The Results of the Atonement--The Debt Paid--Justice and Mercy--
Extracts from the Teachings of Alma and Others.
From the facts in the case and the testimony presented in the
Scriptures it becomes evident that through the great atonement, the
expiatory sacrifice of the Son of God, it is made possible that man
can be redeemed, restored, resurrected and exalted to the elevated
position designed for him in the creation as a Son of God: that
eternal justice and law required the penalty to be paid by man
himself, or by the atonement of the Son of God: that Jesus offered
Himself as the great expiatory sacrifice; that this offering being in
accordance with the demands or requirements of the law, was accepted
by the great Lawgiver; that it was prefigured by sacrifices, and
ultimately fulfilled by Himself according to the eternal covenant. "He
was wounded (as prophesied of) for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and
with his stripes we are healed."
The Savior thus becomes master of the situation--the debt is paid, the
redemption made, the covenant fulfilled, justice satisfied, the will
of God done, and all power is now given into the hands of the Son of
God--the power of the resurrection, the power of the redemption, the
power of salvation, the power to enact laws for the carrying out and
accomplishment of this design. Hence life and immortality are brought
to light, the Gospel is introduced, and He becomes the author of
eternal life and exaltation. He is the Redeemer, the Resurrector, the
Savior of man and the world; and He has appointed the law of the
Gospel as the medium which must be complied with in this world or the
next, as He complied with His Father's law; hence "he that believeth
shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned."
The plan, the arrangement, the agreement, the covenant was made,
entered into and accepted before the foundation of the world; it was
prefigured by sacrifices, and was carried out and consummated on the
cross.
Hence being the mediator between God and man, He becomes by right the
dictator and director on earth and in heaven for the living and for
the dead, for the past, the present and the future, pertaining to man
as associated with this earth or the heavens, in time or eternity, the
Captain of our salvation, the Apostle and High-Priest of our
profession, the Lord and Giver of life.
Is justice dishonored? No; it is satisfied, the debt is paid. Is
righteousness departed from? No; this is a righteous act. All
requirements are met. Is judgment violated? No; its demands are
fulfilled. Is mercy triumphant? No; she simply claims her own.
Justice, judgment, mercy and truth all harmonize as the attributes of
Deity. "Justice and truth have met together, righteousness and peace
have kissed each other." Justice and judgment triumph as well as mercy
and peace; all the attributes of Deity harmonize in this great, grand,
momentous, just, equitable, merciful and meritorious act.
The Book of Mormon is very explicit on these principles. We read
therein:
"And behold, I say unto you, this is not all: For O how beautiful upon
the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is
the founder of peace: yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people:
yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people: For were it not
for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was
prepared from the foundation of the world; I say unto you, were it not
for this, all mankind must have perished. But behold, the bands of
death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the
dead; therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead. And
there cometh a resurrection, even a first resurrection; yea even a
resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who shall be,
even until the resurrection of Christ: for so shall he be called. And
now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have
believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments
of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they
are the first resurrection. They are raised to dwell with God who has
redeemed them: thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has
broken the bands of death. And these are those who have part in the
first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ
came, in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them. And
thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these; and they have a
part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed
by the Lord. And little children also have eternal life. But behold,
and fear, and tremble before God; for ye ought to tremble: for the
Lord redeemeth none such that rebel against him, and die in their
sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since
the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have
known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; these are they
that have no part in the first resurrection. Therefore had ye not
ought to tremble? For salvation cometh to none such; for the Lord hath
redeemed none such; yea, neither can the Lord redeem such; for he
cannot deny himself; for he cannot deny justice when it has its
claim."--Mosiah, xv, 18-27.
The next is a portion of a sermon of the Prophet Amulek, the companion
of Alma, to the Zoramites:
"My brother has called upon the words of Zenos, that redemption cometh
through the Son of God, and also upon the words of Zenoch; and also he
has appealed unto Moses, to prove that these things are true. And now
behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true.
Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among
the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his
people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the
Lord God hath spoken it; for it is expedient that an atonement should
be made; for according to the great plan of the eternal God, there
must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably
perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and
must perish, except it be through the atonement which it is expedient
should be made; for it is expedient that there should be a great and
last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither
of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it
must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice. Now there is not any man
that can sacrifice his own blood, which will atone for the sins of
another. Now if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just,
take the life of his brother? I say unto you nay. But the law
requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be
nothing which is short of an infinite atonement, which will suffice
for the sins of the world; therefore it is expedient that there should
be a great and last sacrifice; and then shall there be, or it is
expedient there should be a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall
the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled; every
jot and tittle; and none shall have passed away. And behold, this is
the whole meaning of the law: every whit pointing to that great and
last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of
God: yea, infinite and eternal; and thus he shall bring salvation to
all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this
last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth
justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith
unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice,
and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no
faith unto repentance, is exposed to the whole law of the demands of
justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance, is
brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption. Therefore may
God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your
faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that
he would have mercy upon you."--Alma, xxxiv, 7-17.
And again, to quote from the commandments of Alma to his son
Corianton:
"And now, my son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry
your mind, which ye cannot understand, which is concerning the justice
of God, in the punishment of the sinner; for ye do try to suppose that
it is injustice that the sinner should be consigned to a state of
misery. Now, behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee: for
behold, after the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the
Garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence they were taken; yea,
he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the Garden of
Eden, Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep
the tree of life. Now we see that the man had become as God, knowing
good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of
the tree of life, and eat and live for ever, the Lord God placed
Cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the
fruit; and thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to
repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God. For
behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partook of the
tree of life, he would have lived for ever, according to the word of
God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God
would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been
frustrated. But behold, it was appointed unto man to die; therefore as
they were cut off from the tree of life they should be cut off from
the face of the earth, and man become lost for ever; yea, they became
fallen man. And now we see by this, that our parents were cut off,
both temporally and spiritually, from the presence of the Lord; and
thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will. Now
behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this
temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness;
therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon
all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal; that is, they
were cut off from the presence of the Lord; it was expedient that
mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death; therefore, as
they had become carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature, this
probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a
preparatory state. And now remember, my son, if it were not for the
plan of redemption, (laying it aside,) as soon as they were dead,
their souls were miserable, being cut off from the presence of the
Lord. And now there was no means to reclaim men from this fallen state
which man had brought upon himself, because of his own disobedience;
therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be
brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this
probationary state; yea, this preparatory state; for except it were
for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should
destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be
destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God. And thus we see that all
mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the
justice of God, which consigned them for ever to be cut off from his
presence. And now the plan of mercy could not be brought about, except
an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the
sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the
demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a
merciful God also. Now repentance could not come unto men, except
there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the
soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was
as eternal also as the life of the soul. Now, how could a man repent,
except he should sin? How could he sin, if there was no law? How could
there be a law, save there was a punishment? Now there was a
punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of
conscience unto man. Now if there was no law given if a man murdered
he should die, would he be afraid he would die if he should murder?
And also, if there was no law given against sin, men would not be
afraid to sin. And if there was no law given if men sinned, what could
justice do, or mercy either; for they would have no claim upon the
creature? But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a
repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise,
justice claimeth the creature, and executeth the law, and the law
inflicteth the punishment: if not so, the works of justice would be
destroyed, and God would cease to be God. But God ceaseth not to be
God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the
atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the
dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the
presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be
judged according to their works; according to the law and justice; for
behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth
all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.
What! do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, nay;
not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God. And thus God bringeth
about his great and eternal purposes, which were prepared from the
foundation of the world. And thus cometh about the salvation and the
redemption of men, and also their destruction and misery."--Alma,
xlii, 1-26.
In the first place, according to justice men could not have been
redeemed from temporal death, except through the atonement of Jesus
Christ; and in the second place, they could not be redeemed from
spiritual death, only through obedience to His law.