Source: James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, Chapter 3, The Need of a Redeemer, verbatim quote.
1. We have heretofore shown that the entire human race existed as
spirit-beings in the primeval world, and that for the purpose of making
possible to them the experiences of mortality this earth was created.
2. They were endowed with the powers of agency or choice while yet but
spirits; and the divine plan provided that they be free-born in the
flesh, heirs to the inalienable birthright of liberty to choose and to
act for themselves in mortality.
3. It is undeniably essential to the eternal progression of God’s children
that they be subjected to the influences of both good and evil,
that they be tried and tested and proved withal,
“to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God
shall command them.”[29] Free agency is an indispensable
element of such a test.
4. The Eternal Father well understood the diverse natures and varied
capacities of His spirit-offspring; and His infinite foreknowledge made
plain to Him, even in the beginning, that in the school of life some of
His children would succeed and others would fail; some would be
faithful, others false; some would choose the good, others the evil;
some would seek the way of life while others would elect to follow the
road to destruction.
5. He further foresaw that death would enter the
world, and that the possession of bodies by His children would be of but
brief individual duration.
6. He saw that His commandments would be
disobeyed and His law violated; and that men, shut out from His presence
and left to themselves, would sink rather than rise, would retrograde
rather than advance, and would be lost to the heavens.
7. It was necessary
that a means of redemption be provided, whereby erring man might make
amends, and by compliance with established law achieve salvation and
eventual exaltation in the eternal worlds. The power of death was to be
overcome, so that, though men would of necessity die, they would live
anew, their spirits clothed with immortalized bodies over which death
could not again prevail.
8. Let not ignorance and thoughtlessness lead us into the error of assuming
that the Father’s foreknowledge as to what _would be_, under given
conditions, determined that such _must be_. It was not His design that
the souls of mankind be lost; on the contrary it was and is His work and
glory, “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”[30]
9. Nevertheless He saw the evil into which His children would assuredly
fall; and with infinite love and mercy did He ordain means of averting
the dire effect, provided the transgressor would elect to avail himself
thereof.[31]
10. The offer of the firstborn Son to establish through His own
ministry among men the gospel of salvation, and to sacrifice Himself,
through labor, humiliation and suffering even unto death, was accepted
and made the foreordained plan of man’s redemption from death, of his
eventual salvation from the effects of sin, and of his possible
exaltation through righteous achievement.
11. In accordance with the plan adopted in the council of the Gods, man was
created as an embodied spirit; his tabernacle of flesh was composed of
the elements of earth.[32]
12. He was given commandment and law, and was
free to obey or disobey–with the just and inevitable condition that he
should enjoy or suffer the natural results of his choice.[33]
13. Adam, the
14. first man[34] placed upon the earth in pursuance of the established
15. plan, and Eve who was given unto him as companion and associate,
16. indispensable to him in the appointed mission of peopling the earth,
17. disobeyed the express commandment of God and so brought about the “fall
18. of man”, whereby the mortal state, of which death is an essential
19. element, was inaugurated.[35]
20. It is not proposed to consider here at
length the doctrine of the fall; for the present argument it is
sufficient to establish the fact of the momentous occurrence and its
portentous consequences.[36]
21. The woman was deceived, and in direct
violation of counsel and commandment partook of the food that had been
forbidden, as a result of which act her body became degenerate and
subject to death. Adam realized the disparity that had been brought
between him and his companion, and with some measure of understanding
followed her course, thus becoming her partner in bodily degeneracy.
22. Note in this matter the words of Paul the apostle: “Adam was not
deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”[37]
23. The man and the woman had now become mortal; through indulgence in food
unsuited to their nature and condition and against which they had been
specifically warned, and as the inevitable result of their disobeying
the divine law and commandment, they became liable to the physical
ailments and bodily frailties to which mankind has since been the
natural heir.[38]
24. Those bodies, which before the fall had been perfect
in form and function, were now subjects for eventual dissolution or
death.
25. The arch-tempter through whose sophistries, half-truths and
infamous falsehoods, Eve had been beguiled, was none other than Satan,
or Lucifer, that rebellious and fallen “son of the morning”, whose
proposal involving the destruction of man’s liberty had been rejected in
the council of the heavens, and who had been “cast out into the earth”,
he and all his angels as unbodied spirits, never to be tabernacled in
bodies of their own.[39]
26. As an act of diabolic reprisal following his
rejection in the council, his defeat by Michael and the heavenly hosts,
and his ignominious expulsion from heaven, Satan planned to destroy the
bodies in which the faithful spirits–those who had kept their first
estate–would be born; and his beguilement of Eve was but an early stage
of that infernal scheme.
27. Death has come to be the universal heritage; it may claim its victim in
infancy or youth, in the period of life’s prime, or its summons may be
deferred until the snows of age have gathered upon the hoary head; it
may befall as the result of accident or disease, by violence, or as we
say, through natural causes; but come it must, as Satan well knows; and
in this knowledge is his present though but temporary triumph.
28. But the purposes of God, as they ever have been and ever shall be, are
infinitely superior to the deepest designs of men or devils; and the
Satanic machinations to make death inevitable, perpetual and supreme
were provided against even before the first man had been created in the
flesh.
29. The atonement to be wrought by Jesus the Christ was ordained to
overcome death and to provide a means of ransom from the power of Satan.
30. As the penalty incident to the fall came upon the race through an
individual act, it would be manifestly unjust, and therefore impossible
as part of the divine purpose, to make all men suffer the results
thereof without provision for deliverance.[40]
31. Moreover, since by the
transgression of one man sin came into the world and death was entailed
upon all, it is consistent with reason that the atonement thus made
necessary should be wrought by one.[41]
32. “Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all
men, for that all have sinned … Therefore as by the offence of one
judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness
of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”[42]
33. So taught the apostle Paul; and, further: “For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”[43]
34. The atonement was plainly to be a vicarious sacrifice, voluntary and
love-inspired on the Savior’s part, universal in its application to
mankind so far as men shall accept the means of deliverance thus placed
within their reach. For such a mission only one who was without sin
could be eligible.
35. Even the altar victims of ancient Israel offered as a
provisional propitiation for the offenses of the people under the Mosaic
law had to be clean and devoid of spot or blemish; otherwise they were
unacceptable and the attempt to offer them was sacrilege.[44]
36. Jesus Christ was the only Being suited to the requirements of the great
sacrifice:
37. 1–As the one and only sinless Man;
38. 2–As the Only Begotten of the Father and therefore the only Being born
to earth possessing in their fulness the attributes of both Godhood and
manhood;
39. 3–As the One who had been chosen in the heavens and foreordained to
this service.
40. What other man has been without sin, and therefore wholly exempt from
the dominion of Satan, and to whom death, the wage of sin, is not
naturally due?
41. Had Jesus Christ met death as other men have done–the
result of the power that Satan has gained over them through their
sins–His death would have been but an individual experience, expiatory
in no degree of any faults or offenses but His own. Christ’s absolute
sinlessness made Him eligible, His humility and willingness rendered Him
acceptable to the Father, as the atoning sacrifice whereby propitiation
could be made for the sins of all men.
42. What other man has lived with power to withstand death, over whom death
could not prevail except through his own submission? Yet Jesus Christ
could not be slain until His “hour had come”, and that, the hour in
which He voluntarily surrendered His life, and permitted His own decease
through an act of will.
43. Born of a mortal mother He inherited the
capacity to die; begotten by an immortal Sire He possessed as a heritage
the power to withstand death indefinitely.
44. He literally gave up His
life; to this effect is His own affirmation: “Therefore doth my Father
love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man
taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.
45. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again.”[45]
46. And further: “For as the
Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself.”[46]
47. Only such a One could conquer death; in none but Jesus the
Christ was realized this requisite condition of a Redeemer of the world.
48. What other man has come to earth with such appointment, clothed with the
authority of such foreordination?
49. The atoning mission of Jesus Christ
was no self-assumption.
50. True, He had offered Himself when the call was
made in the heavens; true, He had been accepted, and in due time came to
earth to carry into effect the terms of that acceptance; but He was
chosen by One greater than Himself.
51. The burden of His confession of
authority was ever to the effect that He operated under the direction of
the Father, as witness these words: “I came down from heaven, not to do
mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”[47]
52. “My meat is to do
the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”[48]
53. “I can of
mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just;
because I seek not mine own will but the will of the Father which hath
sent me.”[49]
54. Through the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ–a redeeming service,
vicariously rendered in behalf of mankind, all of whom have become
estranged from God by the effects of sin both inherited and individually
incurred–the way is opened for a reconciliation whereby man may come
again into communion with God, and be made fit to dwell anew and forever
in the presence of his Eternal Father.
55. This basal thought is admirably
implied in our English word, “atonement,” which, as its syllables
attest, is _at-one-ment_, “denoting reconciliation, or the bringing into
agreement of those who have been estranged.”[50]
56. The effect of the atonement may be conveniently considered as twofold:
57. 1–The universal redemption of the human race from death invoked by the
fall of our first parents; and
58. 2–Salvation, whereby means of relief from the results of individual sin
are provided.
59. The victory over death was made manifest in the resurrection of the
crucified Christ; He was the first to pass from death to immortality and
so is justly known as “the first fruits of them that slept.”[51]
60. That the resurrection of the dead so inaugurated is to be extended to every
one who has or shall have lived is proved by an abundance of scriptural
evidence.
61. Following our Lord’s resurrection, others who had slept in the
tomb arose and were seen of many, not as spirit-apparitions but as
resurrected beings possessing immortalized bodies: “And the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of
the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and
appeared unto many.”[52]
62. Those who thus early came forth are spoken of as “the saints”; and other
scriptures confirm the fact that only the righteous shall be brought
forth in the earlier stages of the resurrection yet to be consummated;
but that all the dead shall in turn resume bodies of flesh and bones is
placed beyond doubt by the revealed word.
63. The Savior’s direct
affirmation ought to be conclusive: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The
hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the
Son of God: and they that hear shall live…. Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear
his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.”[53]
64. The doctrine of a universal resurrection
was taught by the apostles of old,[54] as also by the Nephite
prophets;[55] and the same is confirmed by revelation incident to the
present dispensation.[56] Even the heathen who have not known God shall
be brought forth from their graves; and, inasmuch as they have lived and
died in ignorance of the saving law, a means of making the plan of
salvation known unto them is provided.
65. “And then shall the heathen
nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the
first resurrection.”[57]
66. Jacob, a Nephite prophet, taught the universality of the resurrection,
and set forth the absolute need of a Redeemer, without whom the purposes
of God in the creation of man would be rendered futile.
67. His words
constitute a concise and forceful summary of revealed truth directly
bearing upon our present subject:
68. “For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of
the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the
resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the
fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen,
they were cut off from the presence of the Lord; wherefore it must needs
be an infinite atonement; save it should be an infinite atonement, this
corruption could not put on incorruption.
69. “Wherefore, the first judgment
which came upon man, must needs have remained to an endless duration.
70. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its
mother earth, to rise no more. O the wisdom of God! his mercy and grace!
71. For behold, if the flesh should rise no more, our spirits must become
subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the eternal
God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
72. And our spirits must have
become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be
shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of
lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our
first parents; who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and
stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder, and
all manner of secret works of darkness.
73. O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way
for our escape from the grasp of this awful
monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of
the body, and also the death of the spirit.
74. And because of the way of
deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I
have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which
death is the grave.
75. And this death of which I have spoken, which is the
spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is
hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell
must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its
captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored
one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy
One of Israel.
76. O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand,
the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and
the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the
body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and
immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like
unto us in the flesh; save it be that our knowledge shall be
perfect.”[58]
77. The application of the atonement to individual transgression, whereby
the sinner may obtain absolution through compliance with the laws and
ordinances embodied in the gospel of Jesus Christ, is conclusively
attested by scripture.
78. Since forgiveness of sins can be secured in none other way,
there being either in heaven or earth no name save that of
Jesus Christ whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men,[59]
every soul stands in need of the Savior’s mediation, since all are
sinners.
79. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”, said
Paul of old,[60] and John the apostle added his testimony in these
words: “If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.”[61]
80. Who shall question the justice of God, which denies salvation to all who
will not comply with the prescribed conditions on which alone it is
declared obtainable?
81. Christ is “the author of eternal salvation unto all
them that obey him”,[62] and 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.”[63]
82. Such then is the need of a Redeemer, for without Him mankind would
forever remain in a fallen state, and as to hope of eternal progression
would be inevitably lost.[64]
83. The mortal probation is provided as an
opportunity for advancement; but so great are the difficulties and the
dangers, so strong is the influence of evil in the world, and so weak is
man in resistance thereto, that without the aid of a power above that of
humanity no soul would find its way back to God from whom it came.
84. The need of a Redeemer lies in the inability of man to raise himself from
the temporal to the spiritual plane, from the lower kingdom to the
higher.
85. In this conception we are not without analogies in the natural
world.
86. We recognize a fundamental distinction between inanimate and
living matter, between the inorganic and the organic, between the
lifeless mineral on the one hand and the living plant or animal on the
other.
87. Within the limitations of its order the dead mineral grows by
accretion of substance, and may attain a relatively perfect condition of
structure and form as is seen in the crystal.
88. But mineral matter, though
acted upon favorably by the forces of nature–light, heat, electric
energy and others–can never become a living organism; nor can the dead
elements, through any process of chemical combination dissociated from
life, enter into the tissues of the plant as essential parts thereof.
89. But the plant, which is of a higher order, sends its rootlets into the
earth, spreads its leaves in the atmosphere, and through these organs
absorbs the solutions of the soil, inspires the gases of the air, and
from such lifeless materials weaves the tissue of its wondrous
structure.
90. No mineral particle, no dead chemical substance has ever been
made a constituent of organic tissue except through the agency of life.
91. We may, perhaps with profit, carry the analogy a step farther.
92. The plant is unable to advance its own tissue to the animal plane.
93. Though it be the recognized order of nature that the “animal kingdom” is dependent
upon the “vegetable kingdom” for its sustenance, the substance of the
plant may become part of the animal organism only as the latter reaches
down from its higher plane and by its own vital action incorporates the
vegetable compounds with itself.
94. In turn, animal matter can never
become, even transitorily, part of a human body, except as the living
man assimilates it, and by the vital processes of his own existence
lifts, for the time being, the substance of the animal that supplied him
food to the higher plane of his own existence.
95. The comparison herein
employed is admittedly defective if carried beyond reasonable limits of
application; for the raising of mineral matter to the plane of the
plant, vegetable tissue to the level of the animal, and the elevation of
either to the human plane, is but a temporary change; with the
dissolution of the higher tissues the material thereof falls again to
the level of the inanimate and the dead.
96. But, as a means of illustration the analogy may not be wholly without value.
97. So, for the advancement of man from his present fallen and relatively
degenerate state to the higher condition of spiritual life, a power
above his own must cooperate.
98. Through the operation of the laws
obtaining in the higher kingdom man may be reached and lifted; himself
he cannot save by his own unaided effort.[65]
99. A Redeemer and Savior of
mankind is beyond all question essential to the realization of the plan
of the Eternal Father, “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal
life of man”;[66] and that Redeemer and Savior is Jesus the Christ,
beside whom there is and can be none other.
100. NOTES TO CHAPTER 3.
101. …
102. “Our Heavenly Father has a full knowledge of the nature and disposition of each of His children, a knowledge gained by long observation and experience in the past eternity of our primeval childhood; a knowledge compared with which that gained by earthly parents through mortal experience with their children is infinitesimally small. By reason of that surpassing knowledge, God reads the future of child and children, of men individually and of men collectively as communities and nations; He knows what each will do under given conditions, and sees the end from the beginning. His foreknowledge is based on intelligence and reason. He foresees the future as a state which naturally and surely will be; not as one which must be because He has arbitrarily willed that it shall be.”–From the author’s _Great Apostasy_, pp. 19, 20.
103. Man Free to Choose for Himself.–“The Father of souls has endowed His children with the divine birthright of free agency; He does not and will not control them by arbitrary force; He impels no man toward sin; He compels none to righteousness. Unto man has been given freedom to act for himself; and, associated with this independence, is the fact of strict responsibility and the assurance of individual accountability. In the judgment with which we shall be judged, all the conditions and circumstances of our lives shall be considered. The inborn tendencies due to heredity, the effect of environment whether conducive to good or evil, the wholesome teachings of youth, or the absence of good instruction–these and all other contributory elements must be taken into account in the rendering of a just verdict as to the soul’s guilt or innocence. Nevertheless, the divine wisdom makes plain what will be the result with given conditions operating on known natures and dispositions of men, while every individual is free to choose good or evil within the limits of the many conditions existing and operative.”–_Great Apostasy_, p. 21; see also _Articles of Faith_, iii:1, 2.
104. The Fall a Process of Physical Degeneracy.–A modern revelation given to the Church in 1833 (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 89), prescribes rules for right living, particularly as regards the uses of stimulants, narcotics, and foods unsuited to the body. Concerning the physical causes by which the fall was brought about, and the close relation between those causes and current violations of the Word of Wisdom embodied in the revelation referred to above, the following is in point. “This, [the Word of Wisdom] like other revelations that have come in the present dispensation, is not wholly new. It is as old as the human race. The principle of the Word of Wisdom was revealed unto Adam. All the essentials of the Word of Wisdom were made known unto him in his immortal state, before he had taken into his body those things that made of it a thing of earth. He was warned against that very practice. He was not told to treat his body as something to be tortured. He was not told to look upon it as the fakir of India has come to look upon his body, or professes to look upon it, as a thing to be utterly contemned; but he was told that he must not take into that body certain things which were there at hand. He was warned that, if he did, his body would lose the power which it then held of living for ever, and that he would become subject to death. It was pointed out to him, as it has been pointed out to you, that there are many good fruits to be plucked, to be eaten, to be enjoyed. We believe in enjoying good food. We think that these good things are given us of God. We believe in getting all the enjoyment out of eating that we can; and, therefore, we should avoid gluttony, and we should avoid extremes in all our habits of eating; and as was told unto Adam, so is it told unto us: Touch not these things; for in the day that thou doest it thy life shall be shortened and thou shalt die.
105. “Here let me say that therein consisted the fall–the eating of things unfit, the taking into the body of the things that made of that body a thing of earth: and I take this occasion to raise my voice against the false interpretation of scripture, which has been adopted by certain people, and is current in their minds, and is referred to in a hushed and half-secret way, that the fall of man consisted in some offense against the laws of chastity and of virtue. Such a doctrine is an abomination. What right have we to turn the scriptures from their proper sense and meaning? What right have we to declare that God meant not what He said? The fall was a natural process, resulting through the incorporation into the bodies of our first parents of the things that came from food unfit, through the violation of the command of God regarding what they should eat. Don’t go around whispering that the fall consisted in the mother of the race losing her chastity and her virtue.
106. It is not true; the human race is not born of fornication. These bodies that are given unto us are given in the way that God has provided. Let it not be said that the patriarch of the race, who stood with the gods before he came here upon the earth, and his equally royal consort, were guilty of any such foul offense. The adoption of that belief has led many to excuse departures from the path of chastity and the path of virtue, by saying that it is the sin of the race, that it is as old as Adam. It was not introduced by Adam. It was not committed by Eve. It was the introduction of the devil and came in order that he might sow the seeds of early death in the bodies of men and women, that the race should degenerate as it has degenerated whenever the laws of virtue and of chastity have been transgressed.
107. “Our first parents were pure and noble, and when we pass behind the veil we shall perhaps learn something of their high estate, more than we know now. But be it known that they were pure; they were noble. It is true that they disobeyed the law of God, in eating things they were told not to eat; but who amongst you can rise up and condemn?”–From an address by the author at the Eighty-fourth Semiannual Conference of the Church, Oct. 6, 1913; published in the Proceedings of the Conference, pp. 118, 119.
108. Christ Wrought Redemption from the Fall.–“The Savior thus becomes master of the situation–the debt is paid, the redemption made, the covenant fulfilled, justice satisfied, the will of God done, and all power is now given into the hands of the Son of God–the power of the resurrection, the power of the redemption, the power of salvation, the power to enact laws for the carrying out and accomplishment of this design. Hence life and immortality are brought to light, the gospel is introduced, and He becomes the author of eternal life and exaltation. He is the Redeemer, the Resurrector, the Savior of man and the world; and He has appointed the law of the gospel as the medium which must be complied with in this world or the next, as He complied with His Father’s law; hence ‘he that believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.’ The plan, the arrangement, the agreement, the covenant was made, entered into and accepted before the foundation of the world; it was prefigured by sacrifices, and was carried out and consummated on the cross. Hence being the mediator between God and man, He becomes by right the dictator and director on earth and in heaven for the living and for the dead, for the past, the present and the future, pertaining to man as associated with this earth or the heavens, in time or eternity, the Captain of our salvation, the Apostle and High-Priest of our profession, the Lord and Giver of life.”–John Taylor, _Mediation and Atonement_, p. 171.
109. Redemption from the Effect of the Fall.–“‘Mormonism’ accepts the doctrine of the fall, and the account of the transgression in Eden, as set forth in Genesis; but it affirms that none but Adam is or shall be answerable for Adam’s disobedience; that mankind in general are absolutely absolved from responsibility for that ‘original sin,’ and that each shall account for his own transgressions alone; that the fall was foreknown of God, that it was turned to good effect by which the necessary condition of mortality should be inaugurated; and that a Redeemer was provided before the world was; that general salvation, in the sense of redemption from the effects of the fall, comes to all without their seeking it; but that individual salvation or rescue from the effects of personal sins is to be acquired by each for himself by faith and good works through the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ.”–From the author’s _Story and Philosophy of ‘Mormonism,’_ p. 111.
110. FOOTNOTES:
111. [29] P. of G.P., Abraham 3:25. For a fuller treatment of man’s Free
112. Agency, see the author’s “Articles of Faith,” iii:1-10, and the numerous references there given.
113. [30] P. of G.P., Moses 1:39; compare 6:59. Note 1, end of chapter.
114. [31] Note 2, end of chapter.
115. [32] Gen. 1:26, 27; 2:7; compare P. of G.P., Moses 2:26, 27; 3:7; Abraham 4:26-28; 5:7.
116. [33] Gen. 1:28-31; 2:16, 17; compare P. of G.P., Moses 2:28-31; 3:16, 17; Abraham 4:28-31; 5:12, 13.
117. [34] Gen. 2:8; compare statement in verse 5–that prior to that time there was “not a man to till the ground”; see also P. of G.P., Moses 3:7; Abraham 1:3; and B. of M., 1 Nephi 5:11.
118. [35] Gen. chap. 3; compare P. of G.P., Moses chap. 4.
132. [49] John 5:30; see also verse 19; also Matt. 26:42; compare Doc. and Cov. 19:2; 20:24.
133. [50] New Standard Dictionary under “propitiation.”
134. [51] 1 Cor. 15:20; see also Acts 26:23; Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5.
135. [52] Matt. 27:52, 53.
136. [53] John 5:25, 28, 29. A modern scripture attesting the same truth reads: “They who have done good in the resurrection of the just; and they who have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust.”–Doc. and Cov. 76:17.
137. [54] For instances see Acts 24:15; Rev. 20:12, 13.
138. [55] For instances see B. of M., 2 Nephi 9:6, 12, 13, 21, 22; Helaman 14:15-17; Mosiah 15:20-24; Alma 40:2-16; Mormon 9:13, 14.
139. [56] For instances see Doc. and Cov. 18:11, 12; 45:44, 45; 88:95-98.
140. [57] Doc. and Cov. 45:54.
141. [58] B. of M., 2 Nephi 9:6-13; read the entire chapter.
142. [59] P. of G.P., Moses 6:52; compare B. of M., 2 Nephi 25:20; Mosiah 3:17; 5:8; Doc. and Cov. 76:1.
143. [60] Rom. 3:23; see also verse 9; Gal. 3:22.
144. [61] 1 John 1:8.
145. [62] Heb. 5:9.
146. [63] Rom. 2:6-9.
147. [64] No special treatment relating to the Fall, the Atonement, or the Resurrection has been either attempted or intended in this chapter. For such the student is referred to doctrinal works dealing with these subjects. See the author’s “Articles of Faith,” lectures iii, iv, and xxi.
148. [65] A comparison related to that given in the text is treated at length by Henry Drummond in his essay, “Biogenesis,” which the reader may study with profit.
“In testifying of the Savior Jesus Christ, modern prophets have declared: “He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament” (“The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” Ensign or Liahona, Apr. 2000, 2).
Jesus Christ, as Jehovah, established Heavenly Father’s everlasting gospel on the earth in every dispensation of time in order to gather in every one of God’s children who were lost.
Our faith in Jesus Christ can be strengthened as we come to recognize His unchanging nature and His everlasting gospel.
What do you think Jesus meant by His response, “Before Abraham was, I am”? (verse 58).
7. To define the phrase “I am,” read Exodus 3:11–14; 6:2–3, looking for how the God of the Old Testament identified Himself. Ask yourself the following questions:
According to these verses, what names did the God of the Old Testament use to identify Himself? (The Joseph Smith Translation of Exodus 6:3 reads, “I am the Lord God Almighty; the Lord JEHOVAH. And was not my name known unto them?” See also Abraham 1:16.)
How do these verses clarify the significance of Jesus Christ’s statement, “Before Abraham was, I am”? (Students should recognize that Jesus Christ was Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament and the great I AM.)
8. “This is as blunt and pointed an affirmation of divinity as any person has or could make. ‘Before Abraham was I Jehovah.’ That is, ‘I am God Almighty, the Great I AM. I am the self-existent, Eternal One. I am the God of your fathers. My name is: I AM THAT I AM’” (Apostle and Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:464).
9. Jehovah is “the covenant or proper name of the God of Israel. It denotes the ‘Unchangeable One’” (Bible Dictionary, “Jehovah”).
Why is it important to know that Jesus Christ was Jehovah of the Old Testament? (Answer: God has always administered His gospel through His Son, Jesus Christ. See also 3 Nephi 15:5, which records the Savior’s teaching that He was the giver of the law.)
10. You may want to read aloud the following statement by Apostle and President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972):
“All revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ, who is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. … The Father [Elohim] has never dealt with man directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appeared except to introduce and bear record of the Son” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 1:27).
How does knowing that Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, is unchangeable help you to have faith in Him? (Answer: the knowledge that Jesus Christ is unchangeable helps us have faith that just as He kept His promises to the people we read about in the scriptures, He will keep His promises to us.)
11. By early post-biblical times, the Hebrew name for Jehovah (usually represented as Yahweh in literature) was considered too sacred to be pronounced. For this reason, except for a few exceptions (see Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4), the translators of the King James Version of the Bible rendered the word Jehovah as LORD (in all capital letters). In modern Judaism, it is replaced with the word Adonai, which means “Lord.”
13. Jehovah established the everlasting gospel anciently
14. Read Moses 6:51–52, 64–66 and identify what Jehovah taught Adam. In verses 51–52, Jehovah was speaking on behalf of the Father. Now ask yourself:
What did you notice about the gospel taught to Adam? (Answer: It is the same gospel taught today. [See 2 Nephi 31:10–16 for an example of the same gospel being taught in the Americas.] Emphasize this truth by writing the following statement on a piece of paper: The gospel of Jesus Christ is everlasting and unchanging in each gospel dispensation.)
15. In a later dispensation, Jehovah renewed His everlasting gospel through a covenant with Abraham known as the Abrahamic covenant. Now study Genesis 13:14–16; 17:2–8; Abraham 1:18–19; 2:8–11 and make a list of the promises the Lord made to Abraham. And study Genesis 17:1–5, 9; Abraham 1:19; 2:8–11 and make a list of what Abraham was required to do in order to receive the promised blessings.
Write the following chart on your paper, leaving space to list your responses:
Abrahamic Covenant
Promises Made to Abraham
Abraham’s Responsibilities
16. Summarizing the Abrahamic covenant read aloud the following statement:
“Abraham received the gospel and was ordained to the higher priesthood (D&C 84:14; Abr. 2:11), and he entered into celestial marriage, which is the covenant of exaltation (D&C 131:1–4; 132:19, 29). Abraham received a promise that all of the blessings of these covenants would be offered to his mortal posterity (D&C 132:29–31; Abr. 2:6–11). Together, these covenants and promises are called the Abrahamic covenant. The restoration of this covenant was the restoration of the gospel in the last days, for through it all the nations of the earth are blessed (Gal. 3:8–9, 29; D&C 110:12; 124:58; Abr. 2:10–11)” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Abrahamic Covenant”; scriptures.lds.org).
17. We emphasize that from the beginning, the Father covenanted with His children to gather them together through the truths, ordinances, and blessings of the everlasting gospel.
18. The Restoration of the gospel includes the restoration of the Abrahamic covenant.
19. That is, the Abrahamic covenant is a significant part of the new and everlasting covenant, which is the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ask yourself:
How does knowing that we are descendants of Abraham and heirs to all that God promised to him influence the way you live?
How does the availability of the blessings promised to Abraham and his posterity strengthen families and guide us in the decisions we make?
20. How can you secure the promised blessings of this covenant for yourself and your families, past, present, and future.
24. Look for words and phrases that teach what Jehovah did for ancient Israel.
25. You may want to suggest mark what you find and share what you learned.
26. For insight into why Jehovah did some of the things He did, read Exodus 6:2–6 aloud. Ask yourself:
What reason did Jehovah give for doing many of the things you read about in Joshua and 1 Nephi?
What does this tell you about the promises the Lord has made to you? (As students respond, write the following principle on the board: If we live faithfully, the Lord will keep the promises He has made to us.)
27. Read aloud the following statement by Apostle and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:
“Because God has been faithful and kept His promises in the past, we can hope with confidence that God will keep His promises to us in the present and in the future. In times of distress, we can hold tightly to the hope that things will ‘work together for [our] good’ [D&C 90:24]” (“The Infinite Power of Hope,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 23).
How can knowing about Jehovah’s actions anciently help you during times of trial?
What did He do for ancient Israel that He will also do for you?
28. We testify that in every dispensation of time, Jesus Christ has blessed God’s children with the everlasting gospel.
29. Just as the covenant people anciently received promised blessings from the Lord, so can we upon condition of our obedience.
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
Book of Mormon, the book of Second Nephi, Chapter 2
Redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah—Freedom of choice (agency) is essential to existence and progression—Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy —Men are free to choose liberty and eternal life. About 588–570 B.C.
1 And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.
2 Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
3 Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.
4 And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.
5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.
6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
7 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.
8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know 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, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.
9 Wherefore, he is the first fruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.
10 And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.
13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.
15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.
17 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.
18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.
20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.
21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.
22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.
30 I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen.
Given all the disasters, maybe there is value in refocusing. JESUS WAS AND STILL IS THE CHRIST, THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB OF GOD THE FATHER, THE HOLY MESSIAH, OUR RESURRECTION AND OUR LIFE, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD WHO SOON WILL COME!
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
Book of Mormon, the book of Second Nephi, Chapter 2
Redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah—Freedom of choice (agency) is essential to existence and progression—Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy —Men are free to choose liberty and eternal life. About 588–570 B.C.
1 And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.
2 Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
3 Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.
4 And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.
5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.
6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
7 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.
8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know 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, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.
9 Wherefore, he is the first fruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.
10 And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.
13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.
15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.
17 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.
18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.
20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.
21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.
22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.
30 I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen.
You can read the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price at www.lds.org.
Book of Mormon, the book of Second Nephi, Chapter 2
Redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah—Freedom of choice (agency) is essential to existence and progression—Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy —Men are free to choose liberty and eternal life. About 588–570 B.C.
1 And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.
2 Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
3 Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.
4 And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.
5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.
6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
7 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.
8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know 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, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.
9 Wherefore, he is the first fruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.
10 And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.
13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.
15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.
17 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.
18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.
20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.
21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.
22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.
30 I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen.
You can read the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price at www.lds.org.
Angels, authorities, and powers being made subject to him
Apostle and High Priest of our profession
Appears in the presence of God for us
Author and finisher of our faith
Author of eternal salvation
Bare our sins in his own body
Beginning
Beginning of the creation of God
Beloved Son
Beloved Son of God
Better than the angels
Blessed for evermore
Blessed of God
Branch
Bread of Life
Bread of life
Bright and morning star
By himself purged our sins
By whom are all things, and we by him
By whom God made the worlds
Captain of man’s salvation
Chosen One
Christ
Consecrated for evermore
Counselor
Crowned with glory and honor
Did no sin
Elect One
Emmanuel
Ever liveth to make intercession
Everlasting Father
Faithful and True
Foundation of the Church
God manifest in the flesh
God the Son
God’s anointed
God’s holy child Jesus
Good Shepherd
Governor who shall rule Israel
Harmless
Hath an unchangeable priesthood
Hath given us understanding that we may know him that is true
Hath obtained eternal redemption for us
He hath consecrated a new and living way
He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified
He sanctifieth the people by his blood
He that came by water and blood
He that cometh in the name of the Lord
He that hath the key of David
He that is holy
He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David
He that is true
He that liveth and was dead
He that liveth forever and ever
Heir of all things
His blood cleanseth from all sin
Holy
Holy One
Holy One of Israel
Holy, harmless, undefiled,
I am
I Am that I Am
In him is eternal life
In whom is salvation
Is ready to judge the quick and the dead
Jehovah
Jesus
Jesus Christ
Jesus of Galilee
Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus the Christ
Joseph’s son
Judge of quick and dead
King of Israel
King of kings
King of kings, and Lord of lords
King of Sion
King of the Jews
King of Zion
Lamb of God
Learned obedience by the things which he suffered
Left us an example
Light of the World
Living Water
Logos (the Word)
Lord
Lord both of dead and living
Lord of all
Lord of lords
Lord of the Sabbath
Made higher than the heavens
Made lower than the angels for the suffering of death
Made of a woman
Made of a woman, made under the law
Made under the law
Master
Mediator
Mediator of a better covenant
Mediator of the new testament
Meek and lowly
Messiah
Mighty God
Mighty One of Jacob
Nazarene
Not yea and nay, but in him was yea
Of the seed of David
Offered himself without spot
Omega
One body
One with the Father
Only begotten of the Father
Only Begotten Son
Our advocate with the Father
Our advocate with the Father
Our life
Our Paraclete (Advocate) with the Father
Our Passover
Our peace
Our Savior
Prince of Peace
Prophet
Propitiation for the sins of the whole world
Put away sin by the sacrifice of himself
Rabbi
Rabboni
Redeemer
Redemption
Redemption
Righteousness
Root and offspring of David
Sanctification
Savior of Israel
Savior of the World
Seed of the woman
Sent that we may live through him
Separate from sinners
Servant of the LORD
Shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation
Shepherd of Israel
Shiloh
Son of David
Son of GOD
Son of GOD THE FATHER
Son of Man
Son of the Highest
Son the Most High GOD
Stem of Jesse
Suffered for us
Suffered without the gate
Surety of a better testament
Tasted death for every man
Tempted in all points as we are
The brightness of God’s glory
The carpenter
The carpenter’s son
The chief cornerstone
The chosen of God
The Christ of God
The consolation of Israel
The deliverer
The door of the sheep
The end of the law for righteousness
The ending
The express image of God’s person
The faithful witness
The first and the last
The first begotten
The first begotten of the dead
The first fruits of them that slept
The forerunner
The good shepherd
The great God
The great shepherd of the sheep
The head of every man
The head of the Church
The High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec
The high priest of good things to come
The Holy One
The Holy One and the Just
The hope of glory
The image of God
The Just
The Just One
The King that cometh in the name of the Lord
The Lamb
The Lamb of God
The lamb without blemish and without spot
The life
The Light
The Light
The light of the world
The Lion of the tribe of Judah
The living bread
The living stone, disallowed of men, but chosen of God and precious
The Lord
The Lord from heaven
The Lord Jesus
The Lord of glory
The Lord our Righteousness
The LORD’S Christ
The mediator between God and men
The merciful and faithful high priest
The Messenger of the covenant
The Messiah
The Messias
The minister of the circumcision for the truth of God
The minister of the sanctuary of the true tabernacle
The offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor
The only wise God our Savior
The power of GOD
The power of GOD and the wisdom of GOD
The Prince
The Prince of Life
The prince of the kings of the earth
The Prophet
The Prophet
The prophet of Nazareth
The propitiation for our sins
The propitiation through faith
The Resurrection
The resurrection and the life
The righteous judge
The righteous man
The root of David
The same forever
The same today
The same yesterday
The same yesterday, today, and forever
The Savior
The Savior of the body
The Savior of the world
The seed of Abraham
The shepherd and bishop of souls
The son of Abraham
The son of David
The son of Mary
The Son of the Blessed
The Son of the living God
The spiritual rock
The teacher come from God
The true vine
The truth
The vine
The way
The way, the truth, and the life
The wisdom of God
The Word
The word of God
The word of life
True and Faithful
Undefiled
Upholding all things by the word of his power
Which delivereth us from the wrath to come
Which is, and which was, and which is to come
Who came into the world to save sinners
Who died and rose again
Who gave himself for our sins
Who gave himself for us
Who is passed into the heavens
Who knew no sin
Who shall judge the quick and dead
Who sitteth on the right hand of God
Who was raised from the dead
Wisdom
Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption unto us
Wonderful
Worthy of more glory than Abraham
Worthy of more glory than Moses
YHWH
ZION
[To translate this into your language. Click the red button below.]
Come join The “Restored” Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today to be spiritually strong and able to cope with the increasing weather, financial, war, crime, and other social difficulties.
[READ/STUDY a FREE digital Bible and a FREE digital Book of Mormon and other holy scripture at www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Again, to translate this into your language. Click the red button below.]
Come to Jesus and join His true Church today.
I invite you to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the true Church of Jesus Christ, “RESTORED” vai the PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH and modern apostles and prophets, with true priesthood authority and true priesthood keys restored by heavenly messengers.
Call 1-801-240-1000 to talk to missionaries;
Contact missionaries at their Come Unto Christ website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist. Visit https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org.
They will teach you the true gospel of Jesus Christ in person, by zoom, by phone, by email, or text. They will teach you about Christ’s True Church and His Second Coming.
They will help you
– pray and repent of your sins,
– read the scriptures – the Holy Bible, the Holy Book of Mormon which is a second witness, a second Bible from peoples who lived in the western hemisphere, a second witness that Jesus is the Resurrected Living Christ, Yeshua, the Holy Messiah.
– attend Church, be baptized by immersion, be confirmed a member of the Church, and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and fellowship with the Saints.
Watch on YouTube the semi-annual April and October conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during which living apostles and prophets and other Church leaders teach the pure gospel and bear testimony of Jesus the Living Christ and the restoration of His divine Church;
Search Google www.churchofjesuschrist.org; use the FREE LIBRARY to study in many languages the holy scriptures, the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and talks by living apostles and prophets.
Pray about what you have learned. Pray and ask Heavenly Father if these things are not true. Pray to receive the great gift of Charity, the Pure Love of Christ, without which we are nothing. Ask the missionaries to help you Join the Church today with your family and friends and neighbors.
If you are a leader of a group of spiritual people, a group of wonderful people searching for the true Church of Jesus Christ, testify to them. Bear witness that you have found the “Restored” Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; that you want to become or are becoming a faithful member; thereby encourage them to join Christ’s true church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, thereby bring your many followers with you.
Best personal regards, Richard Linford, member
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jesusi6_wp
I work at being a good husband, dad, grandpa, neighbor, member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, attorney at law, writer, and artist. My witness to the world is that Jesus is The Christ, Yeshua, The Resurrected Holy Messiah, who will soon come in power and great glory to judge the world and begin his thousand year Millennial Reign of peace. View all posts by jesusi6_wp