Several surveys have shown that when asked about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, most Latter-day Saints emphasize his sufferings in Gethsemane more than his death on the cross. As I shared in a previous post, many people are surprised to learn that in scripture, there are only two references to Christ suffering for our sins in Gethsemane, but more than fifty about Christ dying for our sins on the cross. Jesus did not only overcome physical death on Calvary, his Crucifixion is also a vital part of our redemption from sin.
The reality that Christ was crucified for our sins has been taught by every church President. Every single one. This is significant (sample quotations at the bottom of this post). In fact, as this new research shows, for each statement from a church leader like, “Christ suffered for our sins in Gethsemane,” there are more than five that say, “Christ died for our sins on Calvary.”
This is not to minimize the importance of Gethsemane. A very significant part of Christ’s Atonement took place in Gethsemane. My point is that sometimes church members underestimate the vital importance of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. If we do this, we (1) miss incredible opportunities for spiritual growth, and (2) perpetuate a false idea that the Church does not believe in the saving importance of Calvary. This hurts our relationship with other Christians.
Over the past two years, in order to learn what church leaders have taught about the Savior’s Crucifixion, two coauthors and I searched every General Conference talk that mentioned Christ’s death. Collectively more than 330 church leaders have referenced the Savior’s death more than 3,000 times! We just published the results of our study. This article (free!) provides a summary of teachings from Church leaders about the Christ’s Crucifixion—and they have said some very powerful things! Here are a couple of my favorite quotes (references are in the article):
“Not only did Jesus come as a universal gift, He came as an individual offering with a personal message to each one of us. For each of us He died on Calvary and His blood will conditionally save us. Not as nations, communities or groups, but as individuals.”
President Heber J. Grant
“Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
“[Christ was] lifted up upon the cross that He might draw each of us, by name, to Him.”
Elder Gerrit W. Gong
“Mourn not because all your sons and daughters do not follow in the path that you have marked out to them, or give heed to your counsels. Inasmuch as we succeed in securing eternal glory, and stand as saviors, and as kings and priests to our God, we will save our posterity. When Jesus went through that terrible torture on the cross, He saw what would be accomplished by it…I believe that every man and woman who comes into this life and passes through it, that life will be a success in the end.”
President Lorenzo Snow
Visit my page on the Crucifixion Jesus Christ to learn more about how the Savior’s death can change your life.
Sample quotes from church presidents about Jesus Christ dying for our sins ( references and more quotes in this article):
- “He died for the sins of all men” (Joseph Smith).
- “Jesus died to redeem the world” (Brigham Young).
- “He was…crucified…to open up the way of life and salvation, that man might attain to exaltation” (John Taylor).
- “Jesus Christ…died as a ransom for the sins of the world” (Wilford Woodruff).
- “[Jesus] gave His life on Calvary’s cross to pay the debt of mortal sin” (Gordon B. Hinckley).
- “[Christ] died upon the cross to redeem all mankind” (Thomas S. Monson)
- “Remember the Savior upon the cross suffering from the sins of the world” (Russell M. Nelson)
Learn more about what Church leaders have taught about the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
