A little on the fence with this one so I have hesitated to review. Some really, really good meat in here. Well researched, lots of scriptural references. Quotes some excellent sources. A lot of repetition and maybe a few too many descriptors for me. I will no doubt be picking it up and referring to it again and again but I really can't say I thoroughly liked it, let alone loved it. Three and a half stars.

One of my favorites!❤️

This is now one of my favorites. I will be reading this book over and over again. It helps you reflect on the magnitude of the Atonement and where we would be without it. It is a subject on the single most important event in all of eternity!

Uplifting Thought Provoking Read

This was a good, thought provoking read. At times I felt that there was to much information being repeated or that there were too many quotes from other non scriptural or prophetic authors. It also seemed to move along fairly slowly. But the information and thoughts that were contemplated and delivered are inspiring and will stir your innermost thoughts of who we are, how we could possibly return to our God and why the Atonement required a savior.

I learned so much from this book! I underlined and starred passages, I used post-it tabs to mark pages I wanted to go back to. As a result, there are many quotes that I would love to highlight here, but this one will do...

“Every attempt to reflect upon the Atonement, to study it, to embrace it, to express appreciation for it, however small or feeble it may be, will kindle the fires of faith and work its miracle towards a more Christlike life. It is an inescapable consequence of so doing. We become like those things we habitually love and admire. And thus, as we study Christ’s life and live his teachings, we become more like him.”

I have a long way to go, but I’m so grateful for those who take the time to share their thoughts and ways of understanding this “central act of human history, the pivotal point in all time, the doctrine of doctrines.” (R.L. Millet)

Took me over 6 years, but I'm so happy to say I finished this book. It is powerful, well-written, and life-changing. I look forward to reading it again.

One of the most profound books I've read outside the scriptures.

Like many gospel books, there wasn't much I hadn't heard before. However, having a reminder was great as always.

I feel more for this book than words can say. This book helped me understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it can be used in my life. It speaks about all the different ways the Atonement of Christ is infinite. It is wonderful. It took me forever to read it because there's so much to absorb, but this book was a great decision.

Extremely insightful and poignant perspectives that put the atonement in a beautiful, new light.

This is a wonderful book that focuses our attention on the importance of the Atonement - the single most important event and act of love in history. Joseph Smith teaches that the resurrection and the Atonement are the fundamental principles of our religion and everything else is simply an appendage (see page ix). This is a book that could be read again and again while studying the important aspects of our Savior's love and Atonement for us.

We all need to study and come to understand for ourselves the significance and purposes of the Fall and the Atonement. I like how this book points out the ways that the Atonement was infinite....in divineness of the Chosen One, in power, in time, in coverage, in depth, in suffering, and in love. The Atonement covers all of our sins, heartaches, sicknesses, weaknesses. We (and EVERYONE) can find strength in this power.

Some of the blessings of the Atonement include....the resurrection, repentance, peace of mind, succor, motivation, exaltation, freedom and grace. The Atonement satisfies the demands of justice while extending mercy. It's the perfect and ONLY plan. There was no other way or no other name that will provide salvation. This was the sacrifice that had to be made.

I'm grateful. Jesus truly is our Savior. Knowing Him and understanding His love and sacrifice is the single most important truth. As we gain a greater appreciation for Him and His love and the purpose of His sacrifice better we will understand the purpose of our lives and our potential better as well. What a beautiful and wonderful plan...all made possible because of the infinite Atonement.

Here are a few quotes I really liked from the book:

"An attempt to master this doctrine requires an immersion of all our senses, all our feelings, and all our intellect (p. 1)."

"The Atonement gives purpose and potency to every event in history (p. 3)."

"Certainly it was a great blessing to have the Savior personally preach his gospel message, but that was not the essential reason for which he came (p. 5)."

"The Atonement is not a prime teaching of the gospel; it is the heart of the gospel. It infuses into every doctrine, every principle, and every ordinance, transforming what might otherwise be a lofty but nonetheless lifeless ideal, to a vibrant virtual truth (p. 8)."

"Jesus himself is the gatekeeper and 'he employeth no servant there' (2 Nephi 9:41)....He waits for you 'with open arms (p. 29).'"

After relating the story of there being no bread prepared for the Sacrament one Sunday, the question is asked, "How would it be if the sacrament table were empty today because there were no atonement (p. 54)?"

"We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means--the only complete realist (C.S. Lewis, p. 108)."

"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 one 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, p. 141)."

"There is no question: the Savior's suffering was infinite. He bore it all--knowingly, willingly, and lovingly (p. 153)."

"If sacrifice for others is the highest manifestation of love, then the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the grandest demonstration of love this world has ever known. The compelling, driving force behind his sacrifice was love, not duty or glory or honor or any other temporal reward. It was love in its purest, deepest, most enduring sense (p. 157)."

"God hear the cry of his Son in that moment of great grief and agony....In that moment when he might have saved his Son, I thank him and praise him that he did not fail us, for he had not only the love of his Son in mind, but he also had love for us (Elder Melvin J. Ballard, p. 162-3)."

"True repentance..is a melting, softening, refining process that brings about a mighty change of heart. It is manifest by those who come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits. It is a burning resolve to make amends with God at any cost (p. 178)."

"At one point, after having scored the Hallelujah Chorus, [Handel] called to his servant and exclaimed, 'I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself.' Following one of the performances, a friend remarked that he had been entertained. Handel replied, 'I should be sorry if I only entertain them. I wish to make them better.' Likewise, the Savior is anxious that the Atonement make us better (P. 218)."

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses....there are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal (C.S. Lewis, p. 234)."

"As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be (President Lorenzo Snow, p. 236)."

"Power comes by obedience....'Except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory' (D&C 132:20,21)."

"No man ought to say, 'Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.' He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them (President George Q. Cannon, p. 273)."

"'I'll tell you what, dear. Let's try a different arrangement. You give me everything you've got, the whole sixty-one cents, and a hug and a kiss, and this bike is yours.' The bicycle was certainly not totally earned by the young girl, but nonetheless, it was gladly given by a father who recognized she had given her all (p. 311)."

"All of God's faculties, all of his inclinations are poised and bent on blessing at the slightest provocation. Oh, how God loves to be merciful and bless his children! Perhaps that is his greatest joy. It is that inherent quality that drives him with tireless vigilance to save his children (p. 313)."

"Each of us has, to one degree or another, a form of spiritual leprosy--sins that have blotted, defaces, and eaten away at our spiritual well-being. Such a condition makes us unclean in the presence of the Holy One, and like the lepers of the ancient Israelite village, we too must stand off in the spiritual distance until the day of our cleansing. Not unlike the ten lepers, we cry out, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us (p. 333).'"

This book was beautifully written, well-researched, and spiritually impactful. This is probably the best book I've read so far about the Atonement. The author provided amazing insights, supported by scripture and prophetic commentary about the breadth and depth of the atonement and the blessings and meaning for all mankind. It was a blessing to read this book during Holy Week to better prepare for the celebration of the resurrection. I highly recommend this book.

The atonement is such an abstract thing to me. Why does anyone have to die for me? Why can't I just pay the price for my own mistakes? Why was Jesus the one to do it? Throughout my life bits and pieces have come to me but I was still looking for answers. I listened to this as an audiobook through the Deseret Book App every morning on my walk. It answered questions I had and those I didn't know I had but were forming. The atonement is an act of pure love, both from a loving father and brother. One of the "aha" moments I had was when he was relating why Jesus said, "My God, My God, why hast though forsaken me?" I've always wondered did God really leave? Was he heartbroken and couldn't watch or was it more. I learned that one of the possible reasons why, was that Christ was to feel all of our pain and suffering. God had been with Jesus for his entire ministry on the Earth. When we sin and make mistakes the spirit withdraws from us and we do not feel close to God and alienate ourselves from his love. In order for Jesus to experience this part of pain that comes from sin, God the Father, needed to remove himself for just a moment and Jesus felt it. I really learned a lot from this book and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the atonement and why we need it.