(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

THE FACT OF THE ATONEMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES—(Continued).

SPECIAL TEXT: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. * * * I have come into the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin." (The Christ to the Nephites: III Nephi ix:15, 21.)

DISCUSSION.

1. The Testimony of the Book of Mormon to the Atonement: The third book of Nephi, in the Book of Mormon, may well be called the "Fifth Gospel,"^[A] the beginning of the New Testament of the Nephite scriptures. In it is detailed the account of the Christ's visit to the western hemisphere and the circumstances attendant upon the establishment of his Church among the Nephites. The voice of God, which was heard after the great destruction which swept over the land during the entombment of the Christ, said:

[Footnote A: The term was first used by Dr. Paden of Salt Lake. See "Defense of the Faith and the Saints," Vol. 1, pp. 371-399, for full treatment of the subject.]

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. I came unto my own, and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled. And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the Sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled. * * * For behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin."^[A]

[Footnote A: III Nephi ix:15-17.]

2. The Testimony of the Resurrected Christ: Then again, upon his appearing among the Nephites after his resurrection and his post-resurrection ministry in Palestine, the Christ said:

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified should come into the world: and behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. * * * And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world."^[A]

[Footnote A: III Nephi xi:10-14.]

3. Evidence of the Atonement in the Symbol of Baptism: Convincing as testimony to the fact of the Atonement is the Christian institution of baptism, the formula of which is given in the Book of Mormon. In it is shown the authority of the Christ in this ordinance of salvation, since in addition to the Holy Trinity being named as authorizing the ordinance, the administrator specifically declares that he has authority from Jesus Christ for performing it. The ordinance itself, providing as it does for the immersion of the candidate, symbolizes the Christ's death and burial for the sinner; and also in bringing forth the baptized from the watery grave, symbolizes the resurrection—all which is done that forgiveness of sin might be granted to those who thus palpably manifest that they do most solemnly accept the Atonement of the Christ of which his baptism is a most beautiful symbol—of his death, burial and resurrection.^[A]

[Footnote A: III Nephi xi:10-14. The matter is treated somewhat more in detail in Lesson XXI.]

4. Evidence of the Atonement in the Symbol of the Lord's Supper: The Christ also established the sacrament of the Lord's Supper among the Nephites and constituted it the symbol of the Atonement. After breaking bread and blessing it, he gave it to his Nephite disciples and said: "This shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you, and it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me, and if you do always remember me, ye shall have my spirit to be with you."^[A] So also with the wine which he blessed and gave them to drink, adding, "Ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that you may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me."^[B]

[Footnote A: III Nephi xviii.]

[Footnote B: Ibid.]

What may be called the "New Testament"^[A] part of the Book of Mormon, then, no less than the New Testament of the Bible testifies to the fact of the Atonement. The same may be said of the immediate scriptures of the New Dispensation, the Doctrine and Covenants.

[Footnote A: Referring to those parts of the Book of Mormon which were written after the birth of the Christ, beginning with the III Nephi.]

6. Testimony of the New Dispensation Scriptures—Doctrine and Covenants: In a revelation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, given in June, 1829, the Lord said: "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God: For behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance."^[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov. Sec. 18:10-12.]

Again, in a revelation to Martin Harris, given through Joseph the Prophet, in March, 1830, the Lord said: "Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not! how exquisite you know not! yea, how hard to bear you know not! For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all that they might not suffer if they would repent, but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I. Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit: and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."^[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov. Sec. 19:15-19.]

The declaration that Jesus Christ made an atonement for man is frequently repeated as follows:

"I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one."^[A]

"I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them; but behold, the residue of the wicked have I kept in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day; which shall come at the end of the earth."^[B]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov. Sec. xxxv:1, 2.]

[Footnote B: Doc. & Cov., Sec. xxxviii:4, 5.]

Again:

"Listen to him who is the Advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him, saying, Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed—the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life."^[A]

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov., Sec. xlv:3-5.]

7. The One Adequate Gospel Discourse (Brigham Young): Perhaps this branch of our treatise—the fact of the atonement—cannot be more fittingly closed than by quoting a passage from one of the discourses of Brigham Young, setting forth the impossibility of a man adequately preaching a gospel discourse in this our mortal life; and holding that Christ alone, in his creative work under the Fathers direction, in his earth-life, death, resurrection, and the final presentation of the finished work to his Father—this alone is the adequate gospel sermon:

"There is but one discourse to be preached to all the children of Adam; and that discourse should be believed by them, and lived up to. To commence, continue, and finish this gospel sermon, will require all the time that is alloted to man, to the earth, and all things upon it, in their mortal state; that is my idea with regard to preaching. No man is able to set before a congregation all the items of the gospel, in this life, and continue these items to their termination, for this mortal life is too short. It is inseparably connected, one part with the other, in all the doctrines that have been revealed to man, which are now called the various doctrines of Christianity, of which all the professors of religion believe a portion; but severally reject, or desire to reject, other portions of the truth: each sect or individual taking to themselves portions of the Bible, portions of the doctrine of salvation, that are the most pleasing to them, rejecting all the rest, and mingling these doctrines with the tenets of men.

"But let a gospel sermon be preached, wherein all the principles of salvation are embodied, and we will acknowledge, at the end of the mortality of this earth, and all things created upon it—at the closing up scene, at the final consummation of all things that have been from the commencement of the creation of the world, and the peopling of it, unto the latest generation of Adam and Eve, and the final finishing up of the work of Christ—I say, we shall acknowledge that there is the gospel sermon, and that it could not be preached to finite beings in one short life.

"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; and he will finish his gospel discourse when he overcomes his enemies and puts his last enemy under his feet—when he destroys death, and him that hath the power of it—when he has raised up this kingdom, and finished his work which the Father gave him to do, and presents it to his Father, saying, 'I have done the work, I have finished it; I have not only created the world, but I have redeemed it; I have watched over it, and I have given to those intelligent beings, that you have created by me, their agency, and it has been held with perfection to every creature of intelligence, to every grade of mankind; I have preserved inviolate their agency; I have watched over them, and overruled all their actions, and held in my hand the destinies of men; and I have finished up my gospel sermon,' as he presents the finished work to his Father.

"It takes just such a character as the Savior, to preach one gospel discourse; and this was commenced with the commencement of all men upon this earth or any other; and it will never close until the winding up scene, and all is finished, and the kingdom is presented to the Father."^[A]

[Footnote A: Journal of Discourses, Vol. III, pp. 80, 81.]