Consequences of the Saviors Atonement

Volume Two—Chapter Two CONSEQUENCES OF THE SAVIOR’S ATONEMENT

#Introduction

In a previous chapter, we discussed the “essence” of the Savior’s atonement.1 Specifically, we considered just what happened during those excruciating hours in Gethsemane and at Golgotha and how his awful suffering resulted in his becoming the Savior of all mankind. In this chapter we will consider other important aspects and implications of the Savior’s atonement.

The atonement of Jesus Christ is certainly one of our most vital and precious doctrines. It is also complex. It is not my intent to provide here a comprehensive discussion on the doctrine of the atonement. Other authors have already done that and have done it well. I particularly admire Elder Tad R. Callister’s book, The Infinite Atonement.2 In this chapter I will provide the reader with an overview of the topic and then emphasize a certain few vital aspects of this pivotal and exciting doctrine.

#The Gift of Divine Motivation

Let me begin by asking a question about the atonement of Jesus Christ. Do you suppose your salvation (exaltation) depends, in any way, upon your actually coming to understand the Lord’s atonement?

In teaching his son Jacob about the redemption, to be wrought one day by the Savior, the prophet Lehi said, “How great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth” (2 Nephi 2:8). King Benjamin later taught:

I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind (Mosiah 4:6-7).

Though the doctrine of the atonement is not a simple one, these scriptural passages emphasize the importance of coming to a knowledge and an understanding of it. But why is that so important? After all, will not the Savior’s atonement operate in our lives even if we fail to comprehend its details? Certainly the Lord is merciful. He will not require each of us to possess a detailed and sophisticated understanding of the atonement. Yet, there is an entirely practical reason why it will be most difficult to gain our exaltation without exerting real effort in studying and prayerfully pondering Jesus’s atoning sacrifice. What is this reason?

Apparently it will be difficult, if not impossible, to endure in obedience without acquiring a most essential gift of the Spirit. For the moment, let us call this gift the “gift of divine motivation.” This gift, once received, motivates us to consistently obey the Lord’s commandments. Without this motivation, we are unlikely to progress to godhood. We can get by, for a time, on pure “deliberate faith.” We can, temporarily, simply will ourselves to obey. But eventually we will wear out. We will gradually and surely, over time, become beaten down and discouraged. To ensure our consistent obedience and endurance to the end, we must become endowed with this special gift.

I will describe this gift and then ask you to name it. Its name is familiar to you. The earthly law, “irrevocably decreed in heaven” (D&C 130:20-21), upon which this specific gift is predicated is clear. We must involve ourselves in a careful, prayerful, and thoughtful study and pondering of the Savior and his atonement. We must contemplate our sinful and hopeless eternal plight had he not intervened. We must ponder the unimaginable suffering he willingly endured only because he loves us so. When we have done this to the Spirit’s satisfaction, we will begin to receive this personallyrevealed gift. Our hearts and minds will be changed. We will increasingly possess a deeply-felt gratitude and appreciation for the Savior and his atoning sacrifice. Our heart will break as we contemplate his awful ordeal. We will be increasingly motivated to obey his commandments and eventually become completely submissive and willing to do anything he asks. He cannot ask too much of us.

What is this gift? It is the gift of a “broken heart and contrite spirit” (D&C 20:37; 59:8). And what is its purpose? How does it function in our lives? When we possess it, we are motivated by a profound appreciation of and gratitude to the Savior. We are overwhelmed by what he has done for us. This appreciation and gratitude motivates us to seek after Christ and obey his commands. The resulting feelings of profound indebtedness make it possible for us to endure in obedience. We can carry on endlessly, enduring every discouragement, to the point of our exaltation. Without this gift it is unlikely we will manifest the persistence and endurance necessary to reach our exaltation. Is it not clear, then, why it is so important for us to study and ponder the atonement of Jesus Christ?

Father Lehi also taught, “Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered” (2 Nephi 2:7). Initially, as we strive to obey, it is important to manifest our “deliberate faith” or our “deliberate broken heart and contrite spirit.” The result of deliberate, consistent obedience to the Lord’s commandments and our deliberate studying and pondering his atoning sacrifice is the gift of a “revealed broken heart and contrite spirit.” The Lord rescues us with this gift. He knows we will eventually wear down if our deliberate faith doesn’t eventually result in revealed faith. He is mercifully willing to allow us to enhance our motivation. With this gift, we come to a full knowledge of our hopeless plight without him. We become constantly aware of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe him. These deeply-held feelings motivate us to obey and serve him forevermore!

So, let us continue our deliberate, diligent, and prayerful study and pondering of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice.

#Modern-Day Revelation is Necessary

We should not assume that what we understand about the atonement of Christ is the same as what is taught by the so-called “orthodox” Christian churches today. It is not. They do not have the Book of Mormon or other modern revelation. Without these additional scriptures, it is quite impossible for them to understand some important aspects of the Lord’s atonement. What do we understand that they do not? Let us continue.

#Learning of the Atonement

Coming to understand an important and complex spiritual concept like the atonement is, as you might expect, something that requires real effort. It demands a careful, thoughtful approach. A study of the atonement is not something we can afford to approach casually. This vital doctrine must be attacked in an orderly and intelligent way.

In a previous chapter, I introduced the concept of “milk” and “meat” levels of understanding our doctrines (D&C 19:21-22).3 The “milk” level consists of the fundamentals, the “nuts and bolts”—the “whats” of the doctrine. The “meat” level consists of the “whys” and “hows.”

This chapter is largely about the simpler “milk” level or fundamentals of the atonement. These must be learned well and firmly fixed in our minds. Real effort must be applied. Repeated review and even memorization may be required. These fundamentals become a “sticky” platform and make possible a lifetime of productive future learning.

We have previously considered other topics that form an underpinning or foundation for our consideration of the atonement. As we set out to learn more about the atonement, we must bring these fundamentals to the table. These fundamentals include the law of justice,4 the situation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the dual nature of the fall,5 agency and freedom,6 and justification and sanctification.7

#All Have Sinned

I remind the reader of one of the great ironies of our universe. As was made plain by the apostle Paul, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Each of us is unworthy to return to the Father’s presence, as no “unclean thing” is allowed there (Nephi 15:34; Alma 11:37). Actually, none of us is worthy to enter any kingdom of glory. This problem is ironic and poignant, since the very purpose of God is to bring the worthy among his children back to him to live with him forever (Moses 1:39). The only possible way for any man to return to him is for an exception to be made for him by the law of justice. All exceptions must be made

through the mercy and grace of the Savior—by virtue of his atoning sacrifice.

#Consequences of the Savior’s Atonement

What are the consequences of Christ’s atonement for Adam, Eve, and for all of us? The Savior’s atonement has both unconditional and conditional consequences. The unconditional consequences will automatically occur. The conditional consequences will devolve upon men only as they measure up to certain requirements.

Unconditional consequences of the atonement. Man is automatically the beneficiary of the unconditional benefits of the atonement. No effort on his part is required. By these unconditional benefits, the two adverse effects of the fall of Adam are completely overcome9: Because of their transgression in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were cast out of the presence of God (they suffered spiritual death—the “first death”), and they became mortal and would suffer physical death. Both of these adverse consequences of Adam’s fall have devolved upon all mankind. The atonement of Jesus Christ has unconditionally and completely overcome both the first spiritual death and physical death for Adam and Eve and for all humankind. Hence, all men will be resurrected, and all men will return to the presence of God.

Mankind’s receiving a full knowledge of good and evil and the ability to procreate, which also resulted from the fall of Adam, are not adverse effects and thus are not reversed by the Savior’s atonement.

But, wait just a moment! Is it really true that all will return to the presence of God because of Christ’s atonement? Wouldn’t our own inevitable sins and the consequent fall of each of us prevent that? Let us review. Adam’s transgression resulted in both a physical death and a spiritual death. Since the Savior’s atonement automatically and unconditionally overcame these two adverse effects of Adam’s transgression, all will be resurrected. This is the result of the unconditional effect of the atonement on physical death. But what is the result of the automatic overcoming of the spiritual death due to Adam’s transgression? The result is that all men will be restored to the presence of God, at least temporarily, for the purpose of being judged (see Helaman 14:16; D&C 29:41). Robert Matthews explained:

There is a prevailing idea that although the resurrection is free, only those who repent and obey the gospel will ever return to the presence of God. Those who adhere to this idea, however, seem to have missed a very essential point and fundamental concept of the atonement, and that is that Jesus Christ has redeemed all mankind from all the consequences of the fall of Adam.

The scriptures teach that every person, saint or sinner, will return to the presence of God after the resurrection. It may be only a temporary reunion in his presence, but justice requires that all that was lost in Adam be restored in Jesus Christ. Every person will return to God’s presence, behold his face, and be judged for his own works. Then, those who have obeyed the gospel will be able to stay in his presence, while all others will have to be shut out of his presence a second time and will thus die what is called a second spiritual death (A Bible! A Bible!, 262).

Thus, we may conclude that all men are saved from physical death and from the first spiritual death.

Conditional consequences of the atonement. The conditional benefits of the atonement allow for the overcoming of the effect of the fall of each individual person— the “second,” permanent, spiritual death—but only on condition of that person’s developing faith in the Savior, accepting his atonement, repenting of sins, and obeying the laws of his gospel.

#The Infinite Nature of Christ’s Atonement

The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob taught of the Savior’s atonement:

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 (2 Nephi 9:7, italics mine).

In this verse, the words corruption and incorruption are used to contrast the nature of mortal things (corruption) and spiritual things (incorruption). In most instances in the scripture, “corruption” refers to the mortal body which is subject to death and dissolution. “Incorruption” refers to the immortal body, which is resurrected, spiritual, and will abide forever (2 Nephi 9:7; Mosiah 16:10; Alma 5:15; 11:45; 12:18; 40:2; 41:4; Mormon 6:21). The “first judgment” was: “Thou shalt surely die!” (Genesis 2:17). Further, the first judgment included the spiritual death that was the decreed consequence of Adam and Eve’s transgression in the Garden of Eden. If these had not been overcome by the atonement, we would live forever in our spirit bodies separate from God and subject to the will of Satan. If there had been no infinite atonement, there would be no resurrection of the body and no reversal of the first death (the spiritual death due to Adam’s transgression). What is an “infinite atonement” (or “infinite sacrifice”—Alma 34:10)? Actually the Savior’s atonement is infinite in a number of ways:

1. Whom it covers. The effects of the atonement extend to all of the worlds Christ has created and to all intelligences therein (Moses 1:33; 7:30; see also McConkie’s Mormon Doctrine, 65; Marion G. Romney, “Jesus Christ, Lord of the Universe,” 46). Elder McConkie observed:

Just as the creative and redemptive powers of Christ extend to the earth and all things thereon, as also to the infinite expanse of worlds in immensity, so the power of the resurrection is universal in scope. Man, the earth, and all life thereon will come forth in the resurrection. And the resurrection applies to, and is going on in, other worlds and other galaxies (Mormon Doctrine, 642).

Is the atonement applicable to forms of life other than man? What about the animals, plants, and all lower forms of life? And what about the earth itself with all the “inanimate” materials that constitute the earth? All these are simply embodied intelligences. Are not all intelligences subject to the fall of Adam? They are indeed! All experience physical death and the “first spiritual death”—each is temporarily estranged from God’s presence. In addition, all maintain their agency and are subject to law (D&C 88:36-38). Mortality offers all intelligences the opportunity to test themselves against opposition. All are capable of sin and thus capable of falling on their own. Thus, all are subject to the “second spiritual death.” It is obvious that all intelligences in God’s universe—human and non human, “animate” and “inanimate”—are desperately in need of redemption. All are utterly dependent on the Savior’s atonement.

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith spoke directly to this point:

It is a very inconsistent notion which is held by some, that the resurrection will only come to human souls, that the animals and plants have no spirits and therefore are not redeemed by the sacrifice of the Son of God, and hence they are not entitled to the resurrection (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:7).

The Lord promised that “all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new . . . both men and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea” (D&C 29:24). The “old things” are the sinful intelligences. They become “new” as they are redeemed by the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. President Brigham Young wrote:

Christ is the author of this Gospel, of this earth, of men and women, of all the posterity of Adam and Eve, and of every living creature that lives upon the face of the earth, that flies in the heavens, that swims in the waters, or dwells in the field. Christ is the author of salvation to all this creation; to all things pertaining to this terrestrial globe we occupy. . . . he has redeemed the earth; he has redeemed mankind and every living thing that moves upon it (JD, 3:80-81).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie, in discussing the heresy of believing that man was the end product of evolution, said: “When those who espouse this view talk of a fall and an atonement, they falsely assume such applies only to man rather than to the earth and all forms of life, as the scriptures attest” (“Seven Deadly Heresies,” 7-8). Elder Talmage shared similar feelings: “We learn from scripture that Adam’s transgression brought about a fallen condition, not of mankind alone, but likewise of the earth itself. In this and in numerous other epochal events . . . nature is seen to be in intimate relation with man” (Articles of Faith, 464).

Joseph Fielding Smith spoke of the death of the earth and its subsequent quickening or resurrection made possible only by the atonement: “The earth, as a living body, will have to die and be resurrected, for it, too, has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ” (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:74).

The inanimate earth is experiencing a life cycle analogous with that of man. It was created or “born” spiritually when the intelligences that inhabit the inanimate materials of the earth were embodied with bodies of spirit matter. It experienced a mortal creation or birth when the spirit earth was embodied with mortal matter. The earth experienced its baptism by the Flood at the time of Noah. Perhaps its “baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost” will occur at the Lord’s second coming, and at that time all of the telestial elements will be purged from the earth. Finally, at the end of the thousand years, the earth will die, shed all its terrestrial elements, and be resurrected with a celestial eternal body. It will return back to the presence of God and become the abode of all celestial beings. The prophet Joseph explained: “The earth shall be rolled back in pristine purity, into its primeval orbit, and the inhabitants thereof dwell upon it in perfect peace and righteousness” (Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, 333).

Thus, we may conclude that animals, fish, fowl, trees, and even the “inanimate” earth itself are heirs of the plan of redemption. So all-inclusive and so glorious are the atonement’s far-reaching powers that every form of life will “praise the name of the Lord” (Psalm 148:13; see also Revelation 5:7-9, 13), and “declare his name forever and ever!” (D&C 128:23; see also D&C 77:2-3).

2. What it covers. The atonement covers all sins except for the sin against the Holy Ghost. For all other sins, we can receive the blessings of the Lord’s atonement if we will but come to him and repent.

Once an individual is judged guilty of the unpardonable sin, there is no escape. The individual guilty of this sin partook freely of the blessings of the Savior’s atonement and then turned away and against. He became a deeply committed enemy and antagonist of the Lord and his purposes. On the way to this tragic judgment this individual refused to accept the blessings of repentance and even denied that the Lord and his atonement exist. Their tragic recalcitrance reminds one, in a way, of the friend of Galileo who refused to look through his telescope because he really did not want to see that which he had so firmly denied.

3. Its timelessness. The benefits of the atonement apply to all God’s earthly creations, past, present, and future. In the premortal council, the Savior covenanted with the Father to perform the atonement. John Taylor wrote, “A covenant was entered into between him and his Father, in which he agreed to atone for the sins of the world” (The Mediation and Atonement, 97), and hence he became known as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8; see also Moses 7:47). Even though he did not actually atone until his mortal ministry, his covenant, his pledge was considered good enough by those who enforce the demand of the law of justice. God “cannot break” a covenant (D&C 84:40).

What about our premortal experience even prior to Jesus’s entering into the covenant? Did the intelligences prior to their spirit birth and those spirits following spirit birth need the blessings of the atonement? Did the blessings of atonement apply even then? Did they apply even prior to the Lord’s commitment to become the Savior? All throughout the premortal experience there was agency, law, good, evil, and a need to repent. Hence the blessings of the atonement were vital then as well. No intelligence could receive gifts of the Spirit and grow spiritually outside of the influence of the Lord’s atonement.

Some confusion has resulted from D&C 93:38: “Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God.” The “beginning” here refers to the premortal existence. “Innocent” means not penalized by the law of justice—forgiven of sin.

Our quest to become like God began very long ago in the premortal world, even prior to our spirit birth. It began as soon as we were selected to become part of this round of our Father’s creation and became exposed to the laws of God. Then, we began to progress. When we obeyed, we qualified to receive increments of his divine attributes or gifts of the Spirit, given only by virtue of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. When we disobeyed, we did not progress. These same processes continued following our spirit birth.

During our premortal experience were we always considered to be innocent as D&C 93:38 suggests? When an unembodied intelligence or a spirit broke a commandment, were they unaccountable and immune from being penalized by the law of justice? Certainly not. We find much evidence of accountability for sin in the premortal world. One third of the Father’s children rebelled and were cast down to earth, never to receive mortal bodies. Were they accountable for their sins? Indeed they were! Were they considered innocent? No, they were not.

In what way and when, on his long road toward becoming like God, is each man considered to be innocent (free of any penalty of sin assessed by the law of justice)? And when is he not considered to be innocent? He is innocent beginning from the moment of his mortal birth, and he remains innocent until the age of accountability— eight years of age. Prior to that birthday, if he commits sin, he is not penalized by the law of justice. He is unaccountable. After his eighth year, he is accountable. Then when he commits sin, he is no longer innocent, but rather guilty of sin. A penalty is assessed by the law of justice.

All souls are technically not considered to be unaccountable and innocent during their premortal phase. However, practically speaking, every soul who is born into mortality will be born innocent—free of penalties levied by the law of justice. Hence, we may include the premortal period as a time when all who are bound for mortality are considered “innocent,” since they will all be forgiven of their sins at the moment of mortal birth. Certainly all born into mortality had committed sins during their premortal experience and were variable in their valor in the cause of righteousness. While all earth-bound premortal spirits are not actually innocent, practically and functionally they are.

Elder Orson Pratt, writing about the nature of sin in our premortal existence, said:

Among the two-thirds [of God’s spirit children] who remained, it is highly probable, that, there were many who were not valiant . . . but whose sins were of such a nature that they could be forgiven through faith in the future sufferings of the Only Begotten of the Father, and through their sincere repentance and reformation. We see no impropriety in Jesus offering himself as an acceptable offering and sacrifice before the Father to atone for the sins of his brethren, committed, not only in the second, but also in the first estate (“The Pre-existence of Man,” The Seer, April 1853, 54-56).

So we may conclude that the word “beginning” in D&C 93:38, quoted above, includes the premortal phase of all mortality-bound spirits and the first eight years of the mortal experience. For the sins committed in this period, they are considered innocent.

Let us consider further the concept of accountability. An individual may obey or disobey the law both prior to and after he reaches the age of accountability. In both stages (accountable or not), obedience to the law or transgression of the law (sin) has consequences. Obedience inevitably results in spiritual growth—the incremental acquisition by personal revelation of gifts of the Spirit or increments of the attributes of God. Disobedience, on the other hand, always results in a failure to grow, and habitual disobedience may even result in the loss of spiritual gifts previously received. These consequences of obedience and disobedience are independent of whether or not the individual has reached the age of accountability.

One may therefore ask, “Can an unaccountable individual commit sin?” The answer is yes, and he will suffer the consequences of sin just described, but he will not be held accountable for that sin. He will not be penalized by the law of justice.

What does it mean then to be held accountable for sin? The law of justice is very clear. It stipulates that when an accountable and informed individual commits sin, or violates a law of God, a penalty is assessed. An individual with a penalty is no longer worthy to enter the presence of God or, indeed, any degree of glory. If the individual is to one day return to the presence of God or live in any degree of glory, then the penalty must be removed—he must be “forgiven” of his sin. This forgiveness is conditional and dependent on his willingness to commit himself to Jesus Christ and his gospel and strive continually to obey the Lord commands. If he does so commit, then the Savior will appeal to the law of justice on his behalf, and the penalty demanded by the law of justice will be removed. We say he is forgiven of his sin. He will then be “again, in [his] infant state, innocent before God” (D&C 93:38). The Savior has earned this vital privilege by virtue of his atoning sacrifice in Gethsemane and on the cross.

And what happens when an unaccountable individual commits sin? He will not be kept out of the kingdom of heaven because of his sin. This occurs either because the law of justice does not penalize the unaccountable individual or the unaccountable individual is automatically and without condition forgiven his sin by virtue of the Savior’s atonement. Does this mean all individuals whose mortal sojourn ends prior to their reaching the age of accountability—all who suffer mortal death while still in a state of innocence—are automatically admitted to the celestial heaven? Not necessarily. The judgment which determines the degree of glory in which an individual will spend eternity is based on more than whether or not he has any outstanding penalties levied by the demands of justice. Actually all individuals who enter any kingdom of glory will ultimately confess Christ and the blessings of his atonement will be extended to them. They will all be forgiven of their sins. Which degree of glory they inherit is up to the Lord and his divine and infinite insight. Each will be placed where he will be eternally happy. The scriptures suggest that only a relative “few” will inherit celestial glory (Matthew 7:13- 14; 3 Nephi 27:33). Some of those considered to be unaccountable at the moment of their mortal death would be eternally uncomfortable and unhappy in a celestial environment. The Lord is able to judge each and every individual perfectly based on the individual’s heart (D&C 137:5-9). If they are of a celestial character and would thrive in and be eternally happy in that realm, they will be exalted. If they fit better in a lesser degree of glory, such will be their lot (D&C 88:22-24).

And, finally, what about the post-mortal realm and the post-mortal spirits? Of course the atonement is operative in that setting as well (see D&C 138:19, 58).

4. It was wrought by an infinite being. The Atoner was and is a divine, immortal, infinite being who made a perfectly sinless offering. He is a God who is infinite in knowledge, power, and glory. He had committed no sin and therefore was not subject to the fall of Adam. He was able to die, yet he was not inevitably subject to death. He had power over death, yet he laid down his life voluntarily.

5. It required near-infinite suffering by the Redeemer. Jesus came to know the sum total of the human plight, not just because he witnessed it, but because he embraced it. The Savior’s plunge into human suffering was not a toe-dipping experience. It was a total immersion. He did not experience some pains and not others. His life and atonement were a total confrontation with and internalization of every human experience, every human plight, and every human trial. He was required to directly encounter and accommodate the entire range of human affliction and suffering. No divine power would shield him from one iota of human pain and suffering: “And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth 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 Nephi 9:21).

Consequently, the Savior knows the hopelessness of loneliness and rejection, the despair of depression, the chagrin of weakness and inadequacy, the suffering of all infirmities. He knows intimately all sorrow, all mental, emotional, and physical agony. He knows the torment of bereavement, including the widow’s anguish and the child’s deprivation. He understands the awful parental suffering when children go astray. He experienced the agony of the most wretched of all sinners. He absorbed the cruelest tortures devised by man. There is no mortal condition, however awful or ugly that has escaped him.

The Lord reminded us of our inability to fully empathize with him as he counseled the prophet Joseph. He described his own sufferings to the Prophet: “How sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not” (D&C 19:15).10

It is also clear that no mortal could have withstood that which the Savior suffered and remained alive for the entire ordeal. Death would have come to other men as a welcome relief long before the intensity and duration of this infinite ordeal had reached its peak. Joseph Fielding Smith testified:

I do not care what his fortitude, what his power, there was no man ever born into this world that could have stood under the weight of the load that was upon the Son of God, when he was carrying my sins and yours. . . . [It] was beyond the power of mortal man either to accomplish or endure (Doctrines of Salvation 1:130-31).

The very name Gethsemane has possible symbolic significance. Geth or gat in Hebrew means “press,” shemen means “oil.” Olive oil is created when seasoned olives are placed on a stone in strong bags. Then they are crushed with a huge stone to press out the oil. Brother Truman Madsen has observed that, “the symbolism of the place is inescapable” (“Olive Press,” in Radiant Life, 58).

We say that the Savior has experienced the suffering of the vilest sinner. Do sinners suffer because of their sins? If a sinner espouses a sinful way of life, does he not come to equilibrium with sin and even take pleasure in it? No, he does not. Every law has both a blessing and a punishment affixed to it. Whenever the law is obeyed, a blessing is given that results in happiness (joy). Whenever the law is disobeyed, a punishment is given that results in unhappiness (misery) even here on earth. Thus, “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10) and it never will be (see 2 Nephi 2:13).

Samuel the Lamanite included the same thought in these words to the wicked Nephites: “Ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head” (Helaman 13:38). The sinner is miserable, and the ultimate sinner, Satan himself, is the most miserable of all. True happiness lies only in living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We must also include in the sinner’s burden the pain of the individual who has become committed to repent—the guilt, remorse, embarrassment, shame, and the pain of overcoming a well-entrenched natural self. In our futile attempts to explain the awesome depths of the Savior’s unspeakable experience, we return again to those simple but profound words of the scriptures, “He descended below all things” (D&C 88:6).

The Savior suffered all the adversities and vicissitudes that any individual on earth can ever suffer. It is these adversities that often lead to sin. In a world without adversity, without opposition, there would be no temptation or need to sin. Every adversity, in its way, is a temptation to sin. The Lord experienced all adversities including those that lead to sin and those that result from sin.

An important part of the human experience is to confront temptation. It comes to all. On occasion it roars like thunder. On others it whispers in soothing, comforting tones. With chameleon-like ability it camouflages its ever-present nature, but it is there, always there. Every temptation proves a crossroad where we must choose between the high road and the low road. We are always choosing, always taking sides. That is part of the human experience—facing temptations daily, almost moment-by-moment—facing them not only on the good days but on the days we are down, on the days we are tired, rejected, discouraged, or ill. The Savior drank from the same cup. He faced every temptation of the flesh. As Paul said, he “was in all points tempted like as we are” (Hebrews 4:15). We know the Savior did not yield to temptations. He literally “gave no heed” to them (Mosiah 15:5; D&C 20:22).

Some may contend that the Savior cannot empathize with those who succumb to temptation because he never yielded and, therefore, he could not understand the supposedly unique circumstances of those who did. The fallacy of such an argument is exposed by C. S. Lewis:

No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because he was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist (Mere Christianity, 126).

Skeptics have also wondered if Christ really had to exercise faith while he was here upon the earth. Does not each of us here on earth confront those moments in life when faith and the reason of the world are seemingly incompatible, and we must choose between the two? Did the Savior, with his infinite faculties, both spiritually and intellectually, ever really face that dilemma? Was there ever a time he did not know the end from the beginning? Like all other mortals, did he ever have to choose faith in God because his own powers of reason failed him? Was this, too, a part of his experience? If not, did he truly experience the totality of the human plight?

C. S. Lewis aptly spoke of Christ’s foreknowledge and spiritual perceptions preceding his atoning experience:

It is clear that this knowledge must somehow have been withdrawn from him before he prayed in Gethsemane. He could not . . . have prayed that the cup might pass and simultaneously known that it would not. That is both a logical and psychological impossibility. You see what this involves? Lest any trial incident to humanity should be lacking, the torments of hope—of suspense, anxiety—were at the last moment loosed upon him—the supposed possibility that, after all, he might, he just conceivably might, be spared the supreme horror. There was precedent. Isaac had been spared: he too at the last moment, he also against all apparent probability. . . . But for this last (and erroneous) hope against hope, and the consequent tumult of the soul, the sweat of blood, perhaps he would not have been very Man. To live in a fully predictable world is not to be a man (The Joyful Christian, 171-72).

Never was more deliberate faith required of any man, at any hour, than when the Savior, hanging on the cross, faced the terrifying aloneness of the moment when the Father withdrew his spirit and left him comfortless. More faith was required of him than was ever exacted from any mortal.

It is clear that the Savior’s suffering was physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional pain of the highest order, all wrapped into one. It was of such colossal magnitude that it caused “even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore” (D&C 19:18). He did not live out his mortal sojourn and atonement with a divine shield to protect him from life’s sufferings. He lived life much as a man. Paul wrote, “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren” (Hebrews 2:16-17). Alma taught that “the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh” (Alma 7:13). The Savior voluntarily let his humanity take precedence over his divinity. His godhood was summoned for one reason only. It was to hold off the unconsciousness and death that would have brought an earlier end to his suffering had he only the strength of a man. He simply brought a larger cup to hold the bitter drink.

It is notable that during the Savior’s ordeal in Gethsemane, an angel came from heaven for the purpose of “strengthening him” (Luke 22:43-44). Who was this divine messenger? Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggests it may have been Michael or Adam (“The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” Ensign, May 1985, 9). While we do not know for certain the identity of this heaven-sent comforter, there are at least four reasons why it may indeed have been Adam. (1) Adam was a co-creator of this earth with Jehovah. He was also the patriarch of mortal man. He would surely have had a keen interest in man’s ultimate destiny. Certainly he had a vested interest to see that this earth was not created in vain. (2) It seems appropriate that he who triggered in part the need for the atonement would now be the one to assist the One called to plead for redemption. (3) As taught by Joseph Smith, Adam has a presiding role in the hierarchy of divine beings, since all “angels are under the direction of Michael or Adam” (TPJS, 168). No messenger would be more suited to strengthen and bless than he who was the presiding archangel. (4) Adam enjoyed a unique relationship with the Savior. Not only did he join with him in the creation process, but he led the heavenly forces in battle in his defense (Revelation 12:7). Now, once again, Adam might momentarily stand beside him as the Savior participated in the most crucial battle of all. Adam could not take the Savior’s place (for the Savior must bear this alone), but what he could do, he no doubt wished to do. Perhaps he was there to console him, to comfort him, to support him, and maybe even to give him a blessing.

The scriptural account is silent as to the nature of the exchange between Christ and his angelic comforter. Perhaps this was one of those moments so sacred it was not to be recorded in the annals of man. Certainly this was a moment of transcendent pathos. It would not be surprising to learn that each wept and transmitted an intensity of love known only by the gods and angels. Surely this was a sacred, intimate, and eternal friendship. Perhaps the angel offered words of comfort and reassurance. Or perhaps the strength of his silent presence was sufficient. Whatever the divine exchange may have been, the Savior found sufficient strength, in the midst of unfathomable suffering, to press on.

For reasons that are not clear to us, Christ had to shed his blood during the process of atoning in order for the process to be valid (Leviticus 17:11; 1 John 1:7; 1 Nephi 12:10). This he did when he sweat great drops of blood in Gethsemane, when he was flogged, when his hands and wrists and feet were nailed to the cross, and when his heart was pierced with a sword. John Taylor observed, “Why it was necessary that his blood should be shed is an apparent mystery. . . . Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins; but why this? Why should such a law exist? It is left with us as a matter of faith” (JD, 10:114). Paul did give us a partial insight into why blood must be shed. While speaking of animal sacrifices under the Mosaic Law and the redeeming powers of blood, he added: “It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” (Hebrews 9:23). He seems to be saying that animal sacrifices are an earthly prototype or counterpart of heavenly sacrifices, but that Christ is the actual or “better” sacrifice that satisfies all heavenly requirements for purification including the shedding of blood.

Near the end of the Savior’s experience on the cross, he uttered, in a moment of ultimate pathos, that never-to-be-forgotten cry, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). This was no rhetorical question. It was the earnest pleading of a divine being, who, under intense pain and stress, sought answers and comfort in his hour of need. The Spirit of God had been withdrawn from him.

Why was it necessary for the Father to withdraw his Spirit? Apparently, if it had not been withdrawn, Christ would not have fully known the extremity of all human agony. Elder James E. Talmage wrote: “That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consummated in all its fulness, the Father seems to have withdrawn the support of his immediate presence, leaving to the Savior of men the glory of complete victory over the forces of sin and death” (Jesus the Christ, 661). There was something in the comprehensiveness of his sacrifice—in the depth of it—that required him to sever all mortal and heavenly ties, and to stand alone, absolutely alone.

See volume 1, chapter 19, The Essence of the Lord’s Atonement.

2 Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 2000

3 See volume 1, chapter 2, The Doctrine and the Scriptures.

See volume 1, chapter 12, The Law of Justice.

5 See chapter 1, Understanding the Eden Experience—The Fall.

6 See volume 1, chapter 13, Agency and Freedom.

See volume 1, chapter 17, Justification and Sanctification.

8 See volume 1, chapter 19, The Essence of the Lord’s Atonement.

9 See “Four Edenic (Pre-Fall) Characteristics of Adam and Eve” and “Dual Nature of the Fall” in chapter 1, Understanding the Eden

Experience—The Fall.

10 See volume 1, chapter 19, The Essence of the Lord’s Atonement.