The Redeemer, then, must be a Lord of life, hence Deity. He must not only have the power of life within himself, but the power to impart it to others—a God-like power; and to inspire faith in his possession of such power, the manner of the Atonement must be such as to include demonstration of that fact, else how shall men have faith in him? All these considerations lift the Redeemer and the Atonement far above man and what man can do. Truly the redemption of man is to be the work of God.
4. Scripture Warrant for Above Conclusions: And now for the scripture warrant for these conclusions:
"I lay down my life for the sheep [men]. * * * Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.[A]
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up; * * * he spake of the temple of his body, when therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them."[B] "Thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day."[C]
"In him was life; and the life was the light of men."[D] "Verily, verily I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth; and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.[E] Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is come and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. And shall come forth; they have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."[F]
[Footnote A: St. John x:17, 18.]
[Footnote B: Ibid ii:19-22.]
[Footnote C: Luke xxiv:46.]
[Footnote D: St. John i:4.]
[Footnote E: St. John v:19-29.]
[Footnote F: St. John v:25-29.]
5. Man May Not Be Left to Suffer the Course of Justice, As That Would Thwart the Divine Purposes and Promises: But to return now to the thought that God himself must make atonement for man's transgression. And we come back to that thought with increased conviction after considering the necessary element of power in connection with the Atonement, the ability to restore that which was lost—life, spiritual and physical; not the work of man, but the work of a Deity, a Lord of life—God must himself redeem man. That or justice must take its course and the sinner be left to satisfy the justice of God by an endless misery under the sentence of law; without union with God—spiritual death; and subject to the dissolution of spirit and body, without the power of resurrection—physical death. But that would thwart the purpose of God with reference to the earth-life of man, which was designed for his progress, that progress might bring him joy.[A] Moreover, to leave man under the penalty of a broken law, which means to him eternal death, physical and spiritual, would be contrary to the pledge of eternal life "which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."[B] Under these circumstances justice may not be left to take its course. There must be an atonement made for man and as none but God can make an adequate atonement in the case, then a Deity must make it. And hence one of the Nephite prophets, coming to the same conclusion, wrote: "And now the plan of mercy could not be brought about, except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also"[C] The Atonement, we conclude, must be made by a Deity, in order to be adequate; but it must be made by a Deity living a man's life—hence the incarnation of the spirit of a Deity in the person of Jesus Christ.[D] It must be made by a Deity who will live man's life with all its temptations, yet remain without sin that the sacrifice might be without spot or blemish;" by one who will give to the world the illustration and the one demonstration of a perfect life—a life in which the will is wholly subjected to the will of God Also the Atonement must be made by a Deity living man's life that the satisfaction to the justice of God may be rendered from the same plane on which the offense was offered, and essentially from amid the same conditions. Hence the special temptation of Jesus by Lucifer. The Atonement must be made by a Deity who shall die man's death, but who shall not be holden of it, but break its bands and demonstrate the power of the resurrection of which he is the first fruits, and ever after Lord of life and the power of the resurrection—such, for instance, as was Jesus Christ.