In church today we were encouraged to read this together with our families as we carry on with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, that we might remember the reason we celebrate Christmas.
To Celebrate the birth, life and ministry of our Savior Jesus Christ
The Living Christ
The
following testimony was dated January 1, 2000, and signed by the members
of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
“As we commemorate the birth of Jesus
Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of
His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None
other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet
live upon the earth.
“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 , 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.
“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.
“He rose from the grave
to ‘become the firstfruits of them that slept’ (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord,
He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among his
‘other sheep’ (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the
modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph
Smith, ushering in the long-promised ‘dispensation of the fulness of
times’ (Ephesians 1:10).
“Of the Living Christ,
the Prophet Joseph wrote: ‘His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his
head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness
of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even
the voice of Jehovah, saying:
“‘I am the first and the
last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the
Father’ (D&C 110:3–4).
“Of Him the Prophet also
declared: ‘And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him,
this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
“‘For we saw him, even
on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the
Only Begotten of the Father—
“‘That by him, and
through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants
thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God’ (D&C 76:22–24).
“We declare in words of
solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the
earth—‘built upon the foundation of … apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone’ (Ephesians 2:20).
“We testify that He will
someday return to earth. ‘And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all
flesh shall it together’ (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings
and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall
speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him
according to our works and the desires of our hearts.
“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” (Ensign,Apr. 2000, 2–3).
