Can the Atonement of Jesus Christ Save Us Without Repentance?

            As part of Heavenly Father’s plan for the eternal happiness of His children, Jesus Christ came to earth to make it possible for all mankind to return to the presence of God. Jesus is the literal Son of God and was born to a mortal mother by the name of Mary. 

We know little of Jesus’s childhood, youth, and young adulthood. At the age of 30, He was baptized by John the Baptist and began His mortal ministry, which lasted approximately three years. He was condemned to death by wicked men and was crucified on the cross. He was buried in a borrowed tomb and arose on the third day. He was the first person to be resurrected, and He made it possible for all mankind to be resurrected. Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of every mortal man, woman, and child who “believe on his name” (Alma 11:40).

There are two parts to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ performed the first part when He was resurrected. He overcame death and made it possible for all mankind to overcome death. Because of His resurrection, every mortal will be resurrected and brought back into the Savior’s presence to be judged (see Alma 11:40-46). Resurrection means that our body and our spirit will be reunited for eternity and never be separated again. In this way, every mortal will become immortal and never die again. This part of the Atonement of Christ does not require anyone to repent because it is a gift that is given freely to everyone. President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972) explained what happens to our physical bodies through the resurrection.

There is no reason for any person to be concerned as to the appearance of individuals in the resurrection. Death is a purifying process as far as the body is concerned. We have reason to believe that the appearance of old age will disappear, and the body will be restored with the full vigor of manhood and womanhood. Children will arise as children, for there is no growth in the grave. Children will continue to grow until they reach the full stature of their spirits (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols, [1957-66], 4:185).

The resurrection will reunite our body and spirit and restore our mortal body to the age of “full vigor of manhood and womanhood.” To me this means that we will be resurrected to the best time of our adult life – the prime of our life. Everyone will be resurrected whether they repent or not.

The second part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is conditional. The Savior “suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children”

(2 Nephi 9:21; see also Mosiah 4:7). The Savior stands with open arms offering this gift to everyone on the condition of repentance. If we repent of our sins and follow the Savior, His Atonement will cover them. If we do not repent of our sins, we must suffer for them ourselves. He clearly taught that “my blood shall not cleanse them” without repentance (Doctrine and Covenants 29:17). 

Those whose sins are covered by the Savior’s blood will have their names written in the book of life, the record kept in heaven that “contains the names of the faithful and an account of their righteous covenants and deeds” (Elder Bruce R McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:455). President Joseph Fielding Smith explained what it means to have one’s name written in the book of life.

We are not going to be saved in the kingdom of God just because our names re on the records of the Church. It will require more than that. We will have to have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and if they are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then it is an evidence we have kept the commandments. Every soul who will not keep those commandments shall have his name blotted out of that book (in Conference Report, Oct. 1950, 10; as quoted in the New Testament Student Manual – Religion 211-212 [2014]).

            I suppose that the answer to the question, “Can the Atonement of Jesus Christ Save Us Without Repentance,” is “It depends on what is meant by saved.” There is no requirement for repentance to be saved from death because the Savior made salvation available to all. However, we must repent of our sins to be saved from them, for the Atonement of Christ to cover them, and to have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. 

God declared that “no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven” (Alma 11:37). This verse also asks an important question: “How can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.” We cannot be saved in our sins, but we can be saved from our sins through repentance and the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.