- Truth
- Justice
- Wisdom
- Benevolence
- Self- control
If desired, study these charactersitics and share what insights you've gained. Ask others to share their thoughts as they ponder on what makes the Savior our perfect example, personally and collectively.
President McKay also lists several principles that can be "applied by every normal person". In what ways can we or do we apply these principles? How do they strengthen our relationship with Deity, and why is that important?
- Love the Lord with all your heart
- Believe in a Supreme Being who lives and loves his children
- Accept that life is a gift, understand its proper use
- Personal integrity
- Social conciousness
- Individual purity
- Service
A poignant remark in this lesson made by David O. McKay is that as "members of the Church of Christ [we] are under obligation to make the sinless Son of Man [our] ideal". We must know Him and believe Him before He can become our ideal. The Spirit will bear witness and help us know when we are learning the truth about who He was and is... the Living Christ, the Son of God.
Premortal Ministry
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Having purchased us (see 1 Cor. 7:23) with His atoning blood (see Acts 20:28)
in the great and marvelous Atonement, Jesus thereby became our Lawgiver (see
Isa. 33:22). It is by obedience to His laws and His commandments that we may
return one day to His presence and that of our Heavenly Father.
When Christ comes again, it will not be to the meekness of the manger; it will
be as the recognized Redeemer and the Lord of the universe! Then, in a great
solar display, stars will fall from their places in a witnessing way (see D&C
133:49), with much more drama than at His birth, when "the stars in the heavens
looked down where he lay" ("Away in a Manger," Hymns, no. 206).
Yet in the vastness of His creations, the Lord of the universe, who notices the
fall of every sparrow, is our personal Savior...
Elder Russell M. Nelson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
The ultimate blessings of the Abrahamic covenant are conferred in holy temples.
These blessings allow us to come forth in the First Resurrection and inherit
thrones, kingdoms, powers, principalities, and dominions, to our "exaltation
and glory in all things" (D&C 132:19). The fulfillment of the ancient Abrahamic
covenant is feasible only because of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who has
made it possible for us to dwell with God, with Him, and with our families
eternally. This is His work and His glory. I love Him; I testify of Him and
express my everlasting gratitude for Him now and forevermore...
Mortal Ministry
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Two thousand years ago, two travelers-a man and a woman-looked upon a small
city, Bethlehem. The woman, heavy with child, had been traveling from Nazareth.
The long journey was most difficult and so uncomfortable for her.
Due to a sudden influx of visitors, every inn, every room in the city was
occupied. The only place Joseph and Mary could find shelter was in a place
where cattle were kept.
And so He was born: Jesus the Christ, the Messiah,
the Beloved Son of God. The Creator of suns and moons and swirling seas lay
wrapped in swaddling clothes, His surroundings among the most humble earth had
to offer. He had no place to lay His head. In our modern age, where glory and
fame is wrapped around medals and worldly wealth, it seems almost inconceivable
to us that a solitary man, without home, without political influence, could
change the course of history and eternity.
But I testify to you that He did.
Jesus the Christ taught the words of life. He showed the way to truth, the way
to peace, the way to happiness. I testify that when He walked the earth,
thousands looked into His eyes-yearning for answers, yearning for release from
suffering and grief, yearning that the burdens they carried would be lightened.
Everyone who looked into His eyes with faith found healing, peace, and
happiness.
As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I testify to you this day
that the time will come when every one of us will look into the Savior's loving
eyes. We will know that no grief is so great, no pain so profound, no burden so
unbearable that it is beyond His healing touch.
He asks that we believe in Him, that we learn of Him, that we strive to follow
His teachings. That each one of us may never forget the sacredness of this
event and celebrate His birth by coming unto Him and keeping His commandments
is my prayer...
Elder Richard G. Scott
Of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles
We all have a vivid memory of our baptism and receipt of the
Holy Ghost. As we grow in understanding of the full meaning of the life of
Jesus Christ, of what He has done to bless every soul, that ordinance takes on
increasing significance. We did live in the presence of our Eternal Father and
of His Beloved Son, our Savior. Every mortal that has or ever will come to
earth chose that privilege after fully understanding the plan of happiness that
would guide our life here.
I testify that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
is a resurrected being of perfect love and compassion. I witness that He gave
His life that we might live eternally with Him and our Father in Heaven... I
solemnly witness that I know that the Savior lives.
Elder L. Tom Perry
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
I know that God lives. I know that we are all His children and that He loves
us. I know that He sent His Son to the world to be an atoning sacrifice for all
mankind, and those who embrace His gospel and follow Him will enjoy eternal
life, the greatest of all gifts of God. I know that He directed the Restoration
of the gospel again here upon the earth through the ministry of the Prophet
Joseph Smith. I know that the only lasting joy and happiness we will ever find
during our mortal experience will come by following the Savior, obeying His
law, and keeping His commandments. He lives.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
We are commanded to repent of our sins and to come to the Lord with a broken
heart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament. In partaking of the
bread, we witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ
and always remember Him and keep His commandments. When we comply with this
covenant, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. We are made
clean and can always have His Spirit to be with us. We do this in remembrance
of the blood of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He is at the center of our
faith. He is our Savior and our Redeemer.
I add my testimony to that of His other Apostles. I testify that He lives and
loves us. I testify that as the Light and Life of the World, He has provided
the way for us to return to our heavenly home to enjoy the associations and
highest blessings of God our Eternal Father, even eternal life, the greatest of
all the gifts of God.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles
To the thoughtful follower of Christ, it is a matter of
surpassing wonder that the voluntary and merciful sacrifice of a single being
could satisfy the infinite and eternal demands of justice; atone for every
human misdeed; bear every mortal infirmity; feel every personal heartache,
sorrow, and loss. But I testify that is exactly what Christ did for every one
of us. I bear solemn witness that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the
compassionate foundation and central fact in God's eternal plan for our
salvation and our happiness.
Is it any wonder that we make sacred covenants
because of the love that was demonstrated [in Gethsemane]? Is it any wonder
that Christ, the greatest of all, partook of the bitter cup and did not shrink
here, that we might not suffer if we would repent and come unto Him? I declare
my wonder and awe, my adoration and apostolic witness of Him...
President
Gordon B. Hinckley
"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come,
see the place where the Lord lay" (Matt. 28:1-2, 5-6). These are the most
reassuring words in all of human history. Death-universal and final-had now
been conquered.
To Mary the Risen Lord first appeared. He was real. He was
alive. Never had this occurred before. There had been only death without hope.
Now there was life eternal. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was the great
crowning event of His life and mission. It was the capstone of the Atonement.
The sacrifice of His life for all mankind was not complete without His coming
forth from the grave, with the certainty of the Resurrection for all who have
walked the earth.
Of all the victories in the chronicles of humanity, none
is so great, none so universal in its effects, none so everlasting in its
consequences as the victory of the crucified Lord, who came forth from the tomb
that first Easter morning. ...He who died on Calvary's cross arose again in
wondrous splendor as the Son of God, the Master of life and death.
Elder M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Since that glorious day [of the First Vision], more than 90 men have been
called to serve as Apostles with the same commission as the Apostles of old, to
teach all nations that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God our Eternal
Father.
I testify to you that it is the will of our Father in Heaven,
through His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that this mighty work moves
forward. It is by Him and through Him that our missionaries bear humble and
sincere testimony. I'm a witness of that.
This is His gospel. He stands at the head-holy, divine, supreme, full of power,
majesty, grace, and truth. He lived for us, and He died for us, because He
loves us. I love Him more deeply and powerfully than I can find words to
express. He is my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my friend. I know that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God our Eternal Father. He lives and directs His
Church today through His prophet and His Apostles. His great work will continue
to roll forth until it fills the whole earth.
Postmortal Ministry
President Boyd K. Packer
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
...In our day, the marvelous work is moving forward-the family history work,
the temple work in which families are being united for all eternity. And in a
world that is degrading itself with the dissolution of families, this work goes
forward across the world. It is a supernal work. It is a work designed by the
Lord and introduced by Himself as He came... and introduced the prophet Elijah,
who gave the keys of this work.
I bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ.
This is a supernal work; the mind of man could not have conceived it. It is
true. Jesus is the Christ. He lives. He directs and leads this Church.
President James E. Faust
Second Counselor in the First Presidency
In the Gethsemanes of life which we all have, and often in my present calling,
I have gone to my knees with a humble spirit to the only place I could for
help. I often went in agony of spirit, earnestly pleading with God to sustain
me in the work I have come to appreciate more than life itself. I have, on
occasion, felt a terrible aloneness of the wounds of the heart, of the sweet
agony, the buffetings of Satan, and the encircling warm comfort of the Spirit
of the Master.
As I serve in the calling of the holy apostleship, I recognize that I am a very
ordinary man. Yet I gratefully acknowledge one special gift. I have a certain
knowledge that Jesus of Nazareth is our Divine Savior. I know that He lives. I
know that through the unspeakable agony of the Atonement, men and women, if
they repent, can be forgiven of their sins. Because of the miracle of the
Resurrection, all will rise from the dead. I feel His love and marvel at the
price He paid for each of us. I wonder how many drops of blood were spilled for
me. This is the testimony I give of Him...
President Thomas S. Monson
First Counselor in the First Presidency
It is my personal testimony that the Book of Mormon changes human lives. The
Book of Mormon is a new witness of Jesus Christ. Its message spans the entire
earth and brings its readers to a knowledge of truth. I bear an apostolic
witness that Jesus is the Savior of the world and that He and His Father
appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith to usher in this dispensation of the
fulness of times...
President Gordon B. Hinckley
How I love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! His stirring commission and His
divine love motivate all of us in this work. It is He, Jesus Christ, who stands
at the head of this Church which bears His sacred name. He is watching over it.
He is guiding it. Standing at the right hand of His Father, He directs this
work. Unitedly, as His Apostles, authorized and commissioned by Him to do so,
we bear our witness that He lives and that He will come again to claim His
kingdom and rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Of this we are certain...
