We Look to Christ

“Absolutely basic to our faith is our testimony of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. We believe in Christ. We teach of Christ. We look to Christ. He is our Redeemer, our Lord, and our Savior,” proclaimed Gordon B. Hinckley in Chapter 8, We Look to Christ. 1  This lesson really speaks to my heart!  I’m sure it is no coincidence that this lesson will be taught on Easter and is filled with questions that help us think about what we truly believe and what we are willing to do because of those beliefs.


Part of the lesson comes from a talk given by Gordon B. Hinckley the day before Easter in 1966 during which he asks a thought-provoking question.  He said, “Multitudes will gather on a thousand hills to welcome the dawn of the Easter day and to remind themselves of the story of Christ, whose resurrection they will commemorate.  In language both beautiful and hopeful, preachers of many faiths will recount the story of the empty tomb.  To them – and to you – I raise this question:  Do you actually believe it?”


I suppose that at one time or another each of us will be faced with that question.  For me, it was the when my daughter passed away.  I remember thinking for a split second, “Is what I have been taught all my life really true?”  As quickly as the thought came, the sweet assurance from the Holy Ghost confirmed to me that it was!  It is hard to describe the tender feelings I had on Easter two short months later.  The love and gratitude I felt for the Savior was overwhelming.  Because of Him, I would be with my daughter again!  That Easter, and every one since, has had greater meaning to me.  


Joseph B. Wirthlin taught, “The Resurrection is at the core of our beliefs as Christians. Without it, our faith is meaningless. … When the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived. … I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross. … I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.  But the doom of that day did not endure.  The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.  I testify to you that the Resurrection is not a fable. We have the personal testimonies of those who saw Him. Thousands in the Old and New Worlds witnessed the risen Savior. They felt the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. They shed tears of unrestrained joy as they embraced Him. … The Resurrection transformed the lives of those who witnessed it. Should it not transform ours?”2  


For that transformation to occur, we need the Holy Ghost.   President Hinckley reminds us, “The things of God are understood by the Spirit of God.”  It is only through the Spirit that we will gain a testimony. He taught, “There is needed an understanding of his unique and incomparable position as the divine Redeemer and an enthusiasm for him and his message as the Son of God.”   That understanding will come as the Holy Ghost bears witness to us “that Jesus is in very deed the Son of God, born in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world resurrected from the grave, the Lord who shall come to reign as King of kings.  It is your opportunity so to know.  It is your obligation so to find out.”


But finding out is not the end of our spiritual journey.  In fact, it is really the just the beginning.  Gaining a testimony is not a one-time event but a life-time pursuit.  Harold B. Lee taught, “Testimony is as elusive as a moonbeam; it’s as fragile as an orchid; you have to recapture it every morning of your life. You have to hold on by study, and by faith, and by prayer. If you allow yourself to be angry, if you allow yourself to get into the wrong kind of company, you listen to the wrong kind of stories, you are studying the wrong kind of subjects, you are engaging in sinful practices, there is nothing that will be more deadening as to take away the Spirit of the Lord from you until it will be as though you had walked from a lighted room when you go out of this building, as though you had gone out into a darkness.  That which you possess today in testimony will not be yours tomorrow unless you do something about it. Your testimony is either going to increase or it is going to diminish, depending on you.”3


Does what I know change how I live?  President Hinckley asks a similar question in the lesson, “I ask anew the question offered by Pilate two thousand years ago, ‘What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?’  Indeed, we need continually to ask ourselves, What shall we do with Jesus who is called Christ?” 


What a great blessing it can be to us personally if we will reflect on the ways our lives have been blessed because we have learned from the Savior how to respond to the different situations in our lives.  With His loving example of obedience, forgiveness, and charity, we can know how our Heavenly Father wants us to live our lives.  “What shall we do with Jesus who is called Christ?  Learn of him. Search the scriptures for they are they which testify of him. Ponder the miracle of his life and mission. Try a little more diligently to follow his example and observe his teachings.”1


At the rededication of the Mesa Arizona Temple, President Hinckley was asked by a Protestant minister why, when the symbol of Christianity is a cross, there was no cross on the temple or any other of our buildings.  He told him that for us the cross was a symbol of a dying Christ and “our message is a declaration of the living Christ.” The minister then asked, “If you do not use the cross, what is the symbol of your religion?”  President Hinckley replied, “The lives of our people must become the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship.”  As he shared this experience with the members of the Church in April 1975 general conference, he gave us this charge, “Our lives must become a meaningful expression, the symbol of our declaration of our testimony of the Living Christ, the Eternal Son of the Living God.  It’s that simple, my brethren and sisters, and that profound and we’d better never forget it.”


I believe that is exactly what Linda K. Burton meant as she spoke about certain women in the scriptures “who bore positive, confident, firm, assured testimonies of the Savior.” Their lives were meaningful expressions of their testimonies.  So can ours be as we follow Sister Burton’s challenge to “be found staying close to Him in prayer and scripture study. Let us draw ourselves near to Him by preparing for and partaking of the sacred emblems of His atoning sacrifice weekly during the ordinance of the sacrament and as we keep covenants by serving others in their times of need. Perhaps then we might be part of the certain women, disciples of Jesus Christ, who will celebrate His glorious return when He comes again.”4  


May we be certain in our testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ, who “is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith.  In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us.”1

References:

1.  Chapter 8, We Look to Christ, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley

2.  Sunday Will Come – Joseph B. Wirthlin

3.  Chapter 5, Walking in the Light of Testimony, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee

4.  Certain Women – Linda K. Burton

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