Sunday Report

The lesson for this week was the TFOT talk, given by Dallin H. Oaks entitled Teachings of Jesus, given by Yvonne Lucas. 

Dallin H. Oaks

"What think ye of Christ?" is a question asked by the Lord of the Pharisees of His day, and can just as well be asked of each of us in our time. What we think of Jesus will largely determine our eternal destiny.  Who He is and what He has done for us is something that each one of us must decide for ourselves and a then act accordingly.  That is basically the test of mortality.  Christ taught that He was the only Begotten Son of God sent to save the world through the Atonement.  God the Father confirmed this more than once.  Christ also taught that He was the creator of all things through direction of the Father.  He also affirmed that He was the God of Israel, the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament.

He came that we might have abundant life, for He declared that He was the light and life of the world.  Through His resurrection we all are assured that we, too, will live again and through the infinite Atonement we will have the opportunity to gain eternal life.  He came as the way, the truth, and the life, lighting our path in mortality, back to the Father.  He honored the Father and always did God's will.  Thus He became our way back to the Father, by showing us how to likewise always do the Father's will.  He was the Great Exemplar.

He brought the great priesthood powers back to the earth and gave them to His Apostles.  He also taught the Apostles and us about the Holy Ghost, which the Father would send in Christ's place to teach and guide and witness of the truthfulness of all things to all who humbly seek such knowledge.  He also gave commandments and clarified all aspects of the doctrine that had caused contention.  He counseled us to seek after eternal life, and not get caught up in the things of this world.  The Atonement was the culmination of His earthly ministry.  We are blessed with a fuller understanding of that great act through the Book of Mormon. " We therefore understand that the Atonement of Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity to overcome the spiritual death that results from sin and, through making and keeping sacred covenants, to have the blessings of eternal life."

"What think ye of Christ?" takes on more meaning when we consider these things.  There is no middle ground, for we are followers of Jesus Christ.  He is who He claimed to be.  He did the Father's will and performed the Infinite Atonement for each one of us.  If you do not yet know this for yourself, the knowledge is within your reach, through study and prayer and obedience to the commandments He gave us.  A modern day Apostle of the Lord, even Dallin H. Oaks, bears testimony of Christ and challenges us to get our own testimony and share it with all we meet.