jesus the living christ.
from what we have learned in the preceding lesson, it is plain that jesus, the son of mary of nazareth, is in truth the living christ. jesus was from before the beginning of this world, and will continue in power and glory throughout the endless eternities. in the great council in heaven, he volunteered to become the christ and to save the children of god without force. he fulfilled his noble but agony-filled mission without faltering. he gave up his life with a prayer on his lips for those who brutally persecuted him and killed him. he was approved of the father, and exalted to sit on the right hand of the throne of power. he is worshipped by untold millions, to whom he has brought consolation, hope, and love. and it is not only on the so-called common people of the earth that jesus has made so wonderful an impression that he is worshipped as the very son of god, but also over the greatest intellects in the world has he wielded so powerful an influence that they bow in admiring adoration. poets, artists, philosophers, scientists, and statesmen alike acknowledge jesus, the living christ and advocate with the father.
the testimony of napoleon.
as we learned at the beginning of this book, napoleon avowed his admiration of jesus, while living an exile on the island of st. helena. napoleon's further testimony is interesting. "superficial minds see a resemblance," said {312} napoleon, "between christ and the founders of empires and the gods of other religions. that resemblance does not exist. there is between christianity and other religions the distance of infinity. everything in christ astonishes me. here i see nothing human. the nearer i approach everything is above me. alexander, caesar, charlemagne and myself founded empires. but on what did we rest the creations of our genius? upon force. jesus christ alone founded his empire upon love, and at this hour millions of men would die for him. christ proved that he was the son of the eternal."
the conviction of an english philosopher.
other great men, too, have been as profoundly impressed by the divinity of jesus as was napoleon. the great english philosopher, john locke, expressed his convictions in these words: "before our savior's time, the doctrine of a future state, though it were not wholly hid, yet it was not clearly known in the world? he brought life and immortality to light. and that not only in the clear revelation of it and in instances shown of men raised from the dead; but he has given an unquestionable assurance and pledge of it, in his own resurrection and ascension into heaven. how has this one truth changed the nature of things? the philosophers, indeed show the beauty of nature, but leaving her unendowed, very few are willing to espouse her. it has another relish and efficiency to persuade men that if they live well here, they shall be happy hereafter. upon this foundation, and upon this only, morality stands firm; and this is the gospel jesus christ has delivered to us."
{313} declarations of emerson and webster.
two notable americans may be here cited also to show the influence of the work of jesus upon men of great intellect. ralph waldo emerson, philosopher and poet, wrote, "jesus is the most perfect of all men that have yet appeared. the unique impressions of jesus upon mankind are not so much written as ploughed into the history of this world. he saw with open eye the mystery of the soul. alone in all history, he estimated the greatness of man." and daniel webster declared in his argument in the girard will case, "i believe jesus christ to be the son of god. the miracles which he wrought establish in my mind his personal authority and render it proper for me to believe what he asserts."
additional testimony.
testimonies of this kind might be added upon without limit. of course, there may be found also many men who reject the testimony of jesus. but the interesting fact about the influence of jesus is that the farther we become removed from the time of his earth-ministry, the more strongly is his influence felt, and the closer does the world really come to him. in spite of the war that satan has waged in the world against him, jesus is dearer to men today than he has ever been before. even the great world war now raging is turning the hearts of men to jesus; and many more men of learning and leadership are expressing their faith in the teachings of jesus the christ. it is to be hoped that all men will soon come to the conviction of the great german philosopher, kant: "in the life and the divine doctrine of christ, example and precept conspire to call men to the regular discharge of every moral duty for its own {314} sake. christ is the founder of the first true church; that is, that church which exhibits the moral kingdom of god upon earth."
reasons for strong testimonies in the church.
now, if the men of the world can get such testimonies and can feel so strongly that jesus is indeed the son of god, surely the children of the latter-day saints ought easily to learn to know this sublime truth. jesus came to earth, as he himself declared, when he was twelve years old, to attend to his father's business. that business, we learned, is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. and we have learned also that it is life eternal to know god and jesus christ whom he sent. jesus devoted his life to expounding the principles of eternal life. he showed in his own person what kind of being god is. he explained his own relationship to god the father. he revealed the nature and the office of the holy ghost. he taught the essential principles of the gospel, which paul called the power of god unto salvation. he emphasized the necessity of divine authority in order to act officially in the things of god. he explained by parable and by teaching the duties that man owes to god. he made perfectly clear, too, the duties that man owes to his fellowmen. he established by his wonderful life and work his own divinity as the son of god. he overcame death, the barrier between god and man, by laying down his own life. he proved the actuality of the resurrection and the life after death by arising himself from the tomb. he continues as the living christ, interceding with the father for us. all this the children of the latter-day saints have had taught to them as clearly as it has been {315} taught to the children of the world. in addition, the children of the latter-day saints have membership in the true church of jesus christ. the holy priesthood is here established. the gospel in its fulness has been restored. the church believes in continual revelation, and is favored with the living word of god. these are the marks of the church of christ. the inspiration of the holy ghost ought, therefore, to cause the testimony of jesus to burn brightly in the bosom of every latterday saint. to us also jesus has revealed the means of salvation, by his teaching, by his personal example and influence, by his death and resurrection. and to us he has delivered the keys of the dispensation of the fulness of times.
evidences of testimony in the church.
the members of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints do know that jesus is the christ, the son of the living god. they recognize the fact that the object of christ's life-work was to reveal god, to teach men to know god as their father, to persuade them to live lives of righteousness, and to redeem them from the sin of the garden of eden. and as intellectual, men of the world have avowed their conviction that jesus is the christ, so also have the leaders of "mormon" thought and life. almost every meeting held in the church is a meeting of declaration of faith in jesus. the monthly testimony meetings, particularly, are filled with assurances of faith in him. the presidency of the church, the twelve apostles, and all the members of the quorums of general authority, devote their lives as special witnesses of jesus to the testifying to his divine sonship. and of all the testimonies of jesus as the true and living christ, {316} the ever present and ever active advocate with the father, there is no other so strong and effective as that of the prophet, joseph smith, and his associate sidney rigdon.
"the testimony last of all."
"we, joseph smith, jr., and sidney rigdon, being in the spirit on the sixteenth of february, in the year of our lord, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-two. by the power of the spirit our eyes were opened and our understandings were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of god—even those things which were from the beginning before the world was, which were ordained of the father, through his only begotten son, who was in the bosom of the father, even from the beginning, of whom we bear record, and the record which we bear is the fullness of the gospel of jesus christ, who is the son, whom we saw and with whom we conversed in the heavenly vision.
"for while we were doing the work of translation, which the lord had appointed unto us, we came to the twenty-ninth verse of the fifth chapter of john, which was given unto us as follows. speaking of the resurrection of the dead, concerning those who shall hear the voice of the son of man, and shall come forth; they who have done good in the resurrection of the just, and they who have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust. now this caused us to marvel, for it was given unto us of the spirit; and while we meditated upon these things, the lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the lord shone round about; and we beheld the glory of the son, on the right hand of the father, and received of {317} his fullness; and saw the holy angels, and they who are sanctified before his throne, worshipping god, and the lamb, who worship him for ever and ever. and now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony last of all, which we give of him, that he lives; for we saw him, even on the right hand of god, and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the only begotten of the father—that by him and through him, and of him the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto god."
to us, then, removed nearly two thousand years from the time of the birth of jesus, comes with a new significance the chorus of the angels. "fear not: for, behold, i bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. for unto you is born this day in the city of david a savior, which is christ the lord . . . . glory to god in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
the references
doc. and cov. 76:11-24. luke 2:10, 11, 14.
the questions
1. in what sense is jesus the living christ?
2. to what does napoleon testify?
3. upon what is john locke's conviction based?
4. what did emerson and webster say of jesus?
5. what truth does kant derive from the life of jesus?
6. why should the latter-day saints have exceptional testimonies of jesus?
7. how can you show that the latter-day saints do have exceptionally strong testimonies of jesus?
8. what is the powerful "testimony last of all"?
9. what do the teachings of jesus mean to us?
10. explain what it means to know god and jesus christ.
