“Who is God for You?”

By Sister Cecily Wilson

(NOTE: All scriptural references used are a link you can click on)

For my talk today I was not given a specific subject, so I reflected a lot on what subject to speak on. I wanted to find something really essential and really basic, and I tried to listen to the promptings of the spirit to help guide me to the topic that Heavenly Father wanted his children here today to hear. Every time I tried to think of a subject for my talk, the same question came into my mind. It is a question, that as a missionary, I ask other people quite often: “Who is God for you?” – and today that is my question for myself and for all of you “Who is God, and who is Jesus Christ for you?”

It is very important to understand the nature of our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. It is the very first thing that we teach people as missionaries—who is God. I think that it is because in understanding the nature of God we come to have a better understanding of why we are here on the earth, what we need to do/become in this life, and how we are able to do it.

                God, our Heavenly Father, is the father of our Spirits (Romans 8:16, Hebrews 12:9). He loves us and He occupies Himself immensely with our happiness and well-being. He has a perfect and glorified body of flesh and bones (D&C130:22) and perfect and complete knowledge of all things. He wanted to give us the possibility to have everything that he has and to become like him; to live at his side eternally in joy and in peace, and thus He created a plan for us. This plan gave us the opportunity to come to Earth, to receive a physical body, and to learn. He knew that we would be imperfect, that we would have weaknesses (Matthew 26:41), but He did not want us to become lost. So, He planned for us a way by which we could be cleansed from our mistakes and be saved. Jesus Christ was foreordained, before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1: 20) to be the Savior of the world and to redeem His people (Galatians 1:3-4, 1 Peter 2:21-24, Alma 11: 40). All of the prophets before His earthly ministry preached and prophesied of Him, and all the prophets who have come/will come after Him, preach and prophecy the same (2 Nephi 25:26) because:

                “There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and the through the name of Christ…” (Mosiah 3:17)

Also in Mosiah chapter 3 veres 5-10 we learn about the mission of Jesus Christ:

                “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.

And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.

And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.

And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.”

                And why did he do all of that? Why did he sacrifice everything he had for us, take all our sins and sorrows upon him (1 Peter 2:24) and give his life for us. What gave him the strength, the motivation, and the courage to undergo and accomplish what only he had the power to accomplish? His love for us. Every single action in his life was done out of love. In the scriptures we learn that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). The crowning characteristic of Jesus Christ is his charity; his “pure love”, which “endureth forever,” (Moroni 7:45-47). The infinite love of God was manifest for us when he gave “his only begotten Son” as a sacrifice so that we, if we believe, may be saved (John 3: 16). For he said “behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1: 39).

                But how can we take part in the blessings that the Atonement of Jesus Christ offers us?  Or rather, what must we do to receive them, or what is our part of the deal? These questions go along with the argument that is often found among different Christian denominations “Are we saved by grace or by works?” The answer is that we are saved by grace “For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God; Therefore [we] are only justified by his (God’s) grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3: 23-24, Ephesians 2: 8). We all have the opportunity to be saved—to be cleansed from our sins thanks to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He did not pay for just some of our sins, or even most of our sins, he paid for all of our sins. Our debt was paid in full, it’s finished. So what do we need to do? In the scriptures we learn that “faith, if it hath not works, is dead.” (James 2: 17). The Lord has asked us to keep his commandments, to repent when we make mistakes, and to always keep trying to be better and to become perfect like him (Mosiah 2: 22, Helaman 12: 23, 3 Nephi 12: 48). Elder Bruce Haffen wrote in his book The Broken Heart that “the great Mediator asks for our repentance not because we must ‘repay’ him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process that, with the Savior’s help, leads us along the path to a saintly character.”

                By doing good things we cannot earn our way into heaven (no man has the power to redeem himself from sin) but we do need to learn how to use the atonement so that we can be changed by grace. We need to prepare ourselves for heaven, we need to practice for it—so that when the time comes we will feel comfortable at the side of God and be able to stay in his presence to live happily for eternity.

                I really love the example of a child who is taking piano lessons. His mother pays the teacher to give her child an opportunity in the hope that he will not waste it, but rather use it to have something beautiful (in this case awesome piano skills that can bring joy to himself and to others). The “price” that the mother asks her child in return is that he practices. Sometimes the child feels like this demand for practice is a punishment, but in reality it is for his own good. It is the only way that he can exploit (utilize) the gift of his mother. The practice does not pay the piano teacher, but it shows his appreciation for his mother and what she did. If he chooses to practice and to use the gift he will be able to become an incredible pianist—but it is only by his diligence and many long hours that he can get there (not to mention wrong notes/struggles along the way). This is the same idea as the Atonement. One more time I repeat that the price has already been paid in full. If Jesus did not require practice (repentance) and diligence (endurance to the end) then “there would be no internalization of the necessary changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather than sinking in side us and becoming part of us—part of who we are. Put simply, if Jesus didn’t require practice, then we would never become pianists.” (“His Grace is Sufficient” Brad Wilcox). We are saved by grace only if we choose to use it—only if we are changed by it.

                Jesus Christ shows his love for us by doing everything he can to help us change for the better. We show our love for him by using his atonement—by having faith in him and placing our trust in him and his plan for us. We come unto him as we humble ourselves and realize that we don’t know how to go through this life without him—that we cannot do it alone.

                Come unto Christ and let him change you, even your very desires and your heart. He has the power and his is the way (John 14:6). Again I ask you, who is Jesus Christ for you? Do you know him? Have you accepted what he did for you: his great atoning sacrifice (D&C 138:2)? Have you used the gift he offers you freely?

                I testify that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us; every single one of us. He is the only begotten Son of the Father (John 1:14). He loves us and wants us to come back and live with him and our Heavenly Father again in eternal happiness. He is always there for you; always ready with open arms to welcome you back. He has given us all the tools necessary to succeed I this life (2 Nephi 2: 27) it is our choice what we will do with it. We are all children of God, with an infinite and divine potential and our worth is beyond any price. Let the love of God into your life; let the peace that comes with faith in his Gospel help you—I know that there is nothing more important in this life. I know that Christ lives and that he loves us and wants us to be happy in this life and in the next, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.