Who Is Jesus Christ?

My VIP for this Christmas week is Jesus Christ, the reason for the Christmas season. I love Jesus Christ, and I worship Him as the Son of Heavenly Father. Yet, I feel inadequate to write about Him. Therefore, I will use the words of other people to answer the question, who is Jesus Christ?

In April 1976, Elder Eldred G. Smith, then-Patriarch to the Church, spoke on the topic “Who Is Jesus?” He opened his address by quoting the words of the Savior as He was praying to Heavenly Father, just prior to his crucifixion: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). 

We must know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to have eternal life. So, what does it mean to know Them, and how do we gain that knowledge. I propose that we must go to the beginning, even our premortal life. Elder Smith shares essential information.

In that council in heaven, the plan and purpose of this earth life was explained to all the spirits [all of us because we were there], and then “the Lord [Heavenly Father] said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man [Jehovah]: Here am I, send me. And another [Lucifer] answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.” ([Pearl of Great Price, Abraham] 3:27).

He who was selected was Jehovah, the oldest, who had promised that in going he would honor the Father and give him all the glory.

The Father has declared: “This is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” ([Pearl of Great Price,] Moses 1:39.)

Jehovah was, then, under the direction of the Father, the creator of this earth and many other worlds. Moses was shown in vision “many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof.” (Moses 1:29.) God declared to Moses: “By the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.

“And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.” (Moses 1:32-33.)

To get some idea of the magnitude of these creations: President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., said, “Astronomers now yield what they did not formerly yield, that there may have been many, and probably were, many worlds like ours. Some say there were in this galaxy perhaps from its beginning, one million worlds like unto this one.

“’Worlds without number have I created,’ through ‘mine Only Begotten Son.’ I repeat, our Lord is not a novice, he is not an amateur; he has been over this course time and time and time again.

“And if you think of this galaxy of ours having within it from the beginning perhaps until now, one million worlds, and multiply that by the number of millions of galaxies, one hundred million galaxies, that surround us, you will then get some view of who this Man we worship is.” (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Behold the Lamb of God, Deseret Book Company, 1962, pp. 16-17.)

He was truly no novice, no amateur, in the art or skill of a creator. “Worlds without number” he has created.

It was he, then, who came to this earth in the meridian of time, born of the virgin Mary – the literal Son of God the Father, “the Only Begotten Son.”

He declared who he was. Throughout his life on earth, he repeatedly declared that he was the Son of God….

On numerous occasions, he declared that he was the Christ, the Son of God.

Is it any wonder then that he, the Son of God, the great Creator, had power over the elements of this earth, even to violate the law of gravity by walking on the water?

I suppose it was quite simple for him, the Creator, when obligated to provide wine at the wedding feast to change the water to wine.

Nor was it a trick of the imagination when he fed five thousand plus the women and children with a few loaves and fishes, and on another occasion, four thousand plus the women and children. (See Matt. 14:16-21; 15:32-38.)

He also showed his power over the elements when at his command to “be still,” the stormy sea was calmed. (Mark 4:39.)

He demonstrated his power over the animal kingdom; on two separate occasions, at his command, a great catch of fish was made when they had had no success before. (See Matt. 14:16-21; 15:32-38.)

He showed his power over the vegetable kingdom when he cursed the fig tree. (See Matt. 21:19.)

On each occasion, he was declared to be the Christ, the literal Son of God.

He healed all manner of illness or disease. At his command, the evil spirits departed, they, too, declaring who he was. He made the blind to see, the lame to walk. Yes, he even controlled life itself, for he restored Lazarus to life, who had been declared dead for four days. There were others, too….

He took upon himself the sins of all who shall repent, and gave his life that all might live. He brought about the resurrection for all. Do you realize that the creation of this earth, and all the work of Jesus and the prophets since the very beginning, was for you – that you might have immortality and eternal life – just as much as for anyone else? …

In March 2008, President Boyd K. Packer, then-Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, authored an article titled, “Who Is Jesus Christ?” He wrote of the many titles of Jesus Christ – such as Mediator, Savior, Redeemer and then quoted the Apostle John and Joseph Smith. 

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16) ….

The Prophet Joseph Smith was often asked, “What are the fundamental principles of your religion?”

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” [Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 49]

Who is Jesus Christ? He is the Creator of the earth and “worlds without number.” He is the Son of God. He is our Mediator with the Father. He is the Savior of the world. He is the Redeemer of all people who believe on His name and repent of their sins. He is our loving Elder Brother.

He is the Head of His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through His Atonement, He made it possible for each of us to repent of our sins and become clean. Through His resurrection, He overcame death and made it possible for all of us to overcome death and live forever.

I love Jesus Christ. I know that He loves you and me. I know that He lives, and that He made it possible for you and me to live forever with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Our Savior

                Why do we celebrate Christmas?  Is it because a child was born or is it because that Child became our Savior by His atoning sacrifice?  I believe it is the latter.  Billions, even trillions, of babies have been born on earth, but only one of those children was the Son of God.  The Son of God became the Savior of all mankind.

                Each person on earth once lived with Heavenly Father.  We attended a Grand Council in our pre-earth life where Heavenly Father laid out His plan of salvation for His children.  We shouted for joy because we were so happy.  (See Job 38:7.)

                We understood that part of our Father’s plan was for us to leave our home in heaven for a while and leave the presence of our heavenly parents.  Heavenly Father planned to send His children to earth to gain physical bodies and to gain knowledge and experience. 

                Heavenly Father knew that we would sin and need help to return to His presence; therefore, He planned for a Savior.  Heavenly Father asked in that Grand Council, “Whom shall I send?”  (Abraham 3:27).  Two of our brothers offered to help.  Our oldest brother, then known as Jehovah, said, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).  He came to earth as a Baby and is known as Jesus Christ.

                Jesus Christ was willing to come to earth, to give His life for His brothers and sisters, and to take upon Him our sins.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ wanted us to choose to obey their commandments.  They knew that we must be free to choose in order to work out our salvation.  Jesus said, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2).  Lucifer, now known as Satan, also made an offer:  “Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1).

                In other words, Jesus Christ wanted us to exercise our agency and free will to choose to be obedient; Satan on the other hand was willing to take away our agency and force us into obedience.  In addition to his forcing all of us to be obedient, he wanted to be our God.

Heavenly Father listened while each of His older sons presented their plans and then said, “I will send the first” (Abraham 3:27).  He chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior, and Jesus Christ accepted the responsibility.

                Satan was angry because Father chose Jesus Christ and rejected him.  He rebelled and led his followers in a war against Jesus and those who chose to follow Him.  Satan and his army were defeated and then sent away from the presence of God.  A third part of the heavenly hosts were cast down from heaven.  They were punished for their rebellion by being denied the right to receive physical bodies.  They are here on earth as spirit beings without physical bodies.  They have not forgotten who we are and that we fought against them.  They spend their time tempting us and trying to convince us that they have a better plan.  Their attempts seem rather silly, but they are successful with far too many people.

                We know that we are here on earth and have mortal bodies of flesh and blood.  We have physical bodies because we chose to follow Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.  We stood with them when Satan rebelled.  We made the right choice in heaven and have the agency to continue to make right choices here on earth.

                The gospel of Jesus Christ reveals all that we must do to follow Jesus and return to our Heavenly Father.  Jesus Christ taught the plan of salvation and exaltation by His words and by His example.  He established His church on earth before His death and resurrection.  He established it again in our day and restored his priesthood authority.  His teachings are in the scriptures.  Through His atoning sacrifice, He made it possible for us to repent of our sins and become worthy to return to live with Him and Heavenly Father for all eternity.

                I know that we can return to live with our heavenly parents and Jesus Christ if we will follow our Savior.  He made it possible for us to live with Him forever and then gave us the opportunity to choose if we wanted to do it.  I love Heavenly Father and His willingness to send His Son to earth to die for me.  I love my Savior for His willingness to suffer, bleed and die for me.  I know they live and love me too.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ

                I have often heard and read that Mormons – or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – are not real “Christians.” This always surprises me because the name of our church includes the name of Jesus Christ.  How can we not be Christians when we believe in Jesus Christ?   I learned that we are accused of being non-Christian because we believe in the Jesus Christ as described in the Bible and not the blob of spirit without body, parts, or passions that other people believe.

                Our first Article of Faith states:  “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”  We believe that the Father and the Son have bodies of flesh and bone while the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit.  We believe that we are literally spirit children of a loving Heavenly Father, and we believe that Jesus Christ is our loving Elder Brother and the father of our spirituality because He made it possible for us to return to the presence of God.

                We believe that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God and the Savior of the world.  We believe that He was the Firstborn Son of our Father, and He was chosen and ordained in our pre-earth life to prepare the way for our salvation.  We believe that He came into this world as the Son of God to pay the ransom for our sins if we will believe in Him.  We believe that we are saved by the grace of God after we have done all that we can do for ourselves.

                As the Son of God, Jesus Christ had the ability to live forever, but as the Son of a mortal mother, He had the ability to die.  As such, He had the power to lay down His life and then to take it again.  “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

                “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:17-18).

                Because Jesus Christ was willing to suffer in the garden of Gethsemane and to die on the cross, we can receive eternal life.  Because He was resurrected, we too may be resurrected and have our body and spirit united forever.  The only thing that is required of us is to believe in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, and be obedient to His commandments.

                President Joseph Fielding Smith stated, “[Jesus Christ] is indeed the only begotten Son of God, and through His grace, and the grace of His Father, hath redeemed us from sin on condition of our repentance.  We know that He has risen from the dead, that He has ascended on high, taking captivity captive [see Psalm 68:18], and has become the author of salvation unto all who will believe, who will repent of their sins and accept Him as the Redeemer of the world [see Hebrews 5:9].  Latter-day Saints are not left in doubt regarding these things.”

                President Smith also stated, “While men may formulate plans, adopt theories, introduce strange works, and gather and teach many peculiar doctrines, one teaching is fundamental, and from it we cannot depart:  all things are concentrated in and around the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world.  We accept him as the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh, the only one who has dwelt in the flesh who had a Father who was immortal.  Because of His birthright and the conditions surrounding His coming to the earth, He became the Redeemer of men; and through the shedding of His blood we are privileged to return into the presence of our Father, on conditions of our repentance and acceptance of the great plan of redemption of which he is the author.”

                We believe that Heavenly Father has a plan for the eternal happiness of all His children.  We believe that this plan is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We believe that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of that plan.  We believe that He made His atoning sacrifice in order that all of us could be raised in immortality to stand before Him to be judged according to our thoughts, words, and actions.  We believe that through our faith in Jesus Christ and our obedience to His commandments we can be raised unto eternal life in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father.

Our Savior Jesus Christ

We lived in heaven before we came to earth with our Heavenly Parents. We loved our parents very much and wanted to be just like Them. One day our Father called all of His children together and presented His plan for their happiness. All of us who came to earth thought it was a wonderful plan. We were there when "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7).

Father explained that we would need to leave our heavenly home and His presence for a time. He also explained that all of us would sin and some of us would lose our way. He understood that none of us would find our way home to Him without some help. He knew and loved each one of us individually and wanted all of us to return to Him. He included in His plan of happiness a way that we could return. His plan provided for a Savior to help us. He asked, "Whom shall I send?" Jesus Christ, known in heaven as Jehovah, said, "Here am I, send me" (Abraham 3:27; see also Moses 4:1-4). Jesus loved Father and us so much that He was willing to come to earth, give His life for us, and take our sins upon Himself. He knew that for Father's plan to work, we must be free to choose. He wanted us to have the opportunity to choose whether or not we would obey Heavenly Father's commandments. He said, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever" (Moses 4:2).

Satan, who was called Lucifer in heaven, said, "Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor" (Moses 4:1). Under Satan's plan we would not be allowed to choose but would be forced to do his will. He would take away our God-given freedom of choice. He also wanted Father's glory. After hearing both sons speak, Heavenly Father said, "I will send the first (Abraham 3:27).

Jesus was chosen and foreordained to be our Savior. There are many scriptures that teach about Jesus Christ’s calling to be our Savior (see 1 Peter 1:19-20; Moses 4:1-2). A scripture in the Book of Mormon tells us that Jesus appeared to a Book of Mormon prophet long before He was born. Christ told this prophet - known as the brother of Jared, “Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. … In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name” (Ether 3:14).

Jesus taught the people during His time on earth, “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. … And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:38, 40).

Satan became angry because Heavenly Father chose Jesus to be the Savior, and he rebelled against God. Satan and those who followed him fought a war in heaven against Jesus and His followers. Revelation 12:11 tells us that the Savior's followers "overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony."

Because of his rebellion, Satan and all the spirits who followed him were sent away from the presence of God and were cast down from heaven. One-third of all the spirits in heaven were punished for rebelling against God and were denied the privilege of receiving mortal bodies.

We know that we chose to follow Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ because we are here on earth with physical bodies. Satan and his followers are spirits roaming around on this earth, and they know who we are and what we did in heaven. They work daily to entice us and to tempt us to do wrong. We followed Jesus Christ and accepted God's plan in heaven, and we must continue to follow Jesus here on earth. It is only by following Him that we can return to Heavenly Father and our heavenly home. The gospel of Jesus Christ tells us what we must do to return to be with God. Jesus came to earth, taught the plan of salvation and exaltation, and gave us a good example to follow. He atoned for our sins and made it possible for us to return to our heavenly home. Now it is up to us to exercise our freedom of choice and choose to follow Christ.

Life of Jesus Christ

When we were in the premortal world, Jesus Christ promised that He would come to earth and be the Savior of all mankind. Every person who has come or will come to earth is dependent on Jesus Christ fulfilling His promise. His mission as the Savior was one of the crucial pillars of the plan of salvation, and, without Him, the plan would fail. His mission was so important that all of the prophets from Adam to Christ testified that He would come (see Acts 10:43). Every prophet since Christ has testified that He did come. In order to faithfully follow Christ throughout our lives, we need to study and learn about His life.

Many of the prophets prophesied of Christ. Adam knew that the Savior would be known as Jesus Christ (Moses 6:51-52). Enoch, Noah, Moses, Isaiah, Nephi and King Benjamin all foresaw the Savior's life, ministry, and sufferings (see Moses 1:11; 7:55-56; 8:23-24; Isaiah 53:3-7; 1 Nephi 11:21; Mosiah 3:5-8).

Information about the birth and life of the Savior can be found in the scriptures, particularly Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the New Testament. More information about Christ and His teachings can be found in the Book of Mormon. From the scriptures we learn that Jesus was born of Mary, a beautiful virgin who was engaged to marry Joseph when an angel appeared to her. The angel told Mary that she had been selected to be the mother of the Son of God. Mary asked how that would be possible (see Luke 1:34). The angel explained to her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Heavenly Father became the literal Father of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the only person on earth to be born of an immortal Father and a mortal mother. That is the reason that He is known as the Only Begotten Son. From his Father, Jesus inherited divine powers. From his mother, He inherited mortality and was subject to pain, fatigue, hunger, thirst, and death. No one had the power to kill Jesus Christ unless He was willing to be killed. He had the power to give up His life, and He had the power to take up His body again after dying. (See John 10:17-18.)

Mary and Joseph guided Jesus, and He grew as other children do. He loved and obeyed the truth. From the time of his youth, Jesus made good choices and obeyed all that Heavenly Father required Him to do. (See Luke 2:40; Doctrine and Covenants 93:12-14.)

An incident in Jerusalem demonstrates that Jesus by age twelve had some understanding that He was on earth to do the will of His Father. He went with His family to Jerusalem to participate in the Passover. When they started on their trip home, His parents discovered that He was not in the group and returned to Jerusalem to find Him. They searched for Him for three days before they found Him in the temple "sitting in the midst of the doctors, and they were hearing him, and asking him questions" (Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 2:46). "And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers" (Luke 2:47).

Joseph and Mary were of course relieved to find Him. When Mary asked Him why He had treated "thy father and I" as He did, He answered, "Wist ye not that I must be about my [Heavenly] Father's business?" (Luke 2:48-49). Jesus understood that His mission was to do the will of His Heavenly Father. He declared, "… I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things… I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:28-29).

When Jesus was thirty years old, He went to the Jordan River to find John the Baptist and asked John to baptize Him in order "to fulfil all righteousness." John recognized that Jesus was greater than he, but he baptized the Savior, immersing Him completely in the water. Then he heard the Father speaking from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The Holy Ghost descended, as shown by the sign of the dove. (See Matthew 3:13-17.)

Soon after His baptism, Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights to be with God. After this period of fasting was over, Satan tried to tempt Jesus, and Jesus resisted all of Satan's temptations and commanded Satan to leave. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Jesus Christ was sinless, the only perfect person to ever live on earth. (See Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:21-22.)

Jesus' mission on earth consisted of several different responsibilities. Among those duties were the responsibilities to teach us how to love and serve each other, to organize the only true church on earth, to save us from death, and to redeem our souls from our sins. Jesus taught us how to live by both His words and His example. He taught that there were two great commandments: The first is to love God with all our heart, mind and strength; and the second is to love others as we love ourselves. (See Matthew 22:36-39.) He showed us by His life how we should obey these two commandments. He demonstrated His love for God by trusting Him and by being obedient to Him. He showed His love for others by helping them to meet their physical and spiritual needs.

Jesus spent His life serving others: curing people of diseases, causing the deaf to hear, the blind to see and the lame to walk. When He miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes (see Matthew 14:14-21), He demonstrated that we are to help the hungry, needy, cold or lonely all that we can. He taught by His words and actions that we serve God by helping God's children. (See Matthew 25:35-46.)

Jesus loved people with all His heart. He wept with compassion for others. He loved little children, the elderly, the simple people who had faith in Him. He loved the sinners and taught them to repent. He loved those who sinned against Him and didn't repent. Even as He hung on the cross, He pleaded, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Jesus taught us to "love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12).

Another part of Christ's mission on earth was to organize His Church. He taught the people, and He chose and ordained His Twelve Apostles. He gave them the authority to act in His name and to do the works they had seen Him do. They were to testify of Christ and to teach, baptize and perform other ordinances in His name and with His authority. After the death of Christ, the Apostles carried on His work until the people grew so wicked that they killed the Apostles.

Jesus Christ redeemed us from our sins and saved us from death. Jesus was condemned to death because He had testified that He was the Son of God. In preparation for the final events of His life, Jesus met with His Apostles in an upper room and introduced the sacrament to them. They sang a hymn and then went to a garden called Gethsemane. He was weighed down with much sorrow and wept as He prayed. He prayed, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). Jesus described His suffering in a revelation to Joseph Smith, saying that it caused Him "to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit" (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18).

The next day Christ was beaten, humiliated, and spit upon. He was forced to carry His own cross and then was lifted up and nailed to it. While Jesus was suffering on the cross, the Father withdrew from Him, allowing Christ to finish suffering the penalty for the sins of all mankind and to have complete victory over the forces of sin and death. (See James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd Ed [1916], 660-61.)

When He knew that the Father had accepted His sacrifice, the Savior exclaimed in a loud voice, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Luke 23:46 records that He said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." He then bowed His noble head and voluntarily gave up His spirit and died.

A terrible earthquake shook the earth. Some of the Savior's friends took His body to a tomb where it lay until the third day. During the time His body was in the tomb, His spirit went to the spirit world where He organized the missionary work needed to teach His gospel to other spirits. (See 1 Peter 3:18-20; Doctrine and Covenants 138.) On the third day, Sunday, he returned to the tomb and took up His body again, becoming the first to overcome death and be resurrected. Soon after His resurrection Jesus appeared to the Nephites on the American continent and established His Church there. He taught the people and blessed them (3 Nephi 11 through 28).

Jesus' willingness and humility to suffer in Gethsemane and on the cross showed His great love for the Father and for us. He fulfilled His part of the great plan of salvation that we might all receive the promised blessings. Now the responsibility is ours. In order to receive these blessings, we must put the Atonement of Jesus Christ into effect in our lives. We must repent of our sins, love Christ with all our hearts and follow Him.

Life of Jesus Christ

When we were in the premortal world, Jesus Christ promised that He would come to earth and be the Savior of all mankind. Every person who has come or will come to earth is dependent on Jesus Christ fulfilling His promise. His mission as the Savior was one of the crucial pillars of the plan of salvation. Without Him, the plan would fail. His mission was so important that all of the prophets from Adam to Christ testified that He would come (see Acts 10:43). Every prophet since Christ has testified that He did come. In order to faithfully follow Christ throughout our lives, we need to study and learn about His life. Many of the prophets prophesied of Christ. Adam knew that the Savior would be known as Jesus Christ (Moses 6:51-52). Enoch, Noah, Moses, Isaiah, Nephi and King Benjamin all foresaw the Savior's life, ministry, and sufferings (see Moses 1:11; 7:55-56; 8:23-24; Isaiah 53:3-7; 1 Nephi 11:21; Mosiah 3:5-8). Information about the birth and life of the Savior can be found in the scriptures, particularly Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the New Testament. From the scriptures we learn that Jesus was born of Mary, a beautiful virgin who was engaged to marry Joseph when an angel appeared to her. The angel told Mary that she had been selected to be the mother of the Son of God. Mary asked how that would be possible (see Luke 1:34). The angel explained to her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). God the Father became the literal Father of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only person on earth to be born of an immortal Father and a mortal mother. That is the reason that He is known as the Only Begotten Son. From his Father, Jesus inherited divine powers. From his mother, He inherited mortality and was subject to pain, fatigue, hunger, thirst, and death. No one had the power to kill Jesus Christ unless He was willing to be killed. He had the power to give up His life, and He had the power to take up His body again after dying. (See John 10:17-18.) Mary and Joseph guided Jesus, and He grew as other children grow. He loved and obeyed the truth. From the time of his youth, Jesus made good choices and obeyed all that Heavenly Father required Him to do. (See Luke 2:40; Doctrine and Covenants 93:12-14.) An incident in Jerusalem demonstrates that Jesus by age twelve had some understanding that He was on earth to do the will of His Father. He went with His family to Jerusalem to participate in the Passover. When they started on their trip home, His parents discovered that He was not in the group and returned to Jerusalem to find Him. They searched for Him for three days before they found Him in the temple "sitting in the midst of the doctors, and they were hearing him, and asking him questions" (Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 2:46). "And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers" (Luke 2:47). Joseph and Mary were of course relieved to find Him. When Mary asked Him why He had treated "thy father and I" as He did, He answered, "Wist ye not that I must be about my [Heavenly] Father's business?" (Luke 2:48-49). Jesus understood that His mission was to do the will of His Heavenly Father. He declared, "… I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things… I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:28-29). When Jesus was thirty years old, He went to the Jordan River to find John the Baptist and asked John to baptize Him in order "to fulfil all righteousness." John recognized that Jesus was greater than he, but he baptized the Savior, immersing Him completely in the water. Then he heard the Father speaking from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The Holy Ghost descended, as shown by the sign of the dove. (See Matthew 3:13-17.) Soon after His baptism, Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights to be with God. After this period of fasting was over, Satan tried to tempt Jesus, and Jesus resisted all of Satan's temptations and commanded Satan to leave. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Jesus Christ was sinless, the only perfect person to ever live on earth. (See Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:21-22.) Jesus' mission on earth consisted of several different responsibilities. Among those duties were the responsibilities to teach us how to love and serve each other, to organize the only true church on earth, to save us from death, and to redeem our souls from our sins. Jesus taught us how to live by both His words and His example. He taught that there were two great commandments: The first is to love God with all our heart, mind and strength; and the second is to love others as we love ourselves. (See Matthew 22:36-39.) He showed us by His life how we should obey these two commandments. He demonstrated His love for God by trusting Him and by being obedient to Him. He showed His love for others by helping them to meet their physical and spiritual needs. Jesus spent His life serving others: curing people of diseases, causing the deaf to hear, the blind to see and the lame to walk. When He miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes (see Matthew 14:14-21), He demonstrated that we are to help the hungry, needy, cold or lonely all that we can. He taught by His words and actions that we serve God by helping God's children. (See Matthew 25:35-46.) Jesus loved people with all His heart. He wept with compassion for others. He loved little children, the elderly, the simple people who had faith in Him. He loved the sinners and taught them to repent. He loved those who sinned against Him and didn't repent. Even as He hung on the cross, He pleaded, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Jesus taught us to "love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12). Another part of Christ's mission on earth was to organize His Church. He taught the people. He chose and ordained His Twelve Apostles. He gave them the authority to act in His name and to do the works they had seen Him do. They were to testify of Christ and to teach, baptize and perform other ordinances in His name and with His authority. After the death of Christ, the Apostles carried on His work until the people grew so wicked that they killed the Apostles. Jesus Christ redeemed us from our sins and saved us from death. Jesus was condemned to death because He had testified that He was the Son of God. In preparation for the final events of His life, Jesus met with His Apostles in an upper room and introduced the sacrament to them. They sang a hymn and then went to a garden called Gethsemane. He was weighed down with much sorrow and wept as He prayed. He prayed, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: never the less not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). Jesus described His suffering in a revelation to Joseph Smith, saying that it caused Him "to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit" (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18). The next day Christ was beaten, humiliated, and spit upon. He was forced to carry His own cross and then was lifted up and nailed to it. While Jesus was suffering on the cross, the Father withdrew from Him, allowing Christ to finish suffering the penalty for the sins of all mankind and have complete victory over the forces of sin and death. (See James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd Ed [1916], 660-61.) When He knew that the Father had accepted His sacrifice, the Savior exclaimed in a loud voice, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Luke 23:46 records that He said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." He then bowed His noble head and voluntarily gave up His spirit and died. A terrible earthquake shook the earth. Some of the Savior's friends took His body to a tomb where it lay until the third day. During the time His body was in the tomb, His spirit went to the spirit world where He organized the missionary work needed to teach His gospel to other spirits. (See 1 Peter 3:18-20; Doctrine and Covenants 138.) On the third day, Sunday, he returned to the tomb and took up His body again, becoming the first to overcome death and be resurrected. Soon after His resurrection Jesus appeared to the Nephites on the American continent and established His Church there. He taught the people and blessed them (3 Nephi 11 through 28). Jesus' willingness and humility to suffer in Gethsemane and on the cross showed His great love for the Father and for us. He fulfilled His part of the great plan of salvation that we might all receive the promised blessings. Now the responsibility is ours. In order to receive these blessings, we must put the Atonement of Jesus Christ into effect in our lives. We must repent of our sins, love Christ with all our hearts and follow Him.

Jesus Christ, Our Savior

We lived in heaven before we came to earth. We lived there as spirits with our Heavenly Parents and with all our spirit brothers and sisters. We loved our parents and wanted to be like them. One day our Father called all of His children together and presented His plan for their happiness. All of us who came to earth thought it was a wonderful plan. We were there when "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7). Father explained that we would need to leave our heavenly home and His presence for a time. He also explained that all of us would sin and some of us would lose our way. He knew that we would need help to find our way back to Him. He knew and loved each one of us individually and wanted all of us to return to Him. He included in His plan of happiness a way that we could return. His plan provided for a Savior to help us. He asked, "Whom shall I send?" Jesus Christ, known in heaven as Jehovah, said, "Here am I, send me" (Abraham 3:27; see also Moses 4:1-4). Jesus loved Father and us so much that He was willing to come to earth, to give His life for us, and to take our sins upon Himself. He knew that for Father's plan to work, we must be free to choose. He wanted us to have the opportunity to choose whether or not we would obey Heavenly Father's commandments. He said, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thing forever" (Moses 4:2). Satan, who was called Lucifer in heaven, said, "Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor" (Moses 4:1). Under Satan's plan we would not be allowed to choose but would be forced to do his will. He would take away our God-given freedom of choice. He also wanted Father's glory. After hearing both sons speak, Heavenly Father said, "I will send the first (Abraham 3:27). Jesus was chosen and foreordained to be our Savior (see 1 Peter 1:19-20; Moses 4:1-2). Satan became angry because Heavenly Father chose Jesus to be the Savior, and he rebelled against God. Satan and those who followed him fought a war in heaven against Jesus and His followers. Revelation 12:11 tells us that the Savior's followers "overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony." Because of his rebellion, Satan and all the spirits who followed him were sent away from the presence of God and were cast down from heaven. One -third of all the spirits in heaven were punished for following Satan and were denied the privilege and right to receive mortal bodies. Because we are here on earth with physical bodies, we know that we chose to follow Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Satan and his followers are spirits roaming around on this earth. They know who we are and what we did in heaven. They work daily enticing us and tempting us to do wrong. We followed Jesus Christ and accepted God's plan in heaven. We must continue to follow Jesus here on earth. It is only by following Him that we can return to Heavenly Father and our heavenly home. The gospel of Jesus Christ tells us what we must do to return to be with God. Jesus came to earth, taught the plan of salvation and exaltation, and gave us a good example to follow. He atoned for our sins and made it possible for us to return to our heavenly home. Now it is up to us to exercise our freedom of choice and choose to follow Christ.