. ("The Atonement," Ensign, Nov. 1996, p. 35)

Joseph Smith

And I heard a great voice, bearing record from heav'n, He's the Saviour, and only begotten of God- By him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made, Even all that career in the heavens so broad, Whose inhabitants, too, from the first to the last, Are sav'd by the very same Saviour of ours; And, of course, are begotten God's daughters and sons, By the very same truths, and the very same pow'rs. (From "A Vision," [Poetic version of D&C 76] in Times and Seasons, Vol.4, p.82, verses 19-20)

Infinite In What the Savior Suffered

Spencer J. Condie

The Book of Mormon teaches us of an infinite atonement (see 2 Ne. 9:7; 2 Ne. 25:16; Alma 34:10, 12, 14), an atoning sacrifice by Christ that is unbounded by time, ethnicity, geography, or even kinds of sins, save for the unpardonable sin of denying the Holy Ghost (see Alma 39:6). The Resurrection includes all people "from the days of Adam down" to the end of time (Alma 40:18), those "both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female" (Alma 11:44). The Atonement is also infinite in the sense that the Savior not only overcame death and sin, but he also took upon himself "the pains and the sicknesses" and the "infirmities" of his people (Alma 7:11-12). The Atonement is infinite, too, in that because of the redemption made possible by his beloved Son, our Heavenly Father is able to forgive us "as often as [we] repent" (Mosiah 26:30-31; see also Moro. 6:8). ["The Fall and Infinite Atonement," Ensign, Jan. 1996, p. 26]

Summary

Neal A. Maxwell

Both Jacob and Amulek declared it to be an infinite atonement (2 Nephi 9:7; Alma 34:8-12). First, the sacrifice of an imperfect and finite human would not have satisfied the requirements of divine justice. A mere mortal could not have performed the Atonement. Divine justice thus required that, if the repentant were not to have to pay for their own sins, the Only Begotten of the Father should lay down His life voluntarily for that purpose ... "For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice. Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another" (Alma 34:10-11).

Why so great a sacrifice? Because all of us mortals need it, along with time and space-- room to repent and grow, so that one day, if submissive, we can be worthy to return to the presence of God: "For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated" (Alma 42:5, italics added).

Furthermore, only in an "infinite atonement," would mercy overpower the stern demands of justice (see Alma 34:15). The mercy of God responds to our helpless condition: "Since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance" (Alma 22:14).

Second, the infinite atonement is fully comprehensive in the immortalizing benefits it provides to all of God's children by the grace of God (see Alma 11:40-44). "The atonement which is infinite for all mankind" (2 Nephi 25:16) provides infinite benefits "according to the great plan of the Eternal God" who foresaw the Fall and who mercifully decreed "there must be an atonement made" (Alma 34:9).

A third dimension may be seen in the infinite intensiveness of Christ's suffering. This intensiveness required a fully atoning and fully comprehending Atoner who would "know according to the flesh" human pain, sorrow, grief, and misery (Alma 7:11-12). "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" (2 Nephi 9:21).

Thus, in addition to bearing our sins--the required essence of the Atonement--the "how" of which we surely do not understand, Jesus is further described as having come to know our sicknesses, griefs, pains, and infirmities as well. Another "how" we cannot now comprehend! (See Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:17; Mosiah 14:4; Alma 7:11-12.) Jesus thus not only satisfied the requirements of divine justice but also, particularly in His Gethsemane and Calvary ordeals, demonstrated and perfected His capacity to succor His people and his empathy for them. He came to know, personally and perfectly, "according to the flesh" how to help us become more like His fully comprehending Father: "Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite" (Psalm 147:5).

Jesus' daily mortal experiences and His ministry, to be sure, acquainted Him by observation with a sample of human sicknesses, grief, pains, sorrows, and infirmities which are "common to man' (1 Corinthians 10:13). But the agonies of the Atonement were infinite and first-hand! Since not all human sorrow and pain is connected to sin, the full intensiveness of the Atonement involved bearing our pains, infirmities, and sicknesses, as well as our sins. Whatever our sufferings, we can safely cast our care upon him; for he careth for [us]" (1 Peter 5:7).

Jesus is a fully comprehending Christ.

The Atonement, then, was infinite in the divineness of the one sacrificed, in the comprehensiveness of its coverage, and in the intensiveness - incomprehensible to us--of the Savior's suffering. (Not My Will, But Thine, pp.49-51; bolding not original)