By Bill McKeever
Each spring millions of Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of their Lord. In light of the fact that this is one of the most important events within the Christian tradition, it is important for us to examine and understand the spiritual significance of Christ's sacrifice in light of the teachings of past LDS leaders.
Philippians 2:7 tells us that Christ made Himself of no reputation and took "the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." Hebrews 2:17 tells us this was done in order that He might make "reconciliation for the sins of the people." Given the fact that God would come to earth to die for the sins of mankind, we are led to no other conclusion than man's sinful condition was so serious that only God's personal intervention would suffice. If man's personal merit could satisfy the penalty of sin, such an act would not be necessary (Galatians 2:21). This reconciliation is known as the atonement, or the bringing together of rebellious man with his all-holy Creator.
In the Old Testament redemption was made through the ceremonial sacrifice. God made it clear that the atonement could only result from the death of an innocent substitute. This substitute would pay, with its life, the penalty of sin. Sacrifices were made in the Jerusalem temple on a daily basis for the sins of individuals. However, once a year the people of Israel celebrated the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. On this special day the High Priest would offer sacrifice for Israel as a nation, a nation which sought reconciliation with the God whom they had sinned against.
Still, the mere act of killing an animal for one's sins was not what God found favor in. The Bible makes it clear through numerous examples that redemption was based on an individual's faith in what that sacrifice stood for. This faith would lead to the obvious act of repentance, thereby making the sacrifice efficacious. God had no pleasure in sacrifice without these two very important elements.
Since the wages of sin is death (both physical and spiritual), the sinner saw the sacrifice as a vicarious substitute. The animal was taking upon itself the penalty due sinful man. The animal sacrifice was a type of Christ who would one day come and voluntarily pay the price of sin through His own death. Unfortunately, as time went on, many Jews offered sacrifice out of mere protocol and not by faith. To many, the faith in what the sacrifice represented was lost to repetitious ritual and legal attitudes.
Both Christians and Mormons speak of Christ's atonement, but the atonement means different things to both parties. Christians have looked to the cross of Calvary as the place where this grand act of reconciliation took place; Mormonism, on the other hand, has emphasized the Garden of Gethsemane.
On page fourteen of his book, "Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson," the thirteenth president of the LDS Church stated it was in the Garden of Gethsemane that Christ "suffered as only as God would suffer, bearing our griefs, carrying our sorrows, being wounded for our transgressions, voluntarily submitting Himself to the iniquity of us all, just as Isaiah prophesied."
He further stated on that same page: "It was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world, in Gethsemane that His pain was equivalent to the cumulative burden of all men, in Gethsemane that He descended below all things so that all could repent and come to Him" (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pg.15).
In his book "The Promised Messiah," Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "Forgiveness is available because Christ the Lord sweat great drops of blood in Gethsemane as he bore the incalculable weight of the sins of all who ever had or ever would repent" (pg. 337). On page 552 of the same book McConkie continues by saying, "In a garden called Gethsemane, outside Jerusalem's walls, in agony beyond compare, he took upon himself the sins of all men on condition of repentance."
On pages 127-128 of McConkie's "The Mortal Messiah," he wrote, "And as he came out of the Garden, delivering himself voluntarily into the hands of wicked men, the victory had been won. There remained yet the shame and the pain of his attest, his trials, and his cross. But all these were overshadowed by the agonies and sufferings in Gethsemane. It was on the cross that he 'suffered death in the flesh,' even as many have suffered agonizing deaths, but it was in Gethsemane that "he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him."
In light of all the importance LDS leaders leader give Gethsemane, it should be mentioned that the Bible mentions this landmark only twice. To conclude that the atonement took place there is to certainly read something into these passages which is not there. While Mormon commentators point to the sweating of "great drops of blood," the New Testament says nothing about this phenomenon having a part in the atonement.
Leaders such as Benson and McConkie both claim Jesus' greatest agony took place in the garden. However, fifth President Lorenzo Snow stated Jesus' suffering in the garden was a result of knowing He was about to face the cross. Said Snow, "... the time approached that He was to pass through the severest affliction that any mortal ever did pass through. He undoubtedly had seen persons nailed to the cross, because that method of execution was common at that time, and He understood the torture that such persons experienced for hours. We went by Himself in the garden and prayed to His Father, if it were possible, that that cup might pass from Him; and His feelings were such that He sweat great drops of blood, and in agony there was an angel sent to give Him comfort and strength" (Collected Discourses, Lorenzo Snow, 10/6/1893). The "cup" He was praying could, if at all possible, be passed was the greater pain and suffering awaiting Him at Golgotha.
By emphasizing the Garden of Gethsemane, Mormon leaders miss a very significant point regarding the atonement. The expiation of sin was not based on the substitute's perspiration, it was based on the fact that the substitute died. Christ's atonement for the sins of man was accomplished in his death, not his short time spent in the garden.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul stresses that Christ's death was of primary importance in the atonement. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 he wrote, "I delivered unto you first of all ...that Christ died for our sins."
Throughout the New Testament it is the death of Christ that is stressed. Consider the following passages which refer to the reconciliation of Christ:
Romans 5:8- "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:10- For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
Hebrews 9:22 states that without the shedding (not sweating) of blood, there is no remission of sins.
Never is the Garden of Gethsemane mentioned as playing a role in the atonement. Instead, it is the cross that is emphasized.
Galatians 6:14- "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
Philippians 2:8- "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
To many Mormon leaders, the cross seemed to play only a secondary role. While LDS leaders do sometimes mention that Christ did die on the cross, this method of execution was only a necessary evil in order for the resurrection to take place. During a conference speech in 1953, Marion Romney, a member of the LDS First Presidency, stated, "Jesus then went into the Garden of Gethsemane. There he suffered most. He suffered greatly on the cross, of course, but other men had died by crucifixion; in fact, a man hung on either side of him as he died on the cross. But no man, nor set of men, nor all men put together, ever suffered what the Redeemer suffered in the garden. He went there to pray and suffer'" (Conference Report, October 1953, Pg.35).
Perhaps it is for these reasons that you will not find crosses on Mormon buildings. Certainly in the mind of the Latter-day Saint its significance is not equal to that of the Bible-believing Christian. We who hold the Bible dear have no choice but to concur with the Apostle Paul and declare without reservation, "That the preaching of the cross (not the garden) is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).