"I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one."[A]
"I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them; but behold, the residue of the wicked have I kept in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great day; which shall come at the end of the earth."[B]
[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov. Sec. xxxv:1, 2.]
[Footnote B: Doc. & Cov., Sec. xxxviii:4, 5.]
Again:
"Listen to him who is the Advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him, saying, Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed—the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life."[A]
[Footnote A: Doc. & Cov., Sec. xlv:3-5.]
7. The One Adequate Gospel Discourse (Brigham Young): Perhaps this branch of our treatise—the fact of the atonement—cannot be more fittingly closed than by quoting a passage from one of the discourses of Brigham Young, setting forth the impossibility of a man adequately preaching a gospel discourse in this our mortal life; and holding that Christ alone, in his creative work under the Fathers direction, in his earth-life, death, resurrection, and the final presentation of the finished work to his Father—this alone is the adequate gospel sermon:
"There is but one discourse to be preached to all the children of Adam; and that discourse should be believed by them, and lived up to. To commence, continue, and finish this gospel sermon, will require all the time that is alloted to man, to the earth, and all things upon it, in their mortal state; that is my idea with regard to preaching. No man is able to set before a congregation all the items of the gospel, in this life, and continue these items to their termination, for this mortal life is too short. It is inseparably connected, one part with the other, in all the doctrines that have been revealed to man, which are now called the various doctrines of Christianity, of which all the professors of religion believe a portion; but severally reject, or desire to reject, other portions of the truth: each sect or individual taking to themselves portions of the Bible, portions of the doctrine of salvation, that are the most pleasing to them, rejecting all the rest, and mingling these doctrines with the tenets of men.
"But let a gospel sermon be preached, wherein all the principles of salvation are embodied, and we will acknowledge, at the end of the mortality of this earth, and all things created upon it—at the closing up scene, at the final consummation of all things that have been from the commencement of the creation of the world, and the peopling of it, unto the latest generation of Adam and Eve, and the final finishing up of the work of Christ—I say, we shall acknowledge that there is the gospel sermon, and that it could not be preached to finite beings in one short life.
"Christ is the author of this gospel, of this earth, of men and women, of all the posterity of Adam and Eve, and of every living creature that lives upon the face of the earth, that flies in the heavens, that swims in the waters, or dwells in the field. Christ is the author of salvation to all this creation; to all things pertaining to this terrestrial globe we occupy.
"He has redeemed the earth; he has redeemed mankind and every living thing that moves upon it; and he will finish his gospel discourse when he overcomes his enemies and puts his last enemy under his feet—when he destroys death, and him that hath the power of it—when he has raised up this kingdom, and finished his work which the Father gave him to do, and presents it to his Father, saying, 'I have done the work, I have finished it; I have not only created the world, but I have redeemed it; I have watched over it, and I have given to those intelligent beings, that you have created by me, their agency, and it has been held with perfection to every creature of intelligence, to every grade of mankind; I have preserved inviolate their agency; I have watched over them, and overruled all their actions, and held in my hand the destinies of men; and I have finished up my gospel sermon,' as he presents the finished work to his Father.
"It takes just such a character as the Savior, to preach one gospel discourse; and this was commenced with the commencement of all men upon this earth or any other; and it will never close until the winding up scene, and all is finished, and the kingdom is presented to the Father."[A]
[Footnote A: Journal of Discourses, Vol. III, pp. 80, 81.]