Chapter 8 - The Atoning Christ

Alma 7:12 emphasizes Christ's role to help humans based on their sufferings: "…that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."

The term "mediator" can be misleading. It is often associated with conflict (e.g., warring nations, estranged spouses).
Mediation typically involves hostile parties with conflicting interests.
Historically, as humanity's relationship with God became more distant post-apostolic era, Christ's role shifted from collaborator with divine parents to mediator between different realms (heaven and earth).

Traditional views of atonement often depict God as an angry sovereign requiring punishment for sin (penal substitution).
However, this view can be contrasted with the LDS (Latter-day Saint) understanding of God's nature, the Fall, and human responsibility.
Elder B.H. Roberts argues that justice should not be viewed as an abstract legalistic concept but as the means of preserving human choice and agency.

John Stuart Mill's perspective: Human liberty involves the freedom to act as one wishes, facing consequences for those actions.
Without consequences, choice becomes meaningless; the ability to choose must result in actual outcomes.
Consequently, misjudgments and external distractions complicate the exercise of true agency (referencing Paul's idea of seeing through a glass darkly).

If consequences were immediate, agency would be compromised; individuals would not likely make harmful choices if pain was a guaranteed result.
Choice must be set against a backdrop of stability; choices need a framework that preserves their meaningfulness.
The Book of Mormon emphasizes understanding universal laws governing choice and their consequences.

Christ volunteered to suffer the consequences of human actions, assuming the burden of sin and pain.
His suffering is not about appeasing a distant justice but about affirming the agency and ensuring meaningful human experiences.
The atonement reflects a shift in understanding—focusing on choice and consequence rather than punitive measures.
This perspective aligns with the belief that opposing forces (good and evil) and the ability to choose between them are essential to agency.

Truth and growth come from experiencing both joy and suffering.
Agency is compromised without the connection between choice and consequence, which was emphasized in Lucifer's counterproposal.
True freedom requires the presence of opposites to facilitate genuine choices.

The role of Christ is as a guarantor of moral agency and human progression towards divinity.
His complete sacrifice involved a profound experience of human suffering, reflecting ultimate love.
Amplified fear and anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane illustrate the depth of Christ's experience and the stakes involved in the atonement process.

As Gregory of Nyssa suggests, in Christ's death lies the seed of immortality, contrary to the apparent triumph of Satan during the crucifixion.
Christ’s death brought about eternal life and salvation for mankind.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland discusses Christ's abandonment on Calvary—“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” portraying profound loneliness.
This expression of despair allows Christ to empathize with the human condition fully.

Through the atonement, Christ restores the broken relationship between humanity and God, allowing individuals to progress spiritually and embrace divine nature.
Christ serves not as a judicial defender against God's wrath but as an advocate facilitating homecoming to divine parents.

In Joseph Smith's revelations, Christ is referred to as "the mediator of the new covenant," entailing a harmonizing role that goes beyond traditional definitions.
Mediation serves to heal souls and mend relationships rather than act as a barrier against divine judgment.

In John's writings, the term "paraclete" is synonymous with comfort and support rather than legal defense.
The Holy Spirit acts as a comforter, sustaining believers in their trials rather than defending them against God’s judgment.

The scripture assures that Christ leads humans towards divine familial relationships, growing through baptism and spiritual adoption.
The role of the paraclete is to provide ongoing support and belonging to the heavenly family.

The temple serves as a holy space for experiencing the atonement's impact, symbolized through rituals and sacred design mirroring the relationship between God and humanity.
Abraham's covenant sacrifice serves as a typology illustrating the necessity of blood for entering God's presence.

The New Covenant highlights that entry into sacred spaces requires the blood of Christ, whose body symbolizes the passage to divine communion.
The temple veil serves as a metaphor for Christ’s body, torn to facilitate human access to God.

The ongoing architectural and ritual design of temples encapsulates humanity's pilgrimage towards divine presence and connection.
This journey towards divinity manifests through covenants made and commitments fulfilled, leading to sanctification and ultimately, unity with heavenly parents.