While the Fall opened the gate to the road of knowledge, it was the Atonement that provided the vehicle to proceed.
The Atonement Rectifies the Fall—How could the negatives of the Fall, namely physical and spiritual death, be correct, amended, and reconciled in the eternal scheme? Of what value was a posterity or godly knowledge if men and women were doomed to remain in the grave, separated from the presence of their God? There was no solution without a Redeemer—someone who would atone, redeem, reconcile, and make amends for these negative conditions. Lehi states it simply and succinctly: “the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall” (2 Nephi 2:26) Lehi understood that the Fall was not without its remedy, for he declared, “The way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free” (2 Nephi 2:4)
Those who inherit the celestial kingdom, but not the highest level of exaltation, are saved in the sense they are not banished from the Father’s presence. Such saints “remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity” (D&C 132:17). They are not saved, however, from all forms of damnation (i.e., the inability to progress). They cannot have eternal seed, and they cannot become like God. Accordingly, they are saved only in a limited sense.
Of course, there were some good and progressive individuals, some advances here or there, and a few bright stars on the horizon, but in comparison to other ages the sky was noticeably absent of luminaries. There is no suggestion being made here that it was a time of “black ages,” devoid of all light and truth. The term “dark” is a comparative term, and thus the phrase “Dark Ages” seems to accurately describe the period from A.D. 500 until A.D. 1000, as compared to the prior Greek and Roman cultures and as further compared to the subsequent Renaissance. It was dark in terms of intellectual advancements, dark in terms of social customs, dark in terms of economic progress, and dark in terms of political freedoms. No amount of revisionist history can convert it into an enlightened age … If one were to deny the existence of the Dark Ages (at least as defined between A.D. 500 and A.D. 1000) because there were a few isolated bright spots, one might as well say that the world was not wicked at the time of Noah because there lived eight righteous souls whom God chose to save. It may be politically correct to say the world was not wicked in the days of Noah or there were no Dark Ages in Western civilization, but it simply does not seem to square with historical fact, with the words of the living prophets, or with the scriptures.
Both the great apostasy and latter-day restoration were inevitable, not in the sense that man's agency was restrained, but in the sense that they were events foreseen in the premortal councils of heaven, and prophesied of by God's “holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21).
We need to know not only the doctrine but, whenever possible, the underlying rationale so we can explain the doctrine in a clear and concise and powerful way.
Were it not for the Atonement, there would have been no choice between eternal life and eternal damnation. The Fall would have opened the gate to one road and one road only. Our “flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more … Our spirits must become subject to … the devil, to rise no more” (2 Nephi 9:7–8)—a bleak picture, to say the least. Without the Atonement everyone would be compelled to participate in this no-option program. The Fall, without the Atonement, would lead us to a downhill plunge from which there was no escape.
The Atonement is the central act of human history, the pivotal point in all time, the doctrine of doctrines. Everything we do and everything we teach should somehow be anchored to the Atonement.
If the Atonement is the foundation of our faith (and it is), then no one should be content with a casual acquaintance of this doctrine Instead, the Atonement should be paramount in our intellectual and spiritual pursuits.
Part of the human experience is to confront temptation. No one escapes. It is omnipresent. It is both externally driven and internally prompted. It is like the enemy that attacks from all sides. It boldly assaults us in television shows, movies, billboards, and newspapers in the name of entertainment or free speech. It walks down our streets and sits in our offices in the name of fashion. It drives our roads in the name of style. It represents itself as political correctness or business necessity. It claims moral sanction under the guise of free choice. On occasion it roars like thunder; on others it whispers in subtle, soothing tones. With chameleon-like skill it camouflages its ever-present nature, but it is there—always there … Neutrality is a nonexistent condition in this life. We are always choosing, always taking sides. That is part of the human experience—facing temptations on a daily, almost moment-by-moment basis—facing them not only on the good days but on the days we are down, the days we are tired, rejected, discouraged, or sick. Every day of our lives we battle temptation—and so did the Savior. It is an integral part of the human experience, faced not only by us but also by him. He drank from the same cup.
While an apostasy of the Church is not the same as an apostasy of individuals from the Church, the former cannot occur without the latter. Individual members of Christ’s Church may reject its teachings and ordinances without affecting the authority and integrity of the Church. When, however, a sufficient number of persuasive individuals apostatize, and in the process the official Church doctrines and ordinances become perverted, then, inevitably, the priesthood or divine power that sustains and sets the Church apart from all other worldly organizations is lost. That constitutes an apostasy of the Church … Elder Boyd K. Packer described the apostasy in the meridian of time as follows: “The Apostles were martyred, and in time, an apostasy took place. The doctrines of the Church were corrupted and the ordinances changed. The keys of the priesthood authority were lost.” As unthinkable as that proposition may be to some, the evidence of its occurrence is overwhelming.
To be saved in the fullest sense means to be exalted. This means that someone is not only rescued from physical death, Satan, and banishment from the Father’s presence, but in addition is saved from every form of damnation. In other words, there is absolutely nothing that can stop this person’s progress. He or she may have eternal increase, create worlds without number, and become like God (D&C 132:19–20, 37; see also chapter 21).
Suffice it to say, I can live with some human imperfections, even among prophets of God—that is to be expected in mortal beings. I can live with some alleged scientific findings contrary to the Book of Mormon; time will correct those. And I can live with some seeming historical anomalies; they are minor in the total landscape of truth. But I cannot live without the doctrinal truths and ordinances restored by Joseph Smith, I cannot live without the priesthood of God to bless my family, and I cannot live without knowing my wife and children are sealed to me for eternity. That is the choice we face—a few unanswered questions on one hand versus a host of doctrinal certainties and the power of God on the other. And for me, and I hope for you, the choice is an easy one and a rational one.
While the Fall opened the gate to the road of knowledge, it was the Atonement that provided the vehicle to proceed.
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