JESUS CHRIST: SAVIOR AND REDEEMER

1 I am Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord; yea, even I am he, the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world.

2 I, having accomplished and finished the will of him whose I am, even the Father, concerning

me—having done this that I might subdue all things unto myself—

3 Retaining all power, even to the destroying of Satan and his works at the end of the world, and the last great day of judgment, which I shall pass upon the inhabitants thereof, judging every man according to his works and the deeds which he hath done.

4 And surely every man must repent or suffer, for I, God, am endless.

--Doctrine and Covenants 19:1-4

CHRIST'S ATONEMENT IS SUPREME

Jesus Christ's Atonement: The Single Most Important Event

President Joseph F. Smith testified: "On the third of October, in the year nineteen hundred and eighteen, I sat in my room pondering over the scriptures; and reflecting upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the Son of God, for the redemption of the world; and the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; that through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, mankind might be saved."

--Doctrine and Covenants 138:1-4

God the Father demonstrated His deepest love for us by sending to us His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins and the sins of the world, to enable us with a resurrection of body and spirit. Jesus’s great atoning sacrifice marked the single most important event to ever occur throughout history. His atonement brought redemption to the world and affects all eternity. His atonement makes salvation possible, for without Christ’s atonement, no one could gain forgiveness of sins and inherit eternal life predicated upon our obedience to gospel principles. Christ’s atonement is supreme.

JESUS CHRIST: THE LIGHT AND LIFE OF HUMANKIND

Jesus: Word-Messenger-Redeemer-Spirit of Truth

Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation—The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.

--Doctrine and Covenants 93:9

Jesus Christ is the Word, and has been since the beginning. He is the messenger of salvation, the One who brought lessons from God the Father to mankind on the earth so man could become knowledgeable enough to know right and wrong and have the agency to choose. Jesus is the light of the world, even the Redeemer of all created things. He is known as the Spirit of truth because he declares truth and nothing but the truth.

Jesus being the light and life of the world includes the light and life within every human being. Without Him we are as nothing. We exist because of Him and the Father.

JESUS CHRIST: INFINITE REDEEMER

LOOK-and Behold the Redeemer of the World

--Doctrine and Covenants 77:12

QUESTION:  What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?

ANSWER: We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God (1) sanctify the earth, and (2) complete the salvation of man, and (3) judge all things, and (4) shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming.

Jesus shall sanctify the earth and renew it. He is the author and finisher of the salvation of all humankind. He judges in righteousness. He shall redeem all things except that which He has not put into His power. Jesus IS the Son of God. He it is whose life brought about the infinite atonement. Redemption comes by Him and through Him. He will return to earth for the Second Coming of the Lord. It will be a great and dreadful day-great for those who are prepared to meet Him, and dreadful for those who are not ready. Be wise. Prepare. Live the abundant life.

JESUS CHRIST: HIS PERSONAL TESTIMONY

Jesus Testifies of Himself

Jesus testified, “Behold, I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, and your Redeemer, by the power of my Spirit have spoken it.”

--Doctrine and Covenants 18:47

Jesus bears a testimony of himself, of just who He actually is. Prophets testified of Him, individual people testified of Him, and now Jesus testifies of himself that He is truly our Lord, our God, our Redeemer. He spoke to people in ancient times, and He continues to reveal His and the Father’s will to people today, even prophets, apostles, various called and ordained leaders in His church, and to individuals who humble and sincerely seek His face. Jesus promised:

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;

2 And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;

3 And that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one—

4 The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men.

Our challenge is to:

1. Forsake our sins
2. Come unto Christ
3. Call on Christ’s name
4. Obey Christ’s voice
5. Keep His commandments

His promise: That we may see His face and know Him.

JESUS CHRIST: THE FOREORDAINED SON OF GOD

Jesus said, “Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.”

Jesus Came to Give us Life

--Book of Mormon Ether 3:14

Jesus was chosen and foreordained to come to earth and be the Savior and Redeemer of the world, redeem us of our sins by sacrificing His life, blood, and body for us, to bring about the perfect Atonement. He is a Father and Son: Father in the sense that He begat us life and provides us life here on earth; the Son in the sense that He is literally the Son of God, the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh for He has a mortal mother and an immortal father. In addition to Christ giving us life, He has provided us with the way to live eternally in an exalted state, with God the Father, Jesus himself, and the Holy Ghost and others who qualify. Believing in Jesus Christ is the first step in becoming His sons and daughters; for this is when He can spiritually begat us.

JESUS CHRIST: THE MASTER TEACHER

Receive Christ

And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled.

--Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 9:17

Redemption comes through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. As we come unto Christ, we become His sons and daughters because he begets us life, even the abundant life. He gives life to us and we sally forth and seek Him. When we put away things of the world and seek for things of a better, we are putting God first in our priorities. If we seek Him and His righteousness first, then all other good things will fit it, will fall into place for us in our pursuit of the principled-filled life.

Belief in Jesus Christ is the starting point to all good things, to laying hold of those things that are good and wholesome. It is a way of life, and the style of life God hopes we all pursue. He is happy when we follow Him by keeping His commandments.

JESUS CHRIST: THE ONLY NAME

The Only Way: The Atoning Blood of Christ

O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

--Book of Mormon 5:9

Through the atoning blood of Christ is the only way than humankind can be saved. There is no other way nor means for salvation to occur. Christ’s blood atoned for all is the one and only way to eternal life and never-ending happiness. Christ is the Redeemer of the whole world, and all worlds created by the Almighty God. Put Him first in your life and He will put you in the top kingdom of glory in the hereafter, even the Celestial Kingdom. Jesus said, “I am the way.”

JESUS CHRIST: SEE CHRIST AND LIVE

2 Nephi 11:2

And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.

People have seen Christ.  Moses, Isaiah, Nephi, Joseph Smith, just to name a few. A man of God can see God and live. Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, and Nephi testifies that He has seen Him, even as Isaiah saw Him. Seeing God is one way God reveals himself to mankind. Other methods include: visions, dreams, the spoken word, impressions, manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is a living God, and God the Father, is a living Father and God, even God the Father.

"WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?"

Titus 2:11-14

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

By the grace, divine assistance, of God, we can gain salvation and hopefully exaltation. We earn and qualify for exaltation through righteous living, by denying ourselves all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and by living soberly, righteously and godly during our mortal life time. Our strength and wisdom come from our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave. He gave His time, talent, effort, attention, knowledge, and ultimately His life  to redeem us from sin and iniquity. Jesus is our precious Savior and Mediator. He is the Anointed One.

Christ lived a perfect life. He did the Father’s will 100%, and showed us by example how we should live in order to be saved in the Celestial Kingdom. He overcame the world, and so must we. We must put away worldly lusts, worldliness of all sorts. We should seek honestly to succeed in this world, sure, but not make greed and pride our motives, our top priorities. We need to take care of temporal things because we have a stewardship over our temporal lives, but these temporal things are just that-temporary. We need to seek for things of a better, for the more weightier matters of life. To God, all things are spiritual.

Ask,

1. “What would Jesus do?” or  
2. “What would Jesus have me do?” or “
3. What wouldst thou have me to do?”

Then listen and feel for the answers. Let Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost be our guides.

What Would Jesus Do?: by Marion G. Romney

The most satisfying solutions to problems and the best answers to questions that I have been able to make in my own life, I have arrived at as follows:

1. From my youth I have searched the scriptures.

2. I have tried to honestly face the challenge or question presented with a sincere desire to solve it as Jesus would solve it.

3. I have, through diligent study and prayer, sought to weigh alternatives in light of what I knew about gospel principles.

4. I have made a decision in my own mind.

5. I have then taken the matter to the Lord, told him the problem, told him that I wanted to do what was right in his view, and asked him to give me peace of mind if I have made the right decision.

This, I think, is in harmony with the pattern Jesus set by precept and example during his ministry on the earth.

Read the entire article

JESUS CHRIST: SOURCE OF ULTIMATE HAPPINESS

January 2, 2014

Alma 5:27

About 83 B.C, Alma the prophet asked these questions, “Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?”

Being blameless before God is to be clean, pure, spotless from the stains of sins of worldliness, upright, and righteous. To be humble is to be teachable, meek, modest, ‘having a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.’ Garments are lives of people. Are our lives clean and white through obedience to God’s laws and commandments and covenants? We can become clean from the blood and sin of this generation through the sacrificed blood of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. His blood removes worldly spots from our lives and makes us clean every whit. Seeking to follow Christ is our number one concern, for when we follow Him we are in the path of righteousness leading to happiness now and eternal happiness and joy throughout eternity.

Our main objective in life is to experience happiness. “Happiness is the object and design of our existence and will be the end thereof if we pursue the path that leads to it, and that path is: Virtue, Uprightness, Faithfulness, Holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God” (Joseph Smith,  History of the Church, 5:134–35).

Benjamin De Hoyos said, “No one needs to feel alone on the road of life, for we are all invited to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. Happiness is the purpose of the gospel and the purpose of the redeeming Atonement for all men” (See “True Happiness: A Conscious Decision,” October 2005, General Conference). The atonement of Jesus Christ brings happiness as we apply the atoning blood of Christ in our lives and access the power of His Atonement.

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JESUS CHRIST: OUR TOP PRIORITY

Jesus Christ

The Great Atoner

Colossians 1:12-14

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

We need to thank the Father for all things, and acknowledge His hand in all things. He has delivered us from darkness and doubt and made His Only Begotten Son the Great Atoner. His Son, even Jesus the Christ, is forever our Savior and Redeemer. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” is the commandment. Christ is first and foremost our top priority.

Redemption comes through Christ’s atoning blood that was shed for all.  He suffered, bled and died so that we might receive forgiving or pardoning of our sins and then granting us the blessing of life, even the abundant life.  He overcame death when He resurrected himself and won the victory over death and the grave. He alone is our Redeemer and Atoner to make reconciliation possible  to the Father.

“Jesus Christ possessed merits that no other child of Heavenly Father could possibly have. He was a God, Jehovah, before His birth in Bethlehem. His Father not only gave Him His spirit body, but Jesus was His Only Begotten Son in the flesh” (Richard G. Scott, April 1997 General Conference)

Richard G. Scott

Apostle of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ: Brings to Pass the Resurrection

Victory over Death-Man is Free

Mormon 9:13 (Book of Mormon, p. 485)

And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.

Redemption comes by Jesus Christ, and His redeeming power brings us back into the presence of God. On our own, we sin and fall short of being able to enter His presence, but by the power of Christ’s atonement and His redeeming capacity, we are blessed with a knowledge of repentance and then feeling God’s presence once again. Following our death,  this endless sleep of the body, we will be resurrected by the gift and power of the atonement of Christ. Were it not for His atonement, our bodies would remain in the grave and our spirits in the world of spirits, and eventually evolve into a satanic spirit. Christ removed the bands of death and made resurrection possible. Victory over the grave is now possible. “Death is conquered, man if free; Christ has won the victory” (See LDS hymn “He is Risen”). Death is no more a sting, but a stepping stone in our eternal progression, thanks to our Lord and Redeemer.

May we praise, honor, and obey Him now and forever, for in Him is joy, peace, and eternal rewards, even never-ending happiness and exaltation.

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Jesus Christ: What Manner of Men Ought Ye to Be?

The Great I AM

Mosiah 16:15

Redemption cometh through Christ the Lord.

Jesus said, "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say, 'Even as I Am.' " (See 3 Nephi 27:27) 

Redemption, freedom from sin, comes through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He was foreordained in the councils of heaven before this world was created to come down and be the Savior of all mankind. He is the Firstborn of Heavenly Father in the pre-earth life, and is the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh. Jesus removes our every sin and spot from our hearts and lives as we turn to Him through  prayer and repentance.

Repentance means to improve. To repent means to feel or express sincere regret or remorse for one’s wrongdoing or sin, to feel humble and contrite over  one’s misconduct against God’s laws. Repentance is a gift from Almighty God. As we are improving, we are repenting. Our goal is to become Christlike. We should constantly be in a state of improving ourselves in becoming more like Christ. As we do, then we are in the spirit of repentance always, and this is pleasing to God and Jesus.

Jesus Christ: Our Mediator

Isaiah 59:20

And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

Jesus, our Redeemer,  will visit those who repent of their sins and transgressions and turn to Him. He will also attend to Zion, the pure in heart. The Spirit of God cannot dwell in unholy tabernacles; therefore, if you want to have and feel the Lord’s peaceful Spirit, then live righteously by always Choosing the Right.

When we sin-we suffer guilt and bondage. When we live the commandments of God, then we feel God’s presence, His assurance that what we are doing is acceptable to Him. Jesus, our Mediator, intervenes to strengthen us as we strive to follow Him .

Jesus Christ: Our Redeemer and Teacher

Isaiah 48:17

17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

JESUS is our Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. He is our Teacher and Leader. He will teach us the paths of life we should trod, but it is up to us to choose the paths of life we tred. God desires us to walk the righteous and obedient paths, but satan impulses us to go down forbidden paths, those roads that lead to misery and sorrow, sadness and unhappiness. If we hearken to the Lord’s commandments, then we experience “peace as a river.” If we choose the righteous paths, our lives will be strong and powerful like the “waves of the sea.”

Jesus Christ is the only sure foundation that we can totally rely upon for safety, security, and everlasting duration. His name is the only name upon which salvation can be obtained and eternal life attained.

“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” (Doctrine and Covenants 14:7)

Eternal life is our ultimate goal. Obeying all the commandments of God qualifies us for this desired end.

Jesus Christ: Creator and Redeemer

Isaiah 44:24

Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.

JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Redeemer, created all things under the direction of Heavenly Father, Elohim. Christ holds all things in His hands. The expanse of eternity is in His sight. He sees all things from beginning to no ending all in the present moment. There isn’t anything save He knows it. Jesus is our creator. He created us, man. He and other Gods first spiritually created all things , then the Gods formed or established their physical creation. The Gods consisted of Elohim, Jesus, Adam, probably Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph Smith, and other noble and great spirits in the pre-mortal life.

Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is our Savior and Redeemer.