The Algebra of the Atonement

I have a lot of writings bottled up from showers past and on occasion I'll release them.  This is a previously unreleased work from a year ago.  I purposely try not to reveal too much about myself because I believe that every time your name appears on the internet you lose a piece of your soul.  If you're reading this, however, you probably know who I am already and what I believe. 

Disclaimer:  I don't purport for this to be gospel or even remotely inspired.  It's just a framework of thought.  It's a little raw and may need to be edited (or even completely deleted if I later realize I was completely wrong), but the basic form is there.

This thought has been percolating in my brain for a while, and it gelled for me today while I was in the shower - where all good thoughts are born.  I've been pondering the infinite nature of the atonement and the nature of justice and thought I'd relate it in simple mathematic terms.

The anthropomorphism of justice is the woman with a blindfold holding a scale.  The blindfold represents impartiality and the scales represent crime and punishment (I think).  The idea is that punishment should equal the crime, which balances the scales.  If we were to represent this mathematically, we could think of it as the ratio of punishment to crime:

 When punishment is equal to crime, the ratio is 1, meaning perfect balance.  If the punishment were too large, the ratio would be greater than 1 and if it were not enough, it would be less than 1.  Simple enough.  In the case of Christ, where there was no crime, any punishment would result in division by zero.  Some consider division by zero to be infinity, and others consider it to be undefined.  Either way, it is a result incomprehensible by Justice.

Now I'd like to say something about God's punishment.  It would be unreasonable to think that Christ never suffered physical and even emotional difficulties in his life.  I'm sure he stepped on thorns, got sick, and generally had a difficult life.  After all, he lived in an age before air conditioning.  Often we call our difficulties in life punishments.  We've done something wrong and God has smitten us.  Many times we turn heavenward and wonder what we've done to deserve the punishments we've received.  Christ, who lived a perfect life, never did anything and still he suffered the pains of this world.  They are not punishments.  They are simply the conditions we live in.  God does not curse us.  In fact, he really only has one punishment - the removal us His Spirit from us.  Every time we sin, he removes himself a little more from us.  I assume the amount is proportionate to our crime, thereby keeping the Justice equation equal to one.  We may feel at times that God has removed himself fully from us and that we are alone but even this is not the case.  If God were to fully withdraw himself I believe we would cease to live.  It is by His power that we draw breath.  It is by His power that the atoms in our body hold together and we continue to exist.  Without the power of God, also called the priesthood, holding the universe together, it would cease.

Christ, however, being perfect and being Deity, was worthy of the full presence of God.  The Spirit was His constant companion.  When Christ performed the atonement, it is my belief that God withdrew His Spirit completely, the full punishment that could be meted out.  If it were anyone else, the atonement would have destroyed them.  But Christ, having the fullness of the priesthood and power over the elements of the universe, was able to survive despite the awesome pain that it must be to be separated fully from the love of our Father in Heaven.  His punishment was the full measure.  It was infinite, more than anyone on earth could ever endure.  

By accepting an infinite punishment for a nonexistent crime, the equation was broken, Justice was confounded, and mercy was afforded to the children of men.  Only Christ had the power to do this.  He was not obligated to accept a punishment, but he took it upon himself for our sake.  The depth of His love for His children to undertake such a punishment cannot be fathomed.