Chapter 17  

The Atonement and the Resurrection-Adam and Christ-Why a Law was given unto Adam-The Results of Disobedience to that Law-Testimony of our First Parents-"Adam fell that Man might be"-The Fall a Necessary Part of the Plan of Salvation-God's Plan a Merciful Plan-The Plan of Lucifer-Man's Free Agency-The Chain Complete.

IN the economy of God and the plan proposed by the Almighty, it was provided that man was to be placed under a law apparently simple in itself, yet the test of that law was fraught with the gravest consequences. The observance of that law would secure eternal life, and the penalty for the violation of that law was death. For, we are told, in Adam all die, and hence the declaration, "It is appointed for man once to die." There is another principle associated with this, which is, that the atonement provided a means and plan whereby death could be overcome, and the resurrection of the body from death be brought about, for it is written, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." But without this atonement the resurrection of the body could not be brought about; hence Jesus, when on earth, proclaimed, "I am the Resurrection and the Life," and He Himself "was the first fruits of them that slept."     

Men could not have been tested without a law. The penalty for the violation of that law was death If the law had not been broken, man would have lived; but would man thus living have been capable of perpetuating his species, and of thus fulfilling the designs of God in preparing tabernacles for the spirits which had been created in the spirit world? And further, could they have had the need of a mediator, who was to act as a propitiation for the violation of this law, which it would appear from the circumstances was destined to be broken; or could the eternal increase and perpetuity of man have been continued, and his high exaltation to the Godhead been accomplished, without the propitiatory atonement and sacrifice of the Son of God?     

Jesus said, "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer." Could it have behooved Christ to suffer if man had not sinned, and was it not part of the eternal plan of God that man should violate that law, that an atonement might be provided and had, and by this means man be purified and perfected, through the struggles and trials incident to his coming in contact with the powers of darkness, and, through the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ, and his own obedience to the requirements of the law associated therewith, be raised to a higher state of existence than it would have been possible for him to have obtained without the transgression of that law?     

These points are made exceedingly plain in the Pearl of Great Price. It is there stated:     

"And Adam called upon the name of the Lord, and Eve also, his wife; and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way towards the garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence. And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not, save the Lord commanded me. And then the angel spake, saying, This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son for evermore. And in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying, I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and for ever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed; and all mankind, even as many as will. And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying, Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying, Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God; and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters."     

Thus we find: Firstly. That Adam and Eve both considered that they had gained, instead of suffered loss, through their disobedience to that law; for they made the statement, that if it had not been for their transgression they never would "have known good and evil." And again, they would have been incapable of increase; and without that increase the designs of God in relation to the formation of the earth and man could not have been accomplished; for one great object of the creation of the world was the propagation of the human species, that bodies might be prepared for those spirits who already existed, and who, when they saw the earth formed, shouted for joy.     

Secondly. By pursuing the course they did, through the atonement, they would see God as they had done before; and furthermore, they would be capable of exaltation, which was made possible only through their fall, and the atonement of Jesus Christ; and also, they might have the comforting influence of the Spirit of God, and His guidance and direction here, as well as eternal lives and exaltations in the world to come.     

Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, also writes very directly upon these truths; he says:     

"Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if, through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift; for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord."-Romans, v., 14-21.     

Whilst in the Book of Mormon Lehi teaches:     

"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would not have fallen; but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created, must have remained in the same state which they were, after they were created; and they must have remained for ever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore, they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall, they have become free for ever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves, and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great mediation of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable, like unto himself."-2 Nephi, ii, 22-27.     

In the same book it is written:     

"Yea, I know that ye know, that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him. For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord. Wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement. Save it should be an infinite atonement, this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more. O the wisdom of God! his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more, our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more."-2 Nephi, ix, 5-8.     

There is a principle developed in the above quotation to the effect that death was "passed upon all men to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator;" and furthermore, that the resurrection came "by reason of the fall." For if man had not sinned. there would have been no death, and if Jesus had not atoned for the sin, there would have been no resurrection Hence these things are spoken of as being according to the merciful plan of God. This corruption could not have put on incorruption, and this mortality could not have put on immortality; for, as we have elsewhere shown, man by reason of any thing that he himself could do or accomplish, could only exalt himself to the dignity and capability of man and therefore it needed the atonement of a God, before man, through the adoption, could be exalted to the Godhead.     

Again, if the body could not have been resurrected, it would have had to 'crumble to its mother earth," and remain in that condition without the capability of ascending to the Godhead: and furthermore, not only would our bodies have lost their entity, their life and power, but the spirit also would have been placed in a state of subjection "to that angel who fell from before the presence of the eternal God, and became the devil," without a capability or even hope of life, salvation and exaltation, and would have been deprived of all free agency and power, and subject to the influences, dominion and eternal destruction of Lucifer, the enemy of man and of God. Hence, on this ground, and because of the terrible effects which would have resulted to humanity from the proposed plan to deprive man of his free agency, and in seeking to do away with the atonement, Lucifer was cast out of heaven, as were also those associated with him in the same diabolical plans and purposes.     

The testimony of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants is in full accord with the revelations in the ancient scriptures. In it we are instructed that God "created man, male and female, after his own image and in his own likeness created he them, and gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him, the only living and true God, and that he should be the only being whom they should worship. But by the transgression of these holy laws, man became sensual and devilish, and became fallen man. Wherefore the Almighty God gave his Only Begotten Son, as it is written in those scriptures which have been given of him. He suffered temptations, but gave no heed unto them; he was crucified, died, and rose again the third day; and ascended into heaven, to sit down on the right hand of the Father, to reign with almighty power according to the will of the Father."-Doc. and Cov., sec. xx, 18-24. p. 123.     

Again, we read from the same source:      

"Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself: and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual, they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual."-Doc. and Cov., sec. xxix, 35, p. 146.     

"Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment, wherein he became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation. Wherefore, I the Lord God caused that he should be cast out from the garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death, which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say, Depart, ye cursed. But, behold. I say unto you, that I the Lord God gave unto Adam and to his seed that they should not die as to the temporal death, until I the Lord God should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son. And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation; that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe."-Doc. and Cov., xxix, 40-43, p. 147.     

In accordance with this we find it written in the Pearl of Great Price, that the Lord did send an angel to Adam (as elsewhere quoted) who taught unto him the Gospel.     

Thus it would appear that if any of the links of this great chain had been broken, it would have interfered with the comprehensive plan of the Almighty pertaining to the salvation and eternal exaltation of those spirits who were His sons and for whom principally the world was made; that they through submission to the requirements of the eternal principle and law governing these matters might possess bodies and these bodies united with the spirits might become living souls, and being the sons of God, and made in the image of God, they, through the atonement might be exalted by obedience to the law of the Gospel; to the Godhead.