Jesus Christ

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  Everything about the Mormon faith is meant to lead us to Christ.  We seek to emulate Him, and we call upon His grace to make us more than we can be on our own. Five years ago today (Oct 28, 2007), I was in a serious car accident and had a severe brain injury. It immediately put me into a coma, and I was life-flighted to the hospital as a code blue patient. Probably because my brain miraculously stopped bleeding early on, I survived, physically and psychologically, i.e., I remained the same person. On Dec 3, 2007, I woke up in my hospital bed, thinking it was silly that I was in the hospital for no good reason, wondering if I had missed any classes. I had been a first year law student at Georgetown University. My family and caretakers wondered who I would be when I woke up, if I woke up; I wondered what was wrong. I’ve ended up... Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes I just want my life to look like I’ve got everything under control.  I don’t necessarily have to really have everything under control, just the outward appearance that I’m organized, self-sufficient and always calm.  And lately, I’ve realized this is a recipe for disaster. I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Mormon Church).  As Mormons, we believe we should follow our Savior Jesus Christ in His teachings and principles as we strive to become more like Him.  Jesus Christ’s immaculate atonement provides the necessary resources (grace) to help us become clean, improve our lives and come back to Him. And occasionally it’s much easier said than done. In a book titled, Experiencing Christ: Your Personal Journey to the Savior, written by Randall J. Brown, and published in 2009 by Cedar Fort, Inc, Brown talks about our own barriers that keep us from becoming... Read the rest of this entry »

Zacchaeus was a tax collector. He was wealthy, a sinner, and much disliked by the people. However, when he learned that Jesus was coming into the area, he felt a desire to see this man he had heard so much about. There were many others who wanted to see him as well, and the streets were crowded. Zaccheus, who wasn’t very tall, was unable to see over the crowds. In desperation, he climbed a tree so he could look over the heads of the crowd. Finally, Jesus came. As he watched the man some knew to be the Savior, he was startled to hear Jesus call him by name. Jesus told Zacchaeus to come out of the tree because he—Jesus Christ Himself—was going to stay at his home that night. The crowds who heard the exchange were astonished. Of all the spiritual and moral people in the crowd, Jesus had chosen to take his meal and lodgings with a known sinner. Many probably didn’t understand why He would do such a thing. For some, it might even have been faith-challenging. For... Read the rest of this entry »

There is debate in Christianity as to the value of works.  Some Christians believe we are saved by our belief in Christ, and that His grace is sufficient to save us — works are unnecessary.  Both Catholicism and Mormonism (the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) believe in both faith and works, essentially that we are judged for our works, but saved by God’s grace. What do the scriptures say? And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works (Revelation 20:12, 13). Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they followafter.   Likewise... Read the rest of this entry »

As a young member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (inadvertently called “The Mormon Church” by the media), I learned about the atonement of Jesus Christ at a very young age. I prayed in His name, was baptized in His name, and partook of the bread and water of the sacrament weekly, just as He did with his disciples before his crucifixion (Luke 22:18-19). In my prayers, I promised God that I would follow Jesus and serve Him with my life; if I had broken one of His commandments, I asked forgiveness. I worshipped and asked for help every day. In my early 20′s, I went to the temple, where members of The Church of Jesus Christ (Mormons) covenant to follow Christ, keep His commandments, and sacrifice all they have to Him. Yet it was not until I reached the age of 31 that I truly came to understand what Jesus did for me when He suffered in Gethsemane, died on the cross, and was resurrected. Needing the Savior I spent Christmas... Read the rest of this entry »

Experiencing Our Debt The realization of our powerlessness without the Lord Jesus Christ’s divine help allows us to rely on His grace as our true source of strength. The words of the hymn “Come, Thou Fount of every Blessing” emphasize how easy it is for human souls to stray and how indebted we are to our Savior’s grace to bind our wandering souls to Him. O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the god I love; Here’s my heart, o take and seal it, Seal it for thy courts above. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called the “Mormon Church” by friends of other faiths), we believe that we are all debtors to our Savior’s infinite grace—a debt we can never repay. We are all lost sheep in need of our shepherd’s constant guidance. Even as members of Jesus... Read the rest of this entry »

Jesus Christ did not actually use the word grace in His earthly ministry. Only two verses reference this word in the four gospels, and these were both spoken by others. Luke tells us the grace of God was on Jesus as a child. John taught: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17, King James Version of the Bible). Therefore, our understanding of the word grace comes from others. Read the rest of this entry »  Read More →

Let not ignorance and thoughtlessness lead us into the error of assuming that the Father’s foreknowledge as to what would be, under given conditions, determined that such must be. It was not His design that the souls of mankind be lost; on the contrary it was and is His work and glory, “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Nevertheless He saw the evil into which His children would assuredly fall; and with infinite love and mercy did He ordain means of averting the dire effect, provided the transgressor would elect to avail himself thereof. The offer of the firstborn Son to establish through His own ministry among men the gospel of salvation, and to sacrifice Himself, through labor, humiliation and suffering even unto death, was accepted and made the foreordained plan of man’s redemption from death, of his eventual salvation from the effects of sin, and of his possible exaltation through righteous... Read the rest of this entry »