The Atonement and the Resurrection--Adam and Christ--Why a Law was
given unto Adam--The Results of Disobedience to that Law--Testimony
of our First Parents--"Adam fell that Man might be"--The Fall a
Necessary Part of the Plan of Salvation--God's Plan a Merciful
Plan--The Plan of Lucifer--Man's Free Agency--The Chain Complete.
In the economy of God and the plan proposed by the Almighty, it was
provided that man was to be placed under a law apparently simple in
itself, yet the test of that law was fraught with the gravest
consequences. The observance of that law would secure eternal life,
and the penalty for the violation of that law was death. For, we are
told, in Adam all die, and hence the declaration, "It is appointed for
man once to die." There is another principle associated with this,
which is, that the atonement provided a means and plan whereby death
could be overcome, and the resurrection of the body from death be
brought about, for it is written, "As in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive." But without this atonement the
resurrection of the body could not be brought about; hence Jesus, when
on earth, proclaimed, "I am the Resurrection and the Life," and He
Himself "was the first fruits of them that slept."
Men could not have been tested without a law. The penalty for the
violation of that law was death. If the law had not been broken, man
would have lived; but would man thus living have been capable of
perpetuating his species, and of thus fulfilling the designs of God in
preparing tabernacles for the spirits which had been created in the
spirit world? And further, could they have had the need of a mediator,
who was to act as a propitiation for the violation of this law, which
it would appear from the circumstances was destined to be broken; or
could the eternal increase and perpetuity of man have been continued,
and his high exaltation to the Godhead been accomplished, without the
propitiatory atonement and sacrifice of the Son of God?
Jesus said, "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to
suffer." Could it have behooved Christ to suffer if man had not
sinned, and was it not part of the eternal plan of God that man should
violate that law, that an atonement might be provided and had, and by
this means man be purified and perfected, through the struggles and
trials incident to his coming in contact with the powers of darkness,
and, through the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ, and his own
obedience to the requirements of the law associated therewith, be
raised to a higher state of existence than it would have been possible
for him to have obtained without the transgression of that law?
These points are made exceedingly plain in the Pearl of Great Price.
It is there stated:
"And Adam called upon the name of the Lord, and Eve also, his wife;
and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way towards the garden
of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut
out from his presence. And he gave unto them commandments, that they
should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of
their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient
unto the commandments of the Lord. And after many days an angel of the
Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto
the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not, save the Lord commanded
me. And then the angel spake, saying, This thing is a similitude of
the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of
grace and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the
name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name
of the Son for evermore. And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon
Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying, I am the
Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and for
ever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed; and all
mankind, even as many as will. And in that day Adam blessed God and
was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the
earth, saying, Blessed be the name of God, for because of my
transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy,
and again in the flesh I shall see God. And Eve, his wife, heard all
these things and was glad, saying, Were it not for our transgression
we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and
evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God
giveth unto all the obedient. And Adam and Eve blessed the name of
God; and they made all things known unto their sons and their
daughters."
Thus we find: Firstly. That Adam and Eve both considered that they had
gained, instead of suffered loss, through their disobedience to that
law; for they made the statement, that if it had not been for their
transgression they never would "have known good and evil." And again,
they would have been incapable of increase; and without that increase
the designs of God in relation to the formation of the earth and man
could not have been accomplished; for one great object of the creation
of the world was the propagation of the human species, that bodies
might be prepared for those spirits who already existed, and who, when
they saw the earth formed, shouted for joy.
Secondly. By pursuing the course they did, through the atonement, they
would see God as they had done before; and furthermore, they would be
capable of exaltation, which was made possible only through their
fall, and the atonement of Jesus Christ; and also, they might have the
comforting influence of the Spirit of God, and His guidance and
direction here, as well as eternal lives and exaltations in the world
to come.
Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, also writes very directly upon
these truths; he says:
"Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that
had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is
the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is
the free gift. For if, through the offence of one many be dead, much
more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man,
Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that
sinned, so is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation,
but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by
one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in
life by one Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment
came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one
the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by
one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of
one shall many be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered, that the
offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more
abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign
through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord."
--Romans, v., 14-21.
Whilst in the Book of Mormon Lehi teaches:
"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would not have
fallen; but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all
things which were created, must have remained in the same state which
they were, after they were created; and they must have remained for
ever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore,
they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for
they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold,
all things have been done in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things.
Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the
children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from
the fall, they have become free for ever, knowing good from evil; to
act for themselves, and not to be acted upon, save it be by the
punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the
commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according
to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto
man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the
great mediation of all men, or to choose captivity and death,
according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that
all men might be miserable, like unto himself."--2 Nephi, ii, 22-27.
In the same book it is written:
"Yea, I know that ye know, that in the body he shall show himself unto
those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it
should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he
suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for
all men, that all men might become subject unto him. For as death hath
passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator,
there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must
needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason
of transgression; and because man became fallen, they were cut off
from the presence of the Lord. Wherefore it must needs be an infinite
atonement. Save it should be an infinite atonement, this corruption
could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which
came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if
so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother
earth, to rise no more. O the wisdom of God! his mercy and grace! For
behold, if the flesh should rise no more, our spirits must become
subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the eternal
God, and became the devil, to rise no more."--2 Nephi, ix, 5-8.
There is a principle developed in the above quotation to the effect
that death was "passed upon all men to fulfill the _merciful plan_ of
the great Creator;" and furthermore, that the resurrection came "by
reason of the fall." For if man had not sinned, there would have been
no death, and if Jesus had not atoned for the sin, there would have
been no resurrection. Hence these things are spoken of as being
according to the merciful plan of God. This corruption could not have
put on incorruption, and this mortality could not have put on
immortality, for, as we have elsewhere shown, man by reason of any
thing that he himself could do or accomplish, could only exalt himself
to the dignity and capability of man and therefore it needed the
atonement of a God, before man, through the adoption, could be exalted
to the Godhead.
Again, if the body could not have been resurrected, it would have had
to "crumble to its mother earth," and remain in that condition without
the capability of ascending to the Godhead: and furthermore, not only
would our bodies have lost their entity, their life and power, but the
spirit also would have been placed in a state of subjection "to that
angel who fell from before the presence of the eternal God, and became
the devil," without a capability or even hope of life, salvation and
exaltation, and would have been deprived of all free agency and power,
and subject to the influences, dominion and eternal destruction of
Lucifer, the enemy of man and of God. Hence, on this ground, and
because of the terrible effects which would have resulted to humanity
from the proposed plan to deprive man of his free agency, and in
seeking to do away with the atonement, Lucifer was cast out of heaven,
as were also those associated with him in the same diabolical plans
and purposes.
The testimony of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants is in full accord
with the revelations in the ancient scriptures. In it we are
instructed that God "created man, male and female, after his own image
and in his own likeness created he them, and pave unto them
commandments that they should love and serve him, the only living and
true God, and that he should be the only being whom they should
worship. But by the transgression of these holy laws, man became
sensual and devilish, and became fallen man. Wherefore the Almighty
God gave his Only Begotten Son, as it is written in those scriptures
which have been given of him. He suffered temptations, but gave no
heed unto them; he was crucified, died, and rose again the third day;
and ascended into heaven, to sit down on the right hand of the Father,
to reign with almighty power according to the will of the
Father."--Doc. and Cov., sec. xx, 18-24, p. 123.
Again, we read from the same source:
"Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and
I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto
him, for my commandments are spiritual, they are not natural nor
temporal, neither carnal nor sensual."--Doc. and Cov., sec. xxix, 35,
p. 146.
"Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he
partook the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment, wherein
he became subject to the will of the 'devil, because he yielded unto
temptation. Wherefore, I the Lord God caused that he should be cast out
from the garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his
transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first
death, even that same death, which is the last death, which is
spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say,
Depart, ye cursed. But, behold, I say unto you, that I the Lord God
gave unto Adam and to his seed that they should not die as to the
temporal death, until I the Lord God should send forth angels to
declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name
of mine Only Begotten Son. And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto
man the days of his probation; that by his natural death he might be
raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would
believe."--Doc. and Cov., xxix, 40-43, p. 147.
In accordance with this we find it written in the Pearl of Great
Price, that the Lord did send an angel to Adam (as elsewhere quoted),
who taught unto him the Gospel.
Thus it would appear that if any of the links of this great chain had
been broken, it would have interfered with the comprehensive plan of
the Almighty pertaining to the salvation and eternal exaltation of
those spirits who were His sons, and for whom principally the world
was made; that they through submission to the requirements of the
eternal principle and law governing these matters might possess
bodies, and these bodies united with the spirits might become living
souls, and being the sons of God, and made in the image of God, they,
through the atonement might be exalted, by obedience to the law of the
Gospel; to the Godhead.