This is the point of contention between Abinadi’s religion and the priests’. The priests teach the Sherem religion, later described as “the religion of the Nehors.” (See “Excursus: Religion of the Nehors,” following Alma 1.) This brass-plates’ religion lacks the Messianic prophecies of the Nephite prophets.
Abinadi assumes that the priests know about these Messianic teachings and have heard of the atonement. If Abinadi were one of Zeniff’s priests, as Tvedtnes suggests (see commentary accompanying Mosiah 11:20), then this assumption would be based on his personal knowledge. Abinadi proceeds, not by revealing things that they have never known, but by explaining teachings they have chosen to disregard. They are not sinning in ignorance, but by choice, and perhaps by avarice.
Abinadi makes two important points. First, the atonement provides salvation. The reason for living the law of Moses comes because of the atonement, not apart from it. The second, and perhaps most interesting, is his statement that “God himself” will effect the atonement. It is clear from the following verses (especially v. 34) that Abinadi sees Yahweh and the Messiah as the same being. (See commentary accompanying 1 Nephi 11:15–18 for the Nephite concept of God.) This is the reason for Abinadi’s alteration of “gods” (Ex. 20:3) to “God” when he quotes the same passage (Mosiah 12:35).
When Abinadi speaks of the Messiah as “God himself” atoning for humankind, he is probably demonstrating that the priests are teaching a false god because they are denying Yahweh’s Messianic role. In other words, he is purposefully exposing the priests of Noah as ranking a false god before the true God, the God-who-will-be-Messiah. Rodney Turner notes:
The central message of Abinadi to King Noah was essentially the same message an angel of the Lord was to deliver to King Benjamin over twenty years later: “God himself”—“the Lord Omnipotent”—was to come to earth as the Redeemer of mankind (see Mosiah 3:5; 15:1).…
Although the Redeemer was known to the Nephite prophets by different titles (God of Jacob, Holy One of Israel, Great Creator, Lamb of God, Messiah, Christ, and so on), in every instance, they were referring to one and the same person.