Christ is our Savior

Perhaps the name we hear most frequently for Christ is the Savior, or Redeemer. Why is He called the Savior? What do we need saving from?

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, started their earthly sojourn in the Garden of Eden. They were innocent: They did not know of joy and sorrow, or good and evil. They lived in the presence of God and had all things provided for them. They were to eat freely from any tree, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Moses 3:17). However, the Lord gave them the option to choose. By eating of the fruit, they would obtain knowledge and experience, but they would be estranged from the presence of the Lord and would become subject to physical death.

When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, they chose to experience mortality and learn from experience. As a result, man became subject to physical death and spiritual death. “…for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual,” (Helaman 14:16). The Lord in his wisdom, foresaw the fall of Adam and Eve and provided a plan for them and their posterity to return to his presence.

The Lord’s Plan: A Savior

During Christ’s mortal sojourn, He performed many miracles and touched many lives. But the most significant act He performed includes His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane and His death on the cross. We call this act the atonement.

“And he was withdrawn from them…and kneeled down, and prayed,
“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. …
“And 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 22:41-42, 44)

What happened when He knelt down to pray? During this infinite act, He took upon himself the sins of the world and felt the pains and sorrows of every man. “For behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and abominations of his people,” (Mosiah 3:7). He suffered so that we might not suffer. In His own words, He said:

“I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent.
“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the cup, and shrink--
“Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook…” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19)

After this infinite and eternal act, He returned to His apostles only to be betrayed by Judas and delivered into the hands of men. They beat Him. They spit on Him. They mocked Him. But He suffered it so that his Father’s plan could be fulfilled. They drove nails into His hands and feet and nailed Him to a cross. Though He could save Himself, He allowed Himself to be crucified by the hands of men, to fulfill His purpose on earth. Finally, His suffering ended when He cried with a loud voice, saying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost,” (Luke 23:46).

As the only begotten of the Father, He had power over death and was resurrected on the Third day--His spirit restored to His body no more to be parted.

***

Christ is our Savior, Deliverer, and Redeemer. His infinite atonement provides a way for us to be saved from physical and spiritual death. He took upon himself the sins of the world so that we might not suffer if we repent. He is our advocate with the Father; because He led a perfect life and paid the price for our sins, the law of justice is fulfilled in Him and the law of mercy can be extended to us.

Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. “For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12, see also Mosiah 3:17). Without Him, we would not be able to return to our Father in heaven after this life. We would not be able to shed our sins through Christ’s atonement. We would die both physically and spiritually without any hope of redemption.

I know that the atonement is real. I have felt His forgiveness when I have sought repentance for my frequent mistakes. I have experienced the joy that comes through embracing the Savior and letting Him lift the pain of sin. I cannot begin to fathom the suffering He endured to provide us such a gift, which suffering cause Him, the God of all, to “bleed from every pore.” Though unfathomable it is, I know that it happened. He suffered all because He loves us. He wants us to be saved. His selflessness provides the way for all. I am forever grateful for His willingness to submit to the will of the father and fulfill His plan so that we might be saved.

The Many Names of Christ

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

I know, I know. The social norm suggests that the Christmas Season shouldn’t start until after Thanksgiving, but this verse, which is also lyrics in Handel’s Messiah, has been playing through my head ever since my church started rehearsing it on Sunday. Plus, shouldn’t we be able to talk of and rejoice in Christ all year round?

As we approach the Christmas season, I would like to answer the following questions: “Who is Christ?” “What was his purpose in condescending to earth?” “Why is he necessary for salvation?” “What does he ask of me?”

We can begin to answer these questions by looking at the many names Christ has been given. Here are just a few:

Only Begotten Son (John 3:16, Mosiah 15:2)
The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25, Helaman 14:17)
The Savior of the World (John 4:42, 2 Nephi 31:13)
Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1, Moroni 7:28)
Good Shepherd (John 10:14, 1 Nephi 22:25)
The way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6, 3 Nephi 27:27)
The Rock (2 Samuel 22:2, 3 Nephi 11:39)
The Light of the World (John 1:7-8, Mosiah 16:9)
The Bread of Life (John 6:35, Alma 5:34)
The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6, Alma 38:8)

Even through just reading and contemplating His names, we begin to understand the essential role He plays in our salvation. As the only begotten Son of the Father, He died and rose again so that we can be resurrected in the life to come. He can save us from our sins and deliver us from the power of evil. He is our advocate with the Father, so that the demands of justice and mercy can be met. He is the Good Shepherd who calls to His sheep. He is the way, the truth, and the life—if we build upon His Rock we will not fall amidst tempests and storms. He is the Light of the world, which gives light to our path when it seems dark and lonely. He is the bread of life—if we partake of His truth, we will never hunger, but will find peace in this life and in the life to come.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16).

Of the next few weeks, I will delve further into the names Christ has been given. My hope is that this will lead to increased hope and faith in Christ our Savior. I know that Christ is real, and that he lives today. He is the cornerstone of all that I know to be true. He is my hope, my peace, and my joy. I add my voice to the voice of His Latter-day apostles, that, "...Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. 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. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son," (The Living Christ: The Testimony of His Apostles, 2000).