The Living Christ: The Scriptural Basis for Latter-day Saint Beliefs About Christ

On January 1, 2000 the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a document which contained their special witness of the reality and divinity of the life, ministry, and atonement of Jesus Christ entitled The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles. (Read it in its entirety HERE).

 

When this remarkable declaration was issued to the world, the First Presidency (President Gordon B. Hinckley and his two counselors, James E. Faust and Thomas S. Monson) sent a letter of introduction to church leaders around the world which stated:

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: ‘The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.’ In that spirit, we add our witness to that of our predecessors...We encourage you to use this written testimony in helping to build the faith of our Heavenly Father’s children” (First Presidency letter, Dec. 10, 1999).

The mere existence of this document is powerful evidence that we do indeed have a living prophet and living apostles once more in our day.  Much like the apostles and prophets of old, these modern day apostles have been called to be special witnesses that Jesus is the Christ and that He died for our sins and was resurrected on the third day.

Acts 10:39-43  And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.  And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.  To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

If you are willing to study the remarkable claims and statements of belief made in The Living Christ, it will become clear to you that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an understanding of Jesus Christ, His nature, His mission, and His atonement that is unique in the history of this world for its clarity and simplicity. Moreover, there are aspects of Christ's nature that ONLY the Latter-day Saints fully grasp and teach. Not only that, but The Living Christ helps to establish that Latter-day Saints truly do believe in the Christ of the Bible, and not "another Jesus." It also helps to show that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly is Christ's Church in the latter days, and that it is led by a living and active Savior who directs the work for the good of the whole world.

If The Living Christ proves anything, it is that the Latter-day Saint case for Christ is stronger than even most Latter-Day Saints understand. All of the scriptures testify of the truths taught in it, and it bears the testimony of prophets and apostles of God. The Living Christ is special (in part) because it is NOT another creed or formulation which tries to parse dry semantics or technical distinctions concerning Christ and his nature. It is powerful truth, derived from continuing revelation given to living prophets directly by God.

If we truly grasped the unique power and clarity of what we Latter-day Saints believe and teach and know about Jesus Christ we would realize that what we have is truly a "pearl of great price." To those many skeptics in this modern world, we know and can testify that Jesus did indeed live, and die, and then rise again, and we can explain why that matters. Our knowledge that He lives and that He is active in the world today has the power to change the world. The world needs to know that Christ's mission and ministry wasn't limited to a few years in Judea two thousand years ago. Instead, we know that His power (and His work) extends for all eternity; past, present, and future. On a more personal level, we know that each one of us can develop our own real, meaningful, and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is interested in our individual welfare and happiness, and He involves Himself in the lives of all those who will let Him in. Christ is not an incomprehensible mystery, or a remote and formless spirit. He lives, and He loves us, and we can know him for ourselves in a very real, and deeply profound way.

The Living Christ is a remarkable document for many reasons, and not least because the doctrines set forth within it do not depend, wholly or even substantially, on the so-called restoration scriptures (such as the Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, or The Pearl of Great Price).  In fact, as I studied “The Living Christ,” I was pleased to find that the major doctrinal points in it can be amply supported by scripture contained in the Bible.  The Living Christ goes a long way towards demonstrating that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in and teach of the genuine Christ of the Bible. What I mean by this is that Latter-day Saint beliefs and teachings concerning Christ can be supported wholly and directly from the Bible, with the added caveat that Latter-day Saints reject the innovations made in the creeds and councils that took place in the centuries since the death of the last of the Apostles. 

Due to our rejection of the creeds, Latter-day Saints are often accused of “preaching a different Jesus” (see 2 Cor. 11:4) than the rest of Christianity.  Further, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often informed that their beliefs are not biblical because they depart from the standards established by the creeds (rather than the Bible alone). That is why this document is so valuable--even though we can rely on the "more sure word of prophecy" as the source for our claims about the Living Christ--it demonstrates that we can also confidently point to the Bible to lend additional strength to those claims, and that while we may choose to reject the creeds, this does not make our beliefs any less “biblical” (in fact I would argue that our rejection of the creeds makes our beliefs more biblical in nature, also See 2 Peter 1:19).

It is true that we have (or rather God has) added several books to the scriptural canon that most Christians do not accept, and so those who accuse us of not being Christian might well suspect that any declaration that we may make concerning Jesus Christ must depend largely upon our own scriptures for substantiation, because surely we cannot support our beliefs biblically.  On occasion I have noted that some Latter-day Saints also tend to assume that we rely on the Book of Mormon (or other scriptures unique to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in order to establish our version of things, and that the Bible is only a secondary source for those beliefs.  In this regard The Living Christ is important because it demonstrates these various assumptions to be entirely false, while simultaneously illustrating the central role that the Bible plays in establishing our most basic doctrines and beliefs.

The Living Christ has great value as a missionary tool, and the truths contained within it have the power to change hearts and minds throughout the world, and to bring many to a personal knowledge of (and relationship with) their Savior. However, The Living Christ has equal value as a teaching tool for each member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to use to learn exactly what it is that we believe and teach concerning Jesus Christ. It is not enough that we know that we know these things. We need to be able to explain our doctrine to the rest of the world in a way that is meaningful, and which they can understand. That is why a deeper study of The Living Christ is important and necessary.

To the end of fostering a deeper study of this landmark document, as well as demonstrating the centrality of Jesus Christ and His atonement in Latter-day Saint beliefs, and demonstrating the importance of the Bible in establishing those beliefs, I have included my own breakdown of The Living Christ which highlights some of the more important statements contained in the document and presents a number of scriptures that can be used to support each assertion.  Most of these scriptures, as you will see, come from the Bible but I have included scriptures from the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants in order to further establish the truth of the statements made in The Living Christ as well as to show how well these scriptures harmonize with what is taught in the Bible.

The rest of this article focuses mainly on tying scripture references to the principles taught by the Prophet and the Apostles in The Living Christ. However, I have written extensively (and in great detail) elsewhere about practically every aspect of Jesus Christ, His nature, and His atonement. If you are interested in learning more about what Latter-day Saints believe and teach about the Savior and His atonement, I invite you to check out the following series of articles:

Why Only Jesus Could Be The Christ

Why Did Jesus Have to Die on the Cross?

Why Gethsemane is as Important as Calvary

Are You A Christian If You Don't Believe In The Trinity?

Is the Atonement of Jesus Christ Enough for All of Us?

Christ and the Healing Power of the Atonement

He is Risen! The Case For the Resurrection of Christ

The Atonement Defined I: Justification

The Atonement Defined II: Sanctification

You Are Never Beyond The Reach of God's Love

The Living Christ

1    1)      “He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New.”

Isaiah 43:1, 3, 10-12  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.  For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.  Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.  I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

Daniel 3:25  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

John 8:56-59  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.  Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.  Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

I included the last verse about the people’s attempt to stone Christ after His declaration that “Before Abraham was, I am” because it shows that the people understood exactly what He was telling them; namely that He was the God of the Old Testament, which statement they considered to be blasphemy and a thus a stoning offense.

D&C 110:2-4  We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.  His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying: am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.

Death Is Not The End

I wrote this post a few weeks after my mother died of breast cancer.  At the time I was mostly interested in collecting those scriptures that testify of a life that continues beyond the grave, and I wasn't in a place emotionally in which I could write down my own thoughts on the subject.  After a few years I finally feel like I have some perspective from which I can approach this tender issue, and so I decided to revisit this subject in order to add my own thoughts and perspective.

Since the beginning of time, man has been confronted by the awful reality and immutability of death.  Death is our universal heritage, and it will come to all who have lived, are living, and who will ever live upon the Earth.  In its implacable certainty and chilling finality, death has inspired fear and worry in countless generations as long as there have been humans who have survived after losing those closest to them to death.  One of the great mysteries of existence is what happens to us after we die.  Where do we go?  What happens to us when we get there?  Should I be afraid when my time comes?  Do we go anywhere at all, or do we end up as worm food because there is nothing after this life but oblivion?  Is death the end?  These questions have puzzled, tormented, and fascinated us throughout our history; however, on a more personal level, questions like these proceed out of the genuine ache of loss and the deep, painful, and sincere desire to know:  Will I ever see my loved ones again?

In every age, poets, artists, parents, priests, and oracles have struggled in an effort to provide answers to the universal question which confronts all men.  They have produced elaborate mythologies and cosmologies in order to explain a mystery which in truth confounds them as much as it does the rest of us.  Without a true understanding of where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going how can these people, however well-meaning they may be, provide any answers that shed any real light on our fate after mortality?  The fact is that they can't, because they lack the basic truths that are necessary to provide meaningful answers to the deep questions of the soul.  Fortunately there is someone who knows exactly why we are here, and where we are going, because He is the one who put us here in the first place.  God cares about His children, and He mourns when we mourn.  From His earliest recorded dealings with men, through the means of His holy prophets, God has provided answers and comfort to those in every age who seek solace in the knowledge that death is indeed not the end.

In the grand scheme of things, our time in this life is incredibly short, or as Macbeth opines upon hearing that his wife is dead, "Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and is heard no more." (William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5).  How great it is to know that there is hope beyond this short life!  That although our lives are altogether too brief, there is an answer to the question "If a man die, shall he live again?"

Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. (Job 14:1-2; 5;7-12; 14)

What happens to us when we die? Part IV: Judgement

Follow these links to go to a previous installment:

Part III: Resurrection

Part II: The Spirit World

Part I: Death


IV. JUDGMENT

a. Jesus Christ performed the atonement in order to bring mankind back into the presence of God. All mankind will be brought to stand before Christ so that they might be judged.
Helaman 14:17 But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.

3 Nephi 27: 14-15 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.

b. We will be brought to stand before the Savior to be judged.
John 5:22-23 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

What happens to us when we die? Part III: Resurrection

This is a treatment of resurrection as it fits into the larger plan of salvation, and therefore it is concerned primarily with the nature and characteristics of our resurrected bodies, and the state that we will be in upon receiving them. For a more detailed examination of every aspect of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, click here.

III. RESURRECTION

There is nothing to fear in death. It is a natural part of life, and a part of God’s plan for his children. We could not progress to the next life without it. (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

"Viewed from an eternal perspective, we live to die; and we die to live again....Birth is the gateway to mortal life; death is the gateway to immortality and eternal life."  (Russell M. Nelson, The Gateway We Call Death, pg. 5)

The only fear in death is to die in one’s sins, as Paul says “O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (See 1 Corinthians 15:55-56). This great victory that comes through Christ is the victory of resurrection and immortality over death and corruptible mortality.

What happens to us when we die? Part II: The Spirit World

Before you read this, it may interest you to know that I have added a section on the nature and characteristics of our spirit bodies to the previous entry in this series. You may find it of some value as you approach the subject of the spirit world. Click here to view the updated entry.

II. THE SPIRIT WORLD

The scriptures teach us that there is a time or a period between death and the resurrection (see Alma 40:6-7), and that this experience is not the same for everyone.

What happens to us after we die? Part I: Death

A friend of mine sent me a question concerning life after death, and I gave him more answer than I think he wanted. With his permission, I am publishing my response in installments, as it is quite long.

In order to fully address your question, it becomes necessary to make a distinction between what happens to us when we die, and what happens to us when we are resurrected, which as you’ll see, are actually two separate and distinct aspects of life after death.

He is Risen! The Case For the Resurrection of Christ

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith (1976), 121.)

I recently had a conversation with a friend who did not seem entirely convinced of the reliability of the accounts given by the apostles (and/or the writers of the gospels) concerning the literal reality and veracity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. More to the point this person did not seem to have a clear grasp of the function and consequences of the resurrection itself. Unfortunately he is not alone, nor is he unique, among Americans. According to Newsweek magazine: “The number of Americans who say they believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ has dropped 10 points since 2003 to 70 percent, according to the most recent Harris poll; only 26 percent of Americans think that they'll have bodies in heaven, according to a 1997 Time/CNN poll.” (Lisa Miller, “Far from Heaven,” Newsweek, Mar 25, 2010).

My friend is at least nominally a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and so his skepticism puzzles me somewhat since, like Paul, I feel that "if Christ be not raised...we are of all men most miserable."  The resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the hope that it brings, is the central message of the New Testament and it is the principal doctrine of the restored gospel.  The resurrection and its consequences are firmly established  by the Bible, as well as by the scriptures of the restoration, and so there is no reason for a Christian of any stripe to doubt the reality of the living Christ, and it makes no sense that so few people believe that (thanks to Christ) we ourselves will rise in the resurrection with glorified physical bodies.  Given that ignorance and disbelief in a doctrine as fundamental as the resurrection of Jesus Christ seems to run rampant even through the ranks of Christianity, I feel that it is my duty to make a case for the veracity of Christ's resurrection and to explain the effects and mechanics of the resurrection itself.  Such knowledge is crucial for anyone who claims to be a Christian and who wishes to obtain understanding in this life and salvation in the world to come.

2 Nephi 2:8  Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

It may be that resorting to the Biblical account may do little to convince someone of the fact and reality of the resurrection when they are already somewhat doubtful of the veracity of the Bible record itself. However I hope to establish the doctrinal and historical veracity of the Biblical account of the resurrection through scriptural sources outside of the Bible, and in so doing clarify the exact effects that resurrection has upon an individual (both in the physiological as well as in the redemptive sense) and perhaps explain the reasons behind those effects. I also hope to explore some aspects of the doctrine of resurrection contained in the scriptures that seem to be poorly understood by my peers. It is my hope that in gaining more knowledge about the details of the resurrection we can all gain a stronger testimony of the wondrous (and wondrously simple) fact that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again after three days, and that he lives even to this day and forevermore.