Jesus Christ, the Great Jehovah, who soon will come in Power and Great Glory, said “As I Have Loved You, Love One Another.”

Jesus Christ teaches Love Your Enemies. Do good to those who hate you.

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO THIS TALK IN VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KSd_ra5e7o
Love Your Enemies
By President Dallin H. Oaks
First Counselor in the First Presidency
Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a vision of the worth of others and the ability to rise above prejudice.
The Lord’s teachings are for eternity and for all of God’s children.
In this message I will give some examples from the United States, but the principles I teach are applicable everywhere.
We live in a time of anger and hatred in political relationships and policies.
We felt it this summer when some went beyond peaceful protests and engaged in destructive behavior.
We feel it in some current campaigns for public offices.
Unfortunately, some of this has even spilled over into political statements and unkind references in our Church meetings.
In a democratic government we will always have differences over proposed candidates and policies.
However, as followers of Christ we must forgo the anger and hatred with which political choices are debated or denounced in many settings.
Here is one of our Savior’s teachings, probably well known but rarely practiced:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–44).¹
For generations, Jews had been taught to hate their enemies, and they were then suffering under the domination and cruelties of Roman occupation.
Yet Jesus taught them, “Love your enemies” and “do good to them that … despitefully use you.”
What revolutionary teachings for personal and political relationships!
But that is still what our Savior commands.
In the Book of Mormon we read,
“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another” (3 Nephi 11:29).
Loving our enemies and our adversaries is not easy.
“Most of us have not reached that stage of … love and forgiveness,”
President Gordon B. Hinckley observed, adding, “It requires a self-discipline almost greater than we are capable of.”²
But it must be essential, for it is part of the Savior’s two great commandments to “love the Lord thy God” and to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37, 39).
And it must be possible, for He also taught, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7).³
How do we keep these divine commandments in a world where we are also subject to the laws of man?
Fortunately, we have the Savior’s own example of how to balance His eternal laws with the practicalities of man-made laws.
When adversaries sought to trap Him with a question about whether Jews should pay taxes to Rome, He pointed to the image of Caesar on their coins and declared, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s” (Luke 20:25).⁴
So, we are to follow the laws of men (render unto Caesar) to live peacefully under civil authority, and we follow the laws of God toward our eternal destination.
But how do we do this—especially how do we learn to love our adversaries and our enemies?
The Savior’s teaching not to “contend with anger” is a good first step.
The devil is the father of contention, and it is he who tempts men to contend with anger.
He promotes enmity and hateful relationships among individuals and within groups.
President Thomas S. Monson taught that anger is “Satan’s tool,” for “to be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan.
No one can make us angry. It is our choice.”⁵
Anger is the way to division and enmity.
We move toward loving our adversaries when we avoid anger and hostility toward those with whom we disagree.
It also helps if we are even willing to learn from them.
Among other ways to develop the power to love others is the simple method described in a long-ago musical.
When we are trying to understand and relate to people of a different culture, we should try getting to know them.
In countless circumstances, strangers’ suspicion or even hostility give way to friendship or even love when personal contacts produce understanding and mutual respect.⁶
An even greater help in learning to love our adversaries and our enemies is to seek to understand the power of love.
Here are three of many prophetic teachings about this.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “it is a time-honored adage that love begets love. Let us pour forth love—show forth our kindness unto all mankind.”⁷
President Howard W. Hunter taught: “The world in which we live would benefit greatly if men and women everywhere would exercise the pure love of Christ, which is kind, meek, and lowly.
It is without envy or pride. … It seeks nothing in return. … It has no place for bigotry, hatred, or violence. … It encourages diverse people to live together in Christian love regardless of religious belief, race, nationality, financial standing, education, or culture.”⁸
And President Russell M. Nelson has urged us to “expand our circle of love to embrace the whole human family.”⁹
An essential part of loving our enemies is to render unto Caesar by keeping the laws of our various countries.
Though Jesus’s teachings were revolutionary, He did not teach revolution or lawbreaking. He taught a better way.
Modern revelation teaches the same:
“Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.
“Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:21–22).
And our article of faith, written by the Prophet Joseph Smith after the early Saints had suffered severe persecution from Missouri officials, declares, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (Articles of Faith 1:12).
This does not mean that we agree with all that is done with the force of law.
It means that we obey the current law and use peaceful means to change it.
It also means that we peacefully accept the results of elections.
We will not participate in the violence threatened by those disappointed with the outcome.¹⁰
In a democratic society we always have the opportunity and the duty to persist peacefully until the next election.
The Savior’s teaching to love our enemies is based on the reality that all mortals are beloved children of God.
That eternal principle and some basic principles of law were tested in the recent protests in many American cities.
At one extreme, some seem to have forgotten that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the “right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
That is the authorized way to raise public awareness and to focus on injustices in the content or administration of the laws.
And there have been injustices.
In public actions and in our personal attitudes, we have had racism and related grievances.
In a persuasive personal essay, the Reverend Theresa A. Dear of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has reminded us that “racism thrives on hatred, oppression, collusion, passivity, indifference and silence.”¹¹
As citizens and as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we must do better to help root out racism.
At the other extreme, a minority of participants and supporters of these protests and the illegal acts that followed them seem to have forgotten that the protests protected by the Constitution are peaceful protests.
Protesters have no right to destroy, deface, or steal property or to undermine the government’s legitimate police powers.
The Constitution and laws contain no invitation to revolution or anarchy.
All of us—police, protesters, supporters, and spectators—should understand the limits of our rights and the importance of our duties to stay within the boundaries of existing law.
Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, “There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law.”¹²
Redress of grievances by mobs is redress by illegal means.
That is anarchy, a condition that has no effective governance and no formal police, which undermines rather than protects individual rights.
One reason the recent protests in the United States were shocking to so many was that the hostilities and illegalities felt among different ethnicities in other nations should not be felt in the United States.
This country should be better in eliminating racism not only against Black Americans, who were most visible in the recent protests, but also against Latinos, Asians, and other groups. This nation’s history of racism is not a happy one, and we must do better.
The United States was founded by immigrants of different nationalities and different ethnicities.
Its unifying purpose was not to establish a particular religion or to perpetuate any of the diverse cultures or tribal loyalties of the old countries.
Our founding generation sought to be unified by a new constitution and laws.
That is not to say that our unifying documents or the then-current understanding of their meanings were perfect.
The history of the first two centuries of the United States showed the need for many refinements, such as voting rights for women and, particularly, the abolition of slavery, including laws to ensure that those who had been enslaved would have all the conditions of freedom.
Two Yale University scholars recently reminded us:
“For all its flaws, the United States is uniquely equipped to unite a diverse and divided society. …
“… Its citizens don’t have to choose between a national identity and multiculturalism.
Americans can have both.
But the key is constitutional patriotism.
We have to remain united by and through the Constitution, regardless of our ideological disagreements.”¹³
Many years ago, a British foreign secretary gave this great counsel in a debate in the House of Commons: “We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies.
Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and these interests it is our duty to follow.”¹⁴
That is a good secular reason for following “eternal and perpetual” interests in political matters.
In addition, the doctrine of the Lord’s Church teaches us another eternal interest to guide us: the teachings of our Savior, who inspired the Constitution of the United States and the basic laws of many of our countries.
Loyalty to established law instead of temporary “allies” is the best way to love our adversaries and our enemies as we seek unity in diversity.
Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a divine vision of the worth of all others and the will and ability to rise above prejudice and racism.
As I have lived for many years in different places in this nation, the Lord has taught me that it is possible to obey and seek to improve our nation’s laws and also to love our adversaries and our enemies.
While not easy, it is possible with the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
He gave this command to love, and He promises His help as we seek to obey it. I testify that we are loved and will be helped by our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Jesus is the Christ, the Holy Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Only Begotten Son of God Our Heavenly Father. Jesus is the Prince of Comfort and Peace. SO BE OF GOOD CHEER. Love your family, friends, neighbors, and enemies. Do good to all including those who despitefully use you and persecute you.

Remarks: Be of Good Cheer

By President Dallin H. Oaks

First Counselor in the First Presidency

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquarters Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

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Our unshakable faith in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ guides our steps and gives us joy.
In the final days of His mortal life, Jesus Christ told His Apostles of the persecutions and hardships they would suffer.1
He concluded with this great assurance: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
That is the Savior’s message to all of our Heavenly Father’s children.
That is the ultimate good news for each of us in our mortal lives.
“Be of good cheer” was also a needed assurance in the world into which the resurrected Christ sent His Apostles.
“We are troubled on every side,” the Apostle Paul later told the Corinthians, “yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
Two thousand years later we are also “troubled on every side,” and we also need that same message not to despair but to be of good cheer.
The Lord has special love and concern for His precious daughters.
He knows of your wants, your needs, and your fears.
The Lord is all powerful. Trust Him.
The Prophet Joseph Smith was taught that “the works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1).
To His struggling children, the Lord gave these great assurances:
“Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.
“Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:5–6).
The Lord stands near us, and He has said:
“What I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you” (Doctrine and Covenants 61:36).
“For after much tribulation come the blessings” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:4).
Sisters, I testify that these promises, given in the midst of persecutions and personal tragedies, apply to each of you in your troubling circumstances today.
They are precious and remind each of us to be of good cheer and to have joy in the fulness of the gospel as we press forward through the challenges of mortality.
Tribulation and challenges are the common experiences of mortality.
Opposition is an essential part of the divine plan for helping us grow,2 and in the midst of that process, we have God’s assurance that, in the long view of eternity, opposition will not be allowed to overcome us.
With His help and our faithfulness and endurance, we will prevail.
Like the mortal life of which they are a part, all tribulations are temporary. In the controversies that preceded a disastrous war, United States president Abraham Lincoln wisely reminded his audience of the ancient wisdom that “this, too, shall pass away.”3
As you know, the mortal adversities of which I speak—which make it difficult to be of good cheer—sometimes come to us in common with many others, like the millions now struggling through some of the many devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, in the United States millions are suffering through a season of enmity and contention that always seems to accompany presidential elections but this time is the most severe many of the oldest of us can ever remember.
On a personal basis, each of us struggles individually with some of the many adversities of mortality, such as poverty, racism, ill health, job losses or disappointments, wayward children, bad marriages or no marriages, and the effects of sin—our own or others’.
Yet, in the midst of all of this, we have that heavenly counsel to be of good cheer and to find joy in the principles and promises of the gospel and the fruits of our labors.4
That counsel has always been so, for prophets and for all of us.
We know this from the experiences of our predecessors and what the Lord said to them.
Remember the circumstances of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Looked at through the lens of adversities, his life was one of poverty, persecution, frustration, family sorrows, and ultimate martyrdom.
As he suffered imprisonment, his wife and children and the other Saints suffered incredible hardships as they were driven out of Missouri.
When Joseph pleaded for relief, the Lord answered:
“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7–8).
This was the personal, eternal counsel that helped the Prophet Joseph to maintain his native cheery temperament and the love and loyalty of his people.
These same qualities strengthened the leaders and pioneers who followed and can strengthen you as well.
Think of those early members!
Again and again, they were driven from place to place.
Finally they faced the challenges of establishing their homes and the Church in a wilderness.5
Two years after the initial band of pioneers arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, the pioneers’ grip on survival in that hostile area was still precarious.
Most members were still on the trail across the plains or struggling to get resources to do so.
Yet leaders and members were still of hope and good cheer.
Even though the Saints were not settled in their new homes, at October 1849 general conference a new wave of missionaries was sent out to Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy, and the South Pacific.6
At what could have been thought their lowest level, the pioneers rose to new heights.
And just three years later, another 98 were also called to begin to gather scattered Israel.
One of the Church leaders explained that these missions “are generally, not to be very long ones; probably from 3 to 7 years will be as long as any man will be absent from his family.”7
Sisters, the First Presidency is concerned about your challenges.
We love you and pray for you.
At the same time, we often give thanks that our physical challenges—apart from earthquakes, fires, floods, and hurricanes—are usually less than our predecessors faced.
In the midst of hardships, the divine assurance is always “be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.
The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18).
How does this happen?
How did it happen for the pioneers?
How will it happen to women of God today?
By our following prophetic guidance, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [us],” the Lord said by revelation in April 1830.
“Yea,” He said, “… the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:6).
“Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34).
With the Lord’s promises, we “lift up [our] heart[s] and rejoice” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:13), and “with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:15), we go forward on the covenant path.
Most of us do not face decisions of giant proportions, like leaving our homes to pioneer an unknown land.
Our decisions are mostly in the daily routines of life,
but as the Lord has told us, “Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).
There is boundless power in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our unshakable faith in that doctrine guides our steps and gives us joy.
It enlightens our minds and gives strength and confidence to our actions.
This guidance and enlightenment and power are promised gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father.
By understanding and conforming our lives to that doctrine, including the divine gift of repentance, we can be of good cheer as we keep ourselves on the path toward our eternal destiny—reunion and exaltation with our loving heavenly parents.
“You may be facing overwhelming challenges,” Elder Richard G. Scott taught.
“Sometimes they are so concentrated, so unrelenting, that you may feel they are beyond your capacity to control.
Don’t face the world alone.
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding’ [Proverbs 3:5].
… It was intended that life be a challenge, not so that you would fail, but that you might succeed through overcoming.”8
It is all part of the plan of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
of which I testify,
as I pray that we will all persist
to our heavenly destination,
in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.

To know the Son is to know the Father. To follow the Father and the Son is to receive and enjoy Eternal Life!

To know the Son is to know the Father.

To follow the Father and the Son

is to receive and enjoy Eternal Life.

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

Book of Mormon, the book of Second Nephi, Chapter 2

Redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah—Freedom of choice (agency) is essential to existence and progression—Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy —Men are free to choose liberty and eternal life. About 588–570 B.C.

1 And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.

2 Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.

3 Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.

4 And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.

5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

9 Wherefore, he is the first fruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.

10 And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—

11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.

13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.

15 And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.

17 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.

18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.

20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.

21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.

22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.

30 I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen.

Given all the disasters, maybe there is value in refocusing. JESUS WAS AND STILL IS THE CHRIST, THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB OF GOD THE FATHER, THE HOLY MESSIAH, OUR RESURRECTION AND OUR LIFE, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD WHO SOON WILL COME!

Given all the disasters, maybe there is value in refocusing. JESUS WAS AND STILL IS THE CHRIST, THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB OF GOD THE FATHER, THE HOLY MESSIAH, OUR RESURRECTION AND OUR LIFE, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD WHO SOON WILL COME!

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Text by Martin Luther.

2.1. A mighty fortress is our God,

2.2. A tower of strength ne’er failing.

2.3. A helper mighty is our God,

2.4. O’er ills of life prevailing.

2.5. He overcometh all.

2.6. He saveth from the Fall.

2.7. His might and pow’r are great.

2.8. He all things did create.

2.9. And he shall reign for evermore.

CHRIST.
CHRIST THE LAMB.
CHRIST OF GOD.

He is Christ.
He is the Christ.
He is The Christ of God.
(Luke 9:20)
He is The Anointed One. (Greek)
He is The Messiah. (Hebrew)
“Jesus, who is called Christ,
is the firstborn of the Father in the spirit
and the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh.
“He is Jehovah,
and was foreordained to his great calling
in the Grand Councils
before the world was.
“He was born of Mary at Bethlehem,
lived a sinless life,
and wrought out a perfect atonement
for all mankind
by the shedding of his blood
and his death on the cross.
“He rose from the grave
and brought to pass the bodily resurrection
of every living thing
and the salvation
and exaltation
of the faithful.
“He is the greatest Being
to be born on this earth —
the perfect example —
and all religious things
should be done in his name. …
“He will come again
in power and great glory
to dwell on the earth,
and
“[He] will stand as Judge of all mankind
at the last day.”

(Bible Dictionary, Christ, pg. 633.)

LAMB.
LAMB OF GOD.
LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH.
SACRIFICIAL LAMB OF GOD.
He is the Lamb.
(Revelation 21:9,14,22,27; 22:1,3;
Revelation 5:6,8, 12-13; 6:16; 7:9, 14, 17; 12:11; 14:1,4,10;
15:3; 17:14; 19:7,9).
He is the Lamb without blemish and without spot.
(1 Pet. 1:19)
He is the Lamb of God.
(John 1:29,36)
He was and is the Sacrificial Lamb of God.
LIVING BREAD.

He is the Living bread (John 6:51).
The sacramental bread of life.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Moses gave you not that bread from heaven;
but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God
is he which cometh down from heaven,
and giveth life unto the world.
Then said they unto him,
Lord, evermore give us this bread.
And Jesus said unto them,
I am the bread of life:
he that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
(John 6:32-35)
“I am the living bread
which came down from heaven:
if any man eat of this bread,
he shall live for ever:
and the bread that I will give is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world.”
(John 6:51)

MESSIAH.
MESSIAS.

He is the Messiah.
He is the anointed one.
(Daniel 9:25)
He is the Messias.
He is the King and Deliverer.
He is the Messiah
whose coming the Jews eagerly expected..
(John 1:41; 4:25)
Messiah is fairer than the children of men.
Messiah is anointed with the oil of gladness
above his fellows.
Messiah is blessed forever.
Messiah is remembered in all generations.
(Psalm 45)
“Only the faithful were able [and are able]
to see in Jesus of Nazareth
the true Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.”
(Bible Dictionary, 731.)
“There is only one Messiah. (2 Nephi 25:18)
And his status as the Anointed One,
as the promised Savior,
is what constitutes his Messiahship.
Others do not
and cannot
attain a status of Messiahship
(for they are not born,
as Christ was,
inheriting life in themselves from an Immortal Parent),
though others may become joint-heirs
with him in his Father’s kingdom.”
(MD p. 489)
(Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 10:27; 11:1; John 1:49;
Acts 3:15; 5:31; Hebrews 2:10; 12:2; 2 Nephi 20:27;
Doctrine & Covenants 58:22; Moses 4:2; Abraham 3:27)

RESURRECTION.
RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.

He is the Resurrection.
He is the Ressurection and the Life for each of us.
(John 11:25)
“The resurrection consists in
the uniting of a spirit body with a body of flesh and bones,
never again to be divided.
The resurrection shall come to all,
because of Christ’s victory over death.
Jesus Christ was the first to be resurrected on this earth. …
Others had been brought back from death,
but were restored to mortality … ,
whereas a resurrection means to become immortal,
without blood,
yet with a body of flesh and bone.
All will not be raised to the same glory
in the resurrection … ,
nor will all come forth at the same time ….
Christ was first;
the righteous have precedence over the wicked,
and come forth in the first resurrection,
whereas the unrepentant sinners
come forth in the last resurrection …
The New Testament gives ample evidence
that Jesus rose with his physical body:
He ate fish and honey… ;
he said he had flesh and bones …;
the people touched him …;
the tomb was empty …;
and the angels said he had risen …
One of the most fundamental doctrines
taught by the Twelve
was that Jesus was risen from the tomb,
with his glorified, resurrected body, …
To obtain a resurrection
with a celestial, exalted body
is the center point of hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus
is the most glorious of all messages
to mankind.
Latter-day revelation
confirms the reality of the resurrection of Christ
and of all mankind, … .”
(Bible Dictionary, p. 761)
Yes, He raised Lazarus, yet Lazarus died.
He will raise us once and for all
and we shall live forever more.

SAVIOR.
SAVIOR OF ALL MANKIND.
SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

He is The Savior.
(Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:11;
Acts 5:31; 13:23; Philip. 3:20)
He is our Savior.
(1 Timothy 2:3; 2 Timothy 1:10;
Titus 2:10, 13; 3:6)
He is The Savior of our body.
(Ephesians 5:23).
He is The Savior of Israel.
(Acts 13:23)
He is The Savior of the World
(John 4:42; 1 John. 4:14)
We can never be thankful enough
that He is the Savior of our spirits and our bodies.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Text by Martin Luther.

180.1. A mighty fortress is our God,

180.2. A tower of strength ne’er failing.

180.3. A helper mighty is our God,

180.4. O’er ills of life prevailing.

180.5. He overcometh all.

180.6. He saveth from the Fall.

180.7. His might and pow’r are great.

180.8. He all things did create.

180.9. And he shall reign for evermore.

Redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah