Jesus Christ

I do not know if it is an accident of history, or if there was divine intervention involved, but have you noticed that the words “son” and “sun” are homophones? For Christians that involves a fun word play. We believe that Christ is the Son of God and also that He is our light, much like the sun is our light. In the New Testament, Jesus makes it very clear that He is more than a carpenter and more than an itinerant Jewish gadfly: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12) In the ... Read More

“Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.”“And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus” (Mark 9: 2-7). Matthew's account of Christ’s transfiguration adds these details: R... Read More

In His sermon on the mount, the Savior admonished: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Accounting for all that Christ has revealed about being perfect, two types of perfection appear: one we can only honor and aim for in this life, but the other, we can do today through His grace and guidance. Apostle Bruce R. McConkie identified these two types of perfection in his book “Mormon Doctrin... Read More

Christ is called both Savior and Redeemer. As they are used in the scriptures, these two divine titles are closely related--their meanings are often synonymous. However each title sometimes expresses blessings uniquely different for the saved versus the redeemed. Beyond the two main ways that Jesus Christ saves--from sin and from the grave--there are other ways the Son of God saves: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy lad... Read More

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, . . . he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen after he was risen” (Mark 16: 9-14.) “Thomas, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. Thus the other disciples said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unt... Read More

In 740 B.C., Isaiah recorded this prophecy: “The earth also is defiled . . . because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant” (Isaiah 24: 5). It is clear that the prophet is speaking of generations prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ, for the next verse states: “The... Read More

“But thou, Beth-lehem, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5: 2). “And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you” (Helaman 14: 5). “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the king, be... Read More

Imagine you are on the game show “Millionaire,” and the question is asked: “What is the fruit that grows on an apple tree?” You are presented with four possibilities: a) Mango b) Apricot c) Tangerine d) Apple What are the chances you’d be moving to the next round? Of course, the correct answer is glaringly obvious. Jesus taught the pertinent principle: “For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they... Read More

“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18: 1-4). Jesus set forth two c... Read More

A millennium is a period of a thousand years. By Divine decree, the earth's temporal existence will continue for seven thousand years. The 7th millennium commences with the second coming of Jesus Christ, when the resurrected Lord returns to earth in glory. Exactly what is God’s purpose for this thousand year period? And how is the last millennium related to eternal marriage? First con... Read More

“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said unto him, "Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God” (Luke 18:18,19): “but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. . . . The young man saith unto him, "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” (... Read More

The King James translation of the Holy Bible refers to Christ’s “passion” in the Acts of the Apostles: “Until the day in which [Jesus] was taken up, . . . To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion” (Acts 1: 2, 3). The New International Version of the Holy Bible--translating this same passage from the original Greek text--uses the word “suffering” in place of “passion.” The passion of the Christ refers to the His ... Read More

“[Jesus] shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, . . . they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, . . . And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men... Read More

During his mortal ministry, Christ ordained twelve apostles, and by the laying on of His hands, each apostle was given the power of the priesthood. To his chief apostle Peter, the Lord bestowed the keys of the kingdom: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt 16: 19). The sig... Read More

“And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he... Read More

This title represents the words that Jesus prayed to the Father in Gethsemane. Mormons wholeheartedly believe in the oneness of the Father and the Son. But what is the meaning of this truth? How are the Father and His Son . . . one? Heavenly truths are not established or fully understood by logical debate, intellectual reasoning, or by the vote of majority opinion. Instead, truths of heaven come from heaven, and are directly revealed to authorized servants o... Read More

In what James Talmage describes as “impressive brevity,” very little is written about young Jesus in scripture. It is understandable that a good parent would strive to protect the privacy of a tender child; it follows that early details of this precious Son were made private by His loving Father. In the book “Jesus the Christ,” Talmage writes: “With hallowed silent do the inspired scribes honor the boyhood of their Lord.” With little revealed about His youthful years, it is important to pay attention to... Read More

The basic beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon beliefs) are summarized in thirteen Articles of Faith. The 11th article states: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” In a world of diverse disagreement as to the nature of God and His purpose for our existence, it is consistent with the claim of Divine values that believers show mutual respect specifically for “the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates [of] c... Read More

There are two basic ways that a church might be organized: 1) Mortal men negotiate and initiate an organization to the praise, and worship, and glory of God--this is good; or 2) Christ appoints prophets and apostles, ordaining them with authority to act in His name, and as Heaven directs, the Church that bears His name is organized--this is best! In the first scenario, it is easy to discern church organizations established by the good intentions, and political consensus, of mortal men (as opposed to the direct inspiration and authorization of God); the name of man-made organizations usually reflects the imagination of their mortal creators. Not only is the second scenario superior to the first, it is precisely the way... Read More

In the gospel according to John, we read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men . . . the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1: 1, 3-4, 9). The magnificent power and influence of heavenly Light is beyond the ability of mortal minds to comprehend, and beyond the ability of words to describe. Consider the prophet Joseph’s account of di... Read More

Believing in Christ and faithfully following His example is the essence of being Christian. Thus the first and foremost reason for receiving the ordinance of baptism is . . . to honor His words “come follow me.” To follow our Savior, it is vital to understand the manner by which He was baptized, for our eternal salvation depends upon correct application of this single doctrine. The Savior said these sobering words about baptism: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). "Jesus answered and said unto him, Veril... Read More

The way of Heaven is orderly. And when that way is manifest to men and women on earth, it is also orderly. The pattern by which Christ caused His Church to be organized during His mortal ministry, is the same pattern to which we look today. When we see His order, we will recognize His Church. The pattern of Orderliness and Godliness begins with the bestowing of power to act in His name; that power must originate in the only Source from which it could come--Christ Himself. The Apostle Paul writes: “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron” (Hebrews 5: 4). We see the order of God manifest in the way Aaron was called:... Read More

Mormons believe the Bible in a comprehensive way; every detail of Bible doctrine is wholeheartedly received and accounted for by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (members of the Mormon church). The Bible records the following about the postmortal Messiah: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1: 11). The risen Lord Jesus ascended into heaven as a glorified, resurrected being. Prior to His ascension into heaven, we learn from Luke about the specific nature of having a resurrected body; Luke records the &... Read More

The saying goes “there are no guarantees in life,” and this saying is true in terms of the imperfect promises of friends and the unexpected abuses of foe. Nevertheless in this life, there are perfect promises available--promises firm and sure, solid as a rock. One of the many names that is used to describe the Lord Jesus Christ is “the Rock.” The firm and immovable attributes of earthly rocks explain the parallel, and greater significance for this symbolism is understood by the Savior’s own analogy: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that hou... Read More

“Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name? Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed? And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was?” (D&C 132: 8-11). The root of the word “ordain” is . . . order! Ordination refers to God's orderly way of consecrating willing souls to His holy order. An infinitely wise Father has ordained the unfolding of His “work and glory” (... Read More

The name for the Babe of Bethlehem was given by divine revelation to Mary: “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS” (Luke 1: 30-31). The name “JESUS” is supremely significant, for the Hebrew name from which it derives means “deliverance” or “Jehovah is our salvation.” Thus, the name JESUS ties the mortal Messiah to His premortal identity--JEHOVAH. Latter-day saints know that Jesus is Jehovah first and foremost, because He said so: Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and h... Read More