The Perfect Paradox - Chapter 7: And a Mericiful God, Also

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18). “In a little wrath [He] hid [His] face from [us] for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will [He] have mercy on [us]” (3 Nephi 22:8).

Of all the blessings God extends, mercy is one for which we intently seek. Properly approached, seeking for mercy is not a quest to temper justice or dodge a penalty. Rather, it is a divinely-guided effort to make amends with our Father whom we've offended. Thus, seeking mercy is a quest to know Christ, His Son, for He is the single Soul who fans the embers of God's compassion and the only avenue through which the demands of His justice are satisfied.

Mercy, however, is not only for the sinner; it consoles saint and sinner alike. Whether or not we think it fair, suffering is the reward of the righteous and it is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God (see Acts 14:22). Thus, like the apostle Paul, we glory in tribulation knowing that in us “Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (JST 1 Timothy 1:16; compare Alma 17:11). This invitation to be a pattern of long-suffering unto others heartens us to accept tribulation more readily as Jesus did (see 1 Peter 4:12-16), to pray for ability rather than exits (see Luke 22:44), and to seek for strength in the midst of affliction and safety during the storm, rather than pleading for the storm to calm or the affliction to cease. Calmness and certainty amid trying circumstances is found in our acceptance of tribulation, not in our escape from it. During such times, we are reminded by the prophet Joseph that it is the idea of God’s mercy that gives us the life, energy, and resolve to endure:

It is . . . important that men should have the idea of the existence of the attribute mercy in the Deity, in order to exercise faith in him for life and salvation; for without the idea of the existence of this attribute in the Deity, the spirits of the saints would faint in the midst of the tribulations, afflictions, and persecutions which they have to endure for righteousness’ sake. But when the idea of the existence of this attribute is once established in the mind it gives life and energy to the spirits of the saints, believing that the mercy of God will be poured out upon them in the midst of their afflictions, and that he will compassionate them in their sufferings, and that the mercy of God will lay hold of them and secure them in the arms of his love, so that they will receive a full reward for all their sufferings (Smith J. , The Doctrine and Covenants, 1891, pp. 15, Lecture 4).

During terrible times, and at all times, we have a High Priest who was “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). If we suffer, it is well to be reminded that He, in like manner, suffered first and is, thereby, able to succor us according to our infirmities! Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (1997) appropriately writes:

The wounds in [Christ’s] hands, feet, and side are signs that in mortality painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect, signs that tribulation is not evidence that God does not love us. It is a significant and hopeful fact that it is the wounded Christ who comes to our rescue. He who bears the scars of sacrifice, the lesions of love, the emblems of humility and forgiveness is the Captain of our Soul. That evidence of pain in mortality is undoubtedly intended to give courage to others who are also hurt and wounded by life, perhaps even in the house of their friends (p. 259).

Notwithstanding, from least to greatest, all seem to be innately endowed with a desire for mercy and the propensity to escape tribulation. The criminal, conspicuously placed aside his Redeemer, pleaded: “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42). And even the Lord in agony pleaded, “if thou be willing, remove this cup from me”. Wonderfully, He who was shown no mercy is rich in mercy (see Ephesians 2:4) and full of compassion (see Psalms 86:15). As a Balm of Gilead (see Jeremiah 8:22), He exists to bind up the brokenhearted, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (see Isaiah 61:1-3). His mercy endureth forever (see 1 Chronicles 16:34) and His charity never faileth (see 1 Corinthians 13:8) but is forever extended towards those who cleave unto Him as He cleaveth unto them (see Jacob 6:5).[1] Truly, our Lord is merciful and His Father will divide Him a portion with the great because He hath poured out His soul unto death and bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (see Isaiah 53:12).

Suitable to the price He paid, the Lord’s mercy is not extended without consideration for its intended recipients. Often, His mercy is handcrafted and hand-delivered. Always, His mercy is accorded to the innocent, ignorant, and penitent and is uniquely suited “to the conditions of the children of men” (D&C 46:15). Wisely, He counsels us to “listen to the voice of Jesus Christ your Redeemer . . . whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins” (D&C 29:1).

But atoning for our sins and tempering the penalty we were otherwise meant to suffer does not adequately explain the full measures of Christ’s mercy. Christ descended below all things (see D&C 88:6) not only to suffer the penalty of sin, mark the path, and lead the way, but also to 1) obtain power to raise men to the dignity of godhood, and 2) gain empathy and compassion for those whom He suffered. Concerning the first of these objectives, President John Taylor (1882) explained that it is through Christ’s stooping[2] that we are raised from inferiority to superiority:

In the economy of God pertaining to the salvation of the human family, we are told in the Scriptures that it was necessary that Christ should descend below all things, that He might be raised above all things . . . . It was further necessary that He should descend below all things, in order that He might raise others above all things; for if He could not raise Himself and be exalted through those principles brought about by the atonement, He could not raise others; He could not do for others what He could not do for Himself, and hence it was necessary for Him to descend below all things . . . that by and through the same power that He obtained His exaltation, they also, through His atonement, expiation and intercession, might be raised to the same power with Him; and, as He was the Son of God, that they might also be the adopted sons of God (pp. 144-145).

Thus, it is because of His mercy that we are called His sons and His daughters and it is because of His grace that we are exalted by that same power whereby He gained His exaltation. Concerning the second of these objectives, the apostle Paul explained:

For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 

Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted (Hebrews 2:16-18).

He who never heeded temptation comprehends it best and is able to succor and aid us in our difficulties. In all our afflictions, He was afflicted (see D&C 133:53) that He might be the Savior who shows compassion on us. His knowledge and understanding gained through agony was personal and first-hand. Commenting on such, Elder Maxwell (1988) remarks:

Jesus’ daily mortal experiences and His ministry . . . acquainted Him by observation with a sample of human sicknesses, grief, pains, sorrows, and infirmities which are ‘common to man’ (1 Corinthians 10:13). But the agonies of the Atonement were infinite and first-hand! Since not all human sorrow and pain is connected to sin, the full intensiveness of the Atonement involved bearing our pains, infirmities, and sicknesses, as well as our sins. Whatever our sufferings, we can safely cast our ‘care upon him; for he careth for [us]’ (1 Peter 5:7) (p. 51).

The fact that His experiences were first-hand perfected His love and compassion. Concerning the overall experience that enabled His grace, Alma expressed:

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. 

. . . and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. 

. . . that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance (Alma 7:11-13).

Although the Spirit knoweth all things, these verses imply that the Son of God took upon himself pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind and suffered “according to the flesh” to know how to succor His people. “Jesus knew cognitively what He must do,” declares Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1985), “but not experientially. He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fulness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined!” (p. 92). Drawing upon Elder Maxwell’s comments and relating them to Alma’s record, Brother Robert Millet (1997) writes:

This scripture points us to the Messiah’s power to lift us, lighten our burdens, and cradle us midst any care. It highlights the truth that Christ’s empathy was made perfect through his participation in pain—our pain as well as his. Though Jehovah knew all things cognitively, there were some things he could only know experientially, some things he would be required to go through personally to be able to assist us, personally, in our passage through the second estate (p. 33).

That Christ grants power to save us from the grasp of that awful monster is more than we deserve. But for Him to also comfort us in our pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind, whether or not they are self-inflicted or superficially-imposed, is truly noble, divine, and undeserved. Indeed, such love has been known only once (see Ether 12:33-34).

In response to the question whether we could ever answer, for ourselves, the end of the law that demands perfection, it was set forth in the prior chapter that we can only become perfect in Christ—justification is by faith on His name. Such a conclusion is intuitive since no one has the power to erase their past. But now I pose a similar question: Can we ever answer, for ourselves, the end of the law that demands punishment for broken law? In other words, if willing to pay the terrible price, can we personally satisfy justice for violation of God’s laws?

Although the answer to this question is clear, looking to the requirements imposed on those who inherit the least of God’s kingdoms provides support for the answer. Speaking of telestial individuals, Robert Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie (1986) assert:

None will inhabit [the telestial kingdom] who did not first suffer for their own sins in that part of the spirit prison known to us as hell. Having done so, having ‘paid the uttermost farthing’ (Matthew 5:26), they then come forth clean from sin to the least of the kingdoms of glory, but a kingdom of glory nonetheless (p. 128).

Referring to such candidates “reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day” (Moses 7:57), Elder Joseph Fielding Smith (1954-1956) likewise stated that they will be “thrust down to hell where they shall suffer the wrath of God until they pay the price of their sinning, if it is possible, by the things which they suffer . . . . This suffering will be a means of cleansing, or purifying, and through it the wicked shall be brought to a condition whereby they may, through the redemption of Jesus Christ, obtain immortality . . . and they shall dwell in the telestial kingdom” (pp. 297-298, Vol. 2).[3] Approaching this concept of “telestial salvation,” Elder Smith’s father, further explained:

I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead. 

The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God, 

And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation (D&C 138:57-59).

Upon quoting these two verses in his April 2003 General Conference address and relating them to a well known quote from Elder Orson F. Whitney,[4] President James E. Faust (2003) remarked:

We remember that the prodigal son wasted his inheritance, and when it was all gone he came back to his father's house. There he was welcomed back into the family, but his inheritance was spent (Luke 15:11–32). Mercy will not rob justice, and the sealing power of faithful parents will only claim wayward children upon the condition of their repentance and Christ's Atonement. Repentant wayward children will enjoy salvation and all the blessings that go with it, but exaltation is much more. It must be fully earned. The question as to who will be exalted must be left to the Lord in His mercy (p. 68).

I intend to return to these verses and President Faust’s comments shortly. However, prior to doing so, reviewing other related scriptures is both appropriate and instructive.

In his remarkable vision contained in Section 138, President Joseph F. Smith recorded that, in connection with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, he saw gathered together in one place a great company of the spirits who had departed this life faithful in the testimony of Jesus. All these, he noted, “had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection . . . and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand.” While this multitude of the dead awaited the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, President Smith explained that the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to these captives who looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage (see D&C 138:50). “And there he preached to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption . . . from the fall, and from individual sins on conditions of repentance. But unto the wicked he did not go . . . , neither did the rebellious . . . behold his presence, nor look upon his face. Where these were, darkness reigned” (see D&C 138:11-22).

In a shortened version of these same events, Moses recorded:

And the Lord said unto Enoch: Look, and he looked and beheld the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men; 

And he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks were rent; and the saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory;

And as many of the spirits as were in prison came forth, and stood on the right hand of God; and the remainder were reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day (see Moses 7:55-57).

From this description of events that transpired at the resurrection of Christ, it is not only observed that resurrected saints came forth, but it is also noted that they were joined by spirits who came forth from prison and stood on the right hand of God. It is further noted that in addition to these two groups that came forth, there were other spirits (i.e., the remainder) who were reserved in chains of darkness until the final judgment. Since the resurrected saints referred to were celestial candidates and since “the remainder” reserved in chains of darkness comprised sons of perdition who must suffer the full penalty of the second death (see D&C 76:31-39, 44-48) and telestial candidates who must likewise suffer “their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (see D&C 63:17), then I suggest that the spirits who came forth and stood on the right hand of God were terrestrial candidates, for these spirits came forth from prison. Such a conclusion accords with Isaiah’s record that the “Redeemer was anointed to . . . proclaim liberty to the [righteous] captives, and the opening of the prison to them that were bound” (see Isaiah 61:1; compare D&C 138:42).

It is worthy to note how precise President Smith’s description of the Lord’s ministry in the spirit world accords with the accounts of Enoch and Isaiah. To benefit all the spirits who lay in darkness, Christ organized a missionary force from among the righteous—

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 (D&C 138:30-34).

These verses confirm that the gospel was taken to all the spirits of men, including the wicked and those who were sometimes disobedient in the days of Noah. But the “sometimes disobedient” who would repent and receive the gospel, were accorded individual attention above that given to the remainder who were reserved in chains of darkness. Such “captives who were bound” were taught all principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. Giving reason as to why these of Noah’s dispensation are eventually resurrected to a terrestrial glory, Joseph Smith taught:

Behold, these are they who died without law; 

And also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; 

Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it. (D&C 76:72-74).

Notwithstanding their terrestrial status, the mercies of Christ have claim upon them. To Enoch, the Lord said concerning them: “Behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them. And That [i.e., Christ] which I have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment” (Moses 7:38-39). Thus, when Jesus returned to His Father following His resurrection (see John 20:17), these of the flood who had been bound in that prison prepared for them but who had since repented were released from their torment and came forth to stand on the right hand of God even though their resurrection was to be a future event.

One of the marvels of the scriptures we have today is the transparency that exists between verses penned by prophets spanning the centuries. This transparency is clear evidence that one Author orchestrated every passage written by the prophets. The foregoing verses are a remarkable example of this transparency. From Joseph F. Smith, we learn that the “righteous captives” who looked upon the long absence of their bodies as a bondage were resurrected at the first advent of Christ. This revelation accords with Enoch’s vision wherein he saw that the meridian saints arose and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man. From Isaiah, we also learn that at this same time there was an opening of the prison doors for those who were bound (see Isaiah 61:1) which further supports Joseph F. Smith’s testimony that the Lord proclaimed liberty to the captives who were bound. According to Enoch, these “bound captives” who repented were then released from their torment at the ascension of Christ and, thus, came forth and stood on the right hand of God. Finally, Joseph Smith’s account confirms that these bound spirits were the spirits of men kept in prison, who the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them that they might be judged according to men in the flesh. All scriptures are consistent concerning the remainder—they are reserved in chains of darkness to suffer until judgment day.

My purpose in going through these scriptural accounts is to illustrate that there are essentially three divisions of spirits in the world of the dead:

1) the righteous captives who look upon the absence of their bodies as a bondage;

2) the captives who are bound and who are taught those principles of the gospel that permits them to be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to God in the spirit; and

3) the remainder who are reserved in chains of darkness to suffer until the day of judgment.

Of import, both the “righteous captives” and the “captives who are bound” come forth to stand on the right hand of God as both come forth in the resurrection of the just (see D&C 76:17)—for Christ suffered for their sins. Both are taught faith in God, repentance from sin, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. And although terrestrial candidates do not receive a celestial glory because they once rejected the prophets and gospel in mortality or did not afterwards accept it with all their hearts (see D&C 137:8), they are, nevertheless, spared from having to suffer the penalty dispensed upon the “remainder who are reserved” in chains of darkness. Thus, the resurrection is tolerable (see D&C 45:54) for these terrestrial souls who sit in “the region and shadow of death” (see D&C 57:10).[5]

I now return to President Faust’s comments and correlate them to these verses to which I have just referred. In so far as has been revealed, and with the exception of those who commit serious transgression after having been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise (see D&C 132:26), only telestial candidates are reserved in chains of darkness to pay the penalty of their transgressions (see D&C 63:17-18; compare D&C 76:98-107) and are afterwards washed clean by the blood of Christ, for neither celestial nor terrestrial candidates are consigned to suffer the full penalty of their sins (see D&C 88:96-99). And although sons of perdition are consigned to suffer the full penalty of their sins, they are not afterwards washed clean but remain filthy still (see D&C 88:102).[6] Only after they repent and have faith in Christ will those telestial spirits who are under bondage of sin be washed clean and come forth “through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God . . . [to] . . . receive a reward according to their works, for [even] they are heirs of salvation” (D&C 138:57-59). Indeed, the promise is given unto them that they will be servants of the Most High (see D&C 76:112).

Salvation, although frequently and properly viewed as synonymous with eternal life or exaltation (see D&C 6:13; compare D&C 14:7), is a scriptural expression broad enough to extend to telestial candidates (see D&C 76:88). Concerning these who experience “their part” of that second death, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith (1954-1956) commented:

They have no part in the first resurrection and are not redeemed from the devil and his angels until the last resurrection, because of their wicked lives and their evil deeds. Nevertheless, even these are heirs of salvation, but before they are redeemed and enter into their kingdom, they must repent of their sins, and receive the gospel, and bow the knee, and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world . . . . 

All who have been filthy and who would not receive the truth and have not had the testimony of Jesus Christ, must suffer the torments of the damned until they are purged from their iniquity, for the blood of Jesus Christ will not cleanse them[7] from their sins without their own individual suffering (pp. 22, Vol 2).

After their suffering, taught Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1985), these telestial candidates --

are saved from the devil because he no longer has power over them; they have paid the penalty for their sins, and these sins no longer weigh them down. After much sorrow and misery they are prepared to live as resurrected beings and find their places in one of the lower kingdoms. They are saved from endless torment, for, according to the law of justice, they have paid the penalty for all their evil deeds, and Satan no longer has any claim upon them (p. 145).

In his vision of the dead recorded in D&C 138, President Joseph F. Smith appears to have seen all those who will be eventually redeemed by the blood of Christ. In verses 12 through 24, he described the redemption of celestial saints. In verses 28 through 34 he addressed the redemption of terrestrial heirs. It is only fitting that his vision should conclude with the redemption of telestial candidates “through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God” (see D&C 138:57-58).

At first, some may consider it a doctrinal stretch to conclude that telestial individuals come forth from darkness through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God. After much pondering and serious consideration, I do not—for two reasons. First, because of the words used to express our Fourth Article of Faith, this generation has become accustomed to thinking that faith and repentance are principles of the gospel and that baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands are ordinances. However, the Wentworth Letter as originally published by Joseph Smith makes no distinction between principles and ordinances. From what has since become the 3rd and 4th Articles of Faith, Joseph Smith originally penned these words:

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. We believe that these ordinances are: 1st, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; 2d, Repentance; 3d, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; 4th, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.[8]

The Prophet’s generic use of the term “ordinances” to include faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance brings broader perspective as to those doctrines that comprise “ordinances of the gospel.” From a practical perspective, the term ordinances is broad enough to comprise all temporal laws such as those enacted by federal and local legislative bodies as well as all eternal laws ordained by God (see D&C 1:15). Second, with few exceptions, the scriptural expression “house of God” refers to the Lord’s temple. However, the expression “house of God” can also be used to describe those belonging to the house of God in contrast to “them that obey not the gospel of God” (see 1 Peter 4:17; compare D&C 112:25-26). Considering that telestial spirits who sit in darkness (see D&C 57:10) and under the bondage of sin are taught the “gospel of repentance and redemption through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God” (see D&C 138:57), may I suggest that these souls will be saved through faith and repentance—ordinances of the house of God?[9]

Having considered the salvation of telestial candidates, it is now fitting to answer the question posed earlier in this chapter: Does one’s suffering for personal sin fully answer the demands of justice for broken law? In response, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith (1954-1956) began: “It is most natural and just that he who commits the wrong should pay the penalty—atone for his wrongdoing. Therefore, when Adam was the transgressor of the law, justice demanded that he, and none else, should answer for the sin and pay the penalty with his life” (pp. 126, Vol 1). This might suggest that man must pay the price of their sinning if they are to be redeemed. However, Elder Smith (1954-1956) continued:

But Adam, in breaking the law, himself became subject to the curse, and being under the curse could not atone for or undo, what he had done. Neither could his children, for they also were under the curse, and it required one who was not subject to the curse to atone for that original sin. Moreover, since we were all under the curse, we were also powerless to atone for our individual sins.

It, therefore, became necessary for the Father to send his Only Begotten Son, who was free from sin, to atone for our sins as well as for Adam's transgression . . . . He accordingly offered himself a sacrifice for sins . . . thereby redeeming us from the fall, and from our sins, on condition of repentance (pp. 126, Vol 1).

President Marion G. Romney (1982) likewise taught that salvation and freedom from the effects of sin must come through an expedient beyond the individual:

Since we suffer this spiritual death as a result of our own transgressions, we cannot claim deliverance there from as a matter of justice. Neither has any man the power within himself alone to make restitution so complete that he can be wholly cleansed from the effect of his own wrongdoing. If men are to be freed from the results of their own transgressions and brought back into the presence of God, they must be the beneficiaries of some expedient beyond themselves which will free them from the effect of their own sins. For this purpose was the atonement of Jesus Christ conceived and executed. (p. 9).

We cannot forgive ourselves or atone for our sins no matter how low we may stoop. The Lord’s judgments are turned away only because of His Son (see Alma 33:11; compare D&C 45:3-5) and no amount of human suffering will stay the hand of justice. “Man can no more redeem himself than he can create himself,” declared Elder McConkie (1981). “It takes a God to create and to redeem” (p. 236). In short, “God himself must atone for the sins of the world” (McConkie B. R., New Witness, 1985, pp. 111-112). Elder Dallin H. Oaks (2002) confirms that “man cannot earn his own salvation. He cannot be cleansed by personal suffering for his own sins” (p. 75).[10] Forgiveness of sins comes only to those who believe in Christ and repent. “It never has,” said Elder McConkie (1981), “does not now, and never will come to anyone else. It is Christ ‘that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name’ (Alma 5:48)” (p. 339).

In connection herewith, it is well to be reminded of the Savior’s kind rebuke when Peter declined the Lord’s offer to wash his feet: “Jesus answered him, ‘If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me’” (John 13:8). Like Peter, we cannot reserve such washing unto ourselves. Christ must wash us if we are to have place in His kingdom. Thus, Elder George Q. Cannon taught that telestial candidates who eventually have faith in Christ and repent will be cleansed:

Those who are unfaithful, those who will listen to Satan, who will lend a willing ear to his blandishments and to his allurements, when they go from this state of existence, they go into a condition where they are subject to his power. They will dwell in darkness, and according to their sins their punishment will be. Some will be consigned to ‘outer darkness’ where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth . . . . They will remain in that condition according to the enormity of their offenses, until punishment will be meted out to them sufficiently to bring them to a condition that they will receive the Gospel of salvation. That Gospel which is taught to us will be taught to them, and they will have an opportunity of obeying it in their damned condition and through repentance will receive salvation.[11]

Why is it that our suffering cannot satisfy justice? The reason is because the Savior’s suffering for sin is vastly different from ours. Our suffering for sin satisfies a stipulation of repentance and avails us of the Lord’s mercy but does nothing to satisfy the demands of justice for broken law. “The suffering that impels [us] towards repentance,” Elder Oaks teaches, “is [our] own suffering. But the suffering that satisfies the demands of justice for [us] is the suffering of our Savior and Redeemer.”[12] Christ alone answered the ends of the law and no one else can adequately answer either end. Redemption comes through “this Redeemer” and none other (see 1 Nephi 10:6). Salvation in and of any degree comes “through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb” (see D&C 76:39). Thus, every person must ultimately avail themselves of the mercies of the Holy Messiah or forever remain in an unsaved condition. Such will be the condition of those sons of perdition who personally suffer the penalty of their sins but whose suffering neither satisfies the demands of justice nor avails them of Christ’s mercy. They will be “filthy still” and, in the words of Amulek, it will be as if no atonement is made for them (see Alma 11:41).

Notwithstanding Christ’s answer to the ends of the law, punishment continues to be a necessary condition of repentance for Alma taught that “repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment” (Alma 42:16). In connection herewith, another relevant question arises: If repentance comes because of a punishment, who is punished—us or the Lord?[13] At the end of the day, the answer to this question is that both are punished for our personal sins—Christ was punished for them to satisfy justice and we must likewise be punished for them to avail ourselves of His mercy. It can be no other way. Although He declared that He suffered for all “that they might not suffer if they would repent,” (D&C 19:16-17) this does not mean that if we repent we get to walk away unscathed from the effects of our personal sins. Personal suffering “is a very important part of repentance,” expressed President Spencer W. Kimball. “One has not begun to repent,” he continued, “until he has suffered intensely for his sins . . . . If a person hasn’t suffered, he hasn’t repented . . . . He has got to go through a change in his system whereby he suffers and then forgiveness is a possibility.”[14]

When it comes to our personal sins, mercy only tempers justice and the punishment affixed; mercy does not cancel the punishment entirely. To eliminate the punishment for sin entirely would rob the penitent sinner of a much needed impetus to conform their life to God’s. Elder Oaks states: “The object of God’s laws is to save the sinner, not simply to punish him . . . . The repentant transgressor must be changed and the conditions of repentance, including confession and personal suffering, are essential to accomplish that change. To exempt a transgressor from those conditions would deprive him of the change necessary for his salvation. That would be neither just nor merciful.”[15] Therefore, in His mercy, God permits us to suffer a punishment to invoke a divine change and avoid making a mockery of Him who shows compassion on us.

Since we must suffer for personal sin, what suffering must we experience and how long must it last to invoke the necessary change? In answer, scriptures teach that the Savior’s suffered both body and spirit “even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death” (Mosiah 3:7). As mortals, we are not able to suffer the cruelty of the cross without submitting to death. More so, we are less able to suffer the agony of body and spirit that caused God to tremble because of pain and to bleed at every pore (see D&C 19:18) long before the first nail was driven. Indeed, it is not possible for us to resist “unto blood, striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4) as Christ did.

Thus, although the Savior’s suffering is admittedly unique, we must nevertheless suffer in some small measure as He did if we are to emulate Him and more fully appreciate why His mercy is not extended without consideration for its cost. Certainly, our suffering is not to consist of being stripped, beaten, and fastened to a cross. Rather, as Christ’s agony was punctuated by spiritual anguish, we must likewise suffer a type of what He suffered. Of that suffering there is little revealed.[16] However, “[t]here is no pain so awful as the pain of suspense,”[17] and “[t]hose who have done wrong always have that wrong gnawing at them.”[18] This condition, Joseph Smith taught, “is the condemnation of the wicked; their doubt and anxiety and suspense causes weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.”[19] “Hence, the saying: They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone. I say, so is the torment of man.”[20]

In mortality, this form of spiritual suffering can be “tasted” by us in the least degree when the Lord withdraws His Spirit (see D&C 19:20) or, more appropriately, when we withdraw ourselves from the Spirit of the Lord that it has no place in us (see Mosiah 2:36). So long as the Light of Christ continues to strive with us and entice us in any measure, our personal suffering for sin will hopefully nudge us towards God. But the Lord has reminded us that His “Spirit shall not always strive with man” (D&C 1:33).[21] If the time comes that we become so entrenched in sin that we fully withdraw from the Light of Christ, our day of grace will have passed, both temporally and spiritually (see Mormon 2:15),[22] the “spirit of repentance” will depart[23] and Satan will seal us his and have all power over us (see Alma 34:33-35).[24] On that day, our sorrowing will avail us nothing (see Mormon 2:13) as there is a vast difference between the godly sorrow that “worketh repentance” (see Alma 42:29) and the sorrowing of the damned that “worketh death” (see 2 Corinthians 7:10).

Noting the mortal conditions and sorrowing of the damned, the prophet Mormon provided us with this dramatic description of the last generation of wicked Nephites who spent their final days in spiritually-darkened aggravation:

For behold, the Spirit of the Lord hath already ceased to strive with their fathers; and they are without Christ and God in the world; and they are driven about as chaff before the wind.

They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God the Father.

But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they (Mormon 5:16-18).

King Benjamin likewise described the eternal state of such hopeless individuals: “Therefore if that man repenteth not and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever” (Mosiah 2:38). Those ordained unto this condemnation “go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment—And the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows . . . except . . . them who are made partakers thereof” (D&C 76:44-48).

In contrast to the sorrowing of these damned souls, Alma’s conversion experience provides us with a powerful example of the sorrowing that worketh repentance. Describing the spiritual anguish he endured, Alma recorded:

But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. 

Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments. 

Yea, and I had [spiritually] murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror. 

Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds. 

And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul (Alma 36:12-16).

Elsewhere, Alma described his anguish as “wading through much tribulation [and] repenting nigh unto death” (see Mosiah 27:28). Such genuine suffering caused Alma to become physically ill and “for the space of three days and three nights [he] could not open [his] mouth, neither had [he] the use of [his] limbs” (Alma 36:10).

Although Alma’s description of his suffering is remarkably similar to the sorrowing of the damned described by King Benjamin, his sorrowing did not stem from a hopeless fear of punishment or from an inability to “take happiness in sin” (see Mormon 2:13). Rather, his sorrow caused his sins and iniquities to trouble him with that trouble which brought him down to repentance (see Alma 42:29) and instilled in him a proper sense of guilt before God. This sorrowing, when applied in our lives, will “impart unto us meekness and lowliness of mind; it will cause our hearts to be broken and our spirits to be contrite.”[25] This is the sorrowing and suffering we must experience notwithstanding the arms of God’s mercy that are continually outstretched towards us.

A final and interesting element of Alma’s conversion is that he experienced “eternal torment” for three days. This begs the question: “How long does eternal torment really last?” Apparently, it can last for as little as three days. Hence, just because God’s punishment is eternal punishment, it does not follow that a person who is consigned thereto must endure it eternally. From modern revelation, we read:

And surely every man must repent or suffer, for I, God, am endless . . . .
Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment. 

Again, it is written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my name’s glory (D&C 19:4, 6-7).

Thus, from one vantage point, it appears that endless and eternal reflect qualitative attributes of God and refer to a type of His punishments which are inflicted for whatever length of time is necessary to effect a divine change in a penitent heart. Noting the penitent disposition of Alma and the fact that he suffered eternal torment for only three days, we must concede that what he suffered was this qualitative punishment from God not necessarily connected to any particular period of time—he suffered God’s torments for three days.

However, from another perspective, eternal, endless, and everlasting appear to refer to an indeterminate length of time that one will be consigned to suffer in a state of damnation, for we also read of those who remain “filthy still” and who “go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment . . . where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment—And the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows” (D&C 76:44-45) except those ordained unto this condemnation. Where God is, such individuals cannot dwell (see D&C 29:27-29), but they must “dwell with the devil, and angels of his, [w]hile eternity goes and eternity comes.”[26] Approaching this concept rationally, Joseph Smith taught “that everything which had a beginning must have an ending; and consequently if the punishment of man commenced in the next world, it must, according to . . . logic have an end.”[27] Thus, while there is a limit to the time one must experience the godly sorrow that worketh repentance, the length of time that those who remain “filthy still” must suffer has not been fully revealed.

In connection herewith, we might wonder whether such condemned individuals will ever enjoy their damned condition? In reply, three relevant points come to mind. First, Mormon taught that it would be more miserable for a sinful person “to dwell with a holy and just God [i.e., in the very best of physical surroundings], under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell” (Mormon 9:4). I guess what this teaches us is that true happiness will not come as the result of our physical surroundings but, more so, as the result of uniting ourselves with those who most closely approximate our own spirituality or lack thereof. I think this is even the case in mortality.

Second, I might suggest that we have all met or associated with those who suffer from the emotional virus known as pervasive negative anticipation—the habit of thinking that everything is going to turn out for the worst. These individuals thrive on being in a constant state of despair. They see the pitfalls of every situation and find little meaning in life except to seek for opportunities to lament all the trials that plague them. Of such individuals, we begin to think that they “enjoy” their conditions despite their sufferings and sorrows. Interestingly, the scriptures conclude that even those consigned to a state of “never-ending” sorrow will “enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received” (D&C 88:32). Like the apostate Nephites of old, those who will be unable to find happiness in sin may, nevertheless, enjoy that which has been allotted to them because they know that hoping for anything else would only be wishful thinking.

And finally, Alma taught that “wickedness never was happiness” (see Alma 41:10). Hence, despite the fact that one may “enjoy” that which he is willing to receive, I think it is safe to conclude that true joy and happiness will not be experienced by those who remain filthy still. Conversely, those who rely wholly upon the merits of Jesus Christ will avail themselves of His mercy and find a joy that never ends.

WORKS CITED

Faust, J. E. (2003, April 6). Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered. Conference Report.

Holland, J. R. (1997). Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.

Maxwell, N. A. (1985, April 7). Conference Report.

Maxwell, N. A. (1988). Not My Own Will, But Thine. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft.

McConkie, B. R. (1981). The Promised Messiah: The first coming of Christ. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.

McConkie, B. R. (1985). A New Witness for the Articles of Faith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.

Millet, R. L. (1997). Alive in Christ: The Miracle of Spiritual Rebirth. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.

Millet, R. L., & McConkie, J. F. (1986). The Life Beyond. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft.

Oaks, D. H. (2002). With Full Purpose of Heart. Salt Lake City, UT, United States: Deseret Book Company.

Romney, M. G. (1982, April 3). Conference Report.

Smith, J. (1891). The Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City: George Q. Cannon & Sons, Co., Printers and Publishers.

Smith, J. F. (1954-1956). Doctrines of Salvation (Vol. 3). (B. R. McConkie, Ed.) Salt Lake City, UT, United States: Bookcraft.

Taylor, J. (1882). Mediation and Atonement. Salt Lake City: Deseret New Company.

ENDNOTES

[1] Compare 1 Nephi 1:20 and Mosiah 29:20. 

[2] We often view the condescension of God as a past event—an event that occurred when He took upon Himself the form of man. Notwithstanding, in D&C 38:18, the Lord declared: “And I hold forth and deign (i.e., stoop) to give unto you the greater riches.” In His efforts to lift us, God is forever stooping. 

[3] Joseph Smith (1948-1950) also taught: “So long as a man will not give heed to the commandments, he must abide without salvation. If a man has knowledge, he can be saved; although, if he has been guilty of great sins, he will be punished for them. But when he consents to obey the gospel, whether here or in the world of spirits, he is saved” (pp. 314, Vol. 6). 

[4] The following quote given by Elder Orson F. Whitney (1929) was derived from some discourses as recorded in the William Clayton and Joseph Smith diaries: “The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God” (p. 110). 

After referencing this quote in his April 1992 General Conference address, Elder Boyd K. Packer (1992) stated: “We cannot overemphasize the value of temple marriage, the binding ties of the sealing ordinance, and the standards of worthiness required of them. When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them. President Brigham Young said: ‘Let the father and mother, who are members of this Church and Kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., 2:90–91)’” (p. 94). 

When Elder Packer gave his remarks, a sigh of relief settled over the parents of wayward children believing that their wayward children were unconditionally safe in the arms of their temple covenants. However, coming to this conclusion flies in the face of what the scriptures teach concerning agency, personal responsibility and individual salvation. Thus, several clarifications of the foregoing quotes are worthwhile. 

First, each of the written accounts from which Elder Whitney gained his understanding of this doctrine refer to the “sealing powers” in context of having one’s callings and election made sure. No reference is made to the marriage ordinance that exists between a husband and wife. Thus, we cannot conclude that the “eternal sealings” noted by Elder Whitney refers only to temple marriage. The “eternal sealings” of the temple is a reference to those ordinances which seal a man and wife up unto eternal life, or Second Anointings. Thus, temple marriage alone is insufficient to bind the children to parents. Second, when the Church historian amalgamated the entries from the William Clayton diary and Joseph Smith Diary kept by Willard Richards, to create the version of the August 13, 1843 discourse from which Orson F. Whitney derived his understanding of this doctrine, the passage that the blessings conferred by the ordinance of sealing parents was unconditional, thereby, suggesting that the children of parents who receive the fullness of the priesthood can never fall. However, another, and probably more accurate, account of this discourse contains the following clarification: “A measure of this sealing is to confirm upon their head[,] in common with Elijah[,] the doctrine of election or the covenant with Abraham—which when a [f]ather and mother of a family have entered into[,] their children[,] who have not transgressed[,] are secured by the seal wherewith the [p]arents have been sealed” (see Howard and Martha Coray Notebook, Smith, Joseph, Words of Joseph Smith, 241). 

Based on the foregoing, I think that it is scripturally-sound to conclude that the “eternal sealings” of parents (i.e., Second Anointings) indeed, will secure their children who have not transgressed the new and everlasting covenant of the gospel or who have repented of such transgressions before the night of darkness . . . wherein no work can be performed. 

[5] Compare Poetic Version of D&C 76 wherein Joseph Smith refers to these terrestrial spirits as “The heathen of ages who never had hope, And those of the region and shadow of death” (Smith J. , Times and Seasons, 1843, p. 83). 

[6] Compare Mormon 9:14; 2 Nephi 9:16; and D&C 88:35. 

[7] Note that Elder Smith spells out that it is the blood of Christ that will cleanse such individuals and not their personal suffering. 

[8] As republished in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, New York: Macmillan, 1992, 1754. 

[9] The conclusion to be drawn from this suggestion is that even telestial candidates must repent, have faith, and be redeemed through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son or else remain “filthy still” and face a certain and complete second death. It is worthy to note that the LDS Bible Dictionary explains that the “gospel by baptism” is the “covenant of salvation” where as celestial marriage is the “covenant of exaltation” (see under heading Abraham, Covenant of, 602). Although it is generally accepted and taught that baptism is a celestial ordinance, this might suggest that baptism has broader application. For example, referring to those of the terrestrial kingdom, the Poetic Version of D&C 76 contains this passage: “To the spirits in prison the Savior once preach’d, And taught them the gospel, with powers afresh; And then were the living baptiz’d for their dead, That they might be judg’d as if men in the flesh” (Smith, Joseph, Times and Seasons, Volume IV, Nauvoo, Illinois, 1 February 1843, 83). If baptism is a celestial and terrestrial ordinance, then it is just possible that it is also an ordinance that also extends to telestial beings as they are “redeemed through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God . . . and are washed clean . . . for they are heirs of salvation” (D&C 138:58-59). The aggregate of the gospel supports this suggestion. As far as has been revealed, baptism by water (which the prophet Joseph declared as but half a baptism and good for nothing if not accompanied by baptism of the Holy Ghost) is generally thought of as a prerequisite to enjoy the blessings of the Holy Ghost. If those of the telestial “receive of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial” (see D&C 76:86), mustn’t they first be washed clean and receive a remission of sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost? Although “Holy Spirit” often refers to the Light of Christ, its usage in this case appears to be a reference to the Holy Ghost as the prophet Joseph replaces “Holy Spirit” with “Comforter” in the Poetic Version of this verse (see Smith, Joseph, Times and Seasons, Volume IV, Nauvoo, Illinois, 1 February 1843, 84).

[10] In The Broken Heart, Elder Bruce C. Hafen (1989) provides his own insights concerning one’s inability to adequately suffer for personal sin and, thereby, satisfy the demands of justice: “I once wondered if those who refuse to repent but who then satisfy the law of justice by paying for their own sins are then worthy to enter the celestial kingdom. The answer is no. The entrance requirements for celestial life are simply higher than merely satisfying the law of justice. For that reason, paying for our sins will not bear the same fruit as repenting of our sins. Justice is a law of balance and order and it must be satisfied, either through our payment or his. But if we decline the Savior's invitation to let him carry our sins, and then satisfy justice by ourselves, we will not yet have experienced the complete rehabilitation that can occur through a combination of divine assistance and genuine repentance. Working together, those forces have the power permanently to change our hearts and our lives, preparing us for celestial life” (pp. 7-8). 

[11] Cannon, Gospel Truth, Volume 1, 78-79. 

[12] Oaks, The Lord's Way, 222-223. 

[13] Elder Dallin H. Oaks also addresses this question (see Oaks, With Full Purpose of Heart, 122). 

[14] Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 88, 99. 

[15] Oaks, With Full Purpose of Heart, 126. 

[16] See D&C 76:44-49; compare Mosiah 2:38. 

[17] Smith, Joseph, Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith’s Teachings, 136. 

[18] Ibid, 138. 

[19] Ibid, 136. 

[20] Smith, Joseph, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 357. 

[21] Compare 2 Nephi 26:11. 

[22] Compare Mormon 3:2-3. 

[23] See Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, 117-132. 

[24] Compare Mormon 5:16-18; Ether 15:19; Moroni 8:28, 9:20; and Mormon 2:26. 

[25] Pratt, Orson, Orson Pratt: Writings of an Apostle, 31. 

[26] Smith, Joseph, Times and Seasons, Volume IV, Nauvoo, Illinois, 1 February 1843, 83. 

[27] Smith, Joseph, The Words of Joseph Smith, 33.

Perfect Paradox - Chapter 3: Perfection and the Happiness Affixed

In the prior chapter, PERFECTION was identified as one end of the LAW that Christ answered. Coming to this conclusion naturally invites us to more thoroughly consider how He answered it. Such is the purpose of this chapter. In later chapters, what His answer to this end means for us will also be considered.

It has been previously noted that unto every kingdom is given a law with certain bounds and conditions, and that all who abide not in those conditions are not justified. In a related passage, the Lord instructs that all who secure a blessing at His hand must abide the law appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof (see D&C 132:5). Hence, to obtain God’s greatest gift (see D&C 14:7), we must abide the law that governs where God is. In preparation for this strict celestial standard, the Lord gives us charge to be perfect “even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (JST Matthew 5:50).[1]

Taken literally, this duty is staggering. It bewilders even the most devout disciple. Perhaps, more than others, this celestial standard weighs heavily upon the true disciple because only he or she truly senses what is at stake. Thus, this command must be patiently and appropriately viewed as no person, save Jesus only, has ever concluded this life fully justified, sanctified, and preserved by law. While in mortality, we mustn't become overzealous about what is yet to be done—it is far more important that we are headed in the right direction than knowing how long it is going to take us to get there. When it comes to perfection, we must view it—although afar off—with an eye of faith and see “this mortal body and corruption raised to incorruption” (Alma 5:15);[2] we must gaze into the eternities and view our potential to know as God knows and be known as He is known.

But, however anxious this dictate may make us, we are not at liberty to mitigate the directive by making it “measure down” to our fallen nature. The command is to be taken literally and every effort should be made to comply. Robert Millet (1989) rightly observed:

We are never justified in lowering the lofty standard held out to followers of the Christ. Nor are our actions or attitudes approved of God if we suggest that the Savior did not mean what he said when he called us to the transcendent level of perfection. Our task is not to water down the ideal, nor to dilute the directive. Rather, we must view our challenge with perspective, must see things as they really are, but also as they really can be (p. 89).

This command to be perfect applies not only to us, but it applied to God’s Son as well who, more than any of His children, was of a mind to work out His own salvation with fear and trembling (see Philippians 2:12; compare Mormon 9:27) and “supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death” (Hebrews 5:7).[3] Atonement for the sins of others required a payment by One who first possessed the capacity to save Himself. Without that capacity, Christ could not save us. Thus, of particular significance to Him whose personal salvation rested in His own perfection, it was requisite that Jesus be fully obedient to gospel law and free from sin. Expressing this requirement, Elder McConkie (1981) commented:

He had to work out his own salvation by doing on earth the will of the Father in all things. ‘Though he were a Son,’ Paul says, ‘yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered’ (Heb. 5:8), meaning that ‘The Lord Omnipotent’ himself had to overcome the world and stand against all opposition before he could (and again it is Paul’s language) be ‘made perfect’ (Heb. 5:9) in the ultimate and absolute sense of the term; that is, ‘perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect’ (p. 54).

To the time that Jesus matured and demonstrated His capacity to suffer temptations of every kind and yet remain without sin (see Hebrew 4:15; compare 1 Peter 2:22), the very Plan of Redemption hung in the balance. The upholding of all things was fixed on the moment when He alone would purge our sins (see Hebrews 1:3) and resuscitate the dead. Thus, it was not only in Gethsemane, on Golgotha, or in the Tomb that the great Plan of Redemption was wrought out. In preparation for those hours of agony wherein He fully paid the penalty for broken law, Christ lived in pre-mortality (McConkie B. R., 1981, p. 208), and thirty-three years in mortality, in complete, sinless perfection—an essential accomplishment for Him to answer the ends of the law and consummate an infinite atonement.

From this broader perspective, Christ began His work of redemption in His first estate, an estate where He was known as Jehovah. He continued it in mortality, in His suffering, by His death, and through His resurrection. And as His works never cease, His redemptive work, in preparation for that time when He shall place all things under His feet (see D&C 88:114), will not cease. Not only were His final days in mortality triumphant as rightly observed by any Christian but, as is often overlooked, His entire pre- and post-mortal existence has been miraculous; incredible beyond belief.

To more fully appreciate the miracle of Christ’s perfection, it is helpful to consider the declaration of the messenger to the prophet Nephi: “Look and behold the condescension of God” (1 Nephi 11:26)! Notwithstanding His unique primeval status, Christ was born of a virgin and inherited, from her, attributes of mortality. In this condescension, His primeval judgment was taken away (see Acts 8:33) and He came as man, taught Elder James E. Talmage (1982), to experience—

all the natural conditions of mortality; He was born as truly a dependent, helpless babe as is any other child; His infancy was in all common features as the infancy of others; His boyhood was actual boyhood, His development was as necessary and as real as that of all children. Over His mind had fallen the veil of forgetfulness common to all who are born to earth, by which the remembrance of primeval existence is shut off. The Child grew, and with growth there came to Him expansion of mind, development of faculties, and progression in power and understanding (p. 105).

The sacred record further reports that He grew up with His brethren and served under His stepfather. He was often portrayed as characteristic in appearance—possessing neither form, comeliness, nor beauty that the multitude should desire (see Isaiah 53:2). So common was His appearance that the multitude esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God (see Isaiah 53:4).[4] Notwithstanding that He came “in his glory, in his might, majesty, power, and dominion” (Alma 5:50; compare Alma 9:26, 13:24), the Son of God “emptied” Himself of these attributes in mortality, thus, was God veiled in flesh.[5] But, as He “grew up to manhood,” taught President Lorenzo Snow (1901), “it was revealed unto Him who He was, and for what purpose He was in the world” (p. 3). Isaiah compared His development to a tender plant under the personal care of a Gardener (see Isaiah 63:2). Of His childhood, the New Testament is brief and simply expresses that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

Notwithstanding these mortal characteristics inherited from His mother, the Son of Man “spake not as other men, neither could he be taught; for he needed not that any man should teach him” (JST Matthew 3:24-25). Notwithstanding that He “was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7), Christ was no ordinary man. He was God Almighty, the King of heaven and earth (see Alma 5:50) and, in the same sense that all mortal men have fathers (McConkie B. R., 1981, p. 294), He was sired by God and partook of the same nature and is a member of the same house and lineage of His Eternal Father (McConkie B. R., 1981, p. 9). Concerning their relationship, as cited by Elder McConkie (1981), the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve declared:

The Father placed his name upon the Son; and Jesus Christ spoke and ministered in and through the Father’s name; and so far as power, authority, and Godship are concerned his words and acts were and are those of the Father (p. 64).

He is the Word of God or, in other words, the Divine Expression of His Father. “In every state of existence,” confirmed Elder McConkie, “he was and is the possessor and personification of every godly attribute and characteristic in its fulness and perfection” (p. 197). Thus, it is rightly concluded that the Father and Son are one “in a sense far greater than merely being one in purpose” (p. 5).

In the primeval world, Jehovah was God . . . the God with whom all the patriarchs conversed. In mortality, He maintained this appointed position (see Alma 9:26; compare Mosiah 15:1), but of this reality, the world was blind. Even during infancy and childhood, Christ continued to be the Light of the world and the One through whom the light was sent to fill the immensity of space (see D&C 50:27; compare D&C 88:7-13). Neither in His birth and life nor in His death and resurrection do we see that which is common. I am not suggesting that Jesus was so different from the rest of humanity that He could not live like us and be our example in all things. But viewed in proper perspective, everything about Him was unique and uncommon, and necessarily so—He was to undertake a singular work that none other could.

“None ever were perfect but Jesus,” taught the prophet Joseph Smith (1997); “and why was He perfect? Because He was the Son of God, and had the fulness of the Spirit, and greater power than any man” (p. 346). “His words and deeds,” wrote Elder McConkie (1981), “his teachings and miracles, his triumph over the tomb—all that he did and said—all things appertaining to him have neither equal nor parallel among all the billions of souls who have breathed or shall breathe the breath of life on planet earth” (p. xviii). No other person possessed the divine powers and attributes of the Father so completely. No other conception or birth will transcend the holiness and glory that attended those simple events recorded in the Gospels. No other child received the personal attention and tutoring that the Savior of mankind received from His Father. Gratefully, God took particular interest in this Son in whom His Plan of Happiness was fixed—in whom was vested salvation for Himself, for you, and for me. When all who claim to be lords and all who claim to be gods are considered, both heaven and earth must proclaim that this Man is Lord of lords, King of kings, and God of gods!

Ironically, it is commonly thought that Christ came as “fallen man” so that He could overcome the fall and know how to succor us in our weakness. Recently, in an effort to determine how widespread was this view, I asked my students how many believed Christ came as fallen man? Forty percent of those questioned raised their hand in the affirmative and many remained uncertain. Few deviations rob a person of faith more than this one—the humanizing of God is more than slightly destructive to our faith.

Christ may have taken on the form of man (see Philippians 2:8),[6] but He did not take on the nature of man. He may have condescended (see 1 Nephi 11:26), but He did not fall. Christ may have stepped down from grace, but He did not fall from grace. Rather, as Elder James E. Talmage (1982) reminded: “[Christ’s] advancement was from one grace to another, not from gracelessness to grace; from good to greater good, not from evil to good, from favor with God to greater favor, not from estrangement because of sin to reconciliation through repentance and propitiation” (pp. 105-106).

Abinadi taught that the form which Christ took upon Himself was not the form ordinarily ascribed to man. Rather, he affirmed that His image was “the image after which man was created in the beginning; or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of God” (see Mosiah 7:27). Defining what it means to be created after the image of God or after the image which man was created in the beginning, President Joseph F. Smith (1936) declared:

Man has descended from God. In fact, he is of the same race as the Gods. His descent has not been from a lower form of life, but from the Highest Form of Life; in other words, man is, in the most literal sense, a child of God. This is not only true of the spirit of man, but of his body also (p. 8).[7]

From this statement, it is to be understood that Adam was most literally a son of God—the literal offspring of His body (see Moses 6:22). And, in the day that God created him, Adam possessed a tabernacle of flesh and bone but was, nevertheless, spiritual because he remained in that sphere in which God had placed him (see Moses 3:9) and was a living soul (see 2 Nephi 9:13); immortal and incorruptible (see Alma 11:45; compare 1 Corinthians 15:44 and D&C 88:27-28). When Adam partook of the forbidden fruit, he acted outside that sphere in which God had placed him (see D&C 93:30) and, thereby, became fallen man—mortal, corruptible, and separate from God.

With the exception of Christ, every person born to this earth has descended through this lineage and inherited death. Christ, however, did not inherit death. Rather, from Mary He inherited the power to die, or power over His life. For though He was crucified through weakness inherited from His mother (see 2 Corinthians 13:4), to Christ, death was a choice (see 1 Nephi 19:10), not a demand enforced upon Him. The same is true of all the pains, afflictions, sicknesses, and infirmities suffered by Christ—He suffered and “took upon Him” these things (see Alma 7:11-13) by choice. Attributes, traits, and expressions that are otherwise viewed as the weakness of man were capacities inherited by God through Mary that He might know, according to the flesh, how to succor His children.

Properly viewed, the qualities Christ obtained from His mother were attributes of power, not oppressive traits of a fallen nature. Although immortal and incorruptible, from His mother Christ inherited the power to suffer, bleed, and die—not in the same sense that we do these things, but rather that He might have compassion for His children, that He might atone for their sins, and that He might conquer death. The Son subjected His flesh to the will of the Father so completely that every mortal trait He possessed was adapted into its divinely intended use (see Mosiah 15:1-7). To Him, the weakness of man was strength and represented the course by which He would offer Himself as a willing sacrifice for sin and triumph over evil. Although characteristic of mortals, even His precious blood represented neither corruption nor a claim on His life. Rather, it marked His capacity to atone and satisfy the demands of justice by shedding that blood. “Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16)!

In mortality, Christ, in the most literal sense, took on the nature of His Father. Thus, the form and likeness of man which Christ took upon himself was akin to the image of man in the beginning—immortal, incorruptible, and free from sin, yet possessing power over life and death. Confirming this conclusion, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith (1954-1956) noted, “it required one who was not subject to the curse to atone for that original sin” (p. 126; Vol 1).[8] Unlike us, Christ did not experience spiritual death (see JST John 14:30). Unlike us, He never experienced personal sin and had no need for repentance (see JST Hebrews 7:26). Unlike us, in Him “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9; compare D&C 93:16-17), “for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Colossians 1:19). Unlike us, Christ merited the grace He received of His Father. And unlike us, “Jesus Christ: Who, being in the form of God . . . made himself of no reputation,[9] and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7).

The scriptures declare that fallen man is evil continually (see Ether 3:2); is subject to the will of the devil (see D&C 29:40); is fallen and lost (see Alma 34:9); comes short of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23); is cut off from the presence of God and considered dead both as to things temporal and to things spiritual (see Helaman 14:16); is carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature (see Alma 42:10); and is an enemy to God (see Mosiah 3:19). Never, never . . . no never, was Jesus any of these!

How infinite that wisdom, the plan of holiness,
That made salvation perfect and veiled the Lord in flesh,
To walk upon his footstool and be like man, almost,
In his exalted station, and die, or all was lost (Phelps, 1985, p. 175).

Despite lacking details of Christ’s physical development, profound insight into His spiritual growth can be gained from a revelation given to Joseph Smith concerning things previously revealed to John, the Lord’s cousin. In Doctrine and Covenants 93, we read concerning Christ:

I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one—
The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men.
I was in the world and received of my Father, and the works of him were plainly manifest.
And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us.
And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;
And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;
And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.
And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;
And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him (D&C 93:3-5, 11-14, 16-17).

Interesting concepts concerning Christ as the Father and the Son are revealed in these verses. First, in the primeval world, Christ merited and was given the fulness of His Father’s power and glory. Second, as a condition of His condescension, Christ took on the form of man and, thus, became the Son of God. Third, during mortality He received of His Father and performed His Father’s works and, in this sense, was also the Father. Fourth, Christ received not His Father’s fulness at first, but received grace for grace and grew from grace to grace until He received His Father’s fulness. Finally, the Father dwelt in Him, not in person, but through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit and, thus, in the fulness of His attributes, power, glory, and purpose.

The scriptural declaration that Christ performed His Father’s works and received of His Father grace for grace is of indispensable value for we must, in like manner, come unto the Father in the name of Christ (see D&C 93:19-20). As a religious principle, grace is invariably viewed as a divine gift, or unearned favor, for which we can do nothing to merit, or as the withholding of a just punishment. Often, grace is appropriately attributed to the mercy and love of Jesus Christ extended through His atonement. However, the grace extended to the Son by His Father was not a divine gift for which Christ could do nothing to merit, nor was it the withholding of a just punishment. Rather, this grace was the enabling powers of the Father extended to Christ in response to the grace or enabling powers that Christ, in turn, extended to the children of men. Hence, the concept of “grace received for grace extended” (i.e., grace for grace) creates a reciprocal relationship between the giver and the receiver of such grace.[10] This reciprocal relationship between Christ and His Father is best expressed by McConkie and Ostler (2000) in their commentary, Revelations of the Restoration:

Grace is divine help, or in other words, enabling power and strength that comes from God. The Savior increased in grace as he lived the commandments of God and blessed the lives of others. His growth was accelerated above that of his fellowmen because of the reciprocal nature of receiving strength of the Spirit when extending grace. That is, he called upon his Father for power and strength to bless others in their need. In answer to his prayers, he was empowered and grew beyond his previous abilities, thus, receiving grace for grace. Christ was foremost in reaching out in compassion to others. Therefore, he received greater grace from God in his efforts than any other person. He increased his capacity to give with each experience, continuing ‘from grace to grace’” (pp. 672-673).

To presume that the bestowal of God’s enabling powers upon His Son required nothing on the Savior’s part is scripturally unsound for, as with all gifts, receiving is more than a passive performance (see D&C 88:33). Receiving is secured in the giving. Thus, Christ received that which His Father gave and, in turn, gave that which He received. In this, Christ set the example for us. We must likewise receive the gifts of God and, in turn, extend them to others if we are to receive grace for grace. Our receiving of these gifts must go beyond the mental exercise of simple acceptance; it must bring us “unto repentance and good works, that [we] might be restored unto grace for grace, according to [our] works” (Helaman 12:24).

Since Christ grew from grace to grace and yet always remained in a state of perfection (i.e., in that sphere in which His Father had placed Him), perfection must then be viewed as a relative state measured according to one’s adherence to light and truth received. President Brigham Young, as cited by McConkie, Millet, and Top (1992), explained:

Those who do right, and seek the glory of the Father in heaven, whether they can do little or much, if they do the very best they know how, they are perfect . . . . ‘Be ye as perfect as ye can,’ for that is all we can do . . . . To be as perfect as we possibly can according to our knowledge is to be just as perfect as our father in Heaven is. He cannot be any more perfect than he knows how, any more than we. When we are doing as well as we know in the sphere and station which we occupy here we are justified (p. 78).

We needn’t get carried away with President Young’s comments and presume that God is perfect only in a relative sense. God is the Divine Standard; perfection is measured according to His fulness. His knowledge is infinite and complete (see 2 Nephi 9:20). And He possesses an “infinity of fulness” (see D&C 109:77). However, considering President Young’s notion of relative perfection, Christ began mortality, and remained throughout, in a justified state by complete and immediate compliance to every ray of gospel light He received according to the sphere He occupied. But I suggest this was not all. [11] Elder Heber C. Kimball (1854 - 1886) also concluded that “truth is the sanctifier of those who love it and are guided by it . . . . Truth is an attribute of the nature of God. By it he is sanctified and glorified” (pp. 209, Vol. 11). “It is the truth of heaven,” confirmed Elder McConkie (1979-1981), “the very word of God, his everlasting gospel—which sanctifies the souls of men” (pp. 114, Vol. 4).[12]

Elder Wilford Woodruff (1990) further taught that “whatever law anyone keeps, he is preserved by that law, and he receives whatever reward that law guarantees unto him” (p. 10). In other words, gospel truth and law is a preserver, rewarder, sanctifier, and glorifier of those who keep it and, thus, He who was perfectly governed by celestial law was not only justified thereby, but was also “preserved . . . and perfected and sanctified by the same” (D&C 88:34). By pure truth, perfect obedience, ingenuous motive, and sacred bestowal,[13] Christ grew from perfection to perfection and was sanctified by truth and glorified by His Father until He received the fulness of His Father—a fulness that “no man receiveth . . . unless he keepeth his commandments” (D&C 93:27). “By strict obedience,” the hymn states, “Jesus won the prize with glory rife: Thy will, O God, not mine be done, adorned his mortal life” (Snow E. R., 1985, p. 195).

Although the Pharisees and Sadducees were rarely united in purpose, on one occasion they were “gathered together” to confront the Lord concerning the law:

Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:35-40; compare D&C 59:5).

This instruction to love God with heart, might, mind, and strength may lead some to espouse the view that an emotional love of God is sufficient to be saved or to be entitled to grace. However, the love the Lord is referring to in these verses is not simply an emotional affection. This love of which He speaks is demonstrative. This love is not only felt, intellectually experienced, and verbally expressed. Rather, this love is reflected in our conduct and attitudes. President Howard W. Hunter (2002) described this love as a complete soul-stretching endeavor:

He loves the Lord with all his heart who loves nothing in comparison of him, and nothing but in reference to him, who is ready to give up, do, or suffer anything in order to please and glorify him. He loves God with all his soul, or rather with all his life, who is ready to give up life for his sake and to be deprived of the comforts of the world to glorify him. He loves God with all his strength who exerts all the powers of his body and soul in the service of God. He loves God with all his mind who applies himself only to know God and his will, who sees God in all things and acknowledges him in all ways (p. 1).

The Savior said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me” (John 14:21). These assertions establish that a seamlessness exists between love of God and adherence to His laws. An emotional love of God does not grant a general dispensation from obedience to His laws—the existence of one does not compensate for absence of the other. Rather, divine love is the product of obedience and devotion. Confirming this, the apostle John wrote:

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (1 John 2:3-6; compare 2 John 1:6).

Continuing with this subject and speaking of the “law and the prophets” to the Nephites, the Lord explained: “Behold, I have given unto you the commandments; therefore keep my commandments. And this is the law and the prophets” (3 Nephi 15:10). In more recent years, we have received the Lord’s severe reminder: “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments. Behold, this is according to the law and the prophets” (D&C 59:21-22). Based on the Savior’s words given to these various dispensations, I suggest the “law and the prophets” can be viewed as “a love of God as demonstrated by obedience to His commandments and a love for others as demonstrated in service to them.” Love of God is the first and great commandment and obedience to His commands is the first law of heaven. By sound application of these two principles, Christ was perfected.

To illustrate, Christ’s baptism is a textbook demonstration of His resolute compliance to gospel law and love for God. John, knowing that the person requesting baptism was beyond reproach, hesitated at the Savior’s request and forbad Him saying: “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness [i.e., to answer the “perfection” end of the law]” (Matthew 3:14-15). Of this event, Nephi explains: “I would ask of you . . . wherein the Lamb of God did fulfill all righteousness in being baptized with water? Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding that he being holy . . . according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments” (2 Nephi 31:6-7). In everything He did, Christ’s love for His Father was demonstrated by subjection to His will and law. This He did to answer the Perfection end of the law.

“Who . . . can consider himself as good as our Lord? Who is as perfect? Who is as pure, and who was as holy as he was,” asked the prophet Joseph (1834)? In response, he answered:

He never transgressed or broke a commandment or law of heaven—no deceit was in his mouth, neither was guile found in His heart” (p. 152)! He descended in suffering below that which man can suffer . . . and was exposed to more powerful contradictions than any man can be. But notwithstanding all this, he kept the law of God, and remained without sin, showing thereby that it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin” (Smith J. , The Doctrine and Covenants, 1891, pp. 2, Lecture 5).

Christ was justified, sanctified, and preserved by truth, sinlessness, sacred bestowal, and perfect obedience to gospel truth and, thereby, fully answered, for himself, the end of the law that requires perfection. Because of this, the resurrected Lord declared: “Therefore, I would that ye should be perfect, even as I, or your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (3 Nephi 12:48).

Following His resurrection, Christ was in all respects perfect like unto His Father. “The attributes of one are the attributes of the other,” declared Elder McConkie (1981); “the character of each is the same; and both are possessors of the same perfections in their eternal fulness” (p. 198). What is meant by perfections, declared Joseph Smith (1891), “is the perfections which belong to all the attributes of his nature” (p. 50). In other words, explained Elder McConkie (1972), “where every attribute and every characteristic is concerned, the Lord is perfect and in him is embodied the totality of whatever is involved” (p. 7). Continuing, Elder McConkie (1981) wrote:

The Messiah is truly ‘like unto God.’ (Abr. 3:24). He was such in preexistence; he is such now as he sits on the right hand of the Majesty on high; and what is of special concern to us in our Messianic studies, he was the possessor of the same character, perfections, and attributes while he dwelt as a mortal among men. Indeed, the very fact that Jesus of Nazareth enjoyed these godly graces and manifested them in the acts of his life—as he taught truth, as he wrought miracles, as he lived without sin, and as he atoned for the sins of others—the very fact that he pursued such a course is one of the great evidences that he was all that he claimed to be: the Son of God (p. 198).

Other than Himself, Christ had no savior on whom to rely for salvation. Therefore, He answered the Perfection end of the law for Himself. Having answered this demand, the law could make no further requirements of Him. Notwithstanding, He voluntarily chose to answer the other end of the law—that end which requires uncompromising punishment for broken law.

WORKS CITED

Hunter, H. W. (2002). The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. 

Kimball, H. C. (1854 - 1886). Journal of Discourses, 26. 

McConkie, B. R. (1972, January 4). The Lord God of Joseph Smith. BYU Speeches of the Year. 

McConkie, B. R. (1979-1981). The Mortal Messiah. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. 

McConkie, B. R. (1981). The Promised Messiah: The first coming of Christ. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. 

McConkie, J. F., & Ostler, C. J. (2000). Revelations of the Restoration: A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants and Other Modern Revelations. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company. 

McConkie, J. F., Millet, R. L., & Top, B. L. (1992). Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon (Vol. 4). Salt Lake City: Bookcraft. 

Millet, R. L. (1989). By Grace are we Saved. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft. 

Phelps, J. A. (1985). O God, The Eternal Father. Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Smith, J. (1834, April). The Elders of the Church in Kirtland, To Their Brethren Abroad. Evening and Morning Star, 2(19). 

Smith, J. (1891). The Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City: George Q. Cannon & Sons, Co., Printers and Publishers. 

Smith, J. (1997). Encyclopedia of Joseph Smith's Teachings. (L. E. Dahl, & D. Q. Cannon, Eds.) Salt Lake City, United States: Bookcraft. 

Smith, J. F. (1936, September 19). Church News. 

Smith, J. F. (1954-1956). Doctrines of Salvation (Vol. 3). (B. R. McConkie, Ed.) Salt Lake City, UT, United States: Bookcraft. 

Snow, E. R. (1985). How Great the Wisdom and the Love. Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Snow, L. (1901, April 5). Conference Report. 

Talmage, J. E. (1982). Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission according to Holy Scriptures both Ancient and Modern. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. 

Woodruff, W. (1990). The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff. (G. H. Durham, Ed.) Salt Lake City: Bookcraft. 

ENDNOTES

[1] It is often overlooked that this command to be perfect was not given to the Nephites until after they were reminded by the Lord that “in me are all fulfilled” (3 Nephi 12:46). 

[2] Compare Alma 32:40, Hebrews 11:13, and Ether 12:19. 

[3] Comments made in the transcript of the Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament infers that verse 7 and 8 of Hebrews 5 are allusions to Melchizedek and not to Christ. However, Melchizedek was a “type” of Christ and Elder McConkie (1985, p. 316) appropriately connects these versus also to Christ.

[4] Then again, it is impossible to think that there was not in His appearance something of a quiet majesty that was apt to draw their gaze. 

[5] The prophet Joseph Smith (1948-1950) taught that a personage of glory with a physical body can withhold the outward manifestation of his glory if he decides (pp. 392, Vol. 3); contrast D&C 129:6. 

[6] Compare Mosiah 13:34. It was God who came down to make an atonement (see Mosiah 15:1) and, although He came in the form of man, Alma reminded us that he came “in his glory, in his might, majesty, power, and dominion . . . . Behold the glory of the King of all the earth; and also the King of heaven shall very soon shine among all the children of men” (Alma 5:50; compare Alma 9:26; Alma 13:24; 1 Nephi 11:28; and Mosiah 3:5). “And even after all this, they shall consider him a man” (Mosiah 3:9). 

[7] In this same article, President Smith stated that “man is created in the image of God . . . , man was born of a woman, Christ was born of a woman . . . , Adam, our earthly parent, was born of a woman, the same as Jesus, and you and I” (p. 2). Brigham Young (1854-1886) likewise taught that God “created man as we create our children; for there is no other process of creation in heaven, on the earth, in the earth, or under the earth, or in all the eternities, that is, that were, or that ever will be” (p. 122; Vol. 11). 

[8] Joseph Smith further taught that “all truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also” (D&C 93:30). This verse clearly describes the state of man in the beginning and prior to the fall. In every state of existence, Christ was independent in that sphere in which God placed Him, to act for Himself, and not to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26). And because He continued sinless and remained in that sphere in which God placed Him, He maintained His God-given independence and brought salvation to Himself. 

[9] The Greek word for “reputation” as used in this verse is kenosis, meaning “to make empty.” 

[10] This type of relationship is illustrated in a passage expressing the reciprocal relationship that exists between Christ and the Spirit of truth: “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:14-15). 

[11] Compare D&C 43:9-10. 

[12] Thus, concerning his disciples and all those who shall believe on Him through their word, Christ prayed: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth . . . . And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth” (John 17:17, 19). 

[13] Without sacred bestowal, there can be no sanctification. Confirming this even for Christ, Paul wrote: For him whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to his own image, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, him whom he did predestinate, him he also called; and him whom he called, him he also sanctified; and him whom he sanctified, him he also glorified (JST Romans 8:29-30).