Line upon Line

As we approach September 9, 2025, we joyfully join with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—and friends across the world—in celebrating the 101st birthday of President Russell M. Nelson. Over more than a century of life, and especially since his calling as an apostle and now as the prophet, seer and revelator, President Nelson has shared an unshakable witness of Jesus Christ, a profound love for God’s children, and a vision for how we can rise to our highest potential.

In honor of this milestone, we are publishing a series of articles we’ve titled President Russell M. Nelson 101—short, powerful explorations of his teachings, each focused on a particular theme. Like attending a masterclass in spiritual insight, each article offers a rich but brief collection of his quotes, complete with sources, so that readers can both study further and be deeply inspired.

This first installment turns our souls to the heart of the gospel: the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In his teachings, President Nelson reminds us that the Savior’s infinite sacrifice is more than an event in history—it is His personal, living power by which our sins, sorrows, and weaknesses can be healed. It is His gift that brings us hope, peace, and eternal perspective. As you read, let yourself feel the depth of God’s love and the power of Christ’s redeeming grace.

Happy birthday, President Nelson. We are profoundly grateful for your life, your example, and the light of Christ you continue to bring into the world.

“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 time, putting an end to the preceding prototype of animal sacrifice. 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.”
(The Atonement, General Conference, October 1996)

“The Creation required the Fall. The Fall required the Atonement. The Atonement enabled the purpose of the Creation to be accomplished. Eternal life, made possible by the Atonement, is the supreme purpose of the Creation. To phrase that statement in its negative form, if families were not sealed in holy temples, the whole earth would be utterly wasted.”
(The Atonement, General Conference, October 1996)

“He who, under direction of the Father, had created the earth, subsequently came into mortality to do the will of His Father and to fulfill all prophecies of the Atonement. His Atonement would redeem every soul from the penalties of personal transgression, on conditions that He set.”
(The Creation, General Conference, April 2000)

Just outside the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.

“I plead with you to come unto Him so that He can heal you! He will heal you from sin as you repent. He will heal you from sadness and fear. He will heal you from the wounds of this world. Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Learn more about His Atonement, His love, His mercy, His doctrine, and His restored gospel of healing and progression. Turn to Him! Follow Him!”
(The Answer is Always Jesus Christ, General Conference, April 2023)

“Jesus Christ took upon Himself your sins, your pains, your heartaches, and your infirmities. You do not have to bear them alone! He will forgive you as you repent. He will bless you with what you need. He will heal your wounded soul. As you yoke yourself to Him, your burdens will feel lighter. If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be ‘swallowed up in the joy of Christ.’”
(The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again, General Conference, October 2024)

“Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth! The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power. Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God.”
(Overcome the World and Find Rest, General Conference, October 2022)

Ancient olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, ‘doubting nothing.’ Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ ‘giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’ Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life.”
(The Power of Spiritual Momentum, General Conference, April 2022)

“The pure doctrine of Christ is powerful. It changes the life of everyone who understands it and seeks to implement it in his or her life. The doctrine of Christ helps us find and stay on the covenant path. Staying on that narrow but well-defined path will ultimately qualify us to receive all that God has. Nothing could be worth more than all our Father has!”
(Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,  General Conference, October 2021)

“Please know this: if everything and everyone else in the world whom you trust should fail, Jesus Christ and His Church will never fail you. The Lord never slumbers, nor does He sleep. He “is the same yesterday, today, and [tomorrow].” He will not forsake His covenants, His promises, or His love for His people. He works miracles today, and He will work miracles tomorrow. Faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest power available to us in this life. All things are possible to them that believe. Your growing faith in Him will move mountains—not the mountains of rock that beautify the earth but the mountains of misery in your lives. Your flourishing faith will help you turn challenges into unparalleled growth and opportunity.”
(Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains, General Conference, April 2021)

Beneath Golgotha as the sun sets.

“There is no limit to the Savior’s capacity to help you. His incomprehensible suffering in Gethsemane and on Calvary was for you! His infinite Atonement is for you! Jesus Christ took upon Himself your sins, your pains, your heartaches, and your infirmities. You do not have to bear them alone! He will forgive you as you repent. He will bless you with what you need. He will heal your wounded soul. As you yoke yourself to Him, your burdens will feel lighter. If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ.”
(The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again, General Conference, October 2024)

“Because of Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, our Heavenly Father’s plan is a perfect plan! An understanding of God’s fabulous plan takes the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future. It allows each of us to choose how  we will live here on earth and where we will live forever. The baseless notion that we should ‘eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us’ is one of the most absurd lies in the universe. Here is the great news of God’s plan: the very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout all eternity the best it can be!”
(Think Celestial, General Conference, October 2023)

“If we as a people and as individuals are to have access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ—to cleanse and heal us, to strengthen and magnify us, and ultimately to exalt us—we must clearly acknowledge Him as the source of that power. We can begin by calling His Church by the name He decreed.”
(The Correct Name of the Church, General Conference, October 2018)

Golgotha just outside the walls of Jerusalem.

“Under the Father’s great eternal plan, it is the Savior who suffered. It is the Savior who broke the bands of death. It is the Savior who paid the price for our sins and transgressions and blots them out on condition of our repentance. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death. There is no amorphous entity called ‘the Atonement’ upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him.”
(Drawing the Power of Christ into our Lives, General Conference, April 2017)

“The gift of resurrection is the Lord’s consummate act of healing. Thanks to Him, each body will be restored to its proper and perfect frame. Thanks to Him, no condition is hopeless. Thanks to Him, brighter days are ahead, both here and hereafter. Real joy awaits each of us—on the other side of sorrow.”
(Jesus Christ—The Master Healer, General Conference, October 2005)

“Rich meaning is found in study of the word atonement in the Semitic languages of Old Testament times. In Hebrew, the basic word for atonement is kaphar, a verb that means ‘to cover’ or ‘to forgive.’ Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning ‘a close embrace.’ … References to that embrace are evident in the Book of Mormon. One states that ‘the Lord hath redeemed my soul … ; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love’ [2 Nephi 1:15]. Another proffers the glorious hope of our being ‘clasped in the arms of Jesus’ [Mormon 5:11]. I weep for joy when I contemplate the significance of it all. To be redeemed is to be atoned—received in the close embrace of God with an expression not only of His forgiveness, but of our oneness of heart and mind. What a privilege! And what a comfort to those of us with loved ones who have already passed from our family circle through the gateway we call death!”
(The Atonement, General Conference, October 1996)

The Garden Tomb as the sun rises.

“Because of the Savior’s sacrifice, we have access to His healing power. He will heal our hearts, give us strength when we are weak, enable us to do things we never could do on our own, and heal us from sin when we repent. The Atonement of Jesus Christ can help us cope with grief, sadness, weakness, fear, anxiety, all of those things that are part of mortality’s trials.”
(The Happiest Place on Earth, Devotional in Orlando, Florida, June 9, 2019, unpublished)

“As I have wrestled with the intense pain caused by my recent injury, I have felt even deeper appreciation for Jesus Christ and the incomprehensible gift of His Atonement. Think of it! The Savior suffered ‘pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind’ [Alma 7:11] so that He can comfort us, heal us, rescue us in times of need. Jesus Christ described His experience in Gethsemane and on Calvary: ‘Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore’ [Doctrine and Covenants 19:18]. My injury has caused me to reflect again and again on ‘the greatness of the Holy One of Israel’ [2 Nephi 9:40]. During my healing, the Lord has manifested His divine power in peaceful and unmistakable ways.”
(Think Celestial, General Conference, October 2023)

Gethsemane by an ancient olive tree.

“I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. My heart aches for those who are mired in sin and don’t know how to get out. I weep for those who struggle spiritually or who carry heavy burdens alone because they do not understand what Jesus Christ did for them.”
(The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again, General Conference, October 2024)

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Stay tuned as tomorrow’s President Russell M. Nelson 101 will be on The Temple: Where the Spirit Teaches Us to be Disciples of the Savior