‘A Living Witness of the Living Christ’

Bishop Gérald Caussé,  Presiding Bishop of the Church said in the Sunday afternoon session of April 2020 general conference:

“. . . . This sublime scene is the climax of the Book of Mormon. The entire “good news” of the gospel is contained in this image of the Savior tenderly extending His “arms of mercy”³ to invite each individual to come unto Him and receive the blessings of His Atonement.

The central message of the Book of Mormon is to restore the true knowledge of the essential role of Jesus Christ in the salvation and exaltation of mankind. This theme reverberates from the introductory page through the very last words of the last chapter. Through centuries of apostasy and spiritual confusion, the deeper meaning of what Christ did in Gethsemane and on Golgotha became lost or corrupted. How excited Joseph Smith must have felt when, as he was translating 1 Nephi, he discovered this marvelous promise: “These last records [the Book of Mormon] … shall establish the truth of the first [the Bible] … and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.”⁴

Plain and precious truths about the Savior’s Atonement resound throughout the Book of Mormon. As I list several of these truths, I invite you to reflect on how they have changed or could change your life.

1. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is a free gift offered to all who have lived, who currently live, and who will live on the earth.⁵

2. In addition to bearing the burden of our sins, the Christ took upon Himself our sorrows, infirmities, sufferings, and sicknesses and all the afflictions inherent in the mortal condition of man. There is no anguish, no pain or sadness that He did not suffer for us.⁶

3. The atoning sacrifice of the Savior allows us to overcome the negative consequences of Adam’s Fall, including physical death. Because of Christ, all of God’s children born on this earth, regardless of their righteousness, will experience the reuniting of their spirits and bodies through the power of the Resurrection⁷ and return to Him to “be judged … according to [their] works.”^{8 scroll also for verses 10 & 26 (and see below)}

4. In contrast, receiving the full blessings of the Savior’s Atonement is conditioned upon our diligence⁹ in living the “doctrine of Christ.”¹⁰ In his dream, Lehi saw the “strait and narrow path”¹¹ that leads to the tree of life. Its fruit, which represents the love of God as expressed through the exquisite blessings of Christ’s Atonement, “is most precious and most desirable … [and] is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”¹² In order to access this fruit, we must exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent, “hearken unto the word of God,”¹³ receive essential ordinances, and keep sacred covenants until the end of our lives.¹⁴

5. Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ not only washes away our sins, but He also provides enabling power through which His disciples may “[put] off the natural man,”¹⁵ progress “line upon line,”¹⁶ and increase in holiness¹⁷ so that one day they might become perfect beings in the image of Christ,¹⁸ qualified to live again with God¹⁹ and inherit all the blessings of the kingdom of heaven.²⁰

To access Bishop Gérald Caussé’s complete talk click. . . ‘A Living Witness of Jesus Christ.’ Numbered (in blue) quotes above often have several references. . . best to access the complete talk for greater insight / understanding. k