Alma 7: 11-13
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
Here are the notes I made for the highlighted section:
What's interesting here is that this particular passage is talking about the purpose of the atonement which I have previously understood to have 3 main purposes:
1. Atone for our sins
2. Know our suffering in order to succor
3. Overcome death.
This particular portion though indicates that #2 could have been done without the atonement; the following phrase which is a connected thought with the word "nevertheless" puts forth that the Savior suffered to take upon our sins, or #1. There is no mention again of knowing how to succor us.
But I will also put forth this: does the spirit knoweth these things BECAUSE OF the atonement?
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