=1. The Atonement of Christ= is taught as a leading doctrine by all
sects professing Christianity. The expression is so common a one, and
the essential point of its signification is so generally admitted,
that definitions may appear to be superfluous; nevertheless, there is
a peculiar importance attached to the use of the word atonement, in a
theological sense. The doctrine of the atonement comprises proof of
the divinity of Christ's earthly ministry; and the vicarious nature of
His death, as a fore-ordained and voluntary sacrifice, intended for
and efficacious as a propitiation for the sins of mankind, thus
becoming the means whereby salvation may be obtained.
=2.= The New Testament, which is properly regarded as the scripture of
Christ's mission among men, is imbued throughout with the doctrine of
salvation through the work of atonement wrought by the Savior; and yet
the word atonement, occurs but once in the whole record; and in that
single instance, according to the opinion of most biblical
authorities, it is confessedly misused. The instance referred to is
found in the words of Paul addressed to the saints at Rome:--"But we
also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now
received the atonement."[192] The marginal rendering gives, instead of
atonement, reconciliation, and of this word a related form is used in
the preceding verse. A consistent translation, giving a full
agreement between the English and the Greek, would make the verse
quoted, and that immediately preceding it, read in this way:--"For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his
Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And
not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom we have now received the reconciliation."[193] The term atonement
occurs repeatedly in the Old Testament, and with marked frequency in
three of the books of the Pentateuch, viz.: Exodus, Leviticus, and
Numbers; and the sense in which it is employed is invariably that of a
sacrifice of propitiation, usually associated with the death of an
acceptable victim, whereby reconciliation was to be effected between
God and His creatures.
[192] Romans v, 11.
[193] Romans v, 10-11.
=3.= The structure of the word in its present form is suggestive of
this, the true meaning; it is literally _at-one-ment_, "denoting
reconciliation, or the bringing into agreement of those who have been
estranged."[194] And such is the significance of the saving sacrifice
of the Redeemer, whereby He expiated the transgression of the Fall,
through which came death into the world, and provided ready and
efficient means for man's attainment of immortality through
reconciliation with God.
[194] Standard Dictionary, under _propitiation_.
=4. Nature of the Atonement.=--The atonement wrought by Jesus Christ
is a necessary sequence of the transgression of Adam; and, as the
infinite foreknowledge of God made clear to Him the one even before
Adam was placed on earth, so the Father's boundless mercy prepared a
Savior for mankind before the world was framed. Through the Fall, Adam
and Eve have entailed the conditions of mortality upon their
descendants; therefore all beings born of earthly parents are subject
to bodily death. The sentence of banishment from the presence of God
was in the nature of a spiritual death; and that penalty, which was
visited upon our first parents in the day of their transgression, has
likewise followed as the common heritage of humanity. As this penalty
came into the world through an individual act, it would be manifestly
unjust to cause all to eternally suffer therefrom, without a chance of
deliverance. Therefore was the promised sacrifice of Jesus Christ
ordained as a propitiation for broken law, whereby Justice could be
fully satisfied, and Mercy be left free to exercise her beneficent
influence over the souls of mankind.[195] All the details of the
glorious plan, by which the salvation of the human family is assured,
may not lie within the understanding of man; but surely man has
learned, from his futile attempts to fathom the primary cause of the
phenomena of nature, that his powers of comprehension are limited; and
he will admit, that to deny an effect because of his inability to
elucidate its cause, would be to forfeit his claims as an observing
and reasoning being.
[195] See Note 1.
=5.= Simple as is the plan of redemption in its general features, it
is confessedly a mystery to the finite mind in detail. President John
Taylor has written in this wise:--"In some mysterious, incomprehensible
way, Jesus assumed the responsibility which naturally would have
devolved upon Adam; but which could only be accomplished through the
mediation of Himself; and by taking upon Himself their sorrows,
assuming their responsibilities, and bearing their transgressions or
sins. In a manner to us incomprehensible and inexplicable, He bore the
weight of the sins of the whole world, not only of Adam, but of his
posterity; and in doing that, opened the kingdom of heaven, not only
to all believers and all who obeyed the law of God, but to more than
one half of the human family who die before they come to years of
maturity, as well as to the heathen, who, having died without law,
will through His mediation be resurrected without law, and be judged
without law, and thus participate, according to their capacity, works,
and worth, in the blessings of His atonement."[196]
[196] Pres. John Taylor, Mediation and Atonement, pp. 148-149.
=6.= But, however incomplete may be our comprehension of the scheme of
redemption through Christ's vicarious sacrifice in all its parts, we
cannot reject it without becoming infidel; for it stands as the
fundamental doctrine of all scripture, the very essence of the spirit
of prophecy and revelation, the most prominent of all the declarations
of God unto man.
=7. The Atonement a Vicarious Sacrifice.=--It is to many a matter of
surpassing wonder that the voluntary sacrifice of a single being could
be made to operate as a means of ransom for the rest of mankind. In
this, as in other things, the scriptures are explicable only by the
spirit of scriptural interpretation. The sacred writings of ancient
times, the words of modern prophets, the traditions of mankind, the
rites of sacrifice, and even the sacrileges of heathen idolatries,
involve the idea of vicarious atonement. God has never refused to
accept an offering made by one who is authorized on behalf of those
who are in any way incapable of doing the required service themselves.
The scape-goat,[197] and the altar victim[198] of ancient Israel, if
offered with repentance and contrition, were accepted by the Lord in
mitigation of the sins of the people. It is interesting to note, that
while the ceremonies of sacrifice formed so large and so essential a
part of the Mosaic requirements, these rites long ante-dated the
establishment of Israel as a distinct people; for, as already shown,
altar sacrifice was rendered by Adam.[199] The symbolism of the
sacrificing of animals as a prototype of the great sacrifice to follow
on Calvary was thus instituted with the beginning of human history.
[197] Lev. xvi, 20-22.
[198] Lev. iv.
[199] See page 70.
=8.= The many kinds of sacrifice prescribed by the Mosaic law are
clearly classified under the headings bloody and bloodless. Offerings
of the first order only, involving the infliction of death, were
acceptable in propitiation or atonement for sin, and the victim had to
be clean, healthy, and without spot or blemish. And so for the great
sacrifice, the effects of which were to be infinite, only an innocent
subject could be accepted. It was Christ's right, as the only sinless
Being on earth, and as the Only Begotten of the Father, and above all
as the One ordained to this mission in the heavens, to be the Redeemer
of mankind; and though the exercise of this right involved a
sacrifice, the extent of which man cannot comprehend, yet Christ made
that sacrifice willingly and voluntarily. To the last He had the means
of terminating the tortures of His persecutors, by a simple exercise
of His powers as one of the Godhead.[200] In some way, though that way
may be inexplicable to us, Christ took upon Himself the sins of
mankind. The means may be to our finite minds a mystery, yet the
results are our salvation.
[200] Matt. xxvi, 53-54; John x, 17-18.
=9.= Something of the Savior's agony as He groaned under this load of
guilt, which to Him, as a type of purity, must have been in itself
repulsive, He has told us through the prophet's words in this day:
"For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they
might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent
they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God,
the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every
pore, and to suffer both body and spirit; and would that I might not
drink the bitter cup, and shrink:--Nevertheless, glory be to the
Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children
of men."[201] Further instances of the validity of vicarious service
are found in the ordinances of baptism for the dead[202] as taught in
apostolic and modern times, and in the institution of other temple
ceremonies[203] in the present dispensation.
[201] Doc. and Cov. xix, 16-19. See "Jesus the Christ," pp.
610-614.
[202] I Cor. xv, 29. See Lectures vi and vii.
[203] Doc. and Cov. cxxvii, 4-9; cxxviii.
=10. Christ's Sacrifice was Voluntary and Love-inspired.=--We have
noted in passing that Christ gave His life willingly and voluntarily
for the redemption of mankind. He offered Himself, in the great
Council of the Gods, as the subject of the atoning sacrifice made
necessary by the fore-seen transgression of the first man; and the
free agency shown and exercised in this, the early stage of His saving
mission, was retained to the very last of the agonizing fulfillment of
the accepted plan. Though He lived on earth a man in every particular
that concerns us in our regard for Him as an example of Godliness in
humanity, yet it is to be remembered that, though born of a mortal
mother, he was begotten by an immortal Sire; and so had combined
within His being the capacity to die, and the power to set death at
defiance. He gave His life; it was not taken from Him. Note the
significance of His own declaration:--"Therefore doth my Father love
me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No man
taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again."[204] On another occasion
Jesus testified of Himself in this way:--"For as the Father hath life
in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and
hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the
Son of man."[205] And then amid the tragic scenes of the betrayal,
when one who had been a professed follower and friend gave Him with a
traitorous kiss to His persecutors, when Peter, with a rashness
prompted by righteous zeal, drew and used the sword in His defence,
the Master said:--"Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father,
and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But
how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must
be?"[206] And on to the bitter end, marked by the expiring though
triumphant cry "It is finished," the incarnated God held in subjection
within Himself the power to thwart His murderers, had He so willed.
[204] John x, 17-18. See "Jesus the Christ," pp. 22, 23, 81, 418.
[205] John v, 26-27.
[206] Matt. xxvi, 53-54.
=11.= The motive inspiring and sustaining Him through all the scenes
of His mission, from the time of His primeval ordination to the moment
of victorious consummation on the cross, was two-fold; first, the
desire to do His Father's will, in accomplishing the salvation of man;
second, His love for humanity, of whose welfare and destiny He had
assumed charge. Far from cherishing the least feeling of
vindictiveness against those, who, in defiance of the laws of God and
man, put Him to ignominious death, He entertained for them compassion
to the last. Hear Him in the hour of supreme agony, praying aloud,
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."[207] Not less
is the Father's love, as shown by His accepting the Son's offer, and
permitting Him whom He delighted to call His Beloved, to suffer as
only a God could suffer:--"For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be
saved."[208] And further, we hear the teaching of the apostle, whom
the Savior loved so well, "In this was manifested the love of God
toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world
that we might live through him."[209]
[207] Luke xxiii, 34.
[208] John iii, 16-17.
[209] I John iv, 9. See "Jesus the Christ," chs. ii and iii.
=12. The Atonement Fore-ordained and Fore-told.=--As already shown,
the plan of the Father to open a way for the redemption of mankind,
then to leave all men free to exercise their own agency, was adopted
by the Council in heaven to the rejection of Lucifer's plan of
compulsion. Even at that remote period, Christ was thus ordained as a
Mediator for all mankind; in fact, "a covenant was entered into
between Him and His Father, in which He agreed to atone for the sins
of the world, and He thus, as stated, became a 'Lamb slain from before
the foundation of the world.'"[210] The prophets of old, many of whom
lived centuries before the time of Christ's coming in the flesh,
testified of Him and of the great work He had been ordained to
perform. These men of God had been permitted to behold in prophetic
visions many of the scenes incident to the Savior's earthly mission;
and they solemnly bore record of the manifestations. Indeed, the
testimony of Christ is the spirit of prophecy, and without it no
person can rightly claim the distinction of being a prophet of God.
Adam's despair, on being driven from Eden, was changed to joy when,
through revelation, he learned of the plan of redemption to be wrought
by the Son of God in the flesh.[211] Righteous Enoch taught the same
truths, which had been declared to him from the heavens.[212] This
testimony was borne by Moses,[213] Job,[214] David,[215]
Zechariah,[216] Isaiah,[217] and Micah.[218] The same declaration was
made by John the Baptist,[219] the prophet of the Highest, designated
by the Savior as more than a prophet; he it was who baptized the
Christ, and who witnessed the Father's words associated with the
visible sign of the Holy Ghost, concerning the mission of the Son.
[210] Pres. John Taylor, in Mediation and Atonement, p. 97.
[211] See page 71. Moses v, 9-11.--For general treatment see
"Jesus the Christ," ch. v. See also Note 6.
[212] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vi, 51-68.
[213] Deut. xviii, 15, 17-19.
[214] Job xix, 25-27.
[215] Psalms ii, 1-12.
[216] Zech. ix, 9; xii, 10; xiii, 6.
[217] Isaiah vii, 14; ix, 6-7.
[218] Micah v, 2.
[219] Matt. iii, 11.
=13.= Should there be any doubt as to the application of such
prophecies, we have the conclusive testimony of Christ that they refer
to Himself. On that memorable day, immediately following His
resurrection, while walking incognito with two of His disciples on the
road to Emmaus, He taught them the scriptures that had been written
concerning the Son of God; "Beginning at Moses, and all the prophets,
he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself."[220] A few hours after this event, the Lord appeared to the
Eleven at Jerusalem. He operated upon their minds "that they might
understand the scriptures; and said unto them, Thus it is written, and
thus it behoved Christ to suffer,"[221] in this way testifying that He
was fulfilling a previously ordained plan. Peter, one of the Savior's
most intimate earthly associates, refers to Him as "a Lamb without
blemish and without spot, who verily was fore-ordained before the
foundation of the world."[222] In his epistle to the Romans, Paul
characterizes Christ as the one "Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are past."[223] These are but a few of
the biblical evidences of Christ's appointment and fore-ordination;
both Old and New Testament[224] writings abound in proofs of the
Messiah's great work.
[220] Luke xxiv, 27.
[221] Luke xxiv, 45-46. See "Jesus the Christ," pp. 685-690.
[222] I Peter i, 19-20.
[223] Romans iii, 25.
[224] See Rom. xvi, 25-26; Eph. iii, 9-11; Col. i, 24-26; II Tim.
i, 8-10; Titus i, 2-3; Rev. xiii, 8.
=14.= Book of Mormon prophets are characterized by their full
testimonies concerning the Messiah. Because of his purity of faith,
the brother of Jared was permitted to behold the Savior of mankind,
twenty-two centuries prior to the meridian of time, and to be shown
that man was created after the image of the Lord, at the same time
being taught of the Father's purpose that the Son take upon Himself
flesh and dwell on earth.[225] Note the personal declaration of the
fore-ordained Redeemer to this prophet:--"Behold, I am he who was
prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold,
I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all
mankind have light, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on
my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters."[226]
[225] Ether iii, 13-14; see also xiii, 10-11.
[226] Ether iii, 14; read also 8-16. See Note 12, p. 53.
=15.= Nephi records the prophecy of his father Lehi concerning the
future appearing of the Son in the flesh, His baptism, death, and
resurrection; this prophetic utterance specifies the exact date of the
Savior's birth, viz., six hundred years after the time of Lehi's
exodus from Jerusalem. The mission of John the Baptist is described,
and even the place of baptism is designated.[227] Shortly after the
time of Lehi's vision, Nephi was shown by the Spirit the same things,
as also many others, some of which he has written, but the greater
part of which he was forbidden to write, as another, the Apostle
John, had been ordained to set them forth in a book which should form
part of the Bible. But, from his partial account of his vision, we
learn that he saw in Nazareth, Mary the Virgin, first alone, and
shortly afterward with a child in her arms; the demonstrator of the
vision informed him that the infant was the Lamb of God, the Son of
the Eternal Father. Then Nephi beheld the Son ministering among the
children of men, proclaiming the word, healing the sick, and working
many other wondrous miracles; he saw John, the prophet of the
wilderness, going before Him; he beheld the Savior baptized of John,
and the Holy Ghost descending upon Him with the visible sign of the
dove. Then he saw and prophesied that twelve chosen apostles would
follow the Savior in His ministry; that the Son would be taken and
judged of men, and finally be slain. Piercing the future, even beyond
the time of the crucifixion, Nephi beheld the strife of the world
against the apostles of the Lamb, and the final triumph of God's
cause.[228]
[227] I Nephi x, 3-11.
[228] I Nephi xi, 14-35; see also II Nephi ii, 3-21; xxv, 20-27;
xxvi, 24.
=16.= Jacob, the brother of Nephi, prophesied to his brethren that
Christ would appear in the flesh among the Jews, and that He would be
scourged and crucified of them.[229] King Benjamin lifted his voice in
support of the same testimony, and preached unto his people the
righteous condescension of God.[230] So also declared Abinadi,[231]
Alma,[232] Amulek,[233] and Samuel the Lamanite prophet.[234] The
literal fulfillment of these prophecies furnishes unquestionable proof
of their truth. The wondrous signs indicative of Christ's birth[235]
and death were all realized,[236] and after His death and ascension
the Savior manifested Himself among the Nephites, as the Father
announced Him to the multitude.[237]
[229] II Nephi vi, 8-10; ix, 5-6.
[230] Mosiah iii, 5-27; iv, 1-8.
[231] Mosiah xv, 6-9; xvi.
[232] Alma vii, 9-14.
[233] Alma xi, 35-44.
[234] Hela. xiv, 2-8.
[235] Hela. xiv, 2-5; 21-27.
[236] III Nephi i, 5-21; viii, 3-25.
[237] III Nephi xi, 1-17. See "Jesus the Christ," ch. xxxix.
=17.= The ancient scriptures, then, are plain in declaring that Christ
came upon the earth to do a work previously allotted. He lived,
suffered and died, in accordance with a plan which was framed in
righteousness for the redemption of the children of Adam, even before
the world was. Equally important and explicit is the word of modern
revelation through which the Son has declared Himself as Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end, man's Advocate with the Father, the
universal Redeemer.[238] Let us consider a single citation from the
many revelations concerning Christ given in the present
dispensation:--"Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal
round, the same today as yesterday and forever. I am Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many
as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even
one in me as I am in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we
may be one."[239]
[238] See Doc. and Cov. vi, 21; xiv, 9; xviii, 10-12; xix, 1-2,
24; xxi, 9; xxix, 1; xxxiii; xxxiv, 1-3; xxxv, 1-2; xxxviii, 1-5;
xxxix, 1-3; xlv, 3-5; xlvi, 13-14; lxxvi, 1-4, 12-14, 19-24, 68;
xciii, 1-6, 12-17, 38.
[239] Doc. and Cov. xxxv, 1-2.
=18. The Extent of the Atonement= is infinite, applying alike to all
descendants of Adam. Even the unbeliever, and the heathen, and the
child who dies before reaching the years of discretion, are redeemed
by the Savior's self-sacrifice from all the consequences of the
Fall.[240] It is conclusively proved by the scripture that the
resurrection of the body is one of the victories achieved by Christ
through His atoning sacrifice. He Himself proclaimed the eternal
truth, "I am the resurrection and the life;"[241] and He among men
came first forth from the grave,--"the first fruits of them that
slept."[242] Now, the scriptures leave no room for doubt concerning
the fact that the resurrection will be universal. The Savior announced
to his apostles the beginning of this work of deliverance from the
tomb; hear His words, "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in
the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall
come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life,
and they that done evil unto the resurrection of damnation;"[243] or,
as the latter part of the declaration has been rendered through
inspiration in the present day, "They who have done good, in the
resurrection of the just: and they who have done evil in the
resurrection of the unjust."[244]
[240] See Note 2.
[241] John xi, 25.
[242] I Cor. xv, 20; see Acts xxvi, 23.
[243] John v, 28-29.
[244] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 17.
=19.= Paul refers to the doctrine of a universal resurrection as being
so well proved that even his accusers had to admit the truth, "that
there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and
unjust."[245] On another occasion he said "For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive."[246] Furthermore, John the
Revelator testifies of his vision concerning futurity, "And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God.... And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in them."[247] Thus it is plain that the effect of the atonement,
as far as it applies to the victory over temporal or bodily death,
involves the entire race. It is equally clear that the release from
Adam's legacy of spiritual death, or banishment from the presence of
God, will be similarly universal; so that if any man lose salvation,
such loss will be due to himself, and in no way be dependent upon the
Fall. The doctrine that the gift of redemption through Christ is free
to all men, was specifically taught by the apostles of old. Thus Paul
says:--"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 to the justification of life."[248] And
further:--there is "one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all."[249] John spoke of the
Redeemer's sacrifice, saying:--"And he is the propitiation for our
sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole
world."[250]
[245] Acts xxiv, 15.
[246] I Cor. xv, 22.
[247] Rev. xx, 12-13.
[248] Rom. v, 18.
[249] I Tim. ii, 5-6.
[250] I John ii, 2.
=20.= The same great truths were taught among the Nephites. Benjamin,
the righteous king, preached of "the atonement which was prepared from
the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were ever
since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto
the end of the world."[251] In revelation of the present day we read
of Christ's having come into the world, to suffer and to die, "That
through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power
and made by him."[252]
[251] Mos. iv, 7.
[252] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 42.
=21.= But besides this universal application of the atonement, whereby
all men are redeemed from the effects of Adam's transgression, both
with respect to the death of the body and the taint of inherited sin,
there is a special application of the same great sacrifice, as a means
of propitiation for individual sins, through the faith and good works
of the sinner. This two-fold effect of the atonement is implied in the
article of our faith now under consideration. The first effect is to
secure to all mankind alike, exemption from the otherwise terrible
effects of the Fall, thus providing a plan of _General Salvation_. The
second effect is to open a way for _Individual Salvation_ whereby
mankind may secure forgiveness of personal sins. As these sins are the
result of individual acts, it is just that forgiveness for them should
be conditioned on individual compliance with prescribed
requirements,--"obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel."
=22. The General Effect of the Atonement=, so far as it applies to all
who have arrived at years of accountability and judgment, has been
made sufficiently clear perhaps from the scriptures already quoted.
Its application to children may properly receive our further
attention. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches as
a doctrine founded on reason, justice, and scripture, that all
children are innocent in the sight of God, and that, until they reach
an age of personal responsibility, baptism is not requisite or proper
in their behalf; that, in short, they are saved through the atonement
of Christ. To a degree, children are born heirs to the good or evil
natures of their parents; the effects of heredity in determining
character are readily recognized. Good and evil tendencies, blessings
and curses, are transmitted from generation to generation. Through
this divinely appointed order, the justice of which is plain in the
revealed light of knowledge concerning the pre-existent state of the
spirits of mankind, the children of Adam are natural heirs to the
calamities of mortality; but through Christ's atonement they are all
redeemed from the curses of this fallen state; the debt, which comes
to them as a legacy, is paid for them, and thus are they left free.
Children who die free of sin are entirely innocent in the eyes of God,
even though they be the offspring of transgressors. We read in the
Book of Mormon:--"Little children cannot repent; wherefore it is awful
wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all
alive in him because of his mercy.... For behold that all little
children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the
law. For the power of redemption cometh on all that have no law."[253]
[253] Moroni viii, 19-22.
=23.= The prophet Mormon writing to his son Moroni expressed in the
following manner his conviction of children's innocence:--"Listen to
the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I
came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance: the whole need no physician, but they that are sick;
wherefore little children are whole, for they are not capable of
committing sin; wherefore, the curse of Adam is taken from them in me,
that it hath no power over them.... Behold I say unto you, That this
thing shall ye teach, repentance and baptism unto those who are
accountable and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that
they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their
little children, and they shall all be saved with their little
children. And their little children need no repentance, neither
baptism. Behold, baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the
commandments unto the remission of sins. But little children are alive
in Christ even from the foundation of the world."[254]
[254] Moroni viii, 8-12.
=24.= And in a revelation through the prophet Joseph Smith in this
dispensation, the Lord has said:--"But behold I say unto you, that
little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through
mine Only Begotten; wherefore they cannot sin, for power is not given
unto Satan to tempt little children until they begin to become
accountable before me."[255] President John Taylor, after citing
instances of Christ's affection for little children, and proofs of the
innocent condition in which they are regarded in heaven,
says:--"Without Adam's transgression, those children could not have
existed; through the atonement they are placed in a state of salvation
without any act of their own. These would embrace, according to the
opinion of statisticians, more than one half of the human family, who
can attribute their salvation only to the mediation and atonement of
the Savior."[256]
[255] Doc. and Cov. xxix, 46-47.
[256] Mediation and Atonement, page 148. See Note 3.
=25. The Special or Individual Effect of the Atonement= makes it
possible for any and every soul to obtain absolution from the dread
effect of personal sins, through the mediation of Christ; but such
saving intercession is to be invoked by individual effort as
manifested through faith, repentance, and continued works of
righteousness. The laws under which individual salvation is obtainable
have been prescribed by Christ, whose right it is to say how the
blessings of His own sacrifice shall be administered. All men are in
need of the Savior's mediation, for all are transgressors. So taught
the apostles of old:--"For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God."[257] And again:--"If we say that we have no sin we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."[258] Now, that the
blessing of redemption from individual sins, while free for all to
attain, is nevertheless conditioned on individual effort, is as
plainly declared as is the truth of unconditional redemption from the
effects of the Fall. There is a judgment ordained for all, and all
will be judged "according to their works." The free agency of man
enables him to choose or reject, to follow the path of life, or the
road that leads to destruction; it is but just that he be held to
answer for the exercise of his freedom, and that he meet the results
of his acts.
[257] Rom. iii, 23.
[258] I John i, 8.
=26.= Hence the justice of the scriptural doctrine that salvation
comes to the individual only through obedience. "He became the author
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him"[259] said Paul of
the Christ. And further:--God "will render to every man according to
his deeds: To them who, by patient continuance in well doing, seek for
glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are
contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man
that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory,
honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first,
and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with
God."[260] To these may be added the words of the risen Lord, "He that
believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; and he that believeth not,
shall be damned."[261]
[259] Heb. v, 9.
[260] Rom. ii, 6-11.
[261] Mark xvi, 16.
=27.= Consider further the prophecy of King Benjamin proclaimed to the
Nephite multitude:--Christ's blood "atoneth for the sins of those who
have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died, not knowing
the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned. But
wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God; for
salvation cometh to none such, except it be through repentance and
faith on the Lord Jesus Christ."[262] But why multiply scriptural
citations when the whole tenor of sacred writ supports the doctrine?
Without Christ no man can be saved, and the salvation provided at the
cost of Christ's sufferings and bodily death is offered upon certain
clearly defined conditions only; and these are summarized under
"obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel."
[262] Mosiah iii, 11-12.
=28. Salvation and Exaltation.=--Some degree of salvation will come to
all who have not forfeited their right to it; exaltation is given to
those only who by active labors have won a claim to God's merciful
liberality by which it is bestowed. Of the saved, not all will be
exalted to the higher glories; rewards will not be bestowed in
violation of justice; punishments will not be meted out to the
ignoring of mercy's claims. No one can be admitted to any order of
glory, in short, no soul can be saved until justice has been satisfied
for violated law. Our belief in the universal application of the
atonement implies no supposition that all mankind will be saved with
like endowments of glory and power. In the kingdom of God there are
numerous degrees or gradations provided for those who are worthy of
them; in the house of our Father there are many mansions, into which
only those who are prepared are admitted. The old sectarian idea, that
in the hereafter there will be but two places for the souls of
mankind,--heaven and hell, with the same glory in all parts of the
one, and the same terrors throughout the other,--is wholly untenable
in the light of divine revelation. Through the direct word of the Lord
we learn of varied degrees of glory.
=29. Degrees of Glory.=--The revelations of God have defined the
following principal kingdoms or degrees of glory, as prepared through
Christ for the children of men:
I. _The Celestial Glory._[263]--There are some who have striven to
obey all the Divine commandments, who have accepted the testimony of
Christ, and received the Holy Spirit; these are they who have overcome
evil by godly works, and who are therefore entitled to the highest
glory; these belong to the Church of the First Born, unto whom the
Father has given all things; they are made Kings and Priests of the
Most High, after the order of Melchisedek; they possess celestial
bodies, "whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the
highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as
being typical;" they indeed are admitted to the celestial company,
being crowned with the celestial glory, which makes them Gods.
[263] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 50-70.
II. _The Terrestrial Glory._[264]--We read of those who receive glory
of a secondary order, differing from the highest as "the moon differs
from the sun in the firmament;" these are they who, though honorable,
were still in darkness, blinded by the craftiness of men, and unable
to receive and obey the higher laws of God, they proved "not valiant
in the testimony of Jesus," and therefore are not entitled to the
fulness of glory.
[264] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 71-80.
III. _The Telestial Glory._--We learn of a still lower kind of glory,
differing from the higher orders as the stars differ from the brighter
orbs of the firmament; this is given to those who received not the
testimony of Christ, but who still did not deny the Holy Spirit; who
have led lives exempting them from the heaviest punishment, yet whose
redemption will be delayed till the last resurrection. In the
telestial world there are innumerable degrees of glory, comparable to
the varying lustre of the stars.[265] Yet all who receive of any one
of these orders of glory are at last saved, and upon them Satan will
finally have no claim. Even the telestial glory, as we are told by
those who have been permitted to gaze upon it, "surpasses all
understanding; and no man knows it except him to whom God has revealed
it."[266] Then there are those who have lost all claim upon the
immediate mercy of God; whose deeds have numbered them with Perdition
and his angels.[267]
[265] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 81-86.
[266] The same, paragraphs 89-90.
[267] See page 62; also pages 416-422.