“I Believe in Christ” started as a testimony.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the ’70s and ’80s.

Before the April 1972 general conference, Elder McConkie asked God what he should speak about. He got the impression that he should bear testimony of the Savior. But when it was time to give the talk, he didn’t just say it—he shared his testimony in the form of a poem! You can watch that historic talk here.

Elder McConkie’s poem would become the lyrics to “I Believe in Christ” (Hymns, no. 134), which was introduced in the April 1985 general conference—just 13 days before Elder McConkie passed away.

Now, whenever we sing this hymn, we bear the same testimony that Elder McConkie bore nearly 50 years ago! So sit back and enjoy the Tabernacle Choir’s beautiful version in the video above.

Notes

You can read more about the hymn here.