Who is Jesus Christ?
Choosing the gospel of Jesus Christ will be the most uplifting experience you can have. It will equip you for a successful and happy journey through life.
Hello! Welcome to I Believe in Christ.
This blog is a personal expression of faith, but my hope is that readers will also be able to connect to Jesus Christ. Although faith is an individual matter, it can often be kindled by hearing someone else express their own experiences.
Please feel free to share your own insights and thoughts in the comments!
This post will be geared toward people who are new to Christianity, especially to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Maybe you’re curious: who are Christians and what do they believe?
Generally, Christians are people who are disciples, or followers, of Jesus Christ. Christ is a title from the Greek, Christos, meaning “anointed one” or “chosen one.” You may occasionally hear the Hebrew equivalent, Messiah.
Jesus’s teachings were recorded by some of his early disciples and later compiled into what is known as the Bible. His teachings were pivotal and unique to his time, but that is not all that sets him apart.
The most important beliefs in Christianity are:
Jesus is the son of God
Jesus was born to save mankind from the effects of sin and death
Jesus atoned (paid the price) for our sins, died, and was resurrected
From this point, many Christian churches differ in what they believe and teach. This can be frustrating and confusing for some, because while Jesus lived on the earth he personally established the beginnings of his church:
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ [meaning, Christ’s church]:
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”
Ephesians 4:11-13, clarification & emphasis added
However, that church was lost with the deaths of his apostles, who were his special representatives to all the world. Many, if not most, of the original apostles gave their lives as martyrs for their beliefs.
But before I talk about Jesus’s church, it might be helpful to go back to the beginning.
Why Do We Need a Savior?
While it’s possible to live a fulfilling life without religion or churches, knowing and having a personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ has no equivalent or replacement. To understand why we need a Savior, we must first understand what it is we need saving from.
A story might be helpful.
A modern-day apostle, Elder Boyd K Packer, told a parable about a man who went into debt for something he greatly desired (text version here). On the day his loan came due, he was unable to pay. He begged his creditor for mercy, but his creditor demanded justice. It seemed that both justice and mercy could not be served… until a third party stepped in.
The third man had enough wealth to pay the debt. He could satisfy the creditor and appease justice while simultaneously offering mercy to the debtor. The debtor had only to fulfill the conditions of his benefactor in order repay the debt.
Let’s look at the components of the parable:
The Law
The loan contract was legally binding. Consequences were agreed upon before the contract was finalized, and the law was required to enforce those consequences in order to protect the party who had been wronged.
We also have laws that we are bound to, with consequences. These include not only manmade laws, but laws of nature. Gravity, for example, cannot be bargained with. We cannot wish it away. It will have its effect regardless.
Similarly, there are spiritual laws that cannot be wished away. For example, our foolish choices sometimes cause others pain or harm. Manmade law seeks to settle some of these mistakes and provide a measure of justice, but there are also spiritual laws with spiritual consequences that must be enforced.
We can sometimes feel these consequences as emotions—such as guilt, regret, remorse, disconnect, or incongruity—but we also experience an effect on the soul-level. Mistakes tarnish the soul. For smaller transgressions the consequences are sometimes difficult to notice, but they can add up over time and become quite heavy if nothing is done to remove them.
The Creditor
In the parable, the creditor was a man of wealth. His wealth gave him power to finance the debtor so the debtor could have the thing he desired.
It is an oversimplification to refer to God as merely a creditor. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect, and perfectly loving. In terms of spiritual wealth, he has it all. But despite his greatness, he asks us to call him “Heavenly Father,” a term of familial rather than authoritarian relationship.
Unlike the creditor in the parable, God, our Heavenly Father, wants to grant us mercy. But justice, as a natural law, must be satisfied. God knew we would make mistakes, but he didn’t want to lose us. Because of this, he created the plan that would enable a Savior to intervene on our behalf.
He sent his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be our mediator. Thus the “creditor” created the very plan that would redeem us, the “debtors.”
The Mediator
In the parable, the mediator is the wealthy third party who intervenes to prevent the full weight of the law from being exercised upon the debtor.
Jesus was the only person born to the earth who lived a life without incurring any spiritual debt. Like his Father, he was perfect. In a way that is difficult to comprehend, he took our spiritual debt upon himself and offered us an alternative.
In about 83 B.C., Alma, an ancient American prophet, said of Jesus:
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”
Alma 7:11-12, emphasis added
Speaking to the modern-day prophet, Joseph Smith, in 1829 A.D., Jesus Christ (also referred to as God, as he is a perfect being) described his Atonement (his payment of the debt):
“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”
Doctrine & Covenants 19:16-19, emphasis added
Because of Jesus Christ, we can be spared some of the consequences of our mistakes. Receiving his mercy and grace depend upon us choosing him as our creditor. This necessitates us entering into another “contract,” one which carries challenging but manageable obligations.
The Second Contract
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a “contract” that we can choose to enter into. We do so by making covenants (or promises) with him. His gospel consists of the following:
Faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement
Repentance
Baptism
Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost
Enduring faithfully until the end of life, continually keeping God’s commandments & renewing our covenants
By committing to this path we are promised help along the way. Thus, rather than being required to be perfect all at once we are provided an opportunity to improve over time—to make mistakes and learn from them. To receive continual help from God, who wants us to succeed.
The gospel path—the covenant path—is a gradual upward slope. It is the path to the thing that we went into debt for in the first place: to become like God (that is, both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ). To become perfect like both of them. This is the path to the most lasting, perfect happiness possible. It is the path to joy and eternal, loving, perfect relationships together with our families.
My Need for a Savior
I’m currently fighting a muscle-wasting disease called Bethlem myopathy. That’s the diagnosis I received just over a year ago. I’ve had mystery pain since my early teenage years, and over seven years ago I lost the ability to raise my arms. I’m questioning and researching much of what has caused my disease. Supposedly there is no cure or treatment available. But I’ve always believed I can get better.
You can read more about my healing journey on my personal blog, Ordinary Girl.
Even though my disease is not something I’ve done wrong, Jesus Christ suffered for this kind of injustice, too. If you’ll recall in the scripture above, “he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind.”
Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, he can offer strength and comfort during life’s unfairness. He does not always take away our challenges, since challenges are what help us to learn and improve. However, we can feel sustaining peace despite our challenges.
There have been days when I felt sure I could not go on. The fatigue and discouragement and pain sometimes feel crushing. The gains I am making sometimes seem negligible. But if I am to succeed—if I truly want to heal from a supposedly “incurable” illness (and I believe I can)—then I can’t give up now.
I’ve been praying for years. And, so far, the weight of each day has been made bearable and I continue to see gradual improvement. I’m learning to accept the pains of growth and the tiny, tiny everyday miracles.
It’s transformative, being able to appreciate something that others might despise or overlook, such as pain, sleep, or just being able to stand barefoot on the warm earth.
But in order to have such appreciation and resilience, I needed a Savior who would stay with me during the hard moments when no one else was there. And who knows exactly what I’m feeling because he felt it, too. He knows how painful all of it is, and if it wasn’t for my benefit I know he would take it away. Instead, he carries it with me, which makes it bearable.
But I have made mistakes, too. My soul has been carrying thickening layers of tarnish since childhood. Self-loathing, resentment, fear, bitterness, guilt, and sorrow have weighed upon my heart. But he is lifting those burdens, too. I’m learning to forgive myself and others. That, as much as anything, is what makes my current burdens lighter.
The Invitation
I invite you to follow along on your own journey of spiritual healing. If you have not already entered into the gospel path, you may want to learn more. I’ve provided some links that may be helpful.
From personal experience, I can tell you that enduring to the end is both the most difficult and most rewarding part. Anything worthwhile takes effort. But choosing the gospel of Jesus Christ will be the most uplifting experience you can have. It will equip you for a successful and happy journey through life.
Next time, I want to talk more in detail about God’s plan of happiness for our lives and the role of the gospel in that plan.
Have a blessed Sunday!
This is blog is not an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn the Church’s official doctrine and teachings please visit: comeuntochrist.org.
Recommended Study
The Living Christ: A declaration from modern-day apostles about Jesus Christ’s role and mission.
Atonement of Jesus Christ: An overview of Jesus Christ’s unique role as Savior, with links to ancient and modern scripture.
God the Father: An study guide for learning more about our Heavenly Father, with links to ancient and modern scripture.
Because of Him: A brief Easter message about Jesus’s life and mission.
Gethsemane: A children’s song about the Atonement. Gethsemane was the name of the garden where Jesus’s suffering began.