(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES—(B) THE REDEMPTION TO BE THE WORK OF GOD.

SPECIAL TEXTS: "For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself." (St. John v.26.)

"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." (St. John v.21.)

DISCUSSION.

1. The Helplessness of Man in the Presence of Broken Law: The preceding lesson closed with the question how can satisfaction be made to justice in order that redemption may reach fallen man. Admittedly man, the transgressor of law, is powerless to make such satisfaction. True, it is conceivable that he might repent of his transgression, and through struggle maintain himself in righteousness for the future. But that does not reach the past. If he should by struggle maintain himself in righteousness for the future, that is no more than he ought to do. Man owes that duty every day in the present and in the future. It is the breach in the law that must be mended. Man is under the sentence of eternal death, spiritual and temporal;^[A] for a past transgression of the law of God. Doing what is merely his duty in the present and the future will not make satisfaction for the past. Man is helpless in the presence of that broken law; no act of his can atone for the transgression of Adam or stay the effects of the fall upon the race, or redeem them from the penalty of death.

[Footnote A: "Wherefore the first judgment which came upon man [the judgment of death] 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" (II Nephi ix:7). Because of the fall of Adam "all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence" (Alma xl ii; 14).]

2. Only Deity Can Satisfy the Claims of Deity: The sin of Adam was a sin against divine law; a sin against the majesty of God. Only a God can render a satisfaction to that insulted honor and majesty. Only Deity can satisfy the claims of Deity.

And hence Alma says, in speaking of the Atonement, and in view of the inadequacy of any atonement man himself can make: "It shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice. * * * And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law; every white pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God; yea, infinite and eternal. * * * The plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world to bring about the plan of Mercy, to appease the demands of Justice."^[A]

[Footnote A: Alma xxxiv:10-14; xlii:15. See also II Nephi ix:7]

3. The Atonement Also a Matter of Power to Make It—Capacity: Moreover the Atonement is not only a matter of satisfying the insulted honor and majesty of God adequately by like meeting like, and measure answering measure; but it is also a question of power. Not only must the dishonor towards God be removed by satisfaction, but there must be power over death; there must be a power of life that that which was lost may be restored; and not only as to the spiritual life of man with God; but restored union between the spirit and body of man—physical life upon which the happiness and progress that God has designed for man depends. "Man," it should be always remembered, "is spirit." "The elements [meaning elements of matter] are eternal; and spirit and element inseparably connected receive a fulness of joy."^[A] Hence the importance of man's physical life, the union of his deathless spirit with a body that must be made equally immortal; and since the fall brought to man this physical death as well as the spiritual death; his redemption, to be complete, must re-establish that physical life by reuniting the essential elements of the body of man and his spirit, in the resurrection, and the resurrection must be universal; the Atonement in its redeeming effects must be as universal as the fall. As in Adam all die, so through the Redeemer of men must all be made alive,^[B] if the redemption is to be complete. It was doubtless these considerations which led some of the Nephite prophets to say that the Atonement "must needs be an infinite atonement;" by which, as I think, they sought to express the idea of the sufficiency of it; its completeness; the universality and power of it to restore all that was lost, both spiritual and physical, as well as to express the rank and dignity of him who would make the Atonement.

[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov., Sec. 93:33, 34.]

[Footnote B: I Cor. xv:22.]

The Redeemer, then, must be a Lord of life, hence Deity. He must not only have the power of life within himself, but the power to impart it to others—a God-like power; and to inspire faith in his possession of such power, the manner of the Atonement must be such as to include demonstration of that fact, else how shall men have faith in him? All these considerations lift the Redeemer and the Atonement far above man and what man can do. Truly the redemption of man is to be the work of God.

4. Scripture Warrant for Above Conclusions: And now for the scripture warrant for these conclusions:

"I lay down my life for the sheep [men]. * * * 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. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.^[A]

"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up; * * * he spake of the temple of his body, when therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them."^[B] "Thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day."^[C]

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men."^[D] "Verily, verily I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth; and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.^[E] Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is come and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. And shall come forth; they have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."^[F]

[Footnote A: St. John x:17, 18.]

[Footnote B: Ibid ii:19-22.]

[Footnote C: Luke xxiv:46.]

[Footnote D: St. John i:4.]

[Footnote E: St. John v:19-29.]

[Footnote F: St. John v:25-29.]

5. Man May Not Be Left to Suffer the Course of Justice, As That Would Thwart the Divine Purposes and Promises: But to return now to the thought that God himself must make atonement for man's transgression. And we come back to that thought with increased conviction after considering the necessary element of power in connection with the Atonement, the ability to restore that which was lost—life, spiritual and physical; not the work of man, but the work of a Deity, a Lord of life—God must himself redeem man. That or justice must take its course and the sinner be left to satisfy the justice of God by an endless misery under the sentence of law; without union with God—spiritual death; and subject to the dissolution of spirit and body, without the power of resurrection—physical death. But that would thwart the purpose of God with reference to the earth-life of man, which was designed for his progress, that progress might bring him joy.^[A] Moreover, to leave man under the penalty of a broken law, which means to him eternal death, physical and spiritual, would be contrary to the pledge of eternal life "which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."^[B] Under these circumstances justice may not be left to take its course. There must be an atonement made for man and as none but God can make an adequate atonement in the case, then a Deity must make it. And hence one of the Nephite prophets, coming to the same conclusion, wrote: "And now the plan of mercy could not be brought about, except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also"^[C] The Atonement, we conclude, must be made by a Deity, in order to be adequate; but it must be made by a Deity living a man's life—hence the incarnation of the spirit of a Deity in the person of Jesus Christ.^[D] It must be made by a Deity who will live man's life with all its temptations, yet remain without sin that the sacrifice might be without spot or blemish;" by one who will give to the world the illustration and the one demonstration of a perfect life—a life in which the will is wholly subjected to the will of God Also the Atonement must be made by a Deity living man's life that the satisfaction to the justice of God may be rendered from the same plane on which the offense was offered, and essentially from amid the same conditions. Hence the special temptation of Jesus by Lucifer. The Atonement must be made by a Deity who shall die man's death, but who shall not be holden of it, but break its bands and demonstrate the power of the resurrection of which he is the first fruits, and ever after Lord of life and the power of the resurrection—such, for instance, as was Jesus Christ.

[Footnote A: II Nephi ii:25; Doc. & Cov., Sec. 93:33,34, and I Peter i:18-20.]

[Footnote B: Paul to Titus: Titus i:1, 2; see also Lesson IV.]

[Footnote C: Jesus Christ not only Divine but Deity. See Lecture by the writer, "Mormon Doctrine of Deity," Ch. iv.]

[Footnote D: "Ye know that ye were not redeemed by corruptible things, * * but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish, and without spot" (I Peter i:18, 19). All the victims in the sacrifices under the law which typified the Christ were required to be perfect, spotless, without blemish, foreshadowing that he, too, who was to atone for man's sin would be without fault.]