The key most scripture to understanding the main lesson of the atonement is given in the following scriptures which are often mis-interpreted.
When Jesus taught me about the atonement, he quoted these verses but did not use the word "life" when he said "whosoever will save his soul shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his soul for my sake shall find it." This is consistent with with the following verses which says, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"Mark 8
34 ¶ And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matt. 16
24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matt. 10
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Luke 9
23 ¶ And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
Long after He taught us, we discovered that it is also consistent with the Greek word, "psychē" which is translated as "life" in verse 24 and "soul" in verse 25. When it is translated as "soul", it means,
When Jesus taught us, he said, "soul".psychē - the soul
- the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)
- the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life
- the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body)
We spend a great deal of time trying to save ourselves. But, it is when we give up accepting that we cannot save ourselves that he comes to us and saves us. It is when we give up that we experience the love of God which is the fruit that is precious beyond measure.
King Benjamin said that if we want to "always retain a remission of our sins" then we must "remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures".
The broken heart and contrite spirit comes from the realization that of your own nothingness and that you are unworthy. The realization that there is nothing you can do that will make you worthy of salvation. You can't earn it or merit it and as long as you continue to try to save your soul, you will lose it. But, if you stop trying to save your soul, you will find it. We do not experience the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost by earning it, but by accepting that we are not worthy of it and having faith in Christ alone to save us. Our faith in Christ fills us with the Love of God because we realize that we are forgiven when we are not worthy of forgiveness. If we maintain this humility and faith, the we will retain a remission of our sins, not because we become worthy of it, but because we "remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures[/u]".Mosiah 4
11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.
Paul asked, "Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" If you don't know the answer to this question, I suggest that you read Galatians 3. If you are seeking the spirit by good works or obedience to the law in an effort to save your soul and become worthy of it, you will lose it.
Now, if the spirit will allow me, I'd like to offer up some thoughts that are relevant to the atonement and how people attempt to save themselves by supporting Christ's death. These thoughts come from a few intentionally chosen "Maxims of Law" which verbalize truths that have been known for thousands of years and which we see applied throughout the scriptures. These Maxims verbalize much of the basic truths behind Christ's teachings as well as the foundation of our modern legal system today. As you read these, please consider your views of Christ's death and how you might be judged based on the principles verbalized by these eternal truths.
- In maleficio ratihabitio mandato comparatur. = He who ratifies a bad action is considered as having ordered it.
- Qui non obstat quod obstare potest facere videtur. = He who does not prevent what he can, seems to commit the thing.
- An accessory before the fact - A person who aids, abets, or encourages another to commit a crime but who is not present at the scene. An accessory before the fact, like an accomplice may be held criminally liable to the same extent as the principal. Many jurisdictions refer to an accessory before the fact as an accomplice. Examples include: Judas, The Chief Priest, the scribes, Satan who plotted his death, (Luke 22:2-6)
- An accessories after the fact - A person who knowing that a crime has been committed, receives, relieves, comforts or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment, is an accessory after the fact. Examples: Anyone who knows about the crime and supports it, agrees with it, condones it and encourages it, desires it because they benefit from it.
- Aiding and abetting -
- Aiding - assisting, supporting, or helping another to commit a crime.
- Abetting - encouraging, inciting, or inducing another to commit a crime.
- An accessory is someone who does any of the above things in support of a principle's commission of crime. State laws typically distinguish between accessories "after the fact" and "before the fact." These terms describe a person's assistance to the crime before or after it is committed.
We are told that we commit murder and shed innocent blood simply by assenting to his death.D&C 132
27 The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God; and he that abideth not this law can in nowise enter into my glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord.
Assent = agree with, condone, support, encourage; to agree to or approve of something (such as an idea or suggestion) especially after thoughtful consideration; CONSENT, ACCEDE, ACQUIESCE, SUBSCRIBE; to concur with what has been proposed. ASSENT implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.
If we assent to his death after we have received the new and everlasting covenant, then we are "accessories after the fact" to the crime of his murder, and the Lord says to those who do so, " ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death[/b][/u]" which is "the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world". This is consistent with the Maxim of Law which says, "He who ratifies a bad action is considered as having ordered it."
Do you plot and rejoice in Christ's death 2000 years after the fact in the same ways that the Chief Priest, Judas and Satan did before his death?
Another Maxim of Law that applies:
- Qui non prohibit quod prohibere potest assentire videtur. = He who does not forbid what he can forbid, seems to assent.
Another applicable Maxim of Law:
- Que sentit commodum, sentire debet et onus. He who derives a benefit from a thing, ought to feel the disadvantages attending it.
Who will be found more wicked in the court of God, the person who committed the crime, or the person who assents to the crime?
Regarding the people who committed the crime, the Roman Soldiers, Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." He did not make such a request for the Chief Priest, the scribes, Judas, Satan or any of the others who did not commit the crime but knew who he was and assented to his death, rejoiced that his blood was spilt and that he died for their benefit.
Yes, those who plotted his death knew who he was, just as we do.
John 11
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
47 ¶ Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
As far as I can tell, that is the exact same reason that Christians today support his murder. They say that it was God's will, and ignore the signs of God's displeasure like the earth quakes, darkness, etc. and the multiple references that his death was Satan's will.
(Me - Wondering how people conclude that God's will and Satan's will are aligned in wanting Jesus to die on the cross... Did God want evil or did Satan want good? Or do confused people just mistakenly think that if God has foreknowledge of an event that God desires the event. The scripture above says Jesus was troubled. Was he troubled by righteousness? Was Judas to the hero of this story and the Savior of Christianity for ensuring that Jesus was handed over to people who would kill him? Why do these people not celebrate Judas for his role in making Jesus death the reality they celebrate?)“Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.” - John
6:70-71
"And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.
3 ¶ Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.” - Luke
22:2-6
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
21 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
...
26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly." - John 13:20-27
Peace,
Amonhi