Thanks DJ for posting about the Atonement. Your testimony comes through and I feel a lot of spirit in it. It is a topic that requires a great deal of sacred handling, and I would like to comment on what you wrote and what Brother Skousen has taught.
I think Skousen provides a springboard into new ways of thinking about the Atonement. Even though I respectfully disagree with his conclusions, it is a useful talk to review and consider. Here are some points to consider.
Skousen treats the subject of 'intelligences' as a framework of third-party judges, or final arbiters, or the "law." These intelligences, according to Skousen, need to be satisfied - that the Savior can perform the Atonement because he has earned the honor of the intelligences.
Skousen is close to the truth of the matter, I believe, but far enough away to cause some serious problems and confusions about the nature of God.
Intelligence is light and truth. Light is the law, and all those who participate in light are preserved, and sanctified, and justified by that "law." We have to get away from looking at the "law" as a universal set of rules - outline of truth- that must be adhered to. Light is the organizing power of the universe, and who ever possesses it shares in the power of the law. We all have a portion of law with us, and we all possess a portion of light. God, by virtue of his recieving of all of the law, also has all truth, and is in all things, of all things, above all things - the light of truth. This is intelligence.
One gets the sense when he reads Skousen that 'intelligence' is almost like a jury, a final arbiter of the law. It is much more fundamental than that. God is God because he both possesses a fulness of law, and thereby keeps the law. There is not a distinction to be made between both ways of being.
It is asked, "Does God make law, or does he obey law?" The answer is, both. He makes law because he is quite literally 'the law.' He possesses the law - it is who he is. He cannot be separated from it anymore than my eye sight can be separated from what it can see; or my body can be separated from its flesh. Likewise, we are like God to the extent that we participate in beingness with him. If we recieve his law.
Law and God is a matter of aspect. An aspect of a table is the top. It cannot be separated from the table - but one can point to it as an aspect of the table. (This is different than a 'part' - like a table leg, which can be removed from a table.)
Because we are fallen, we are cut off from the law of God, or rather, his presence. Because light and life and law are all synomyms, being cut off from law is death to who we are. The life we enjoy now, whether we believe it or not, is by virtue of the power of Christ and his atonement. So, what is the atonement?
Christ, who participated in, and possessed the same law as his Father, was by definition 'without sin'. He enjoyed all of the power and rights of his Father. Nothing prohibited him from entering into exaltation with the Father, and possessing all light and truth.
Christ, in the atonement, descended below all law. He allowed all light to be withdrawn from him - to be separated from the Father completely. This, is truly what it meant for him to die. For Christ to descend below all things, to forfeit the law - he lost his life - and was darkened in such a way he did not see how he could continue. He thought it was over for him.
Because Christ, in his very person, had claim to the Law of his Father death could not hold him. It was part of who he was, and it flowed to him without the approval of 'intelligences' - He possessed the law independently - because he descended he below all things, he became the truth of all things.
"He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth"
Christ became such that he possessed all things independently of the Father - He became a possesser of all things, literally the light of the world. So, all that came to him he could share in his light and law. The Father that gave us life gave us his son, and by this virtue enables us to become Gods and to share in his life.
Intelligence and law cannot be separated from its possesser. I do not believe there is an independent law that exists separate from the beingness of God.
When we understand that Christ possessed all that his Father had, and willingly left his position and beingness, compromised who he was - that he was willing to be cut off forever for his Father's will - it will fill us with such love and eternal gratitude. To understand that Christ was willing to become no more - to never see his Father again - and to no longer possess light or life - for his Father's children - we will worship him with the Father, fall down, and proclaim that he is the Christ.
When I ponder these doctrines they make me tremble - we owe our entire beings to Christ and his Law. When we commit with a fullness of heart to follow Christ we can recieve all that he has. And it is only through this commitment that we can return to live with our Father and share in all that he hath.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Atonement
I'd like to discuss my favorite doctrine of the Gospel. It is the core of Christianity and without it not one if us would believe the things that we do. I'm taking most of my text from a prolific talk from W. Cleon Skousen. It is one of the most profound talks that I have ever studied and it caused me to passionately seek and study other material about the expansive, infinite doctrine of the Atonement of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
The first "ah-ha!" moment in this talk came to me when I read;
"I want everyone to understand that in this life we only have a very limited amount of Priesthood authority with which to function."
I had never considered this. I suppose that, like many, when I was granted the higher Priesthood I assumed that I was full, that I was now finally able to exhaust the capacities of the Priesthood, contingent upon my faith and worthiness. Never had I even considered that;
"There are many ordinances that must as yet be given in the next world, and one of them will be the ordinance of resurrection."
This was nothing less than a detonation of one of the most premiere revelations of my mortal life. Being a skeptic, I at once dismissed it. Then, as I often do, I came back to it over and over and over again. Then, as I opened my heart and mind, I appealed to what I can only explain as spiritual logic. I then realized that not only does it make complete sense, but it also made me cry (a lot of things make me cry). The practice of this doctrine is nothing I deserve. But, the Saviour knows that and he has given me the opportunity anyway. Doctrine such as this softens my heart and warms me as it gratefully compels me to face my Saviour with nothing less than complete humility.
In his talk, Elder Skousen makes the comment that "God the Father cannot save us". Reading on, he explains as though Heavenly Father's position is that, "Once I put you down into the second estate, I lost all capacity to bring you back. If I brought you back myself, it would be arbitrary, capricious, and unjust and violate the rules by which the whole kingdom was established. I lost complete control over the possibility of bringing you back myself."
"God the Father cannot save us.
He has to operate according to law.
Alma 34:11 says no person can suffer for the sins of another person. That's the law."
I suppose I didn't actually, forcefully realize until digging in to this doctrine that the Atonement entirely rests on mercy, not justice.
Elder Skousen goes on;
All right, now how does this atonement work?...To overcome the demands of justice on all mankind, you must have a person who is infinitely loved (as it says in Alma 34). You know that infinitely means universally. So we take a spirit who is so superior that he is the first counselor in the First Presidency of Heaven. He is so honored that when the Father wants something done He speaks to this person, and then he in turn speaks to [the "intelligences" that make up everything that is not human and is not God or Jesus Christ]. He is identified as the Word, the one through whom the word passes. He is loved and respected by all, just like the Father is. So we use him. He is infinitely loved, and we have him come down to the second estate and live a perfect life without offense so that he can return to the Father. While laboring among the human family, we have him suffer so terribly that the little intelligences of the entire universe are affected. They abhorred the suffering that he went through. They loved him, as it says in the Book of Mormon, and the very elements [or, intelligences] cried out against this torture of someone they loved.
Elder Skousen makes the point that if Heavenly Father were to lose the obedience of the intelligences, that he "would cease to be God" because He would have to break eternal laws, thus losing their confidence in His perfection.
Here's some more of what Elder Skousen says;
"Alma 34:15, "And this he shall bring salvation to all those who believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy?" Whose mercy? Our Father already has mercy for us. This is His plan. We don't have to create that in Him. We have to create that in those who are demanding justice. "Father, they have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That is where you must arouse the bowels of mercy which overpowereth justice. And thus, mercy can satisfy the demands of justice and encircle them in the arms of mercy, while he who does not exercise faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of justice. Therefore, only unto him who has exercised this faith is brought about the great and eternal plan of salvation.
These are basic doctrines of the Gospel as it says in Jacob, Chapter 2. I don't know what this knowledge does for you, but it has made me love my Heavenly Father like I never loved Him before. He loves me as much as He loves the Son. He had to go through all that to give me the chance to live with Him again. And I have learned to love my Savior like I have never loved Him before. Now I know what these two wonderful people did for me and you, for my children, and for all the people in the world?for the planet we live on, and for the beautiful things He has blessed us with. They would all be lost if those two beautiful people hadn't done what they did. I love them for that." [emphasis added]
It is absolutely, and all at once, consuming, awe-inspiring, fascinating, and speechlessly humbling to have the gifts and blessings of the Gospel.
Please read the talk in its entirety here:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0114013/stories/2003/10/08/theMeaningOfTheAtonement.html
Best,
DJ
The first "ah-ha!" moment in this talk came to me when I read;
"I want everyone to understand that in this life we only have a very limited amount of Priesthood authority with which to function."
I had never considered this. I suppose that, like many, when I was granted the higher Priesthood I assumed that I was full, that I was now finally able to exhaust the capacities of the Priesthood, contingent upon my faith and worthiness. Never had I even considered that;
"There are many ordinances that must as yet be given in the next world, and one of them will be the ordinance of resurrection."
This was nothing less than a detonation of one of the most premiere revelations of my mortal life. Being a skeptic, I at once dismissed it. Then, as I often do, I came back to it over and over and over again. Then, as I opened my heart and mind, I appealed to what I can only explain as spiritual logic. I then realized that not only does it make complete sense, but it also made me cry (a lot of things make me cry). The practice of this doctrine is nothing I deserve. But, the Saviour knows that and he has given me the opportunity anyway. Doctrine such as this softens my heart and warms me as it gratefully compels me to face my Saviour with nothing less than complete humility.
In his talk, Elder Skousen makes the comment that "God the Father cannot save us". Reading on, he explains as though Heavenly Father's position is that, "Once I put you down into the second estate, I lost all capacity to bring you back. If I brought you back myself, it would be arbitrary, capricious, and unjust and violate the rules by which the whole kingdom was established. I lost complete control over the possibility of bringing you back myself."
"God the Father cannot save us.
He has to operate according to law.
Alma 34:11 says no person can suffer for the sins of another person. That's the law."
I suppose I didn't actually, forcefully realize until digging in to this doctrine that the Atonement entirely rests on mercy, not justice.
Elder Skousen goes on;
All right, now how does this atonement work?...To overcome the demands of justice on all mankind, you must have a person who is infinitely loved (as it says in Alma 34). You know that infinitely means universally. So we take a spirit who is so superior that he is the first counselor in the First Presidency of Heaven. He is so honored that when the Father wants something done He speaks to this person, and then he in turn speaks to [the "intelligences" that make up everything that is not human and is not God or Jesus Christ]. He is identified as the Word, the one through whom the word passes. He is loved and respected by all, just like the Father is. So we use him. He is infinitely loved, and we have him come down to the second estate and live a perfect life without offense so that he can return to the Father. While laboring among the human family, we have him suffer so terribly that the little intelligences of the entire universe are affected. They abhorred the suffering that he went through. They loved him, as it says in the Book of Mormon, and the very elements [or, intelligences] cried out against this torture of someone they loved.
Elder Skousen makes the point that if Heavenly Father were to lose the obedience of the intelligences, that he "would cease to be God" because He would have to break eternal laws, thus losing their confidence in His perfection.
Here's some more of what Elder Skousen says;
"Alma 34:15, "And this he shall bring salvation to all those who believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy?" Whose mercy? Our Father already has mercy for us. This is His plan. We don't have to create that in Him. We have to create that in those who are demanding justice. "Father, they have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That is where you must arouse the bowels of mercy which overpowereth justice. And thus, mercy can satisfy the demands of justice and encircle them in the arms of mercy, while he who does not exercise faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of justice. Therefore, only unto him who has exercised this faith is brought about the great and eternal plan of salvation.
These are basic doctrines of the Gospel as it says in Jacob, Chapter 2. I don't know what this knowledge does for you, but it has made me love my Heavenly Father like I never loved Him before. He loves me as much as He loves the Son. He had to go through all that to give me the chance to live with Him again. And I have learned to love my Savior like I have never loved Him before. Now I know what these two wonderful people did for me and you, for my children, and for all the people in the world?for the planet we live on, and for the beautiful things He has blessed us with. They would all be lost if those two beautiful people hadn't done what they did. I love them for that." [emphasis added]
It is absolutely, and all at once, consuming, awe-inspiring, fascinating, and speechlessly humbling to have the gifts and blessings of the Gospel.
Please read the talk in its entirety here:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0114013/stories/2003/10/08/theMeaningOfTheAtonement.html
Best,
DJ
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