Lessons for Our Day From the Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ - 2024
Lesson No. Seventeen

The Condescension of Christ and His Divine Sonship

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). The Book of Mormon is indispensable in coming to know God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon teaches about the two essential and closely related doctrines – The condescension the Lord Jesus Christ and His Divine Sonship. These two essential and closely related doctrines give meaning and understanding to the birth, ministry, and atonement of our Savior.

The condescension of the Lord Jesus Christ: Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: “The condescension of God (meaning the Son) consists in the fact that though he himself is the Lord Omnipotent, the very Being who created the earth and all things that in it are, yet being born of mortal woman, he submitted to all the trials of mortality, suffering ‘temptation, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death’ (Mosiah 3:5-8), finally being put to death in a most ignominious manner” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 155).

The Divine Sonship of the Lord Jesus Christ is that Jesus possessed all the power of God, especially the power of immortality, while He dwelt in the flesh on Earth. He literally inherited His divine characteristics from His Father. He was a God in the pre-mortal existence, and He was God as He lived on the earth as the Son of God and the Son of Mary.

Because of His Divine Sonship He was able to break the bands of death. He was able to voluntarily lay down His life, no one was able to take His life against his will. (See John 5:26; 10:17-18) He inherited mortality, the power to die, from His mother. He inherited the power over death, the ability to resurrect, from His Father.

The Book of Mormon teaches these doctrines and starts us on the path to know God:

Nephi learned about the Divine Sonship: in vision he was shown a virgin who “is the mother of the son of God, after the manner of the flesh” (1 Nephi 11:18). When he beheld the virgin the second time she was “bearing a child in her arms” who was “the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!” (Ibid 20-21). He then knew this Child had an immortal Father and a mortal mother.

Nephi learned from an angel of the condescension of Christ: It is that the Lamb of God, “the Creator of heaven and earth” (Jacob 2:5), came down from heaven and “went forth ministering unto the people , in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them…and he was lifted upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world” (1 Nephi 11:26, 28, 33).

King Benjamin also learned from an angel of the condescension and the divine Sonship of Jesus Christ: “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay…working mighty miracles…And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer…for behold blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and abominations of his people. And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary” (Mosiah 3:5-8).

Alma taught the condescension Jesus Christ and His divine Sonship: “For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all-for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people…for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. And behold, he shall be born of Mary…she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God. And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind…And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death” (Alma 7:7-12).

Abinadi taught the condescension of Jesus Christ: Abinadi chastised false priests for not understanding that Moses and all the prophets have taught “that God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth? Yea, have they not said also that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted?” (Mosiah 13:33-35).

Abinadi quotes Isaiah who also spoke of the condescension of Christ: Isaiah taught that the Son of God will be “as a tender plant, as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form or comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Mosiah 14:1-2). In other words, He will grow up in spiritually arid and hostile society, and there will be nothing about His physical appearance that will distinguish from other mortals. He will be “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities…and with his stripes we are healed” (Mosiah 14:3-12).

Abinadi teaches the divine Sonship of Jesus Christ: In words that must be closely studied to be understood Abinadi teaches that Jesus Christ was the Son of God by which He inherited the power of God or the power to choose to live. As the son of Mary, a mortal woman, He inherited mortality or the power to die as He may choose. He is duel in nature; both mortal and immortal; both man and God; both human and divine; both Father and Son. (See Mosiah 15:1-9)

The seed or children of Christ are those who He has redeemed from their transgressions: Abinadi quotes Isaiah to teach who are the seed or children of Christ: “And now I say unto you, who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed? Behold, I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets…and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are heir of the kingdom of God. For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?” (Mosiah 15:10-12).

The children of Christ have the privilege and responsibility to “declare his generation” or testify of His genealogy and family history: “And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God Reigneth!” (Mosiah 15:10,14):

Testimony – In the words of Nephi, and king Benjamin, and Abinadi and Alma, as set forth above, I publish my testimony of the condescension of Christ, that He came down from heaven and atoned for our sins. I publish my testimony of His divine Sonship, that he is both the Son of God, an immortal Father and the Son of Mary, a mortal mother, and because of this salvation is possible through the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Released on June 9th. 2024