Callister’s Infinite Atonement — Part 3

One member is examining the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint when Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism are thanks Adams rodeo for that musical introduction welcome to this additional viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson.

My colleague at MRM we continue our look at a book titled the infinite atonement written by Tad R.

Callister and Ted Callister wrote this book back in 2000 and so you might be asking will why are you covering a book that was written so long ago. The reason why we wanted to cover this, and we been wanting to do this for several years but now we're finally getting around to it but I think it's important because what Callister teaches in this book is still believed by many modern Latter Day Saints. Today, as we mentioned in the past show. If you look this book up on Amazon.com and you read the stars and the comments for this book, you'll find that is basically a five star review and there's been over 400 reviewers so obviously there's a lot of Latter Day Saints out there that think that this book has some value.

And as I mentioned also, even though the book came out in the year 2000 and 2006 Desiree book published a leather bound edition of this book folks they don't do that with just any book so obviously Desiree book, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints see that there is a lot of value in what Ted Callister is teaching now as I mentioned in another broadcast both traditions share the word atonement.

Mormons have that word we as Bible believing Christians have that word.

But what's important to ask is three basic questions okay if it's the same thing. Where did this atonement take place. What did the atonement actually accomplish and is the benefits of the atonement achievable. Those are three questions that you have to ask when the subject comes up in your conversation with a latter-day St. Today we want to talk about where it took place in the eyes of Latter Day Saints. But before we do that Eric. There's one thing I have to bring out that just irritates me that he put on page 14 of the book on page 14. He cites 13th Pres. Ezra Taft Benson who taught and I have to assume Ted Callister agrees with this, otherwise he would not have included it. What did he say much of the Christian world today rejects the divinity of the Savior. They question his miraculous birth.

His perfect life and the reality of his glorious resurrection. The book of Mormon teaches in plain and unmistakable terms about the truth of all of those. It also provides the most complete explanation of the doctrine of the atonement. Truly this divinely inspired book is a keystone and bearing witness to the world that Jesus is the Christ. Okay when he says much of the Christian world today rejects the divinity of the Savior, miraculous birth, his sinless life or perfect life is the word he uses in the reality of his glorious resurrection. This is what Ezra Taft Benson said when I read something like that.

I have to ask who you talking about when you say that that is the Christian world because of someone came up to me and they said I'm a Christian, but I don't believe in the divinity of Christ. I don't believe that Jesus is God.

I don't believe he had a miraculous virgin birth. I believe his birth was just like his conception and his birth was just like everybody else. I don't believe that Jesus lived a sinless life, and I certainly don't believe in his resurrection. The first thing I would say that individual is quit calling yourself a Christian because you're not a Christian.

If you deny those basic tenets of our faith, so when he cites Ezra Taft Benson as saying somehow that most of us in the Christian world are denying all these things, but look at us Latter Day Saints. We affirm all of them that should be offensive to most Bible believing Christians and I very much agree with you Bill on that and then when he says that the book of Mormon teaches in plain and unmistakable terms about the truth of all of those while the topic were going to talk about today is the garden of Gethsemane and we have done our research and you know how many times the garden of Gethsemane is mentioned in the book of Mormon and the answer is zero, so you will not find any mention of the garden of Gethsemane in the book of Mormon. You will not find any hint of a garden atonement in the book of Mormon. So what we conclude from this folks, we conclude that if the neophytes were a people that really existed.

If we have the book of Mormon to tell us what they believe. Obviously they had no clue as to the garden of Gethsemane having anything to do with the atonement of Christ. It mentions the cross, but it never mentions the garden of Gethsemane. This is why when he goes on page 14 to say if it were not for the book of Mormon.

We would fall victim to many of the misconceptions about the fall in the atonement as discussed above, simply because the Bible as inspired as it is has had quote many parts which are plain and most precious" deleted from its original content. There you go. The Bible can't be trustworthy because it's true only as far as is translated correctly. Who knows what was taken out.

And yet the scholarship shows that our Bible is very reliable.

It is very accurate.

We have findings of manuscripts to help us understand the Old Testament such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament more than 5000 Greek manuscripts to help us understand what the Bible really said so this is something that is not is not going to be able to be verified well. He goes on in that same paragraph to say fortunately the book of Mormon has come to our rescue will folks. It does not come to their rescue when it comes to where this alleged atonement took place.

If in fact it was in the garden of Gethsemane and we find Garnica semi-talked about throughout the infinite atonement effect on page 3 Callister sites apostle Bruce R.

McConkie, a man that you mentioned on Monday.

Bill very much is a favorite of Callister's and he this is what McConkie said the most transcendent event in his entire eternal existence, the most glorious single happening from creation's dawn to eternity's endless continuance. The crowning work of his infinite goodness. Such took place in a garden called Gethsemane on page 133 Callister has this interesting statement to make those who have belittled the Savior sacrifice as no superhuman feet because others have been so crucified and died so quote nobly have forgotten the moments in the garden. The physical pain of the cross alone when compared to the accumulated pain of the garden in the cross was as a penlight to the sun. Wow penlight to the sun. Perhaps the cross was chosen because the Savior wanted us to know he had endured man's greatest form of inhumanity to man, but even then such anguish was relatively insignificant when compared to the spiritual agony in the garden, which was extended on the cross one more time I want to remind everybody that the word garden that Gethsemane is not found in the book of Mormon. And I'm also going to tell you that the Garner Gethsemane is not referred to by Paul. The writer of Hebrews.

Throughout all the epistles it's never even reference the cross is all over the place, but the Garnica 70 certainly talking about gospel account. It certainly happen. We believe in the garden Gethsemane but as far as the atonement is concerned. Christians don't believe that it is the place where the atonement took place. This is why I challenge what he says on page 122 were Callister says, it seems appropriate that the place for his shedding of blood should be a garden called Gethsemane. I challenge any Latter Day Saints that is listening. I want you to go back and I want you to read what Jesus prayed when he was in the garden of Gethsemane. This is prior to his crucifixion on the cross. Read carefully what Jesus prays you will find something very interesting.

Never once in his prayer does he mention us never does he talk about what he's going through at that point in time was on behalf of anyone else.

It was all about himself. It was all about Jesus. Why, because he knew what was about to take place if that be the fact this whole notion that he went through much more pain and suffering in the garden than on the cross is nonsense.

You will not find in his prayer in the garden that it gives any hint that would he's going through at that particular time had any benefit for us as believers and is used so aptly said Eric. This is why we don't find apostle Paul or Peter were the writer of Hebrews, or any of the New Testament epistles any of the writers pointing to the garden of Gethsemane has having anything to do with our atonement.

This is probably perhaps why we don't find anywhere in the book of Mormon where it points to the garden of Gethsemane doesn't seem odd Eric that something so important and animal saying that because Callister is making it extremely important fact other Mormon leaders that made it very important where it happen. If that is such an importance. Why is it the book of Mormon is silent on this. Why is it that the neophytes if they existed at all seem to have no knowledge of a garden atonement. 17th president Russell M. Nelson said in 2013 because of the atonement of Jesus Christ all mankind. Even as many as will will be redeemed. The Savior began shedding his blood for all mankind not on the cross.

But in the Garnica 70 there.

He took upon himself the weight of the sins of all who would ever live under that heavy load. He bled at every pore. The agony of the atonement was completed on the cross of Calvary and that's found in the inside magazine April 2013, page 35 I'm an essay bill that Russell Nelson makes the cross seem like an afterthought will not only that, but we find other quotations by general authorities where they will say very clearly that Jesus took upon himself all the sins of mankind in the garden of Gethsemane if he took all of the sins of mankind upon him in the garden of Gethsemane. What would be left for him to do on the cross. It makes no sense. It becomes very confusing. So even though Mr. Callister wants to make it sound like a latter-day revelation comes to the rescue. In my opinion it actually raises some more questions it doesn't clarify this at all. I have never heard any Latter Day Saints leader explain specifically why the atonement had to take place in two locations.

What was not done in the garden of Gethsemane that had to be done on the cross at Calvary. Please explain that to me because it doesn't seem to make any sense whatsoever. When you have some general authorities say in all the sins of mankind were taken upon him and Gethsemane, but yet he had to go on and finish it at the cross. And you're right that there are many different leaders who have said that all of the sins or pay limit is giving 170 Wolfgang H. Paul, in 2007 in the June & magazine said it was there at the Garnica 70 that the Savior paid the price for all the sorrows sins and transgressions of every human being who ever lived or ever will live. I think that's a fair question, then wouldn't it be if that's where it took place than what was the purpose of the cross.

I don't think Callister gives a very good explanation and this is why I don't think it really is appropriate at all that we need to turn to the garden of Gethsemane is the location where the atonement took place, and once again we have no help from the epistles from the Bible. We certainly have no help from the book of Mormon. Thank you for listening you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter research. We hope you will join us again as we look at another viewpoint is