Community of Christ affirms the atoning work of Jesus Christ through his life, death, and resurrection. The church's soteriology has moved toward mainstream Protestant frameworks, affirming that Christ's sacrifice makes salvation available to all who respond in faith. The distinctive LDS emphasis on Gethsemane as the primary locus of atonement is not maintained as official doctrine.

The church's community-oriented theology understands the atonement as both individual reconciliation and social transformation: Christ's self-giving love is both the means of personal salvation and the pattern for the church's mission of peace and justice.