Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer

Jesus Christ has many names that reflect the different roles He plays in our lives. One of His titles is Rock of Our Salvation. We can build our lives firmly upon His promises, His love for us, and His willingness to save us from the tragedies of sin. Because Christ is unfailing and ever present in our lives, we can trust that if we keep our covenants with the Lord, “our lives will be built on that sure foundation, and there will be no need to fear” (Steven L. Taylor, “The Sure Foundation,” June 22, 2010). Just as the Lord promised in the Book of Mormon “to do a marvelous work and a wonder” through Jesus Christ, we can trust Christ to hold to the same promise in our personal lives (see 2 Nephi 25:17).

Jesus Christ will also mold us and lead us if we let Him. He has been called Gardener, Potter, Counselor, Teacher, and the Light. Each name evokes a sense of His guiding or shaping force in our lives. Jesus is someone we can look to when our sight is clouded, because He has said, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness” (John 8:12). When we take His invitation to “come, follow me,” we never have to walk alone (Luke 18:22). Christ is the ultimate counselor, one who knows what is best for us and in what timing. Because of Christ’s earthly experience and spiritual and physical suffering, He understands what we need and can lead us lovingly along the path back home. When you cry out, “Master, the tempest is raging!” His light will always lead you through the storm (Hymns, no. 105).

To let Jesus Christ into your life is to let Him “succor [you] according to [your] infirmities” (Alma 7:12). These five speeches will help you think of your own list of names for Jesus Christ and about the things He has done for you. May these speeches bring you closer to the Savior, and may you have the courage to trust Him and let His light into your life.

During the last week of His life, Christ would perform the Atonement for the salvation of all people. The week began with His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. He cleansed the temple, taught using parables, and instituted the sacrament before He made the journey to Gethsemane, where He suffered for the sins and shortcomings of each of God’s children. Because sin separates us from God, we must be cleansed if we are ever to live in His presence again. This cleansing was not possible without Christ, who gave His sinless life for all mankind, submitting Himself to the will of the Father. 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ enjoined His Father, “If thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). The pain He experienced was unimaginable, and He sweat “great drops of blood” from every pore (Luke 22:44; see also Doctrine and Covenants 19:18; Mosiah 3:7). 

In that garden He felt every unpleasant thing anyone ever had or would feel. He knows what it feels like to lose a loved one. He knows how it feels to experience addiction, to be lied to, and to make mistakes. Because of the Atonement, Christ has felt your personal pain. He knows perfectly how to succor and strengthen you through your trials (see Alma 7:11–13; 2 Nephi 9:21). 

Elder D. Todd Christofferson explained why we need the Atonement when he stated the following: “We need a Savior, a Mediator who can overcome the effects of our sins and errors so that they are not necessarily fatal. It is because of the Atonement of Christ that we can recover from bad choices and be justified under the law as if we had not sinned” (“Moral Agency,” January 31, 2006). Christ suffered for our sins so that we do not have to. 

These talks discuss Christ’s infinite yet intimate Atonement. They illustrate the majesty of His sacrifice and explain how we can more fully apply it in our own lives. They teach that Christ has already paved the road of repentance; all we need to do is follow it. 

As a child, Jesus lived in Nazareth, a city near the Sea of Galilee. He was raised by Mary and Joseph. Some people questioned Christ’s divinity because He came from such an ordinary city and was raised by such ordinary people. But others, like Simeon, Anna, and the Wise Men, testified that He was indeed the Christ (see Luke 2:34–38; Matthew 2:1–2, 9–11). There are not many stories about Jesus’s childhood in the scriptures, but the scriptures do tell us that even as a child, Jesus Christ was wise beyond His years (see Luke 2:42–47). 

Jesus’s public ministry of three years began when He was thirty years old. During this time, He was baptized to set an example, even though He was sinless. He taught others about the importance of humility, service, and prayer. He cleansed human souls, gave sight to the blind, healed the sick, calmed the raging sea, and raised people from the dead. 

Jesus taught His gospel of peace while He was on the earth. He called apostles and gave them the priesthood—the power of God on earth—so that His Church could continue after He was gone. He taught that through faith, repentance, and baptism, all can live with God again. He also taught the two great commandments: to love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind and to love all of God’s children as you love yourself (see Matthew 22:37–40). 

These speeches tell stories of Christ’s life and further discuss His teachings. Through His teachings, you can come to better understand your relationship with Heavenly Father.