THE ETERNAL AND ATONING MISSION OF JESUS THE CHRIST

(Book of Mormon – 2 Nephi – Chapters 9, 10, 11) 2

Although it isn’t required, a quick review of last week’s introduction to these chapters would be helpful.

Speaking with the urgency of a living prophet desiring to be a good shepherd over his flock Nephi gives a beautiful and enlightening discourse about the importance of Jesus the Christ and His Atoning sacrifice to the fulfilling and completing Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation and Exaltation.

Essential principles which Nephi teaches his people and proclaims them to be necessary for all in order to grow toward inheriting all that the Father has:

Death which comes upon all of Heavenly Father’s children is an essential part of The Plan.

Because of the Fall which brought death upon all mortals and removed them from God’s presence, it became necessary for a means be provided whereby all could be resurrected.

The fall also put all into a condition of being spiritually dead, wherein they were separated from the presence of Heavenly Father and His influence.

The Lord came into the world to save all who would hearken unto His voice.

Faith in Jesus the Christ and ordinances including baptism are essential to be saved in the kingdom of God.

A person must have and understand a law before they become accountable to that law.

That which would be accounted as sin if a person had a law will be Atoned for by the Sacrifice of Jesus the Christ for those without the law.

The resurrection of all could only be done through an atoning sacrifice of a sinless being.

The alternative to the Atoning Sacrifice of a Savior would be that all would become subject to a devil and remain eternally miserable.

The Lord took upon Himself the suffering for all sins repented of and the pains suffered by all, both men, women and children.

A caution is given that this devil can even appear as an angel of light, stirring men’s hearts unto entering into secret combinations. (This is a topic which will be written about in much greater detail at a later date.)

The Atonement of Jesus the Christ will cause the graves to deliver up their dead and physical and spirit bodies shall be restored one to another.

The resurrected shall have a perfect knowledge restored unto them both of their guilt and righteousness.

The greatness of the mercy of God is unto all men.

Great is the Holiness of God.

God knoweth all things and there is not anything save he knows it.

As a reminder of the reality that those who went through their mortal estate in ignorance (without law) or innocence (not capable of comprehending law) along with those whose progression was limited because of being blinded by deception during mortality it would be well to review the following scriptures.

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. (1 Peter 3:18-22)

A revelation by Joseph F. Smith received on October 3, 1918 which is found in section 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants expands on Peter’s revelation of the missionary work which is done among the dead. I include only versus 28-37. This section also gives an expanded view of the resurrection we will all undergo and further testimony of the truthfulness of Nephi’s teachings about the Savior to his people.

And I wondered at the words of Peter—wherein he said that the Son of God preached unto the spirits in prison, who sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah—and how it was possible for him to preach to those spirits and perform the necessary labor among them in so short a time. And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them; But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.

And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel. Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.

These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, And all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

And so it was made known among the dead, both small and great, the unrighteous as well as the faithful, that redemption had been wrought through the sacrifice of the Son of God upon the cross.

Thus was it made known that our Redeemer spent his time during his sojourn in the world of spirits, instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh; That they might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead, unto whom he could not go personally, because of their rebellion and transgression, that they through the ministration of his servants might also hear his words.

Even a casual searching of these verses will help you to understand why I believe our eventual eternal state will be based on our acceptance of the Plan of Salvation and Exaltation through the mercy of the Lord after all we have done throughout all the stages of our existence.

(to be continued)


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY