The Blood Which I Have Spilt

One of the ways in which the Doctrine and Covenants is unique among our books of scripture is that we hear the direct voice of the Savior throughout nearly the entire book. In particular, we have His own words to describe His great atoning sacrifice, something we do not have elsewhere. He said to Oliver Cowdery, “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him…. And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10-11, 33). He equated the worth of souls with the great price He paid in suffering death for all of us. The Savior described this in even more detail in the next section to Martin Harris: “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19). We get a glimpse though these divine words not only the unimaginable suffering of the Savior but also His feelings—even He did not want to go through with the unfathomable sacrifice because it was so terrible. This kind of poignant, personal description of His suffering we have nowhere else in scripture.

            The Savior also spoke of His atonement in other passages of the Doctrine and Covenants that allow us to hear His own description of His sacrifice and suffering. Speaking of the sacrament, He invited us personally to remember His sacrifice: “For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins” (Doctrine and Covenants 27:2). He introduced Himself in another revelation with these words: “Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:1). To Orson Hyde the Savior gave these words: “Hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer; The light and the life of the world, a light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not; Who so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 34:1-3). In another revelation He described Himself with these words, “I am the same which spake, and the world was made, and all things came by me. I am the same which have taken the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom; and verily, I say, even as many as have believed in my name, for I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:3-4). He used similar language when He gave us the words of His prayer to the Father: “Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5). All of these passages are powerful witnesses from the Savior Himself that His atonement was real. How blessed we are to have these words of the Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith which invite us in a powerful way to come unto Him and be saved through the shedding of His blood.