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3 Truths about Jesus Christ That Are Unique to Our Church
Our beliefs in the Savior and His restored gospel empower us to be like Him.
Christ in Gethsemane, by Heinrich Hofmann
Shepherds and wise men sought their Savior, Jesus Christ, following His birth. The shepherds saw an angel, and the wise men followed a star (see Matthew 2:9–10; Luke 2:8–12).
Today, there are so many ways we can learn about the Savior and “come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we’re blessed to be taught by living prophets and the Book of Mormon, in addition to the Bible, about our Redeemer. Here are just three truths about the Savior that are distinctive to the Church.
1. He Is Separate in Personage from the Father
While explaining His role as the Only Begotten Son, Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). But Latter-day Saints know that the Father and Son are “one” in purpose, not being. Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote: “In the original Greek ‘one’ appears in the neuter gender, and therefore expresses oneness in attributes, power, or purpose, and not a oneness of personality which would have required the masculine form.”1
Before his stoning, Stephen saw “the Son of man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). The Prophet Joseph Smith “saw two Personages” in a vision (Joseph Smith—History 1:17). The Savior Himself frequently prayed to His Father.
We still worship the Father as our God and revere the Son as the head of the Church. But we refute typical Christianity’s belief of a “trinity in unity,” a belief compromised on at the Council of Nicaea almost 300 years after Christ’s Resurrection.2
2. He Connects Us with Heavenly Father
Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, we were separated from God’s presence (see Alma 42:7). However, our Savior’s Atonement bridges the gap created by Adam’s transgression and returns us to God’s presence to be judged according to our works (see 2 Nephi 2:5–10; Helaman 14:15-17). We can also be forgiven and cleansed from the stain of our own sins if we “apply the atoning blood of Christ” (Mosiah 4:2). Christ encouraged, “Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name” (3 Nephi 18:19), meaning we pray to our Heavenly Father through the power of the Savior.
In the Church, we make covenants—agreements where we promise to follow commandments and Heavenly Father promises to bless us in return. Christ’s perfect example shows us how to honor these covenants and draw closer to God. In our baptismal covenant, for example, we promise to “always remember him and keep his commandments …, that [we] may have his Spirit to be with [us]” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77).
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). His commandments and example show us who God wants us to become. Christ’s role as Mediator doesn’t weaken our bond with Heavenly Father. Instead, our Mediator shows us how to have a stronger bond with the Father (see Doctrine and Covenants 45:3–5).
3. He Atoned on the Cross and in the Garden
Many Christians hold the cross as the highest symbol of Christ’s undying love. This isn’t as common among Latter-day Saint Christians, however, because “our emphasis [is] on the complete miracle of Christ’s mission.”3 His Atonement “included His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering and death on the cross, and it ended with His Resurrection.”4
These three events make up the totality of our Redeemer’s atoning sacrifice. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations” (Alma 7:11) to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy that He would be “wounded for our transgressions” and “bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5).
We don’t overlook the agony of physical death at the cross. However, we also recognize that the shedding of blood “for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28) and “swallow[ing] up death in victory” (Isaiah 25:8) through the Resurrection far outweigh the short-lived defeat of death at the hands of sinners.
Jesus Christ Is the Way
As Latter-day Saints, we don’t use these differences to look down on those of other faiths; we respect their beliefs, just as we hope they respect ours. We can look at our differing beliefs with gratitude for the additional “plain and precious” (1 Nephi 13:34–35) truths that we have thanks to the restored gospel, the Book of Mormon, and the words of the Lord Himself through His prophets and apostles.
If there’s one thing that our beliefs as Latter-day Saints ultimately teach us, it’s that Jesus Christ knows us personally. That He loves us individually. We know that “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.” At Christmastime—and all year long—we can truly say, along with our modern prophets, “God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.”5