2 Nephi 9 Part One

2 Nephi 9
All Christian churches who believe in the fall, believe that Adam and Eve did a terrible thing because they not only brought death into the world, but their fall made everyone a born sinner. That is why they believe that unless they are baptized immediately, or confess Christ as their Savior, they will go to hell. Thankfully, the restoration of the gospel shows that it was not "original sin" that was committed by Adam and Eve, but a transgression of law. They chose to disobey a lower law to keep a higher law. When Susan and I were married in the temple, I chose the higher law of celestial marriage over a lower law of honoring my father and thy mother by supporting their being forbidden to witness my marriage since they weren't members and eligible to enter the temple.

There were two deaths brought into the world because of the fall, our personal death of the body and our personal separation from God, or spiritual death. These are obvious. We know everyone is going to die and we know we cannot see or hear God. Atheists don't believe because spiritual death has removed the intellectually obvious from them. The wicked people of the earth embrace spiritual death because they do not see an immortal consequence for their actions.

If there were no atonement, there would be no power that would enable us to live after death in any state except in a state of sin. Our sins would remain with us. Everything bad thing we have done in life, big and small, would stay with us. As Jacob teaches, if that were the case, we would be subject to Satan for eternity and exist as a spirit in misery and torment because there is no power to redeem us from this fallen state. It's the same with out bodies, without the resurrection, there is no power to resurrect a body into one that is immortal and perfect. No one possesses that power. Because of the atonement, all mankind will be resurrected. That is the free gift of Christ. The atonement is also a gift to all mankind because everyone will be resurrected to some state of glory conditional on their faithfulness and repentance. If there is no repentance, a person cannot be saved from spiritual death. There is no atonement for sin unless there is repentance. Those who don't repent will have to atone for their own sins before receiving whatever portion of glory they deserve.

When our spiritual and physical deaths become a reality to us, when we truly understand our situation, then we can begin to understand the greatness of the atonement. Jacob did. Look at the words he uses:

"O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way... "
"O how great the plan of our God!"
"O the greatness and the justice of our God!"
"O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel!"
"O how great the holiness of our God!"

Physical and spiritual death are undeniable. There is either no life before this or after death, or there is purpose to our creation and existence with a plan to bring us ultimate happiness. I believe in a God that loves us and will eventually make everything right, take care of every wrong, stop every suffering, heal every hurt, punish those who deserve it, and lift every person who is down. There is so much remarkable order in the universe, from the perfection of the smallest life form to the order of a universe so large it is beyond comprehension. Such perfection cannot be an accident or a coincidence. In all of this order, there is a perfect plan for each of us. He would not create such perfection without giving us purpose to our existence, without relationships that go beyond this life, and without the opportunity to continue to grow beyond our wildest dreams. O how great the plan of God!