The overwhelming message of the Atonement is the perfect love the Savior has for everyone, said President James E. Faust.

President James E. Faust

"It is a love which is full of mercy, patience, grace, equity, long suffering and, above all, forgiving," he said.

Speaking during the Saturday morning session, President Faust, second counselor in the First Presidency, called the Atonement "our greatest hope."

Salvation, he explained, depends on believing in and accepting the Atonement.

"All of us have sinned and need to repent to fully pay our part of the debt. When we sincerely repent, the Savior's magnificent Atonement pays the rest of that debt."

President Faust said understanding the Atonement and the Resurrection of Christ helps Church members to obtain a knowledge of Him and of His mission.

"Any increase in our understanding of His atoning sacrifice draws us closer to Him," he said. "Literally, the Atonement means to be 'at one' with Him."

The nature of the Atonement and its effects is so infinite, so unfathomable, and so profound that it lies beyond the knowledge and comprehension of mortal man, said President Faust.

"No man knows the full weight of what our Savior bore, but by the power of the Holy Ghost we can know something of the supernal gift He gave us. . . . He suffered so much pain, indescribable anguish and overpowering torture for our sake."

What the Savior did, President Faust explained, could be done only by Deity.

"As the Only Begotten Son of the Father in the flesh, Jesus inherited divine attributes. He was the only person ever born into mortality who could perform this most significant and supernal act. As the only sinless Man who ever lived on this earth, He was not subject to spiritual death. But because of His godhood, He also possessed power over physical death. Thus, He did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He broke the cold grasp of death. He also made it possible for us to have the supreme and serene comfort of the gift of the Holy Ghost."

President Faust said that the Atonement and the Resurrection accomplish many things.

"The Atonement cleanses us of sin on condition of our repentance. Repentance is the condition on which mercy is extended. After all we can do to pay to the uttermost farthing and make right our wrongs, the Savior's grace is activated in our lives through the Atonement which purifies us and can perfect us."

The Resurrection, he continued, is unconditional and applies to all who have ever lived and ever will live. "It is a free gift."

President Faust said Church members are commanded to remember the singular events of the Mediation, Crucifixion and the Atonement by partaking of the sacrament weekly.

"In the spirit of the sacramental prayers, we partake of the bread and water in remembrance of the body and the blood sacrificed for us, and we are to remember Him and keep His commandments so that we may always have His Spirit to be with us.

"Our Redeemer took upon Himself all the sins, pains, infirmities and sicknesses of all who have ever lived and will ever live. No one has ever suffered in any degree what He did. He knows our mortal trials by firsthand experience. . . . He suffered more than any other mortal could."

The Atonement, said President Faust, not only benefits the sinner but also those sinned against — the victims.

"By forgiving those who trespass against us, the Atonement brings a measure of peace and comfort to those who have been innocently victimized by the sins of others," he said. "The basic source for the healing of the soul is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This is true whether it be from the pain of a personal tragedy or a terrible national calamity such as we have recently experienced in New York and Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh."

President Faust spoke of a woman who, having gone through a painful divorce, wrote of her experience in drawing from the Atonement and had learned that in addition to being a means of making repentance work for the sinner, it also makes it possible for the one sinned against to receive into his or her heart the sweet peace of forgiving.

"The injured should do what they can to work through their trials, and the Savior will 'succor His people according to their infirmities.' (Alma 7:12.) He will help us carry our burdens. Some injuries are so hurtful and deep that they cannot be healed without help from a higher power and hope for perfect justice and restitution in the next life.

"Since the Savior has suffered anything and everything that we could ever feel or experience, He can help the weak to become stronger. He has personally experienced all of it. He understands our pain and will walk with us even in our darkest hours."

President Faust said Church members long for the ultimate blessing of the Atonement — "to become one with Him, to be in His divine presence, to be called individually by name as He warmly welcomes us home with a radiant smile, beckoning us with open arms to be enfolded in His boundless love. How gloriously sublime this experience will be if we can feel worthy enough to be in His presence. The free gift of His great atoning sacrifice for each of us is the only way we can be exalted enough to stand before Him and see Him face-to-face."