The Savior Wants to Forgive

I had just finished skimming through Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s April 2011 General Conference talk, The Divine Gift of Repentance, when I decided to take a look at the visiting teaching message for July—which just happens to be, “ Divine Attributes of Jesus Christ: Forgiving and Merciful”. I read through that, and then I did a quick search on LDS.org about forgiveness—and one of the things that popped up in the search results was a link to “The Savior Wants to Forgive,” a General Conference talk by Elder Craig A. Cardon. And just that title hit me and I knew that sentence is something the Savior wants all of us to know—He WANTS to forgive. It’s not just that He is kind of willing to, or He’s honor-bound to do so if we repent because of divine law, or anything like that. He WANTS to forgive—so much that He was willing to pay the price for our sins so that we could repent. He doesn’t give forgiveness grudgingly; He gives it willingly, joyfully, eagerly. Indeed, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, He is standing, watching, and runs to meet us with open arms when we come to Him seek forgiveness. No matter how unworthy we may feel, or how frustrated we may get with ourselves as we sin again (does it drive you nuts that you’re an imperfect human being? It makes me absolutely crazy mad sometimes that I am! It would be so nice to perfect!), that is NOT how Jesus feels. He knows us and loves us and He rejoices in our repentance. He does make us go through the repentance process, which can definitely be painful, but that is a sign of His love for us. As Elder Christofferson said, “Without repentance, there is no real progress or improvement in life…Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it.” Being able to repent—and then to receive the forgiveness that Christ so willingly gives us—truly is a gift. Let us remember that the Savior truly WANTS to forgive us—every single time, again and again and again.

Virtue

The visiting teaching message for June is about virtue.

This was kind of a difficult topic for me because I don’t feel like I even fully understand what we mean when we talk about virtue--it seems like there is a very narrow definition (virtue = chastity) and a very broad definition (virtue = every good characteristic we could ever hope to have). So, I had to start just by looking at what it is, and in the VT message, it quotes President Faust, who said that it “encompasses all traits of righteousness that help us form our character.”

Preach My Gospel says it “is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards.”

One of the scriptures mentioned at the end of the visiting teaching message is Psalm 24:3-5, which doesn’t directly mention virtue but talks about having “clean hands and a pure heart”.

And finally, I turned to a talk by Elaine S. Dalton, since virtue was a major topic that she addressed while she was the YW General President.  She said, “It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind...It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions.

So, having a basic understanding of virtue, I was intrigued by the question posed at the end of the visiting teaching message: “How does virtue empower and strengthen us?” I thought of just a few things, although I’m sure there are many others:

·         It qualifies us for the Holy Ghost and for God’s help

·         It, among other things, qualifies us to enter the temple and receive all of the blessings and power available there

·         It allows us to have a clear conscience before God, rather than being tormented by guilt

·         It helps us to see clearly (we are fixed on God and striving to do His will, which helps us to can see the temptations of the devil and the enticing of the world for what they truly are and to not be distracted or deceived)

·         It brings joy into our lives as we follow God’s plan for us

·         “Through virtue we find the power divine that can change the world”

·         The “From the Scriptures” section recounts the story of the woman with an issue of blood who touched Christ’s robe and was healed. Jesus said “virtue is gone out of me.”  The section goes onto call the woman “virtuous” and then says, “Through His virtue, Christ can heal, enable, strengthen, comfort, and cheer when we choose with courage and faith to reach out to Him.” To me, this seems to show a connection between the woman’s virtue and Christ’s virtue; by her living virtuously, through having clean hands and a pure heart and faith in Christ, she was able to reach out to Him and then have His virtue heal her.

I don’t know feel like I have a very strong grasp of this principle; it’s something I’ll have to study more. However, I want to close by sharing a song that really touches my heart. I don’t fully get the principle, but I feel the Spirit testifying that there is power in being virtuous when I listen to this song, and I hope you can feel it, too.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/music/2011/04?lang=eng&session=6&song=2&media=video#watch=video

Therefore They Hushed Their Fears

I really enjoyed Elder David A. Bednar’s talk from the April 2015 General Conference: “Therefore They Hushed Their Fears.”
 He talked briefly about how it can be easy to be afraid in a world in commotion, but then he taught that “Fear is dispelled through a correct knowledge of and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” He shared the story of Alma’s people living in Helam, who, as a Lamanite army headed toward them, were afraid—but Alma told them to “remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them. Therefore they hushed their fears” (Mosiah 23:27–28).” He points out that it wasn’t Alma who hushed their fears; instead, the people, remembering God and His power and protection, “enabled the people to hush their own fears.”
 Elder Bednar mentions some ways that our fears can be hushed as we remember God:

• “Trust and confidence in Christ and a ready reliance on His merits, mercy, and grace lead to hope, through His Atonement, in the Resurrection and eternal life (see Moroni 7:41). 
• The power of the Atonement makes repentance possible and quells the despair caused by sin; it also strengthens us to see, do, and become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity. 
•  The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness (see Colossians 1:23) that helps us maintain a consistent focus on our heavenly destination. Thus, we can be blessed to hush our fears because His doctrine provides purpose and direction in all aspects of our lives. 
•  His ordinances and covenants fortify and comfort in times both good and bad. 
•  And His priesthood authority gives assurance that the things that matter most can endure both in time and in eternity.” 

 So, our fears can be hushed—but how do we do it? How do we invite Christ’s peace into our lives? Elder Bednar gave this counsel: “Three basic principles are central to receiving this blessing in our lives: (1) look to Christ, (2) build upon the foundation of Christ, and (3) press forward with faith in Christ” and then gave counsel on how to do each of those things.
 Elder Bednar stated, “The counsel Alma gave to his son Helaman applies precisely to each of us today: ‘Yea, see that ye look to God and live’ (Alma 37:47). We should look to and have our focus firmly fixed upon the Savior at all times and in all places.” We can be blessed to conquer our fears and strengthen our faith as we follow the Lord’s instruction: “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36). I like how Elder Bednar reminded us to focus on Christ; it reminded me of one of my favorite General Conference Talks, “It Is Better to Look Up” by Elder Carl B. Cook. He talked about looking to Christ and gave some advice on how to do that, beginning with this: “Believe in God; believe that he is … ; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth.”(Mosiah 4:9). He also said that “we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction” and counseled us to remember Christ, and to look for the ways that He leads us: “So how will He lead us today? Through prophets, apostles, and priesthood leaders and through feelings that come after we pour out our hearts and souls to Heavenly Father in prayer. He leads us as we forsake the things of the world, repent, and change. He leads us as we keep His commandments and try to be more like Him. And He leads us through the Holy Ghost. In order to be guided in life’s journey and have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, we must have a “hearing ear” and a “seeing eye,” both directed upward. We must act on the direction we receive. We must look up and step up. And as we do, I know we will cheer up, for God wants us to be happy.” I loved these thoughts on how we can focus on Christ—we can follow our Priesthood leaders, repent, pray, seek the Holy Ghost, etc., and as we do things, we fill be focused on our Savior and come closer to Him. 

Elder Bednar’s next counsel was to build upon the foundation of Christ—a familiar piece of counsel, but what does it actually mean? How do you know if you’re building on His foundation? Well, Elder Bednar said this: “Ordinances and covenants are the building blocks we use to construct our lives upon the foundation of Christ and His Atonement. We are connected securely to and with the Savior as we worthily receive ordinances and enter into covenants, faithfully remember and honor those sacred commitments, and do our best to live in accordance with the obligations we have accepted. And that bond is the source of spiritual strength and stability in all of the seasons of our lives.” So, by participating in the ordinances of the Gospel—such as the sacrament—and honoring our covenants, we build on the foundation of Christ. We are drawn closer to our Savior and to his peace, and then, as Elder Bednar stated, “We can be blessed to hush our fears as we firmly establish our desires and deeds upon the sure foundation of the Savior through our ordinances and covenants.”

Next, Elder Bednar talked about pressing forward with faith in Christ, referencing the famous scripture, 2 Nephi 31:20. He noted, “The disciplined endurance described in this verse is the result of spiritual understanding and vision, persistence, patience, and God’s grace. Exercising faith in and on the holy name of Jesus Christ, meekly submitting to His will and timing in our lives, and humbly acknowledging His hand in all things yield the peaceable things of the kingdom of God that bring joy and eternal life (see D&C 42:61).” So, as we learn and grow spiritually, persist in doing what God asks us to do, exercise patience, seek God’s grace, exercise faith in Christ, submit to God’s will and timing, and in humility acknowledge Him, we will be able to press forward, even in the midst of a world that is in commotion. “We can be blessed to hush our fears as we receive the fortitude that comes from learning and living gospel principles and resolutely pressing forward on the covenant pathway.”

Finally, Elder Bednar addressed godly fear—which he said “is a source of peace, assurance, and confidence.” This fear “encompasses a deep feeling of reverence, respect, and awe for the Lord Jesus Christ (see Psalm 33:8; 96:4) and “godly fear dispels mortal fears”—because if we have godly fear, we know who Christ is and we know that His Atonement is more powerful than ANYTHING that can ever happen to us. Whatever Satan throws at us, whatever scary things may go on in this world, Jesus Christ is the answer—and as we fear Him, we have no need to fear anything else. Elder Bednar stated, “Godly fear is loving and trusting in Him. As we fear God more completely, we love Him more perfectly. And ‘perfect love casteth out all fear’ (Moroni 8:16). I promise the bright light of godly fear will chase away the dark shadows of mortal fears (see D&C 50:25) as we look to the Savior, build upon Him as our foundation, and press forward on His covenant path with consecrated commitment. His power and peace are real. He is our Redeemer, and I witness He lives. And because of Him, our hearts need not be troubled or afraid (see John 14:27).” I don’t know about you, but I definitely experience fear as I look at the world we live in, so appreciated Elder Bednar’s reassurance that we don’t have to be afraid and also his lessons on HOW we can actually turn to Christ and overcome those fears. When we “learn of [Christ], and listen to [His] words, walk in the meekness of [His] Spirit, [then we] shall have peace in [Christ]” (D&C 19:23).

Always with Us

Light and Life

Messiah

This month’s visiting teaching message focuses on Christ’s role as the Messiah. It says, “The scriptures teach that we can dwell in the presence of God ‘through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah’ (2 Nephi 2:8). Messiah is ‘an Aramaic and Hebrew word meaning “the anointed.” … In the New Testament Jesus is called the Christ, which is the Greek equivalent of Messiah. It means the anointed Prophet, Priest, King, and Deliverer.’¹”

Some thoughts I’ve had as I’ve been studying this message are:

                What does it mean that Christ is anointed?

                How did He or will He fufill the roles of Prophet, Priest, King, and Deliverer?

Turning to the Bible Dictionary and Guide to the Scriptures, there are some great insights into what it means that Christ is the Messiah.

“He is the one anointed of the Father to be the Father’s personal representative in all things pertaining to the salvation of mankind.” Heavenly Father anointed Jesus Christ. We can trust our Father to have chosen exactly the right Savior for us. Knowing that Jesus was anointed by our Heavenly Father gives us an extra witness that Jesus is indeed the Christ.

What is a prophet and how did/does Christ fill that role?

“A prophet is a person who has been called by and speaks for God. As a messenger of God, a prophet receives commandments, prophecies, and revelations from God. His responsibility is to make known God’s will and true character to mankind and to show the meaning of his dealings with them. A prophet denounces sin and foretells its consequences. He is a preacher of righteousness. On occasion, prophets may be inspired to foretell the future for the benefit of mankind. His primary responsibility, however, is to bear witness of Christ.”

Jesus Christ was called by Heavenly Father to speak for Him. In His mortal ministry, He told all who would listen about Heavenly Father’s commandments and revealed truths to them. In testifying of His own divinity and His oneness with the Father, He tried to teach people who God really is and what His character really is. He continues to do that, today—speaking through His chosen prophets to the world as a whole, or through the Holy Ghost to individuals. One of the major things that was lost through the Apostasy was men’s knowledge of who God is; even today there are so many people who think of God as either a scary, demanding Deity, or as a permissive God who makes no demands of people whatsoever. However, as we study the scriptures and listen to the words of the prophets, we see that God is neither scary nor permissive; He is both merciful and just. It’s interesting to see how many of the revelations in the D&C begin with Jesus giving some sort of explanation of who He is—“whose eyes are upon all men” (D&C1:1),  “God doth not…vary from that which he hath said” (D&C3:1), “I am Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord, the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the World” (D&C 19:1), etc. One of the most important truths that was restored through Joseph Smith is who the Lord truly is. Jesus Christ truly is a prophet, teaching us what Heavenly Father wants us to know, testifying of His own role as the Christ, and teaching us the true character of both Himself and His Father. It is through that knowledge that we can come to believe that Christ will save us and that we allow Him to be our Messiah.

What is a priest and how did/does Christ fill that role?

“The essential idea of a Hebrew priest was that of a mediator between his people and God by representing them officially in worship and sacrifice. By virtue of his office he was able to draw nigh to God, while they, because of their sins and infirmities, must needs stand afar off.”

Jesus Christ is the great High Priest, the ultimate mediator between us and Heavenly Father. He represented us as He suffered for the sins of all mankind and died on the cross for us. His pure, perfect life allows Him to approach the throne of God and plead for us, unencumbered by any sins, imperfections, doubts, etc. that we might have and which would keep us from being able to draw near to our Father. Because He is our Priest, He

What is a king and how did/does Christ fill that role?

A couple definitions of king:

“the male ruler of an independent state, especially one who inherits the position by right of birth.”

“a male ruler of a country who usually inherits his position and rules for life”

I like how these point out that the position is often inherited through birth and lasts for life. Jesus Christ became our King because He is the Only Begotten of the Father. Being born of a Divine Father and a mortal mother, Christ was uniquely positioned to be our King—and that is a position He holds for life, even life eternal. While Christ did not rule as King of the Jews or a particular territory during His mortal life, He will someday be recognized by the world at large as King, and He is the ruler we can turn to even now to get guidance for how to live our lives. As the world often becomes more permissive in its laws, we can look to our King to see what He would have us do—and thus be freed from falling victim to false teachings and doctrines.

What is a deliverer and how did/does Christ fill that role?

“Jesus Christ is the Deliverer of mankind because he rescues all from the bondage of death and the repentant from the penalties of sin.” He has liberated all of us from physical death and any who will accept Him from spiritual death.

Jesus truly is our Messiah—our Prophet, Priest, King, and Deliverer. As we recognize Him as such, our lives will be abundantly blessed. We will come to know who God is and how we can become like Him.

Our Advocate

The visiting teaching message for July is "The Divine Mission of Jesus Christ:Advocate". It begins,"Jesus Christ is our Advocate with the Father. The word advocate has Latin roots meaning “one who pleads for another.”¹ The Savior pleads for us, using understanding, justice, and mercy. Knowing this can fill us with love and gratitude for His Atonement."

I've spent a lot of time thinking about what that means, and here are a few of my thoughts:

The Savior has a perfect understanding of each one of us; as we learn in Alma 7:11-13,

“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 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.

“Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.”

Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ became one with each of us; He felt and experienced all of our sins and transgressions, our mistakes and our infirmities and disappointments. He felt the pain and consequences that we experiences because of our own sins but also because of others’ sins against us. He knows exactly who we are and WHY we are who we are—the things that have shaped each one of us.

Because of His Atonement, Jesus Christ has earned the right to be our judge; He knows each case. He has also earned the right to be our advocate—or our adversary. He satisfied the demands of justice  (see 2 Nephi 2:8-9), and He chose “to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men…For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men” (Moroni 7:27-28).

Having a perfect knowledge of each us, Christ could argue against us; He could point out all of our imperfections and mistakes and sins and say that justice requires us to be permanently cut off from God. Instead, He chooses to be merciful and points out that He is willing to pay the price to satisfy justice and asks the Father to let us repent and be forgiven and ultimately to be allowed back into His presence.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means that Christ is our advocate, and I think I have more questions than answers, but I’ve had a few insights that I’d like to consider more.

What is an advocate and why do we need an advocate? What if Jesus Christ weren’t our advocate? What do we learn about Jesus Christ because He is willing to be our advocate?

The basic definition of advocate is someone who pleads the cause of another person. Jesus Christ pleads our cause…but He’s pleading our cause with Heavenly Father, who is perfect and He would judge us righteously. So, do we need Christ to argue in our behalf or plead our cause? If so, why? What would happen if He weren’t? What if He said, “I’ll atone for them, so justice is fulfilled, but that’s all I’m going to do”?

One thought I’ve had is that this is similar to a passage about prayer from the Bible Dictionary: “Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them.” Heavenly Father desires to give us everything that we need, but sometimes, we have to ask before He gives those blessings to us. We need to do a little bit of work. Similarly, with trying to become like Him and trying to return to Him, we need to do some work and we need to ask…but in some ways, we probably don’t even know how to plead our cause; we don’t know what we need or fully understand the reasons we did something or how we’ve been shaped or influenced by others. Jesus Christ, though, knowing each of us individually and perfectly, knows exactly how to plead our cause.

I think another reason we need Jesus Christ to be our advocate is because we need to know that Someone believes in us and is supporting us; some of the synonyms for “advocate” are friend, supporter, and true believer. Who doesn’t need a friend, supporter, and true believer? Knowing that Jesus Christ believes in us and is supporting us surely sustains us in our lives.

Some of the antonyms and near antonyms of “advocate” are: adversary, antagonist, enemy, rival, belittler, critic, faultfinder. Which of us wants an enemy or a rival competing against us, or someone who belittles, criticizes, and finds our faults? I don’t. And the thing is, Jesus Christ could do that—He could easily point out our faults and since He lived a perfect life, He’d be a rather formidable rival, and we would always falls short in comparison. However, that’s not who He chooses to be. He chooses to be our friend and advocate.

I don’t know how things would play out for us if Christ weren’t our advocate; I do think Heavenly Father would still judge us fairly. However, knowing that Christ not only atoned for us but also continues working on our behalf, advocating for us, helps us to know how much He loves us and how much He truly wants us to accept His Atonement so that we can be saved.

As a final thought, thinking about Christ’s role as our advocate makes me think of the fourth verse of “Reverently and Meekly Now,” a sacrament hymn that is written in the first person, as if Christ Himself were addressing us:

At the throne I intercede;

For thee ever do I plead.

I have loved thee as thy friend,

With a love that cannot end.

Be obedient, I implore,

Prayerful, watchful evermore,

And be constant unto me,

That thy Savior I may be.

Jesus Christ is the Savior and advocate of all who will accept Him as such. He loves us and He is asking us to let Him work in our lives and in our hearts. He’s our advocate with the Father, but I think sometimes He’s also our advocate with ourselves. When we are ready to give up on ourselves and think we just aren’t ever going to be good enough, He reminds us that we are children of God, that He is our Savior, and that together, we CAN do all that Heavenly Father asks us of us.