Alma 34:1–17

How would life be different without …?

Think about a few ways you could answer this question with people or things you rely on. For example, you might think about how your life would be different without a particular person, some of the technology or tools you often use, or an activity that you enjoy.

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Christ praying in Gethsemane

Take a moment to create a list in your study journal about some of the ways your life would be different without Jesus Christ and His Atonement. As you study today, you will learn truths that can help you better understand your need for Jesus Christ.

You might recall that Alma and Amulek preached among the Zoramites, who believed there would “be no Christ” (Alma 31:16). After Alma finished his messages recorded in Alma 32–33, Amulek shared his own testimony of the Savior.

Read Alma 34:1–10, looking for what Amulek shared about Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

• Which words or phrases about Jesus Christ and His Atonement did you find especially meaningful? Why?

• What did you learn from these verses about why we need Jesus Christ to atone for us?

• How would you summarize Amulek’s teachings in Alma 34:8–10 as a statement of truth?

You may have identified a truth similar to the following: Without the infinite and eternal Atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind would be lost forever.

• Why would all people “unavoidably perish” or become lost forever without Jesus Christ and His Atonement?

Consider marking the words “infinite and eternal” at the end of verse 10 and copying the following diagram in your study journal:

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the words “the Atonement of Jesus Christ” next to an arrow pointing to the words “infinite and eternal”

• What do you think it means that Jesus Christ’s Atonement is infinite and eternal?

President Russell M. Nelson shared the following insights:

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President Russell M. Nelson

His Atonement is infinite—without an end. 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 scope—it was to be done once for all. 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. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 35)

• What did this statement help you learn or feel about Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice?

While the Savior can bless an infinite number of people through His Atonement, He can also bless you personally. Consider updating the diagram in your study journal to look like the following:

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the words “the Atonement of Jesus Christ” next to an arrow pointing to the words “infinite and eternal” and an arrow pointing to the word “personal”

Study the following resources, looking for some of the ways the Savior can bless you personally because of His infinite and eternal Atonement.

• Alma 34:11–17

• 2 Nephi 9:10

• Doctrine and Covenants 58:42

President Tad R. Callister, former Sunday School General President, taught:

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President Tad R. Callister

On occasion, I have met with good Saints who have had trouble forgiving themselves, who have innocently but incorrectly placed limits on the Savior’s redemptive powers. Unwittingly, they have converted an infinite Atonement to a finite one that somehow falls short of their particular sin or weakness. But it is an infinite Atonement because it encompasses and circumscribes every sin and weakness, as well as every abuse or pain caused by others. (Tad R. Callister, “The Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 85–86)