Area Leadership Message
Jesus Christ Is Our Savior
As we celebrate Easter and our hearts are focused on the ultimate expression of love and sacrifice, I am reminded of an experience I had some decades ago when I was at the missionary training center in London. When I saw the film titled The Lamb of God, which recounts the story of Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice, I felt profoundly inspired. I must admit that at that very moment, I understood how deep and great God’s love is for humankind.
The Savior, through His suffering, death, and Resurrection, has made it possible for each of us to overcome sin and death and to find hope in every situation. This message of redemption and grace is beautifully presented in the scriptures and constitutes the foundation of our faith.
Isaiah announced the Savior’s mission with profound clarity:
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief …
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3–4).
These verses remind us that the Savior personally understands our pain and sorrows. He willingly endured them to offer us peace and healing.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ demonstrated His infinite love for us. Luke reports that “being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). This incomprehensible sacrifice underscores the Savior’s profound commitment to fulfill Heavenly Father’s will and thereby ensure our redemption.
The Book of Mormon stands as another witness of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. An angel told King Benjamin, “There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come” (Mosiah 3:17). Alma taught that the Savior “will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy . . . that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people” (Alma 7:12). These verses affirm that the Savior personally understands our struggles and is willing to comfort us.
Modern revelation further explains the power of the Lord’s Atonement. In Doctrine and Covenants 19, the Savior declares, “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent” (verse 16). His invitation for us to come unto Him resonates with His role as advocate, “Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:3).
Jesus Christ, through His Atonement, has made it possible for all of us to return to our Heavenly Father. The vision recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 76 describes the Savior’s glorious triumph over death and His promise of eternal life to those who follow Him. The resurrected Christ’s appearance in the Kirtland Temple, as recounted in Doctrine and Covenants section 110, affirms His infinite role as our Redeemer and Mediator.
The Easter season affords us an opportunity to ponder these truths and renew our commitment to the Savior. President Russell M. Nelson declares, “His Atonement is the central act in all of human history. It is the foundation upon which all other doctrines are established.” As we come unto Christ, we find healing, hope and the assurance that with Him all things are possible.
Let us celebrate Easter with hearts filled with gratitude to Jesus Christ, our Savior, Redeemer and Advocate. May we increase our faith and willingness to follow Him.
The Lamb of God
This title refers to Jesus Christ. It underscores several aspects of His role in the plan of salvation, namely:
1. The Atoning Sacrifice
The title the lamb of God evokes the image of the sacrificial lamb used in the Old Testament. The sacrifices symbolized an atonement for the sins of the people. Jesus Christ, in His capacity as the Lamb of God, accomplished the ultimate atoning sacrifice by suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and dying on the cross. In John 1:29, John the Baptist declares, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” This means that through the sacrifice He willingly made, Christ took upon Himself the sins of all mankind and thus made forgiveness and salvation possible.
2. Innocence and Purity
A lamb is often associated with innocence and purity. Jesus Christ, being sinless, was perfectly qualified to be the pure and holy sacrificial lamb. These qualities were essential to His role as Redeemer.
3. The Promised Deliverer
In the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ is frequently referred to as the Lamb of God, especially in the visions of the prophet Nephi (see 1 Nephi 11–14). In this context, the title emphasizes His role as the promised Messiah, who would free humankind from the bondage of sin and death.
4. The Victorious Lamb
Although the title denotes sacrifice, it also refers to Jesus Christ’s victory. As Lamb of God, He triumphed over death and pain through His resurrection. In the book of Revelation, Jesus is described as the Lamb who reigns with power and honor (see Revelation 5:12).
I am deeply grateful for Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice and invite you to follow Him as a perfect example of His meekness, obedience, and love. He also invites us to participate in His redemptive work through repentance, saving ordinances, and service to others.
The third stanza of the hymn “I Stand All Amazed” (no. 193) perfectly explains this:
I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
The sacrament was instituted by Christ Himself at the Last Supper, just before His Atonement. It is a sacred ceremony that reminds us of His atoning sacrifice, His broken body, and His blood, which was shed for all.
The bread and water are emblems of His atoning sacrifice. The bread represents His body, which was slain for us, and the water represents His blood, which was shed for the remission of sins.
The sacrament enables us to renew the covenants we made at our baptism, including always remembering Jesus Christ, keeping His commandments, and taking His name upon us.
The sacrament is a time of reverence and personal communion with God. It is a moment to ponder about our relationship with the Savior.
In the Church, the sacrament is the most important aspect of all Sunday meetings. Priesthood holders prepare, bless, and administer the sacrament according to the revealed pattern.
As we ponder Mathew 26:26–28, we are invited to increase our understanding and appreciation of this ordinance. We are also invited to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and in His role as our Redeemer.
I testify that the Passover and the sacrament are closely related, the former foreshadowing the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the latter commemorating that work. By partaking of the sacrament, we remember not only the Savior’s Atonement but also His role as the sacrificial Lamb that fulfilled and surpassed the emblems of the Jewish Passover.