Come unto Christ

In this month’s special issue of the Ensign on the Savior, President Henry B. Eyring discusses a pattern he has observed among those who accept the invitation to come unto Christ. In “Come unto Christ” (also available on the new Web site JesusChrist.lds.org) President Eyring mentions three truths the Holy Ghost has manifested to people he knew who came unto the Savior. President Eyring is a man who is very close to the Spirit, and the pattern he describes shows how the Spirit works on us to helps us become perfected in Christ. Basically, it leads from belief to action to total conversion. It is in that last step that he speaks of retention of converts. He gives what I believe to be an important insight:

“We sometimes speak of retaining members as if we held them in. We can and we must be a friend to those who have made the choice to come unto Him. They can become discouraged when trials come, as trials always do. Yet we must remember that the best and surest friends they have are the Savior and His Father, who is also their Father. Heavenly Father and the Savior will send them the Holy Ghost to comfort them and confirm their faith if they are humbly obedient.”

I believe that this is true of all who have come unto Christ, whether they were baptized last week or 80 years ago, whether they are converts or lifelong members.

He Lives!

In this month’s special issue of the Ensign on the Lord Jesus Christ is an article that compiles testimonies of the modern prophets regarding the Savior. “He Lives! The Witness of Latter-day Prophets” (also available on JesusChrist.lds.org) contains statements from 15 Presidents of the Church about the reality of Jesus Christ and His central role in the salvation of mankind. One remarkable thing about these quotes is the consistently bold manner of their declaration of Christ’s divinity. Another thing I find remarkable is the focus on the witness of the Spirit in the statements by Joseph F. Smith and Lorenzo Snow. After they made these statements, these men had visions, and through his granddaughter we know that Lorenzo Snow saw the Savior in the Salt Lake Temple. Yet it was the Holy Ghost bearing witness to their hearts that really gave them a testimony. And so it shall always be.

Ensign Promotional Video

The Church magazines have posted this promotional video on their Web site at SpecialMagazine.lds.org. It gives a good overview of the March 2008 special issue of the Ensign. The voiceover simply reads quotes from some of the articles in the issue, but it hangs together so well that it could stand on its own as a statement of our beliefs about the Savior. Check it out. You can download it in a couple of different formats and sizes. 

Was I Saved?

Another good article from this month’s special issue of the Ensign is one that describes a situation that many Church members may find themselves in at some time or other. “Was I Saved” is one young woman’s account of her visit to a friend’s church meeting and her subsequent confusion about whether she really needed to publicly accept Jesus in the manner prescribed there. This article teaches us two things: (1) we should prepare people we invite to our meetings for the things that might be unfamiliar to them, and (2) we Mormons have no reason to doubt whether we’ve been “saved” or have done everything necessary to accept Christ. The article also refers to a good talk by Elder Oaks on this subject.

Plain and Precious Truths

In this month’s Ensign, which is a special issue on the Lord Jesus Christ, is another article noteworthy for its clarity, brevity, and insight. “Plain and Precious Truths” simply lists 25 truths regarding our beliefs about the Savior and then gives statements supporting those truths from the Bible as well as latter-day scripture and prophets. The statements range from “Jesus Christ was in the beginning with the Father and is the Firstborn” to “The Savior can change human nature” to “The Lord will judge the world in righteousness.” The supporting statements show both the continuity of Christian teaching and the added insight gained through the Restoration.

We Believe

The March 2008 Ensign, a special issue on the Lord Jesus Christ, contains an FAQ article regarding Latter-day Saint beliefs about the Savior. “We Believe,” which is also available on the new Web site JesusChrist.lds.org, briefly answers questions ranging from the historical Jesus, to the Resurrection, to the role of grace in salvation, to the relative importance of Joseph Smith. Though the article cannot delve too deeply into any of these questions, the answers are straightforward and more than satisfactory explanations of Latter-day Saint doctrine on key questions of our faith.

We Testify of Jesus Christ

The March 2008 issue of the Ensign and Liahona focuses on the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition to the testimonies of modern apostles and prophets, it contains stories and expressions of gratitude and love for the Savior from members around the world.

 

The first article in the issue is “We Testify of Jesus Christ” (also available on a new Church Web site, JesusChrist.lds.org). It is the last original message by President Gordon B. Hinckley published in the Church magazines and would be noteworthy for this fact alone, but it is also a strong and powerful witness of the reality of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world. As you read it, you can hear President Hinckley’s voice, his intonations, his earnest and matter-of-fact declarations of Christ’s divinity. He did, in fact, use many of these same expressions before, but that doesn’t matter. One of his legacies will be his testimony of the Savior, which will reverberate in our hearts for years to come. For instance, he said:

 

“Like the Polar Star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith.”

 

I am grateful for President Hinckley and for the faithful witness he bore of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.