What We Believe - Jesus Christ

I've been thinking for a while about writing a series of posts that explain more about what we believe. As most of you know, Jason and I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I love it. And it makes me so happy. And it has been the biggest blessing in my life, of all my blessings, my whole life.

Because my faith makes me so happy, I want to share it with you, and explain exactly what we actually have faith in. I'm going to break it down into a series of weekly posts, until it's all here.

The first, and most important thing about what we believe:

We believe in Jesus Christ.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." 
- 2 Nephi 25:26

We believe that he is the son of God. We believed that he came to earth (just like us) and lived a perfect life (not like us), and because he was perfect and committed no sins, he was able to pay the price for our sins. He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross to pay for our sins. Because of this atonement we will be able to live with God after we die, even though we've lived imperfect lives here. Jesus Christ saved us, which is why he is called our Savior, and our Redeemer. 

          "He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

          "He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth." - The Living Christ 

In addition to saving us from spiritual death, Jesus also saved us from physical death. As the son of a mortal mother (Mary) and an immortal father (God), he was able to take up his life again after he died. He rose from the tomb, which is called being "resurrected." And because he was resurrected and broke the bands of death, we will all be resurrected, too. After we die, we will live again - not just as spirits, but with our perfected, immortal bodies. 

Jesus Christ loves us individually. He knows each one of us. He wants us to be happy. To show us how to be happy, he has given us commandments. Keeping the commandments leads us to happiness and peace. When Jesus says to "Come follow me," he means to come know him, learn who he is and his love for us, and keep his commandments. If we follow him and try to be like him, we will be happy.

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency of our church has said:

"We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world. 

"We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son." - The Living Christ

I'd like to add my witness to theirs that I know Jesus Christ is the son of God. He is our Savior. He lives. He loves us. He wants us to be happy. I know these things are true. I have felt them in my life.

If you have any questions about what I've written here, feel free to contact me through email or leave a comment.


Resources you might be interested in:

• Jesus Christ, Savior & Redeemer, a page on our church's website that explains what Jesus Christ means to us, how he is our Savior, what it means to have faith in Jesus Christ, and how to follow him
• Mormon.org, a website filled with answers to frequently asked questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• The Living Christ, a testimony of Jesus Christ
• Chat with the Missionaries, where you can live chat with Mormon missionaries and ask them any questions you want.