Jesus Christ

The evening before the Lamb of God was to be crucified for the sins of the world and hours before He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus was sitting with his Apostles in a “large upper room” (Mark 14:15). It was here that He first instituted the sacrament: “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples,” (Matthew 26:26). Then He said, “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me” 1 Corinthians 11:24). Then, “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25). Thus, the purpose of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is to look back and remember Jesus the Christ and what He has done for each of us. Everything points “to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice [is] the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:14).... Read the rest of this entry »

The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ “embraces, sustains, supports, and gives life to all other gospel doctrines.  It is the foundation upon which all truth rests and all things grow out of it and come because of it.”1 “The wondrous and glorious Atonement was the central act in all of human history.”2 Because of these statements, all things also point to Christ and His atonement.  Those who lived before Christ looked forward to Him and His infinite and eternal sacrifice.  Those who live after Christ look back to this greatest of all events and “remember what was done.”3 There were many different ways in which the blood sacrifices before Christ were types and shadows of the great and last sacrifice.  Note a few of the details: First, like Christ, the [sacrificial] animal was chosen and anointed by the laying on of hands. (The Hebrew title Messiah and the Greek title Christ both mean “the Anointed One.”) Second, the animal was to have its life’s blood spilt. Third,... Read the rest of this entry »

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the central doctrine of Christianity, and all other Christian doctrines come out of and are appendages to it.1 Not only can these other doctrines be connected back to the Savior and His Atoning Sacrifice, but if they are not, “there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them,” to use a phrase by President Boyd K. Packer, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.2 It is therefore not only important, but necessary, when studying any doctrine or teaching or appendage of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to connect it back to Jesus Christ and His eternal sacrifice. When Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, they were commanded “that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord” (Moses 5:5).  Yet M. Russell Ballard, another apostle of the Church, has said that some have wondered, “How could the slaughtering of an animal upon an altar... Read the rest of this entry »

Before I say anything else, I want to make it clear that the real answer to this question is beyond the scope of this article; indeed, it is beyond the scope of mortality and all things temporal: for “this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Furthermore, “it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned [all the principles of exaltation]. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:306-7). I am now able to attempt a basic answer to the above question. One of the most profound statements that will act as a beginning to our answer was made by the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said, “It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith. Salt... Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes some of the simplest questions are also some of the most profound.  These types of questions are therefore some of the most difficult to answer.  “Why is Jesus called the Son of God?” is one of these questions, simple, profound, and difficult to answer.  But as one of my English Professors told me the other day, “The hard questions are really the only questions worth asking.”  In that case, Why is Jesus called the Son of God? In a basic sense, the question is closely related to the question the Spirit of the Lord asked Nephi: “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” (1 Nephi 11:16).  Note a definition of “condescend” that the Oxford English Dictionary gives the word, “To depart from the privileges of superiority by a voluntary submission; to sink willingly to equal terms with inferiours.”  I feel like I can use Nephi’s response to the Spirit’s question as my own response, “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning... Read the rest of this entry »

Because Jesus’ name-titles are symbolic, one might analyze them in order to both gain a greater appreciation of and learn who He really is.  One of the titles of Jesus Christ that has a very profound level of symbolism is when he is called “the Lamb of God.”  I will attempt a basic explanation of what this name-title means, and why of all creatures, a lamb was chosen to represent the Savior. Long before the Lamb of God was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, Isaiah likened the Savior of all men and women unto a lamb when he wrote, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).  The lamb is therefore a symbol of meekness, humility, and of willingness to submit to the will of the master.  It is true that Jesus is all of these (humble, willing to submit to the Father) but the level of symbolism goes much deeper than this. 195 But... Read the rest of this entry »

The end of Jesus‘ life was very difficult. He was persecuted, and, at critical moments, abandoned by many who loved Him. In the Garden of Gethsemane He endured pain beyond what we can imagine, and He followed it by a painful death on the cross. Why was all this necessary? Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle of the Lord, addressed this issue in a recent talk. He spoke of the challenges of the last days of the Savior’s life, of having a leader who found no fault in Him scourge Him anyway; of being turned on by one of His own apostles, of having the apostles sleep while he endured extraordinary suffering. And then came the cross. “Now I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually-that concluding descent into the paralyzing... Read the rest of this entry »

It’s human nature to want to stay in charge of our own lives. Turning decisions that affect us can be very frightening. However, we see the world with a very limited vision. There is no way for us to see what will happen in the long term. The scriptures contain many stories of people who were forced to trust God’s advice even when the advice’s wisdom wasn’t obvious. As is often pointed out, it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark. Living where he did, it’s likely he couldn’t even imagine what a flood would look like. The Bible tells of the widow of Zarephath. The prophet Elijah was commanded by God to go to Zarephath during a serious drought and famine, explaining that He had instructed the widow to feed Elijah. When Elijah found her, he asked her for water and bread. She responded, “As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that... Read the rest of this entry »

One teaching that makes the Mormons unique is that of being able to see God. When Joseph Smith was fourteen years old, he became concerned about how to choose which church to join. He was studying the Bible one day, when he found his answer. James 1:5, written by the Savior’s own brother, instructed us to turn to God if we sought wisdom. Joseph saw this was the only way to obtain an answer, because only God could be trusted to tell him the truth. He had received too many differing instructions from the various ministers of his area. He went into the woods and began to pray. After a time, God and Jesus Christ both appeared to him. God introduced Joseph to Jesus and Jesus instructed him not to join any of the churches currently on the earth, because they were incomplete. Joseph followed this counsel, and later, when he was grown, he was taught by an angel and prepared to help bring the restored gospel to the earth. Is it possible for a mortal to see God? The Bible records many instances... Read the rest of this entry »

Just before Jesus‘ death, He promised His apostles God would send a comforter to them after His death. What is the comforter? The comforter Jesus promised is the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit. This precious gift brings comfort in a variety of ways to those who live worthy of its presence. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26) Jesus Christ understood His apostles would miss Him and even be frightened after He died, leaving them with the responsibility of running the young church. One role of the comforter is to comfort in the traditional sense. It could help the apostles cope with their grief in the days to come. In our own lives, we can also call on the comforter when we’re sad or worried. Whether it’s a small fear of the dark, or an overpowering grief, the Holy Ghost can come into our hearts and ease the pain. This... Read the rest of this entry »