Latter-day Saints believe in an INFINITE atonement of Christ (see, e.g., 2 Ne. 9:7; 2 Ne. 25:16; Alma 34: 12). This concept of an infinite atonement means that all of humanity have been rescued, allowing for and giving rise to reconciliation with God. The atonement covers young children who have died at an early age (Moroni 8: 12-16). It covers retroactively all those who died before the ministry of Christ (Mosiah 3:11). Jesus took on the infirmities of ALL his people (Alma 7: 10-13), no matter the nature of the suffering (physical or mental), no matter when or where they lived, and no matter whether they were living or dead.
The apostle Paul captured succinctly the infinite nature of the atonement:
Romans 14:9
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
The true gospel of Christ lends meaning and value to ALL peoples' lives – those in China, New Guinea, Madagascar, and even in Utah. All lives are important – not just those Mormon. Latter-day Saints believe in a successful plan of salvation, not one that dooms humanity to hell. Our latter-day scriptures support the Bible with such teachings as:
D&C 137:7-9
All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; for I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.
An important theological innovation (relative to the rest of the Christian world) provided by LDS scripture is that men and women will be judged according to BOTH their works and "the desires of their hearts." Alma 41:3 reads: "if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good … at the last day [they may be] restored unto that which is good." (See verses 3 through 6). Only God can know the desires of our hearts. There is often a disconnect between our good works and our sincere desires for righteousness. Think of the bed-ridden who wish they could be active missionaries. Think of the widow with a limited income unable to denote to humanitarian causes, but cannot. Only God can fully appreciate our limitations.
Joseph Smith taught the following from the Bible:
“Chapter 35: Redemption for the Dead,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Joseph Smith, (2007), 401–11.
Peter, also, in speaking concerning our Savior, says, that ‘He went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah’ (1 Peter 3:19, 20). Here then we have an account of our Savior preaching to the spirits in prison, to spirits that had been imprisoned from the days of Noah; and what did He preach to them? That they were to stay there? Certainly not! Let His own declaration testify. ‘He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.’ (Luke 4:18) Isaiah has it—‘To bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness from the prison house.’ (Isaiah 42:7) It is very evident from this that He not only went to preach to them, but to deliver, or bring them out of the prison house. …
Joseph Smith recognized that a successful plan of salvation would provide a path for all to return to God the Father:
“Chapter 35: Redemption for the Dead,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Joseph Smith, (2007), 401–11.
To say that the heathens would be damned because they did not believe the Gospel would be preposterous, and to say that the Jews would all be damned that do not believe in Jesus would be equally absurd; for ‘how can they believe on him of whom they have not heard, and how can they hear without a preacher, and how can he preach except he be sent’ [see Romans 10:14–15]; consequently neither Jew nor heathen can be culpable for rejecting the conflicting opinions of sectarianism, nor for rejecting any testimony but that which is sent of God, for as the preacher cannot preach except he be sent, so the hearer cannot believe [except] he hear a ‘sent’ preacher, and cannot be condemned for what he has not heard, and being without law, will have to be judged without law.
Joseph Smith taught that this life is a period of great education, which shall continue into the next life until the great resurrection:
“Chapter 35: Redemption for the Dead,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Joseph Smith, (2007), 401–11.
[W]hat has become of our fathers? Will they all be damned for not obeying the Gospel, when they never heard it? Certainly not. But they will possess the same privilege that we here enjoy, through the medium of the everlasting priesthood, which not only administers on earth, but also in heaven, and the wise dispensations of the great Jehovah. Hence those characters referred to by Isaiah [see Isaiah 24:21–22] will be visited by the Priesthood, and come out of their prison upon the same principle as those who were disobedient in the days of Noah were visited by our Savior [who possessed the everlasting Melchizedek Priesthood] and had the Gospel preached to them, by Him in prison.
Latter-day Saints have a global and eternal perspective about God and humanity. The plan of God applies to all – both the living and the dead. Further, all humanity, NOT just the LDS, can have access to God and his inspiration.
Latter-day Saints firmly believe in the Bible as scripture, but we also realize that there are many great peoples and many inspired ideas. The Book of Mormon says: says, "I [God] shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it" (2 Nephi 29:12; see also, Alma 29:8). The LDS understand that God inspires who He inspires and is NOT limited to a particular group or to a particular country.
The atonement of Christ is infinite. Those who limit its powers to living Christians fail to understand the universal nature of God's plan. Latter-day Saints do NOT claim that all people will return to God, but they do claim that a pathway has been created for ALL good people who sincerely desire to be with God and would not reject Him.
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2 comments:
He is not the God of dead, but of living men. You are in grave error.
Ryan:
I find your reaction fascinating. Please elaborate. How do you interpret Romans 14:9, cited above in the essay? The passage says that Christ is "Lord both of the dead and living."
In LDS temple theology, the living do vicarious work for the dead so that those who died without the opportunity for baptism (for example) have the chance to obtain that blessing. In fact, most people who ever lived would need a vicarious baptism.
God is ultimately fair. The blessings of Christ can be made available to all by virtue of His infinite atonement.
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