From the Foundation of the World

One of the messages of the Book of Mormon was that the atonement of Jesus Christ was planned and prepared from before the beginning of mortal existence.  It has always been the central part of God’s plan for His children to be redeemed and return to Him.  I was surprised to see how often this is taught throughout the Book of Mormon. 

Nephi wrote that “the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him” (1 Nephi 10:18).  The “Way” of course is Christ and His atonement. King Benjamin spoke to his people of “the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world” (Mosiah 4:6).  And in case they missed it, he repeated himself again in the next verse: “the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind” (Mosiah 4:7).  Abinadi told the priests of King Noah that “the redemption which [Christ] hath made for his people… was prepared from the foundation of the world” (Mosiah 15:19).  Alma perhaps was thinking about these words of Abinadi when he baptized Helam and said, “May he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world” (Mosiah 18:13).  Amulek spoke to the people of Ammonihah twice about “the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world” (Alma 12:25, 30).  Alma followed up by explaining how a “holy calling” was “prepared from the foundation of the world” and that similarly “the atonement of the Only Begotten Son “was also prepared (Alma 13:5).  Ammon told the people of King Lamoni that “the plan of redemption” was “prepared from the foundation of the world” (Alma 18:39).  Aaron followed suite by saying almost the same thing to Lamoni’s father: “The plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name” (Alma 22:13).  Alma testified to his son that the “great and eternal purposes” of God “were prepared from the foundation of the world. And thus cometh about the salvation and the redemption of men” (Alma 42:26).  The voice from heaven told the Lamanites who were in the process of being converted, “Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world” (Helaman 5:47).  Jesus testified to the Brother of Jared, “I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ” (Ether 3:14).
                All of these references stand as a witness of the centrality of the Savior’s atonement to everything that takes place on earth.  Our existence was not left to chance by the Father; rather the atonement of Christ was planned out to satisfy the demands of justice and allow a way for our escape through the challenges of mortality.