Did the Atonement Happen in Gethsemane? 

The Bible teaches us that…

• Every one of us is a sinner
• Our sin merits punishment
• The just penalty for our sin is death.

Romans 6:23 says,

“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)

But God provided a way for His people to pay the penalty for their sins without having to die themselves.

The Old Covenant System

Under the Old Covenant (in the days of Moses), a person could be forgiven their sins by offering a substitute sacrifice—typically a lamb or goat. 

In order to be acceptable, the sacrifice was to be young, healthy, and without blemish.

The offending person would bring the lamb to a priest, then lay his hands on the head of the animal as a way to illustrate the transfer of his guilt to that animal. Then the lamb would be put to death.

For the sacrifice to be effective, it was critical not only that the lamb bleed, or suffer in some way, but that it be killed.  In this way, a person could atone for his sins.

“…And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.” (Leviticus 4:35)

This horrific act was to be a picture to the people of just how awful our sin really is, that it deserves to be punished by the taking of a life.

Apart from the death of the sacrifice, there could be no forgiveness of sins! 

There was just one glaring problem. Even after a sacrifice had been made, people continued to sin–incurring judgment all over again. This system was never meant to be a permanent solution to the problem. We needed a final, ultimate, timeless sacrifice to–once and for all–atone for our sins.

So God sent Jesus. 

While in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion, the Bible tells us that Jesus experienced such agony that

“his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.”

Many Mormons believe that Christ’s atonement happened in the Garden of Gethsemane.

But this was not the Atonement!

The whole Bible testifies that the atonement happened on the cross, specifically, at Jesus’ death. Remember the sacrificial lamb under the Old Covenant? Like the sacrificial lamb Jesus was young, healthy, and without blemish. And just as that lamb had to die, in order to pay the penalty for sins, Jesus had to die. This is why Jesus is literally called

“the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

Jesus never meant for us to understand the cup of suffering as referring to His anguish in the Garden. This is why, as Jesus was leaving the garden He tells Peter,

“Put your sword into its sheath, shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Jesus was anticipating suffering that had not yet happened.

Peter even writes

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

Wounds were not inflicted on Jesus in the garden, but on the cross.

We should not be surprised that throughout history, many people have wanted to make less of the cross. The Bible tells us:

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Jesus’ suffering in the Garden—while significant—did not pay the price for our sin. It is by his death that we can have God’s complete forgiveness.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:10)