From the book ‘The Infinite Atonement’ by Tad R. Callister:
His Mission
“While others would preach the Savior’s message and even perform a ministry of miracles and priesthood ordinances, only he could accomplish that divinely appointed mission, namely the redemption of the world. No proxies, no substitutes, no surrogates, not even heaven-sent angels or prophets would or could do. The Atonement required the life and power of a perfect being. He was the sole candidate, the only “name under heaven . . . whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). This is the prime reason he came to the earth: “Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin” (3 Nephi 9:21; see also Doctrine & Covenants 49:5; 76:40-42). Matthew, quoting the mortal Messiah, recorded the same truth, “The Son of man is come to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11; see also Mormon 7:6-7) As Important as were his personal message and ministry, they were secondary to his mission—the atoning sacrifice.
The Heart of the Gospel
The Atonement is not just a prime teaching of the gospel; it is the heart of the gospel. It infuses life into every doctrine, every principle, and every ordinance, transforming what might otherwise be a lofty but nonetheless lifeless ideal, to a vibrant spiritual truth. So essential is the Atonement to a purposeful life that on occasion it is referred to as “the gospel.” While expounding to the Nephites the Savior confirmed this: “This is the gospel . . . that I came into the world to do the will of my Father. . . . And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross” (3 Nephi 27:13-14) This same doctrine was audibly declared from the heavens to the Prophet Joseph: “This is the gospel, the glad tidings . . . that he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:40-41). The Bible dictionary defines the “gospel news” and then adds, “The good news is that Jesus Christ has made a perfect atonement.”10
Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000), 14-15
8. President Joseph F. Smith spoke of another reason Christ came to earth: “Christ came not only to atone for the sins of the world, but to set an example before all men and to establish the standard of God’s perfection, of God’s law, and of obedience to the Father: (Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 270) This is consistent with the observation of Peter: “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)
10. LDS Bible Dictionary, 682.
