Mosiah 15 - 19

A contemporary with Abinadi, King Benjamin taught his people -

"And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 5:7)

It is the word "become" that I found myself pondering about.

"The Apostle Paul taught that the Lord's teachings and teachers were given that we may all attain 'the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ' (Eph. 4:13). This process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something. . . .It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become" ("The Challenge to Become," Liahona, Jan. 2001, 40; Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32).

We know that even Christ had to "become" for John testified -

"I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace..." (Doctrine and Covenants Section 93:12)

It is the words of Abinadi that seemed to strike me most with this concept as he explains -

"...now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.
2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, thus becoming the Father and the Son..." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 15:1 - 2)

I remember while serving in the mission field, reading these words, and in confusion, wondering what they meant. Over the years, as I have studied these words and have "inquired of the Lord" they have become more and more clear - in fact, almost overwhelming. As King Benjamin describes those of us who enter in to a covenant to be called the "children of Christ", in that he has spiritually begotten us, and that we or born of him and "become" his sons and daughters, then logic would have it then that he "becomes" our "Father". Abinadi explains -

"The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh..." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 15:3)

These words become clear in that his capacity to be the "Father" or the Christ was inherent because his father was deity and his mother a mortal. The Father because as Alma taught was -

"...conceive[d] by the power of the Holy Ghost...yea, even the Son of God" (Book of Mormon Alma 7:10)

and would become flesh because he would -

"...be born of Mary...she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed ...by the power of the Holy Ghost..." (Book of Mormon Alma 7:10)

The Savior himself like all men would have to learn to conform the flesh to the will of the spirit as in the Savior's, case the will of the Son (flesh) to the will of the Father (Spirit) and in his case the foreordination of being the Christ -

"And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 15:5 - 7)

Even as he revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith -

"The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men." (Doctrine and Covenants Section 93:4)

"...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?
11 Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, 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 the heirs of the kingdom of God.
12 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?" (Book of Mormon Mosiah 15:10 - 12)

Therefore, Abinadi declares of the Savior -

"...thus becoming the Father and Son..." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 15:3)

Because of his great and last sacrifice, the infinite atonement, and his yielding the flesh to the will of the Father, he became the Father and the Son. And we can "become" his children as we see amongst the followers of Alma in Helam which -

"...he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.
21 And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 18:20 - 21)

And as they did we are told -

"...And thus they became the children of God." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 18:22)