Posted on 03/01/2010 5:56:02 PM PST by greyfoxx39
Atonement of Jesus Christ
by Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the foreordained but voluntary act of the Only Begotten Son of God. He offered his life, including his innocent body, blood, and spiritual anguish as a redeeming ransom (1) for the effect of the Fall of Adam upon all mankind and (2) for the personal sins of all who repent, from Adam to the end of the world. Latter-day Saints believe this is the central fact, the crucial foundation, the chief doctrine, and the greatest expression of divine love in the Plan of Salvation. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that all "things which pertain to our religion are only appendages" to the Atonement of Christ (TPJS, p. 121).
The literal meaning of the word "Atonement" is self-evident: at-one-ment, the act of unifying or bringing together what has been separated and estranged. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was indispensable because of the separating transgression, or fall, of Adam, which brought death into the world when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9; 3:1-24). Latter-day Saints readily acknowledge both the physical and the spiritual death that Adam and Eve brought upon themselves and all of their posterity, physical death bringing the temporary separation of the spirit from the body, and spiritual death bringing the estrangement of both the spirit and the body from God. But they also believe that the Fall was part of a divine, foreordained plan without which mortal children would not have been born to Adam and Eve. Had not these first parents freely chosen to leave the Garden of Eden via their transgression, there would have been on this earth no human family to experience opposition and growth, moral agency and choice, and the joy of resurrection, redemption, and eternal life (2 Ne. 2:23; Moses 5:11).
The need for a future Atonement was explained in a premortal Council in Heaven at which the spirits of the entire human family were in attendance and over which God the Father presided. The two principal associates of God in that council were the premortal Jesus (also known as Jehovah; see Jesus Christ, Jehovah) and the premortal Adam (also known as Michael). It was in this premortal setting that Christ voluntarily entered into a covenant with the Father, agreeing to enhance the moral agency of humankind even as he atoned for their sins, and he returned to the Father all honor and glory for such selflessness. This preordained role of Christ as mediator explains why the book of Revelation describes Christ as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8) and why Old Testament prophets, priests, and kings, including Moses (Deut. 18:15, 17-19), Job (19:25-27), the Psalmist (Ps. 2, 22), Zechariah (9:9; 12:10; 13:6), Isaiah (7:14; 9:6-7; 53), and Micah (5:2), could speak of the Messiah and his divine role many centuries before his physical birth. A Book of Mormon prophet wrote, "I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ" (Jacob 4:4; 7:11). To the brother of Jared who lived some two thousand years before the Redeemer's birth, the premortal Christ declared, "Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people" (Ether 3:14). Such scriptural foreshadowings are reflected in the conversation Christ had with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus: "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; cf. also 24:44).
For Latter-day Saints, it is crucially important to see the agreed-upon and understood fall of man only in the context of the equally agreed-upon and understood redemption of man—redemption provided through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Thus, one of the most important and oft-quoted lines of Latter-day Saint scripture says, "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" (2 Ne. 2:25-26).
LDS scripture teaches that the mission of Christ as Redeemer and the commandment to offer animal sacrifice as an anticipatory reminder and symbol of that divine Atonement to come were first taught to Adam and Eve soon after they had been expelled from the Garden of Eden (Moses 5:4-8). The Atonement of Christ was taught to the parents of the family of man with the intent that they and their posterity would observe the sacrificial ordinances down through their generations, remembering as they did so the mission and mercy of Christ who was to come. Latter-day Saints emphatically teach that the extent of this Atonement is universal, opening the way for the redemption of all mankind—non-Christians as well as Christians, the godless as well as the god-fearing, the untaught infant as well as the fully converted and knowledgeable adult. "It is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice," said Amulek in the Book of Mormon, "an infinite and eternal sacrifice…. There can be nothing which is short of an infinite Atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world" (Alma 34:10, 12).
This infinite Atonement of Christ—and of Christ only—was possible because (1) he was the only sinless man ever to live on this earth and therefore was not subject to the spiritual death that comes as a result of sin; (2) he was the Only Begotten of the Father and therefore possessed the attributes of Godhood, which gave him power over physical death (see 2 Ne. 9:5-9; Alma 34:9-12); and (3) he was the only one sufficiently humble and willing in the premortal council to be foreordained there to that service (JC, pp. 21-62).
The universal, infinite, and unconditional aspects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ are several. They include his ransom for Adam's original transgression so that no member of the human family is held responsible for that sin (A of F 2; see Original Sin). Another universal gift is the resurrection from the dead of every man, woman, and child who lives, has ever lived, or ever will live, on the earth. Thus, the Atonement is not only universal in the sense that it saves the entire human family from physical death, but it is also infinite in the sense that its impact and efficacy in making redemption possible for all reach back in one direction to the beginning of time and forward in the other direction throughout all eternity. In short, the Atonement has universal, infinite, and unconditional consequences for all mankind throughout the duration of all eternity.
Emphasizing these unconditional gifts arising out of Christ's atoning sacrifice, Latter-day Saints believe that other aspects of Christ's gift are conditional upon obedience and diligence in keeping God's commandments. For example, while members of the human family are freely and universally given a reprieve from Adam's sin through no effort or action of their own, they are not freely and universally given a reprieve of their own sins unless they pledge faith in Christ, repent of those sins, are baptized in his name, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and confirmation into Christ's church, and press forward with a brightness of hope and faithful endurance for the remainder of life's journey. Of this personal challenge, Christ said, "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" (D&C 19:16-18).
Furthermore, although the breaking of the bonds of mortal death by the resurrection of the body is a free and universal gift from Christ, a product of his victory over death and the grave, the kind or nature of the body (or "degree of glory" of the body), as well as the time of one's resurrection, is affected very directly by the extent of one's faithfulness in this life (see Degrees of Glory). The apostle Paul made clear, for example, that those most fully committed to Christ will "rise first" in the resurrection (1 Thes. 4:16). Paul also speaks of different orders of resurrected bodies (1 Cor. 15:40). The bodies of the highest orders or degrees of glory in the resurrection are promised to those who faithfully adhere to the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ; they will not only enjoy immortality (a universal gift to everyone) but also eternal lives in the Celestial Kingdom of glory (D&C 88:4; 132:24; see also Resurrection).
Latter-day Saints stress that neither the unconditional nor the conditional blessings of the Atonement would be available to mankind except through the grace and goodness of Christ. Obviously the unconditional blessings of the Atonement are unearned, but the conditional ones are also not fully merited. By living faithfully and keeping the commandments of God, one can receive additional privileges; but they are still given freely, not fully earned. They are always and ever a product of God's grace. Latter-day Saint scripture is emphatic in its declaration that "there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Ne. 2:8).
The Church is also emphatic about the salvation of little children, the mentally impaired, those who lived without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and so forth: these are redeemed by the universal power of the Atonement of Christ and will have the opportunity to receive the fulness of the gospel in the spirit world (see Salvation for the Dead).
To meet the demands of the Atonement, the sinless Christ went first into the Garden of Gethsemane, there to bear the spiritual agony of soul only he could bear. He "began to be sorrowful and very heavy," saying to his three chief disciples, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, unto death" (Mark 14:34). Leaving them to keep watch, he went further into the garden, where he would suffer "the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam" (2 Ne. 9:21). There he "struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible" (JC, p. 613).
Christ's Atonement satisfied the demands of justice and thereby ransomed and redeemed the souls of all men, women, and children "that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities" (Alma 7:12). Thus, Latter-day Saints teach that Christ "descended below all things"—including every kind of sickness, infirmity, and dark despair experienced by every mortal being—in order that he might "comprehend all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth" (D&C 88:6). This spiritual anguish of plumbing the depths of human suffering and sorrow was experienced primarily in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was there that he was "in an agony" and "prayed more earnestly." It was there that his sweat was "as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44) for he bled "at every pore" (D&C 19:18). It was there that he began the final March to Calvary.
The majesty and triumph of the Atonement reached its zenith when, after unspeakable abuse at the hands of the Roman soldiers and others, Christ appealed from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness was the key to the meaning of all the suffering he had come to endure.
Such an utterly lonely and excruciating mission is piercingly expressed in that near-final and most agonizing cry of all, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46). In the depths of that anguish, even nature itself convulsed, "and there was a darkness over all the earth…. The sun was darkened…. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent" (Luke 23:43-45; Matt. 27:51-52). Finally, even the seemingly unbearable had been borne and Jesus said, "It is finished" (John 19:30), and then, saying "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," he "gave up the ghost" (Luke 23:46). Latter-day Saints believe that every tongue will someday, somewhere confess as did a Roman centurion at the crucifixion, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54).
"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…. He becomes the author of eternal life and exaltation. He is the Redeemer, the Resurrector, the Savior of man and the world" (Taylor, p. 171). Furthermore, his Atonement extends to all life—beasts, fish, fowl, and the earth itself.
To the thoughtful woman and man, it is "a matter of surpassing wonder" (AF, p. 77) that the voluntary and merciful sacrifice of a single being could satisfy the infinite and eternal demands of justice, atone for every human transgression and misdeed, and thereby sweep all mankind into the encompassing arms of his merciful embrace. A President and prophet of the LDS Church writing on this subject said:
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…in the blessings of His Atonement [Taylor, pp. 148-49].
Latter-day Saints sing a favorite hymn, written by Charles H. Gabriel, that expresses their deepest feelings regarding this greatest of all gifts:
I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, He bled and died.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me! [Hymns, p. 193].
Bibliography
McConkie, Bruce R. The Promised Messiah. Salt Lake City, 1978.
Nibley, Hugh W. "The Atonement of Jesus Christ," Ensign 20 (July 1990):18-23; (Aug. 1990):30-34; (Sept. 1990):22-26; (Oct. 1990):26-31.
Taylor, John. The Mediation and Atonement. Salt Lake City, 1882.
It seems that you are disagreeing with me over the meaning of the word Atonement.
Ya think??
| ATONEMENT
|
LDS - The sacrifice of Christ that made resurrection possible along with the possibility of our earning forgiveness of sins. | Bible - The substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. He died for our sins (1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2). |
Go to http://scriptures.lds.org/bd/contents for a list of Mormon words and definitions produced by the LDS church.
Where, in LDS teachings, does 8 come from?
I think that MOSES would beg to differ with you!
MORMONism does that to folks.A short attention span is needed so that conflicting LDS ideas do NOT clash in the mind of the believer.
Just LOOK at what has happened to RESTORNU!
Who cares?
I've been waiting for ANY of them to merely explain what JS 'learned' to be UNTRUE about PRESBYTERIANism!
And THAT was supposedly BEFORE any Golden Plates showed up!
placemark
That said, my main point remains: Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of the world, beginning in Gethsemane and ending on the cross, where he died as a sacrifice for sins. In do doing, Jesus made possible a reconciliation between God and mankind.
I call that reconciliation the Atonement. I believe this usage accords with the literal meaning of the English word (at-one-ment).
If your religious tradition prefers a different usage of the word, that is fine. At least you know what I mean when I say "Atonement."
Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of the world, beginning in Gethsemane
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No He didnt...
He suffered and shed His Blood and died on the Cross for the sins of the world...
The Cross...always its the Cross that makes the difderrence...
The Blood that He shed on the Cross ..always itsd that Blood...
Jesus was the Sacrificial Lamb at Passover that year...
He died right at the time the High Priest would have slain the lamb in the Temple...
You don't need to. The english KJV more than adequately presents it. Haven't got the resources go to this url
That said, my main point remains: Jesus Christ suffered for the sins of the world, beginning in Gethsemane and ending on the cross, where he died as a sacrifice for sins.
You need to study the NT a little closer too. You will note a distinct change when Jesus finished praying, just before the guards came. Jesus was fully in control of the situation. His agony in prayer was over - a break. But until you do a little prerequsit OT studies - you will always fail to see that the garden is not part of Jewish concept of atonement.
In do doing, Jesus made possible a reconciliation between God and mankind. I call that reconciliation the Atonement.
Incorrect aspect. I'll post Vine's regarding atonement in a minute. It made possible the FULL and COMPLETE reconciliation
I call that reconciliation the Atonement. I believe this usage accords with the literal meaning of the English word (at-one-ment).
If you research that word further you will see that it is a made-up word, originating in the 1700's iirc. The Greek word "katallagē" is more correctly translated as "reconciliation". Vines explains it better
Atonement:
translated "atonement" in the AV of Rom 5:11, signifies, not "atonement," but "reconciliation," as in the RV. See also Rom 11:15; 2Cr 5:18, 19. So with the corresponding verb katallasso, See under RECONCILE. "Atonement" (the explanation of this English word as being "at-one-ment" is entirely fanciful) is frequently found in the OT. See, for instance, Leviticus, chapters 16 and 17. The corresponding NT words are hilasmos, "propitiation," 1Jo 2:2; 4:10, and hilasterion, Rom 3:25; Hbr 9:5, "mercy-seat," the covering of the ark of the covenant. These describe the means (in and through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His death on the Cross by the shedding of His blood in His vicarious sacrifice for sin) by which God shows mercy to sinners. (Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words)
Note the last part accomplished by His death alone - same concept in OT. The expiation of sin was not based on the substitute's perspiration, it was based on the fact that the substitute died. Christ's atonement for the sins of man was accomplished in his death, not his short time spent in the garden.
If your religious tradition prefers a different usage of the word, that is fine. At least you know what I mean when I say "Atonement."
I know, but what has been left unsaid is that this atonement only works to provide a general resurrection in lds realm. Within Christianity it is the whole magilla, with ALL our sins (past,present and future) taken away and we gain full and complete access to Heavenly Father on the basis of that specific act of Grace - God taking man's punishment - and offering that gift of salvation unconditionally to as many as would receive it - a complete and final act needing no additional works to be worthy of it.
So when you say "atonement", you are applying a significantly different definition than Christianity applies. I could say it is like putting lipstick on a pig, but that would be too harsh. What you have to realize is that the definitions of these common "Christianese" sayings mormonism and Christianity use are often worlds appart in the definition placed on them by both.
Careful Elsie,
While for sure it does not say that you can become gods over your own planet, using your reference to prove it is a HATEFUL thing to say is problematic. God himself says the same phrase you describe as hateful in Gen 3:22-23.
“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:”
But I would guess you already know that, so what was your purpose?
And, tell me, how can someone be judged without the law??? That makes no sense at all. By what would they be judged if there is no standard of law?
No wonder this is called a cult.
Maybe while you are COUNTING the words, you could read them, too? Just a suggestion. :o)
Already made to him, he found another excuse not to read it.
Now you are just being goofy.
Hey...y'all post all you want I am reading every word. :o)
And...how convenient to stubbornly refuse to read posts in direct response to YOUR own posts when you know they scripturally dispute the doctrines of your cult. Do you cover your eyes when you count the words, too, so you don’t accidentially read them?
Mormons are going to hell and want everyone to go to hell with them....
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That is not the message at all.
The message is that the LDS are sinners just like everyone else and they can go to heaven, but only by recognizing that is is not by anything they do (temple rites, baptism, ‘good works’, church membership) but rather through what Christ already DID on the CROSS (where He took upon the sins of the world).
The message of the Gospel of grace is the same for LDS as it is for everyone else.
The point of the ministering angel shows that the ATONEMENT did not take place in the Garden.
God sent comfort to Jesus as He was preparing for the torture and crucifixion. If it was here where He took upon the sins of the world (thus becoming sin) He could not be in the presence of God or His angels (God cannot abide sin).
But on the Cross, Christ was forsaken by God, when the sins of mankind came upon Him and He became our sin offering, God’s presence departed from Him. There was no ministering angels. Christ died alone as payment for our sins.
And this is not ‘minutia’. It DOES matter where Christ atoned. If it was in the Garden with an angel then that is ‘cheating’ and God doesn’t cheat. The Cross is central and to move the atonement from it takes away it’s primacy and denigrates the sacrifice of Christ. It is blasphemy.
Also the Bible consistently points forward TO the Cross and back TO the Cross. Christ does not say ‘take up your garden and follow me’.
We may disagree on this one as well as Heb. 1:2 where it states that He created “Worlds”
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Well we may disagree as to the point of those ‘worlds’, but I have no problem with God creating worlds. Look at the number of planets in this universe alone.
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