Conference Report, October 1953, pg 35; “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’”. – Marion Romney, LDS First Presidency
John 18:11; “Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”
Luke 22:44; “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground”.
Jesus’ grief in the Garden of Gethsemane was certainly great – of this there is no doubt. However, the problem with LDS theology regarding this subject should be obvious to all Christians! Jesus paid with His life to atone for the sins of man. John the Baptist even declared “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” John 3:29
We also have other examples of Jesus’ life being taken for sins when we see the phrase “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” in Revelation 13:8, 1 Peter 1:18-20, 2 Timothy 1:9, and Ephesians 1:3-7.
Being in covenant with God requires a sacrifice. In the Old Testament this was taken care of and fulfilled through the shedding of blood and the taking of life in the animal sacrifices at the temple.
And then everything changed – for everyone. Jesus came to fulfill that Law and sacrificed Himself on the cross to have His blood shed for our sins. Once for all as it says in Hebrews 10:10-12.
Jesus sweat great drops “like blood”. Notice the terminology here. He sweated.
Secondly, Jesus’ life wasn’t taken in the Garden of Gethsemane. Notice John 18:11 when He told Peter to put the sword down because He still had work to do!
Thirdly, if Jesus had to shed His blood more than once to take care of the atonement then why did the author of Hebrews say He paid once?
Leave a Reply