Jesus Christ – The Perfect Example
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)
Jesus Christ is the great Exemplar—the only perfect and universal example for every man, woman, or child on the earth. No honest seeker after truth can fail to find happiness and success in life by faithfully following His example. But in our quest to follow ‘in His steps’, how do we proceed? There is a simple pattern that will bring great results in our efforts to follow the Savior. To gain the change which we desire as disciples of Christ will come by studying His example, examining our lives in prayer, and acting on the guidance we receive.
First, we must study His example.
“For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13).
Daily immersion in the words of Christ brings an intuitive understanding of His character, perfections, and attributes. When the events and experiences of the Savior’s earthly ministry are fresh and present in our minds, we can ponder them, and apply them to the circumstances we face. We can find wisdom to follow His heavenly example.
Second, we must examine our lives. Joseph Smith said
“Search your hearts, and see if you are like God. I have searched mine, and feel to repent of all my sins” (Teaching of Joseph Smith, p. 72).
It is a hard thing to honestly compare our lives to the example of the Savior and see our sins, our faults, and our insufficiencies. But in our honest desires to serve God, there is no other path that will take us in His steps. Quiet reflection and pleading in prayer will bring insight and understanding into what aspects of our lives are most in need of heavenly help. If we ask to know, God will grant us an understanding of our faults. If we turn to Him for help, he will guide us to know what to do to repair them.
“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).
As we discover our faults, it could be easy to become discouraged. Instead, it is far better to trust in God, and to take action to change. If we struggle with idleness, we can begin to work and labor. If we struggle with feelings of dislike to another, we can begin to serve them and compliment them on their good qualities. If we struggle with our thoughts, we can memorize hymns or verses of scripture to recite in times of temptation. For whatever our faults may be, as we turn to God, we can find positive actions which will form our character for good.
Day by day, as we follow this pattern of studying the perfect example of the Lord, examining our lives in prayer, and acting on the guidance we receive, we will progress in our strivings to walk ‘in his steps’. In time, we will be sanctified in Christ, and our lives will be filled with peace and joy.
Premortal Life and the Foreordination of Jesus Christ
“Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name? Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed? And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was?” (D&C 132: 8-11).
The root of the word “ordain” is . . . order! Ordination refers to God’s orderly way of consecrating willing souls to His holy order.
An infinitely wise Father has ordained the unfolding of His “work and glory” (Moses 1: 39) in orderly fashion. Ordaining is done by laying hands upon the head of the appointed (Acts 13: 1-3) and bestowing authority and a holy calling:
“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. . . . Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Tim. 1: 6, 9).
To understand the meaning of foreordination, first it is essential to conceive the glorious reality of premortality–a truth taught in the Bible:
“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. . . . When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38: 4, 7).
Who were the “sons of God” that shouted for joy when the foundations of the earth was laid? In a spirit realm prior to this earth life, you and me and all of humanity were spirit sons and daughters of God. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus taught that His Father is also our “Heavenly Father” (Matt. 6: 14, 26, 32).
The necessary reality of premortal existence is implied in this Bible verse:
“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven” (John 3: 13).
So when the scriptures declare that we are the “offspring of God” (Acts 17: 29) and the “children of God” (Roman 8: 16, 17), and further speaks of “the Father of spirits” (Hebrews 12: 9), latter-day saints know that these Biblical verses refer to our premortal heritage as spirit sons and daughters of God.
This conclusion is not merely arrived at by the literal logic of written words; instead, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are crystal clear that “We Are Children of God” because living prophets and apostles have declared it.
With a conception of the reality of our premortal existence, two specific Old Testament verses have rich meaning:
“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1: 4, 5).
“Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. . . . [And] formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him” (Isaiah 49: 1, 5).
From heavenly beginnings, the Father foreordained certain of His spirit children (Eph 1: 3, 4) to come to earth at particular times and places to bring about His purposes. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah were foreordained to be prophets to preach the word of truth to the children of Israel.
In premortality, Jesus Christ was the “firstborn” spirit child of the Father–a truth taught in the Bible:
“Giving thanks unto the Father, . . . Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1: 13-15).
Jesus Christ was foreordained by the Father to be born of Mary, to proclaim His gospel of salvation, to suffer in Gethesemane, and be slain for the sins of the world. Correctly conceiving premortality and foreordination lends deep meaning to the following phrase from the book of Revelation: “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13: 8).
Jesus, the Son of God, was foreordained by the Father to fulfill His mortal mission as the Messiah–the Great Deliverer, the Savior of the World. This is precisely why He is called the Christ, He has been Anointed to His holy calling, He was “chosen” (Moses 4: 2) from the foundation of the world.
The Premortal Identity of Jesus Christ: God of the Old Testament, the Lord Jehovah
The name for the Babe of Bethlehem was given by divine revelation to Mary:
“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS” (Luke 1: 30-31).
The name “JESUS” is supremely significant, for the Hebrew name from which it derives means “deliverance” or “Jehovah is our salvation.” Thus, the name JESUS ties the mortal Messiah to His premortal identity–JEHOVAH. Latter-day saints know that Jesus is Jehovah first and foremost, because He said so:
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” (John 8: 56-58).
Born of humble birth to Mary, Jesus of Nazareth is also the great “I AM” (Exodus 3: 13-14) who appeared to Moses and directed that prophet to deliver the children of Israel from pharaoh’s bondage. In 1830, the truth of Christ’s premortal identity was further reinforced as the resurrected Lord appeared to Joseph, His prophet of the “restitution” (Acts 3:18-21):
“Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins; Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer” (D&C 29: 1, 2).
Six years later, in 1836, the prophet Joseph recorded this additional witness of the Savior’s premortal identity:
“The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened. 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: I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110: 1-4).
In harmony with the truth that Jesus Christ is Jehovah, the prophet Isaiah records that the death and resurrection of the “LORD JEHOVAH” would bring about resurrection for all:
“Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: . . . Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead” (Isaiah 26: 4, 19).
It is important that we come to know the premortal identity of Jesus as Creator of heaven and earth (John 1: 3, 9) and as Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament; yet, it is even more important for covenant Christians to “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matt. 6: 33)–it is of highest priority that we follow Him and heed His precious message of salvation:
“Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made; The same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes; I am the same which spake, and the world was made, and all things came by me. . . .
I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father . . . [and] the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that I am; . . . I have made the earth rich, and behold it is my footstool, wherefore, again I will stand upon it. . . .
Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, . . . And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practise virtue and holiness before me. . . .
Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land. . . . I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, . . . for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead them” (D&C 38: 1-4, 8, 17, 22-24, 29-30, 33).
While some see Jesus as just another wise man, or as one among many prophets, in contrast, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) reverence Jesus as the Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the Prince of Peace, our Savior and Redeemer, even Alpha and Omega. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings who will come a second time to rule and reign on this earth; He is the Mortal Messiah slain for the sins of the world; Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament, the LORD JEHOVAH.