Why Did Christ Need a Physical Body?
Question
Gramps,
I have often wondered, if Jesus only received his body here upon the Earth in the meridian of time, how did he do all the creations without a body? Christ did not receive his body until he resurrected in the garden tomb. If that is the case, why did he need a body at all? If he has only an incorporeal body as he created the Earth and the known universe, I don’t understand why he needed one at all after the resurrection.
Pam
Answer
Dear Pam,
Christ was indeed a spirit prior to being born of Mary into mortality. And while yet a spirit, Christ did indeed create this world and worlds without number, under the Father’s direction. While a mortal, Christ taught and showed us the way back to God, and experienced the temptations, pains, and sicknesses we would experience, so that he would “know according to the flesh how to succor his people“. Then, after atoning for our sins, he died (something only someone with a physical body could do) and later was resurrected with a perfect, immortal, physical body (see also 3 Nephi 11:14-15).
As I understand it, you are asking, if Jesus could create worlds without number while yet a spirit (without a physical body), why did he need a physical body once the Atonement was complete? The first observation I will make is that we have no indication that the creation of worlds is the pinnacle of God’s work. Indeed, God describes his own work as bringing “to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”. The creation of worlds would be one of the things necessary for the greater work, but does not appear to be the greatest work. Therefore, we can deduce that a body is needed for at least some of this greater work.
But we can do more than deduce. While we may not know all the reasons, we know some and have hints at others.
First, because of Joseph Smith, we know that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones. This fact alone suggests to us that there are reasons this is desirable and that it is the natural path of our progression (from spirit child of God, to mortal, to resurrected being).
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