Question: Many
people have died on behalf of their friends.
Members of the Restored Church say that Christ’s death was beyond the physical. How does the
death of Jesus Christ provide salvation for all?
“And he shall go forth, sufferings pain 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 sicknesses of his people.” Alma 7:11 The Book of Mormon
“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.” 2 Nephi 9:7 The Book of Mormon
Members of the Restored Church believe
that Christ’s death was physical and spiritual.
Jesus Christ, the
wondrous creator of the Earth, came to the Earth to be born into flesh. But the
Earth had no room for its creator. The Earth
had no place for its redeemer.
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto
his own, and his own received him not.” John 1:10-11
The men who were
supposed to serve Jehovah would sacrifice Jehovah up to a cross. They called
Him a heretic because He called Himself the Son of God.
“Then assembled together the chief
priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the
high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.”
Matthew 26:3-4
It was Caiaphas,
the high priest of the temple (the priest who brought in the blood of animal
sacrifice into the holy of holies which was a similitude of the coming
sacrifice of the Son of God) who conspired to kill the Son of God.
Jesus knew when His
sacrifice was to take place. He knew
what the Jewish leaders meant to do to Him. Before that was to happen, He went
to a garden called Gethsemane to pray to His Father, and to begin the
atonement.
“For he hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
Was the atonement
for the sins of mankind to be achieved by simply sacrificing Christ’s
body? Jesus came to heal and atone for
humanity. For Him to fully do this, He
had to understand the judgment of all humanity.
He had to have the judgment of all humanity. He had to understand what
spiritual death was for innumerable children.
The atonement was
an effort between the Father and Christ.
It was the Father who placed judgment upon Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
“How much more
shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14
It was here where
Jesus Christ began to take upon Him the sins of all of the children of
God. Not just the people who might
follow Him, but all of God’s lost children. Jesus, who had lived a perfect
life, always acting righteously and in perfect faith, was measure by measure
filled with the darkness and the pain of hell. At the garden He left His
disciples and went off alone to pray. His Father began to place judgment upon
Him. He began to taste spiritual death.
“I go and pray yonder. … And he … began to be
sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. ...” Matthew 26:36, 37, 38
Perhaps it was here
where Jesus realized the full measure of what He had coming to Him. He had
never sinned, had never in spirit been separated from the Father. He had never spiritually died. As He was made
responsible for the sins of so many, He felt His Father grow more and more
distant. In a moment of concern, He
prayed to the Father to not require Him to do perform the atonement but pledged
to do whatever the Father wanted Him to do. He made God’s will His own.
“Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Luke 22:42
The atonement
continued.
There is a curious
physiological effect that stress can have on the body. At moments of intense stress, with just a
slight touch on the skin, white blood cells can be released under the skin
causing raised welts. As Jesus was
filled with the sins of humanity something much more terrible than this happened
to Him.
“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and
his sweat was as it were great drops of
blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:44
Taking on the sins
of all humanity had caused a partially divine human to be wrung of His own
blood. While He bled He continued to
pray to His Father, who still grew more and more distant to Him. Yet God did not leave His Son alone in that garden
but sent an angel to help Christ bear it all.
“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening
him.” Luke 22:43
Knowing His time of
death was coming, Christ stood to leave the garden. Carrying a growing hell in Him, Jesus went to
face His accusers and was betrayed by a friend.
“[B]ehold a multitude, and he that was called Judas,
one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest
thou the Son of man with a kiss?” Luke 22:47-48
Carrying a growing
hell in Him, Jesus was given a mockery of a trial in the dead of night.
“Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into
the high priest’s house. ...” Luke 22:54
“Now the chief
priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against
Jesus, to put him to death.” Matthew 26:59
Carrying a growing
hell in Him, Jesus was sent before the Roman prefect Pilate to be examined for
sedition against Roman authority. Pilate proclaimed Jesus faultless.
“Then Pilate …said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? …Thine own nation and the chief
priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My
kingdom is not of this world …Pilate …saith unto them, I find in him no fault
at all.” John 18:33, 35, 36, 38
Carrying a growing
hell in Him, when Pilate offered Jesus back to His people, His own priests and
many of the Jews instead chose instead to have Barabbas released to them.
“But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you
one at the passover ... Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. …” John 18:39, 40
Carrying a growing
hell in Him, with His body already depleted of blood, Jesus was scourged with a
whip. Then a crown of thorns was pressed
onto His head, and He was mocked and beaten.
“Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his
head, and they put on him a purple robe. And said, Hail, King of the Jews!
and they smote him with their hands.”
John 19:1-3
Carrying a growing
hell in Him, He listened as His own supposed priests told Pilate to crucify
Him.
“When the chief priests therefore and officers saw
him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him,
crucify him. …” John 19:6
“Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King?
The chief priests answered, We have no
king but Caesar.” John 19:15
Carrying a growing
hell in Him, He was forced to physically carry His own cross.
“And he bearing
his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull …Golgotha.”
John 19:17
Carrying a growing
hell in Him, He was crucified, and his mother and friends stood by as He hung.
“[T]hey
crucified him… there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his
mother’s sister ... Mary Magdelene ... and the disciple. …” John 19:18, 25, 26
Carrying a growing
hell in Him, He asked His Father to forgive those who had crucified Him, even
as they stood beneath Him mocking Him.
“Likewise also the chief
priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others;
himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from
the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now,
if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.” Matthew 27:41-43
“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…” Luke 23:34
Carrying a growing
hell in Him and hanging by nails through His hands and feet on the cross, He
asked a disciple to care for His mother.
“Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! …” John 19:27
And when He carried
an infinite measure of hell within Him, when His divine mind and divine heart
were filled with the knowledge and judgment of every wrong deed, every act of
filthiness, every pain, every sorrow, all wickedness: yours, mine, those people
on the ground who were in the act of His murder at that very moment, those of
every human countless in number, when He was full of the horrors of humanity He
could no longer see or feel His Father.
He was spiritually dead on behalf of countless numbers. With His spirit
in the blackest pit He cried out:
“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46
Knowing He carried
an infinite measure of hell within Him He said:
“It is finished.
…” John 19:30
And He let His body
die.
“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said,
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” Luke 23:46
After He died a
soldier below Him took a spear and shoved it upward into His side.
“But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his
side, and forthwith came there out blood
and water.” John 19:34
There was a witness
who saw the blood and water come out of Christ.
“And he that saw
it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true,
that ye might believe.” John 19:35
There
were also witnesses of Jesus’ trial.
There were witnesses to His scourging.
There were witnesses to His death sentence. There were witnesses to His
crucifixion. There were witnesses to His words on the cross. But there were none who witnessed the
infinite hell that Jesus experienced through it all.
And
because of Jesus the Christ, none will have to.
“Surely he hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5
Next Chapter 
Watch- Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ