9 Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.
Because Christ paid for everyone’s sins as if He had
committed them, and because he used his divine authority and power over death
to become the firstfruits of the resurrection, He has every right to plead our
cases before the demands of justice. Justice says my sins need to be paid for.
Christ, in his infinite mercy, is able to say, “yes, he sins need to be paid
for, and I paid for them.” Because Jesus personally paid for our sins, He can
personally vouch for us that the price has been paid. At some point all individuals
will have to be judged as to their worthiness to proceed to the next phase of
training to be like Heavenly Father. Those who qualify (i.e. will be saved, or
exalted) are those who humble themselves enough to believe in Christ and his
atoning sacrifice on our behalf.
One of the definitions of “first fruits” in my dictionary is,
“the first products, results, or profits of any activity” (Webster). This
explains how Christ is “the firstfruits unto God,” since we know that his work
and his glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”
(Moses 1: 39). So Christ is the first product or result of that work. He made
it possible for the rest of us to become part of the products of God’s work,
which glorifies him. Without Christ the plan of mercy to overcome the demands
of justice would not be possible. God’s work would be fruitless. Christ is the
key to the whole plan.
- Isaiah 53: 12 (1–12)
- Mosiah 14: 12
- Mosiah 15: 8
- Moroni 7: 28 (27–28)
- Moses 1: 39
