< Jacob 7 >
v. 1 ... there came a man among the people of Nephi, whose name was Sherem.
The 3 Antichrists: Sherem (Jacob 7), Nether (Alma 1), and Korihor (Alma 30)
Sherem
(Jacob 7)
Denies Christ, Clings to the Law
Nehor
(Alma 1)
All Will Be Saved, No Need for Atonement
Korihor
(Alma 30)
Denies God Altogether
The Pattern
Each antichrist denies a different piece of Christ’s mission:
Together they form a trilogy of false gospels:
Takeaway: The Book of Mormon shows that Christ’s mission is threefold — Redeemer, Judge, and Creator. Each antichrist tries to strip away one of those roles, but prophets consistently testify that He is all three.
The 3 Antichrists: Sherem (Jacob 7), Nether (Alma 1), and Korihor (Alma 30)
Sherem
(Jacob 7)
Denies Christ, Clings to the Law
- Teaching: The Law of Moses is enough; there is no need for a Messiah.
- Target: Christ’s role as Redeemer.
- Error: Believed the law itself could justify.
- Refutation: Jacob testifies that all prophets point to Christ and that the law’s very purpose is to lead to Him (Jacob 7:10–12).
Nehor
(Alma 1)
All Will Be Saved, No Need for Atonement
- Teaching: Priests should be popular and supported by the people; all men will be saved in the end.
- Target: Christ’s role as Judge.
- Error: Denied accountability; preached “universal salvation” without repentance.
- Refutation: Alma teaches that Christ’s grace doesn’t cancel justice — men must repent to receive mercy (Alma 11:37–40).
Korihor
(Alma 30)
Denies God Altogether
- Teaching: There is no God, no Christ, no sin, no life after death. Religion is a fraud to control people.
- Target: Christ’s role as Creator and Source of truth.
- Error: Pure materialism — “when a man is dead, that is the end thereof” (Alma 30:18).
- Refutation: Alma bears testimony, points to all creation as a witness of God, and Korihor is struck dumb by God’s power (Alma 30:44, 50).
The Pattern
Each antichrist denies a different piece of Christ’s mission:
- Sherem: denies we need Christ at all (law saves).
- Nehor: denies justice and accountability (everyone saved automatically).
- Korihor: denies God and Christ entirely (no Creator, no redemption, no resurrection).
Together they form a trilogy of false gospels:
- Self-righteousness by law (Sherem).
- Cheap grace without repentance(Nehor).
- Godless materialism (Korihor).
Takeaway: The Book of Mormon shows that Christ’s mission is threefold — Redeemer, Judge, and Creator. Each antichrist tries to strip away one of those roles, but prophets consistently testify that He is all three.
v. 7 ... ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence.
The Law Cannot SaveSherem’s Claim
Jacob 7:7 — Sherem said:
“And ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence.”
Jacob’s Response
Jacob 7:10–11 — Jacob countered that:
Why This Matters
(Sherem) explicitly taught that the law itself was enough. The Book of Mormon condemns that view and clarifies that the law can’t save — only Christ can, with the law serving as a witness of Him.
The Law Cannot SaveSherem’s Claim
Jacob 7:7 — Sherem said:
“And ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence.”
- He insisted the law of Moses was sufficient and that looking forward to Christ was false.
- Essentially, he said: the law justifies us; we don’t need a Messiah.
Jacob’s Response
Jacob 7:10–11 — Jacob countered that:
- The prophets all testified of Christ.
- The Law of Moses pointed to Him, and was never meant as the final way of salvation.
- Without Christ, the law is empty; with Him, the law is fulfilled.
Why This Matters
- Sherem represents the “law justifies” heresy → that law-keeping alone can save.
- Jacob insists, like Paul and Lehi, that the law was given to point to Christ, not replace Him.
- The Book of Mormon reinforces that denying Christ while clinging to law is antichrist.
(Sherem) explicitly taught that the law itself was enough. The Book of Mormon condemns that view and clarifies that the law can’t save — only Christ can, with the law serving as a witness of Him.
v. 12 ... wherefore, I know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost.
Why do we need an atonement?
2 Nephi 9, Alma 34, Alma 42
The Fall brought two kinds of death
When Adam and Eve fell, they didn’t just introduce sin—they introduced two separations:
Physical Death: The body and spirit separate / all mankind will die.
Spiritual Death: Seperation from God becuase of sin and impurity / mankind is cutoff from his presence.
Without intervention, both deaths are permanent becuase no mortal can overcome them alone.
- We can't resurrect ourselves, and we can't erase the guilt of sin.
- Justice alone would condemn us
“No unclean thing can dwell with God.” — 1 Nephi 10:21
Justice demands that broken laws carry consequences. Since everyone sins (Romans 3:23), everyone falls short of God’s glory.
If there were no atonement—no Redeemer—then:
As Jacob teaches:
“Our flesh must have wasted away… our spirits must have become like unto the devil, to rise no more.” — 2 Nephi 9:7–9
That’s what it means to be “lost”—cut off, unable to return or repair ourselves.
The Atonement bridges both separations
Christ’s Atonement is the only power great enough to reverse both deaths:
Physical death: Resurrection - all manking will rise again (unconditionally)
Spiritual death: Redemption from sin - conditional on repentance and faith in Christ.
“Since man had fallen, he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins.” — Alma 22:14
So through the Atonement:
Without an Atonement…Without Christ’s mediation:
“There can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.” — Alma 34:12
Because there is an Atonement:
Why do we need an atonement?
2 Nephi 9, Alma 34, Alma 42
The Fall brought two kinds of death
When Adam and Eve fell, they didn’t just introduce sin—they introduced two separations:
Physical Death: The body and spirit separate / all mankind will die.
Spiritual Death: Seperation from God becuase of sin and impurity / mankind is cutoff from his presence.
Without intervention, both deaths are permanent becuase no mortal can overcome them alone.
- We can't resurrect ourselves, and we can't erase the guilt of sin.
- Justice alone would condemn us
“No unclean thing can dwell with God.” — 1 Nephi 10:21
Justice demands that broken laws carry consequences. Since everyone sins (Romans 3:23), everyone falls short of God’s glory.
If there were no atonement—no Redeemer—then:
- Sin could never be paid for.
- The separation from God would remain forever.
- Resurrection and eternal life would be impossible.
As Jacob teaches:
“Our flesh must have wasted away… our spirits must have become like unto the devil, to rise no more.” — 2 Nephi 9:7–9
That’s what it means to be “lost”—cut off, unable to return or repair ourselves.
The Atonement bridges both separations
Christ’s Atonement is the only power great enough to reverse both deaths:
Physical death: Resurrection - all manking will rise again (unconditionally)
Spiritual death: Redemption from sin - conditional on repentance and faith in Christ.
“Since man had fallen, he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins.” — Alma 22:14
So through the Atonement:
- Justice is satisfied (the debt is paid).
- Mercy is extended (forgiveness is possible).
- Resurrection and eternal life are offered (to all who will receive Him).
Without an Atonement…Without Christ’s mediation:
- Justice would stand alone — demanding eternal separation.
- Mercy would be impossible, because there would be no lawful basis for forgiveness.
- Resurrection would never occur, since only a sinless, divine being could conquer death.
- Humanity would perish spiritually and physically, forever cut off from God’s presence.
“There can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.” — Alma 34:12
Because there is an Atonement:
- Death becomes temporary.
- Sin can be forgiven.
- Justice and mercy coexist.