Clean from the Blood of
This Generation
by Joseph Warren Grammer
This Generation
by Joseph Warren Grammer
From President Spencer W. Kimball we read: “Were it not for the atonement of Christ, the shedding of his blood, the assumption by proxy of our sins, man could never be forgiven and cleansed.” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 359.) The Lord desires ALL to be converted and to be found clean from sin when they appear before Him at the last day. To Moses the Lord declared, “For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39.) For that immortality and eternal life to come about, however, our garments must become clean from the blood of this generation.
Being Made Clean Through Jesus
The New Testament tells us that, “... the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7.) Alma tells us that no man can be saved except he is sanctified and his garments are washed white and purified through the blood of Christ. (Alma 5:21, 27; 13:11-12.)
Let’s explore, for a moment, the ideas contained in the scriptures on this subject, namely, cleansing our garments, and of the blood of this generation being required at our hands. There are some poignant thoughts on this important subject that we will consider.
Sin is the result of uncleanliness. When a person sins, or when a law is broken, an inherent penalty is attached, and that penalty must be paid. As we studied earlier, justice cannot be robbed. It must be satisfied. Therefore we see that a broken law must be satisfied with a punishment. That punishment Jesus meekly took upon himself in the garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross of Calvary.
That Divine Son, and brother of us all, shed His blood for our sins. He suffered and paid the price so we will not have to suffer for them. When we repent, His blood atones and pays the penalty for our past sins. And because He paid our debt for sin, we do not owe any debt. Our slate is clean, or, in other words, our garments are made white from sin. We are not held guilty anymore.
If we owed a great financial debt and we could not pay it, would we not seek some type of relief? Suppose then our brother came and offered to pay that debt, would we not be grateful? Our accounting books would be wiped clean. Our elder brother, Jesus the Christ, graciously paid our debt with His precious blood. It would be foolish to have to pay for it ourselves, thereby having the debt paid twice. Jesus pleads for us to accept His offering and not to waste the priceless blood that He spilt for us. Through our faith in Christ and our sincere repentance, therefore, our garments are washed and made clean by His blood. We should eagerly embrace this selfless offering.
Remorse at the Sacrament Table
To receive the blessings of forgiveness, we need to be baptized and take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. When we take up His name, we become the followers of Christ. People will then judge our Savior by our way of life. This is an awesome responsibility. The problem is, we are all human for we all sin even after baptism. So in humility we present ourselves at the sacrament table, and with a newness of heart we again repent of those sins.
Over and over we take upon ourselves the sacred name of Jesus Christ each time we partake of the sacrament. We promise to remember Him and His sacrifice in our behalf, and we covenant to keep all of His commandments. This we do so that we may be redeemed of God, be numbered with those of the first resurrection, and that we may always have his Spirit to be with us. When this is done wholeheartedly, Jesus Christ Himself dwells in us and us in Him. Jesus said, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” (John 6:54-56.)
As we approach this holy ordinance our hearts are to be contrite; for we now represent our Savior. We should truly regret our sins and desire to have them washed away. Are we really grateful for all of God’s blessings? Are we truly remembering the life and sacrifice of Jesus which He meekly offers us? Are we eagerly striving to be faithful to our covenants, and with real purpose, consciously taking His name upon us again each time we take the sacrament? Are we honestly seeking His Spirit to be with us and following those spiritual promptings? Or, are we just following through with what is the custom of many members of the congregation—partaking of those sacred emblems with little thought as to any covenants we should have made, and with little thought of Him by whom salvation comes? These are some hard questions to consider, for they prick at some hearts.
Do we recognize all of our sins? Do we remember and realize that OUR personal sins are what caused Jesus to suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of calvary? Do we feel a sense of guilt, remorse, and anguish for OUR causing Jesus to suffer? Before we can truly be changed, be born again and receive a remission of our sins, we must arrive at a certain and forthright recognition that we are personally responsible for the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Apostle Melvin J. Ballard once gave a talk entitled, “The Sacramental Covenant.” In it he said, “No man goes away from this Church and becomes an apostate in a week, nor in a month. It is a slow process. The one thing that would make for the safety of every man and woman would be to appear at the sacrament table every Sabbath day. We would not get very far away in a week—not so far away that, by the process of self-investigation, we could not rectify the wrongs we may have done. If we should refrain from partaking of the sacrament, condemned by ourselves as unworthy to receive these emblems, we could not endure that long, and we would soon, I am sure, have the spirit of repentance. The road to the sacrament table is the path of safety for Latter-day Saints.” (Improvement Era, October 1919, pp. 1025-31.)
To approach those hallowed emblems and partake of the promised blessings is a most solemn occasion which the pure in heart reflectively long for with utmost homage and soberness. It is through this ordinance that we can petition the grace of Christ in our behalf. When we reverently and meekly show our gratitude for His merciful suffering for us, His grace can, and will, attend us and His Spirit truly be with us. We can then become cleansed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to leave the sacrament meetings, having partaken of those sacred emblems, feeling as though we have just stepped out of the waters of baptism with a newness of spiritual commitment, being clean again from the sins of mortality?
Elder Heber C. Kimball expressed his remarkable experience of baptism in these words: “Under the ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands, I received the Holy Ghost, as the disciples did in ancient days, which was like a consuming fire. I felt as though I sat at the feet of Jesus, and was clothed in my right mind, although the people called me crazy.
“I continued in this way for many months, and it seemed as though my body would consume away; at the same time the scriptures were unfolded to my mind in such a wonderful manner that it appeared to me, at times, as if I had formerly been familiar with them.” (Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 22-23.)
What a glorious and loving plan. Jesus expressed His divine love for us through service, suffering and sacrifice. Through our worthiness and acceptance of this plan, He has promised us the Holy Ghost to be our companion, our Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, and to move upon our hearts. How are we going to serve the Lord to be worthy of this blessing?
Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain
We must remember that when we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we must not do it in vain. Most of us know what the Lord said about taking His name in vain: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;...” (Ex. 20:7.) The Apostle Paul wrote, “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 11:27.) If we are not serious about our sacrament covenants and take them thoughtlessly, are we not taking His blessed name in vain? If our hearts are not turned to Christ in contrition, is not this in vain as we say Amen to the sacrament prayer?
When our heart is not right with God, and with our brother or sister, we are not to partake of the sacrament. But if we don’t partake, other people might see this and wonder about us. That could be embarrassing, so we just go ahead and take the sacrament anyway without self examination and repentance. With this attitude, can we really be meek and lowly of heart, accepting Christ’s sacrifice and forgiveness? What we do, we do in vain. It is often more humbling not to take the sacrament, than take it as a matter of course.
Many people do not separate emotional feelings from spiritual promptings, believing that emotionality is spirituality. It is true that people can get emotional when the Spirit speaks, but when a testimony is emotionally based, and not spiritual, is not the Lord’s name taken in vain when that testimony is presented in His name?
Another way some use the Lord’s name in vain is by bearing false witness in His name—simply lying. There have been many who have put their hand on the Holy Bible in a court of law and swore the tell the truth, but then lied. Is not this also taking the Lord’s name in vain? Perjury is still a concern in the courts today, and always will be when man is more concerned about himself instead of his relationship with his Creator.
This author has known differing people bearing testimony at the same time to two opposing doctrines in the name of the Lord, and also some in the LDS Church who have purposely lied, bearing testimony to that lie in the name of Jesus Christ. We must all realize that, not all claimed testimonies borne in the name of Jesus Christ are motivated by the Spirit of the Lord. This may seem like a picky thing to some, but should we not become aware of what motivates us and how we use the sacred name of Jesus Christ?
The Blood of the Martyrs
There have been many martyrs for the cause of righteousness. The scriptures tell us that Abel was the first. (D&C 138:4.) When Saul—later known as Paul—was called by the Lord to be a witness, he lamented the fact that he “was standing by,” when the blood of the “martyr Stephen was shed,” and he was “consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.” (Acts 22:20.) This feeling of having consented to Stephen’s death must have been a great burden upon Paul, and most likely was a motivating force behind his great missionary zeal.
The Book of Mormon records the account of the Prophet Abinadi. After Abinadi prophesied and called King Noah to repentance, the prophet suffered martyrdom by fire at the hand of that wicked king. (Mosiah, Chap. 11-17.) And in these latter days Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum gave their blood through martyrdom, sealing their testimonies of the Book of Mormon, the restored gospel, and the divinity of Jesus Christ. (D&C 135.)
Why is it that the loss of blood is needed to help establish the eternal validity of testimony? We are told that even this great nation was established and redeemed by this process, for the Lord said: “And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land ... and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.” (D&C 101:80.) Why blood must be shed as a witness of Christ, and for the price of freedom, may be beyond mortal man’s finite mind to comprehend. But so it is. And so with faith it is to be accepted as a principle of eternal truth; the blood of a martyr seals his testimony. When we reject the testimonies of God’s witnesses, who gave their lives for truth, our garments become stained with their blood just as much as when we reject Christ and our garments become stained with His blood.
Garments Cleansed from the Blood
The Lord tells us in the Doctrine and Covenants to, “Cleanse your hearts and your garments, lest the blood of this generation be required at your hands.” (D&C 112:33.) This is emphasized in D&C 88, where we are told to warn our neighbors. “Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads.” (D&C 88:81-82.)
Jacob, the brother of Nephi, testifies that he and his brother Joseph must preach so that the blood of their brethren might not come upon their garments. From that record we read: “And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day. (Jacob 1:19; See also Jacob 2:2; Ezek. 3:17-19, 33:2-6.)
Man must suffer spiritual death because of his sin, and if he is left without repentance he will die in his sins. When we do not cry repentance unto our neighbor when we have an opportunity, as the Spirit directs, then we will be held responsible for our neighbor’s sins and spiritual death if he does not repent. Therefore, we will have his blood upon our skirts. John Taylor verified this when he said, “... if you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty. How many of you can say, my garments are clean from the blood of this generation?” (JD, 20:23.)
After making reference to part of this quote by John Taylor, Elder Hugh B. Brown remarked, “This is a challenging statement. If I by reason of sins of commission or omission lose what I might have had in the hereafter, I myself must suffer and, doubtless, my loved ones with me. But if I fail in my assignment as a bishop, a stake president, a mission president, or one of the General Authorities of the Church—if any of us fail to teach, lead, direct, and help to save those under our direction and within our jurisdiction, then the Lord will hold us responsible if they are lost as the result of our failure.” (CR, Oct. 1962, p. 84.)
In King Benjamin’s magnificent discourse we read some of the words presented to the people of Zarahemla. He said, “I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood ...” (Mosiah 2:28.)
Love, the Retroactive Effect
All of us are so valuable and of such worth that Jesus gave His life’s blood for our eternal salvation. Our beloved Christ suffered for all sins—all the sins from before His time, and all sins that were to come, even until the end of the world. How this was done we do not know. The challenge of our faith is to only believe. How we honor and love Him for that sacrifice will determine our worthiness to live again with our Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son.
Jesus agonized over ALL sin, but if we do not repent WE will have to suffer for our sins. What was it the Savior told us in the Doctrine and Covenants? “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.” (D&C 19:16-17.) The Scriptures also tell us that, “... I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.” (D&C 1:31.) One of the reasons He cannot look upon sin with any degree of allowance is because sin caused Him to suffer and die a most horrible death.
Our sin, even the least bit, caused the agony and suffering of Jesus. This is even true about those sins committed after His mortal life. Every time we now commit a sin, Jesus has already suffered and bled for it. Therefore, if we cause a sin to be committed, He has already paid for that sin in advance. If no one sinned, He would not have had to endure the agonizing pain of sin and bear the burdens of the world. The adversity He bore should be grievous to all of us. We are the reason He suffered in agony.
President Ezra Taft Benson, a superb example of a disciple of Christ, wrote the following on the subject: “Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance ... godly sorrow is defined as a sorrow that leads us to repentance.” (The Ensign, Oct. 1989, p. 4.)
It’s a sobering thought to realize that when we choose NOT to sin, we choose not to have had the Savior suffer needlessly; we have saved Him some pain and loss of blood. What greater way can we express our gratitude and love for Him than to have “mental and spiritual anguish” for sin that leads us to sorrowful repentance, even a broken heart and a contrite spirit. (Ps. 51:17; 3 Ne. 12:19; Moro. 6:2; D&C 59:8.)
As stated: when we choose not to sin, we choose to have saved Jesus some pain and loss of blood. Conversely, when we choose TO sin, we choose to cause Him pain; we are responsible for shedding His precious blood. And when we knowingly sin, and we know it caused Him pain, it may be considered as if we helped crucify Him, because we shed His blood knowingly.
Those who sin are responsible for the blood of Christ. Therefore, the sinner has blood on his garments and he will have to suffer unless he repents. This is part of the message about which we should be warning our neighbors. Two of the great struggles we endure for the gospel’s sake are similar to that for which the Prophets endured: first, personal repentance; and second, calling others to repentance—thereby having saved Jesus some anguish and torment. If we do not do this, then blood will be on our garments. Whose blood? The blood of Jesus, and the blood of those who might have been saved if we had only done our duty in warning them and calling them to repentance.
“Go, and Do Likewise”
How are we going to serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? This is one of the challenges of making choices. This is where Satan ardently struggles against our agency. This is our choice and no one else’s. This is where we decide to truly repent and live a righteous life, as clean as possible. Why? Because we love the Lord and reverence His sacrifice for us.
We must call others to repentance so they can also be free from such guilt. This is our responsibility. If we do not, we will be contributing to their sin and their loss of salvation—along with the suffering of Jesus. Therefore, we become partly responsible for those sins if we allow them to continue without trying to stop them. When we consent to them because of apathy, we then have the “blood of this generation” upon our garments. Thus we find the prophets preaching as King Benjamin did when he said, “... that I might rid my garments of your blood.”
Jesus gave His life and blood that we might live eternally in the Father’s kingdom. He also gave His life in unselfish mortal service that we might have the definitive example of service to one’s neighbor. Life’s blood was given for us. Will we give in return? Many say they will die for Christ, but how many will live to help save their neighbor? How many will live so to have made the dying of Jesus less painful? The words “go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37), can aptly be applied to those who not only desire salvation for their own souls, but also for their brothers and sisters.
Being Made Clean Through Jesus
The New Testament tells us that, “... the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7.) Alma tells us that no man can be saved except he is sanctified and his garments are washed white and purified through the blood of Christ. (Alma 5:21, 27; 13:11-12.)
Let’s explore, for a moment, the ideas contained in the scriptures on this subject, namely, cleansing our garments, and of the blood of this generation being required at our hands. There are some poignant thoughts on this important subject that we will consider.
Sin is the result of uncleanliness. When a person sins, or when a law is broken, an inherent penalty is attached, and that penalty must be paid. As we studied earlier, justice cannot be robbed. It must be satisfied. Therefore we see that a broken law must be satisfied with a punishment. That punishment Jesus meekly took upon himself in the garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross of Calvary.
That Divine Son, and brother of us all, shed His blood for our sins. He suffered and paid the price so we will not have to suffer for them. When we repent, His blood atones and pays the penalty for our past sins. And because He paid our debt for sin, we do not owe any debt. Our slate is clean, or, in other words, our garments are made white from sin. We are not held guilty anymore.
If we owed a great financial debt and we could not pay it, would we not seek some type of relief? Suppose then our brother came and offered to pay that debt, would we not be grateful? Our accounting books would be wiped clean. Our elder brother, Jesus the Christ, graciously paid our debt with His precious blood. It would be foolish to have to pay for it ourselves, thereby having the debt paid twice. Jesus pleads for us to accept His offering and not to waste the priceless blood that He spilt for us. Through our faith in Christ and our sincere repentance, therefore, our garments are washed and made clean by His blood. We should eagerly embrace this selfless offering.
Remorse at the Sacrament Table
To receive the blessings of forgiveness, we need to be baptized and take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. When we take up His name, we become the followers of Christ. People will then judge our Savior by our way of life. This is an awesome responsibility. The problem is, we are all human for we all sin even after baptism. So in humility we present ourselves at the sacrament table, and with a newness of heart we again repent of those sins.
Over and over we take upon ourselves the sacred name of Jesus Christ each time we partake of the sacrament. We promise to remember Him and His sacrifice in our behalf, and we covenant to keep all of His commandments. This we do so that we may be redeemed of God, be numbered with those of the first resurrection, and that we may always have his Spirit to be with us. When this is done wholeheartedly, Jesus Christ Himself dwells in us and us in Him. Jesus said, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” (John 6:54-56.)
As we approach this holy ordinance our hearts are to be contrite; for we now represent our Savior. We should truly regret our sins and desire to have them washed away. Are we really grateful for all of God’s blessings? Are we truly remembering the life and sacrifice of Jesus which He meekly offers us? Are we eagerly striving to be faithful to our covenants, and with real purpose, consciously taking His name upon us again each time we take the sacrament? Are we honestly seeking His Spirit to be with us and following those spiritual promptings? Or, are we just following through with what is the custom of many members of the congregation—partaking of those sacred emblems with little thought as to any covenants we should have made, and with little thought of Him by whom salvation comes? These are some hard questions to consider, for they prick at some hearts.
Do we recognize all of our sins? Do we remember and realize that OUR personal sins are what caused Jesus to suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross of calvary? Do we feel a sense of guilt, remorse, and anguish for OUR causing Jesus to suffer? Before we can truly be changed, be born again and receive a remission of our sins, we must arrive at a certain and forthright recognition that we are personally responsible for the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Apostle Melvin J. Ballard once gave a talk entitled, “The Sacramental Covenant.” In it he said, “No man goes away from this Church and becomes an apostate in a week, nor in a month. It is a slow process. The one thing that would make for the safety of every man and woman would be to appear at the sacrament table every Sabbath day. We would not get very far away in a week—not so far away that, by the process of self-investigation, we could not rectify the wrongs we may have done. If we should refrain from partaking of the sacrament, condemned by ourselves as unworthy to receive these emblems, we could not endure that long, and we would soon, I am sure, have the spirit of repentance. The road to the sacrament table is the path of safety for Latter-day Saints.” (Improvement Era, October 1919, pp. 1025-31.)
To approach those hallowed emblems and partake of the promised blessings is a most solemn occasion which the pure in heart reflectively long for with utmost homage and soberness. It is through this ordinance that we can petition the grace of Christ in our behalf. When we reverently and meekly show our gratitude for His merciful suffering for us, His grace can, and will, attend us and His Spirit truly be with us. We can then become cleansed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to leave the sacrament meetings, having partaken of those sacred emblems, feeling as though we have just stepped out of the waters of baptism with a newness of spiritual commitment, being clean again from the sins of mortality?
Elder Heber C. Kimball expressed his remarkable experience of baptism in these words: “Under the ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands, I received the Holy Ghost, as the disciples did in ancient days, which was like a consuming fire. I felt as though I sat at the feet of Jesus, and was clothed in my right mind, although the people called me crazy.
“I continued in this way for many months, and it seemed as though my body would consume away; at the same time the scriptures were unfolded to my mind in such a wonderful manner that it appeared to me, at times, as if I had formerly been familiar with them.” (Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 22-23.)
What a glorious and loving plan. Jesus expressed His divine love for us through service, suffering and sacrifice. Through our worthiness and acceptance of this plan, He has promised us the Holy Ghost to be our companion, our Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, and to move upon our hearts. How are we going to serve the Lord to be worthy of this blessing?
Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain
We must remember that when we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we must not do it in vain. Most of us know what the Lord said about taking His name in vain: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;...” (Ex. 20:7.) The Apostle Paul wrote, “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 11:27.) If we are not serious about our sacrament covenants and take them thoughtlessly, are we not taking His blessed name in vain? If our hearts are not turned to Christ in contrition, is not this in vain as we say Amen to the sacrament prayer?
When our heart is not right with God, and with our brother or sister, we are not to partake of the sacrament. But if we don’t partake, other people might see this and wonder about us. That could be embarrassing, so we just go ahead and take the sacrament anyway without self examination and repentance. With this attitude, can we really be meek and lowly of heart, accepting Christ’s sacrifice and forgiveness? What we do, we do in vain. It is often more humbling not to take the sacrament, than take it as a matter of course.
Many people do not separate emotional feelings from spiritual promptings, believing that emotionality is spirituality. It is true that people can get emotional when the Spirit speaks, but when a testimony is emotionally based, and not spiritual, is not the Lord’s name taken in vain when that testimony is presented in His name?
Another way some use the Lord’s name in vain is by bearing false witness in His name—simply lying. There have been many who have put their hand on the Holy Bible in a court of law and swore the tell the truth, but then lied. Is not this also taking the Lord’s name in vain? Perjury is still a concern in the courts today, and always will be when man is more concerned about himself instead of his relationship with his Creator.
This author has known differing people bearing testimony at the same time to two opposing doctrines in the name of the Lord, and also some in the LDS Church who have purposely lied, bearing testimony to that lie in the name of Jesus Christ. We must all realize that, not all claimed testimonies borne in the name of Jesus Christ are motivated by the Spirit of the Lord. This may seem like a picky thing to some, but should we not become aware of what motivates us and how we use the sacred name of Jesus Christ?
The Blood of the Martyrs
There have been many martyrs for the cause of righteousness. The scriptures tell us that Abel was the first. (D&C 138:4.) When Saul—later known as Paul—was called by the Lord to be a witness, he lamented the fact that he “was standing by,” when the blood of the “martyr Stephen was shed,” and he was “consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him.” (Acts 22:20.) This feeling of having consented to Stephen’s death must have been a great burden upon Paul, and most likely was a motivating force behind his great missionary zeal.
The Book of Mormon records the account of the Prophet Abinadi. After Abinadi prophesied and called King Noah to repentance, the prophet suffered martyrdom by fire at the hand of that wicked king. (Mosiah, Chap. 11-17.) And in these latter days Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum gave their blood through martyrdom, sealing their testimonies of the Book of Mormon, the restored gospel, and the divinity of Jesus Christ. (D&C 135.)
Why is it that the loss of blood is needed to help establish the eternal validity of testimony? We are told that even this great nation was established and redeemed by this process, for the Lord said: “And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land ... and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.” (D&C 101:80.) Why blood must be shed as a witness of Christ, and for the price of freedom, may be beyond mortal man’s finite mind to comprehend. But so it is. And so with faith it is to be accepted as a principle of eternal truth; the blood of a martyr seals his testimony. When we reject the testimonies of God’s witnesses, who gave their lives for truth, our garments become stained with their blood just as much as when we reject Christ and our garments become stained with His blood.
Garments Cleansed from the Blood
The Lord tells us in the Doctrine and Covenants to, “Cleanse your hearts and your garments, lest the blood of this generation be required at your hands.” (D&C 112:33.) This is emphasized in D&C 88, where we are told to warn our neighbors. “Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads.” (D&C 88:81-82.)
Jacob, the brother of Nephi, testifies that he and his brother Joseph must preach so that the blood of their brethren might not come upon their garments. From that record we read: “And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day. (Jacob 1:19; See also Jacob 2:2; Ezek. 3:17-19, 33:2-6.)
Man must suffer spiritual death because of his sin, and if he is left without repentance he will die in his sins. When we do not cry repentance unto our neighbor when we have an opportunity, as the Spirit directs, then we will be held responsible for our neighbor’s sins and spiritual death if he does not repent. Therefore, we will have his blood upon our skirts. John Taylor verified this when he said, “... if you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty. How many of you can say, my garments are clean from the blood of this generation?” (JD, 20:23.)
After making reference to part of this quote by John Taylor, Elder Hugh B. Brown remarked, “This is a challenging statement. If I by reason of sins of commission or omission lose what I might have had in the hereafter, I myself must suffer and, doubtless, my loved ones with me. But if I fail in my assignment as a bishop, a stake president, a mission president, or one of the General Authorities of the Church—if any of us fail to teach, lead, direct, and help to save those under our direction and within our jurisdiction, then the Lord will hold us responsible if they are lost as the result of our failure.” (CR, Oct. 1962, p. 84.)
In King Benjamin’s magnificent discourse we read some of the words presented to the people of Zarahemla. He said, “I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood ...” (Mosiah 2:28.)
Love, the Retroactive Effect
All of us are so valuable and of such worth that Jesus gave His life’s blood for our eternal salvation. Our beloved Christ suffered for all sins—all the sins from before His time, and all sins that were to come, even until the end of the world. How this was done we do not know. The challenge of our faith is to only believe. How we honor and love Him for that sacrifice will determine our worthiness to live again with our Heavenly Father and His Only Begotten Son.
Jesus agonized over ALL sin, but if we do not repent WE will have to suffer for our sins. What was it the Savior told us in the Doctrine and Covenants? “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.” (D&C 19:16-17.) The Scriptures also tell us that, “... I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.” (D&C 1:31.) One of the reasons He cannot look upon sin with any degree of allowance is because sin caused Him to suffer and die a most horrible death.
Our sin, even the least bit, caused the agony and suffering of Jesus. This is even true about those sins committed after His mortal life. Every time we now commit a sin, Jesus has already suffered and bled for it. Therefore, if we cause a sin to be committed, He has already paid for that sin in advance. If no one sinned, He would not have had to endure the agonizing pain of sin and bear the burdens of the world. The adversity He bore should be grievous to all of us. We are the reason He suffered in agony.
President Ezra Taft Benson, a superb example of a disciple of Christ, wrote the following on the subject: “Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having “a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance ... godly sorrow is defined as a sorrow that leads us to repentance.” (The Ensign, Oct. 1989, p. 4.)
It’s a sobering thought to realize that when we choose NOT to sin, we choose not to have had the Savior suffer needlessly; we have saved Him some pain and loss of blood. What greater way can we express our gratitude and love for Him than to have “mental and spiritual anguish” for sin that leads us to sorrowful repentance, even a broken heart and a contrite spirit. (Ps. 51:17; 3 Ne. 12:19; Moro. 6:2; D&C 59:8.)
As stated: when we choose not to sin, we choose to have saved Jesus some pain and loss of blood. Conversely, when we choose TO sin, we choose to cause Him pain; we are responsible for shedding His precious blood. And when we knowingly sin, and we know it caused Him pain, it may be considered as if we helped crucify Him, because we shed His blood knowingly.
Those who sin are responsible for the blood of Christ. Therefore, the sinner has blood on his garments and he will have to suffer unless he repents. This is part of the message about which we should be warning our neighbors. Two of the great struggles we endure for the gospel’s sake are similar to that for which the Prophets endured: first, personal repentance; and second, calling others to repentance—thereby having saved Jesus some anguish and torment. If we do not do this, then blood will be on our garments. Whose blood? The blood of Jesus, and the blood of those who might have been saved if we had only done our duty in warning them and calling them to repentance.
“Go, and Do Likewise”
How are we going to serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? This is one of the challenges of making choices. This is where Satan ardently struggles against our agency. This is our choice and no one else’s. This is where we decide to truly repent and live a righteous life, as clean as possible. Why? Because we love the Lord and reverence His sacrifice for us.
We must call others to repentance so they can also be free from such guilt. This is our responsibility. If we do not, we will be contributing to their sin and their loss of salvation—along with the suffering of Jesus. Therefore, we become partly responsible for those sins if we allow them to continue without trying to stop them. When we consent to them because of apathy, we then have the “blood of this generation” upon our garments. Thus we find the prophets preaching as King Benjamin did when he said, “... that I might rid my garments of your blood.”
Jesus gave His life and blood that we might live eternally in the Father’s kingdom. He also gave His life in unselfish mortal service that we might have the definitive example of service to one’s neighbor. Life’s blood was given for us. Will we give in return? Many say they will die for Christ, but how many will live to help save their neighbor? How many will live so to have made the dying of Jesus less painful? The words “go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37), can aptly be applied to those who not only desire salvation for their own souls, but also for their brothers and sisters.
