The Greatest of All the Gifts

Yesterday, I said that the Atonement of Jesus Christ was the greatest gift of all time, at least in terms of how much love went into the gift and how much joy comes from it. However, I knew even then that there was one strong contender for the title of the greatest gift ever, and it has some scriptural authority to back up its claim:

And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God. - D&C 14:7

That seems pretty conclusive, so what is it that makes eternal life a greater gift that the Atonement of Jesus Christ? If we're going by our previous metrics, we must compare the love that went into those gifts and the joy we get out of them. And, since both of the givers were motivated by an equal, infinite amount of love, there's really only one metric we need to measure: joy. Does eternal life give us more joy than Christ's Atonement? I would say yes for at least two reasons.

First, we shouldn't forget the sacrifice factor. one factor that detracts from the joy I receive through the Atonement of Jesus Christ is remembering how much Jesus Christ had to sacrifice to make it happen. Second, eternal life seems more positive than Christ's Atonement. The Atonement of Jesus Christ negates negatives more than it adds positives.

On the other hand, there are reasons why this comparison might not be necessary. For starters, my metrics could be entirely wrong. Also, while eternal life is the greatest of all the gifts of God, the Atonement was brought to us by Jesus Christ; perhaps they are each the greatest gifts of their respective givers, and neither gift is known to be greater than the other.

Ultimately, I think the question is mostly moot because the gift of eternal life presupposes the gift of Christ's Atonement. When one receives eternal life, it is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. One could argue that receiving eternal life includes receiving Christ's Atonement, which would make eternal life definitively greater.

Yet, of course, none of this really matters. It's not a contest. It doesn't matter which gift is greater by which standards. Both gifts are excellent and essential, and we should all seek both, no matter which gift is "greater."