10 For it is expedient
that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man,
neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human
sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.
11 Now there is not
any man that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of
another. Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just, take the
life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay.
12 But the law
requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing
which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the
world.
13 Therefore, it is
expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there
be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then
shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot
and tittle, and none shall have passed away.
14 And behold, this is
the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last
sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea,
infinite and eternal. (Alma 34:10-29)
Amulek continues to teach the atonement.
It is essential for there to be a great and last sacrifice.
“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” (Moses 5:6-7).
This will not be a sacrifice of man, beast, or fowl.
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall
be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:8-9).
“Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people
with his own blood, suffered without [GR outsides] the gate” (Hebrews 13:12).
This sacrifice must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice. “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).
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things
which he suffered;
“And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal
salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:8-9).
“The unfathomable extent of Christ’s mercy and His Atonement
are explained by Amulek … [He] explains that there must be a “great and last
sacrifice” (Alma 34:10). And then he clarifies that this cannot be a sacrifice
of beast or fowl similar to those already known to man. It had to be a
sacrifice of a God—Jesus Christ. For this must be an infinite and eternal
sacrifice. And so the sacrifice was made, and by faith we find ourselves
traveling this journey we call mortality. As a result, our hearts are saddened
with the unexplained loss of a child, or the supposed untimely illness or
disability of a loved one. Single parents struggle to provide financial
security and the reassuring influences of the gospel in their home. And maybe
most difficult of all is the pain experienced of helplessly watching the
suffering of a loved one because of sin and transgression.”[1]
Amulek explains no many can sacrifice his blood to atone for
another’s sins. He uses the example of a murderer. Will their law take the life
of his brother? No! “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children,
neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be
put to death for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16).
“Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges,
that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our
fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord”
(Mosiah 29:25).
“The atoning sacrifice had to be carried out by the sinless
Son of God, for fallen man could not atone for his own sins. The Atonement had
to be infinite and eternal to cover all men throughout all eternity.”[2]
The law required the person who committed the murder to
suffer the punishment for his crimes. It is only “there can be nothing which is
short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world”
(Alma 34:12).
It is essential there should be a great sacrifice. Then,
there will be a stop to the shedding of blood. The law of Moses will be fulfilled.
“And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of
blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I
will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings” (3 Nephi
9:19).
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
“Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who
covenanted with my people Israel; therefore, the law in me is fulfilled, for I
have come to fulfil the law; therefore it hath an end” (3 Nephi 15:5).
This is what the law means. “And, notwithstanding we believe
in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto
Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled” (2 Nephi 25:24).
“Yea, and the people did observe to keep the commandments of
the Lord; and they were strict in observing the ordinances of God, according to
the law of Moses; for they were taught to keep the law of Moses until it should
be fulfilled” (Alma 30:3).
The Son of God will be this last, great sacrifice. It will
be infinite and eternal. “And so it was made known among the dead, both small
and great, the unrighteous as well as the faithful, that redemption had been
wrought through the sacrifice of the Son of God upon the cross” (D&C 138:35).
“By these things we know that there is a God in heaven, who
is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable
God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them” (D&C
20:17).
“This infinite atonement of Christ and Christ’s divine
Sonship go together hand in hand to form the single most important doctrine of
all Christianity. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, ‘We view the atonement of the
Lord Jesus Christ as the center and core and heart of revealed religion.’ The
book of Alma declared, ‘This is the whole meaning of the law’ (Alma 34:14).”[3]
“[The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ] … is the central
message of all the prophets. It was prefigured by the animal sacrifices
prescribed by the law of Moses. A prophet declared that their whole meaning ‘point[ed]
to that great and last sacrifice [of] … the Son of God, yea, infinite and
eternal’ (Alma 34:14). Jesus Christ
endured incomprehensible suffering to make Himself a sacrifice for the sins of
all. That sacrifice offered the ultimate good—the pure Lamb without blemish—for
the ultimate measure of evil—the sins of the entire world.”[4]
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