“The Lord Institutes the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread—Lambs without Blemish Are Slain—Israel Is Saved by Their Blood—The Firstborn of All Egyptians Are Slain—Israel Is Thrust Out of Egypt after 430 Years—No Bones of the Paschal Lambs Are to Be Broken”
See Exodus 12:1–51
President Boyd K. Packer said:
“At Gethsemane and Golgotha the Savior’s blood was shed. Centuries earlier the Passover had been introduced as a symbol and a type of things to come. It was an ordinance to be kept forever (see Exodus 12).
“When the plague of death was decreed upon Egypt, each Israelite family was commanded to take a lamb, firstborn, male, without blemish. This paschal lamb was slain without breaking any bones, its blood to mark the doorway of the home. The Lord promised that the angel of death would pass over the homes so marked and not slay those inside [see Exodus 12:21–23]. They were saved by the blood of the lamb.
“After the Crucifixion of the Lord, the law of sacrifice required no more shedding of blood. For that was done, as Paul taught the Hebrews, ‘once for all, . . . one sacrifice for sins for ever’ (Hebrews 10:10, 12). The sacrifice thenceforth was to be a broken heart and a contrite spirit—repentance.
“And the Passover would be commemorated forever as the sacrament, in which we renew our covenant of baptism and partake in remembrance of the body of the Lamb of God and of His blood, which was shed for us.
“It is no small thing that this symbol reappears in the Word of Wisdom. Beyond the promise that Saints in this generation, who obey, will receive health and great treasures of knowledge is this: ‘I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them’ (D&C 89:21).
“I cannot with composure tell you how I feel about the Atonement. It touches the deepest emotion of gratitude and obligation. My soul reaches after Him who wrought it, this Christ, our Savior of whom I am a witness. I testify of Him. He is our Lord, our Redeemer, our advocate with the Father. He ransomed us with His blood.
“Humbly I lay claim upon the Atonement of Christ. I find no shame in kneeling down in worship of our Father and His Son. For agency is mine, and this I choose to do!”
(“Atonement, Agency, Accountability,” Ensign, May 1988, 72.)
