9 And lo, he cometh unto
his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith
on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say
that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.
10 And he shall rise the
third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and
behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the
children of men.
11 For behold, and also
his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of
Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have
ignorantly sinned. (Mosiah 3:9-11)
King Benjamin continues
speaking of Christ.
Christ will come to His own,
bringing salvation through faith on His name. “For the Son of man is come to
save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11).[1]
“But the salvation of the
righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble” (Psalm
37:39).
“For God is my King of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth” (Psalm 74:12).
“He hath remembered his mercy
and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God” (Psalm 98:3).
“For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth…” (Romans 1:16).
They will be saved through
faith on His name. “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man
strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him
this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16).
After all He did during His ministry,
they will still consider Him a man.
“The very things a secular
society in any age is so quick to discount or to deny are the existence of God
and the reality of the resurrection. No wonder King Benjamin prophesied that
the reactions of so many to Jesus would be merely to ‘consider him a man’
(Mosiah 3:9). For the Jews, Jesus was and is a ‘stumblingblock,’ and for the
Greeks and their philosophical heirs, he is ‘foolishness’ (1 Corinthians 1:23).
Some continue to demand a sign, while others emphasize secular wisdom, with
each of these tendencies deflecting or rejecting Christ’s divinity.”[2]
At the center of the Father’s plan is Jesus Christ, mankind’s
Redeemer. Yet, as foreseen, many judge Jesus ‘to be a thing of naught’ or ‘consider
him’ merely ‘a man.’ Whether
others deny or delimit Jesus, for us He is our Lord and Savior! Comparatively,
brothers and sisters, it matters very little what people think of us, but it
matters very much what we think of Him. It matters very little, too, who others
say we are; what matters is who we say Jesus is.”[3]
They will say He has a devil.
“But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of
the devils” (Luke 11:15).
“Behold ye are worse than
they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto
you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are
angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him;
yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of
the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil” (Helaman 13:26).
They will scourge Him. “And
the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught;
wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he
suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his
loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men” (1 Nephi
19:9).
“And [the chief priests] shall
deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and
the third day he shall rise again” (Matthew 20:19).
“Then Pilate therefore took
Jesus, and scourged him” (John 19:1).
And then, they will crucify
Him. “And they crucified him, and parted his garments [they divided His clothes
among themselves], casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they
cast lots” (Matthew 27:35).
“And when they were come to
the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him…” (Luke 23:33).
He will rise from the dead on
the third day. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples,
how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matthew
16:21).
“For he taught his disciples,
and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they
shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day” (Mark
9:31).
“Behold, they will crucify
him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall
rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe
on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth
to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify
his holy name” (2 Nephi 25:13).
He will judge the world. “The
Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness,
and according to mine integrity that is in me” (Psalm 7:8).
“And he shall judge the world
in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness” (Psalm
9:8).
“And he commanded us to
preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God
to be the Judge of quick and dead” (Acts 10:42).
“And I heard the angel of the
waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be,
because thou hast judged thus” (Revelation 16:5).
Christ bloods atones for the
sins of all who have died not knowing the will of God.
“Much more then, being now
justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:9).
“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).
“Who is he that overcometh
the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
“This is he that came by
water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
“For there are three that
bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these
three are one.
“And there are three that
bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these
three agree in one” (1 John 5:5-8).
It will also cover those who
have ignorantly sinned. “For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his
justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are
delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake
of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that
God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel” (2 Nephi 9:26).
“For there are many promises
which are extended to the Lamanites; for it is because of the traditions of
their fathers that caused them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore
the Lord will be merciful unto them…” (Alma 9:16).
“We also read that ‘his blood atoneth for the sins of those …
who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have
ignorantly sinned.’ Similarly, ‘the
blood of Christ atoneth for [little children],’ These
teachings that the resurrecting and cleansing power of the Atonement is for all
contradict the assertion that the grace of God saves only a chosen few. His
grace is for all. These teachings of the Book of Mormon expand our vision and
enlarge our understanding of the all-encompassing love of God and the universal
effect of His Atonement for all men everywhere.”[4]
[1] For the Son of man is come to save that which was
lost, and to call sinners to repentance; but these little ones have no
need of repentance, and I will save them. (JST Matthew 18:11).
[2] King
Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell,
Maxwell Institute website.
[3] The
Great Plan of the Eternal God, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April 1984 General
Conference.
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