As many of you know lately I’ve been trying to grow in my understanding of the Mormon teaching. Not because I want to become a Mormon. In fact, there more I study the more I see oh so clearly that there’s an avalanche of information to dissuade anyone from joining, and that looking at only LDS sources, their teaching and church history (see notes/docs tab). But I do seek to understand so I can present the gospel more clearly and effectively. Because these people are awesome but they need the true gospel.
Yet there’s one teaching that has baffled me. And that is that they believe the atonement of Jesus Christ took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and not on the cross. They believe it was his suffering that made atonement.
Additionally they are deeply confused (and even mock) as to why anyone would make the cross a central piece of the Christian message. Why would one wear a necklace with a cross that was how someone died? And why would they put crosses on and in church buildings?
For us it’s easy to explain. Because Christians know that the atonement happens at the cross.
It all goes back to the temple. Which in the Old Testament was not the place of baptisms for the dead (LDS theology of the “restored” gospel), but rather the place of sacrifice.
The temple in the Old Testament served three main purposes:
1) Sacrifices of animals for the temporary forgiveness of sins (temporary until Messiah).
2) Medical facility. If one had leprousy or mold in their house, the priest would instruct them what to do physically and ceremonially. When one was better, this had to be verified by the priest. Which is why when Jesus healed people he told them to go back to the priest to confirm it.
3) The place of celebration and thanksgiving – The temple was the place where gifts and offerings were received from the people to God. It was also in the outer courts the place where celebrations were held for the festivals. There was great joy, music, food and dancing before the LORD. In fact multiple times God commanded his people to “celebrate their festivals.” He is a God of celebration.
So how does that apply to communion? Well we know a few things with the help of the further enlightenment of the New Testament
- The reason for sacrifice is because of sins (Leviticus)
- Only a perfect sacrifice, “unblemished” is acceptable (Leviticus, Heb 7:26)
- The penalty for sin is death (Rom 6:23)
- Life is in the blood and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Heb 9:22)
- The blood of bulls and goats could never fully take away sin (Heb 10:4)
Thus there was the need for a Messiah because of our sins. Animal sacrifices could never fully take away our sin. So we had need of an unblemished sacrifice. And that sacrifice had to shed blood and die, because the penalty was death.
When Jesus the Messiah came he was perfect and without sin (1 Pet 2:22). He was the only one worthy to offer himself as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind. The only way he could atone for sin was through the shedding of blood and through death. He did this on the cross.
The cross then becomes the place where those who put their faith in him and his sacrifice on the cross can receive forgiveness of sins. We ourselves are very blemished and cannot sacrifice for our sins through our works, our shed blood or even our death. Only the death of the perfect sacrifice, Jesus, could accomplish this.
Because the cross is the central place of our place of forgiveness and reconciliation back to God through faith in Christ, we have peace with God (Rom 5:1). We are no longer under God’s wrath that is the sentence for all sinners (Eph 2:3). The cross then is the place of great gratitude and also the result is the place of great joy.
When we take communion, we remember the sacrifice of Jesus – his shed blood and his body (death). No longer do we have to regularly bring bulls and goats and sheep to “church” to be sacrificed for our sins, but we declare our faith in Jesus.
So back to Mormon theology. It was impossible for the atonement to take place in the garden, because while Jesus suffered in the garden, he did not die there. Only the shed blood death of a perfect sacrifice could atone for sins.
For this reason the cross is central. And it’s why it is upheld and preached throughout Scripture:
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor 1:18
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Gal 6:14
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col 1:19-20
