The Living Savior--Who is the Living Savior?

An apostle's testimony of the living Savior

An apostle, James E. Talmage, bore this testimony of the living Savior’s identity:

“We claim scriptural authority for the assertion that Jesus Christ was and is God the Creator, the God who revealed himself to Adam, Enoch, and all the antediluvian patriarchs and prophets down to Noah. Jesus Christ is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel as a united nation, and the God of Ephraim and Judah after the destruction of the Hebrew nation. He is a God who made himself known to the prophets from Moses to Malachi. He is the God of the Old Testament record and of the Book of Mormon. We affirm that Jesus the Christ is Jehovah the Eternal One, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Redeemer and Savior of the world.” 1

The living Savior is the Firstborn of God and the rightful heir to God’s kingdom

We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world. 2

We are all spirit children of Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, the living Savior, who was and is Jehovah, is Heavenly Father’s firstborn spirit child. “And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn.” 3 All the rest of us are Jesus’ juniors. In his unique role as Firstborn son, Jesus, the living Savior of the world, is entitled to inherit all that the Father has—“All things that the Father hath are mine” 4--including a “fulness of the glory of the Father.” 5

Additionally, the living Savior, Jesus Christ, is the rightful heir to God’s kingdom and glory and he is willing to make us joint-heirs by our conforming to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Thus, through our obedience we can “inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation” as Jesus, the Savior, did. 6

In the pre-mortal existence, Jesus was prepared and foreordained by Heavenly Father to carry out the Father’s plan of salvation, which required that a savior perform an infinite and eternal Atonement. Therefore, as an act of supernal love, Jesus Christ, or Jehovah, the Firstborn and rightful heir of God, volunteered to come to earth to become our Savior and Redeemer and suffer the penalties of our sins, overcome all the difficulties of our life including death, and clear the way so we could live again with God, and with him become joint-heirs of Heavenly Father’s kingdom.

The living Savior, Jesus Christ, was and is the Creator

Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” 7

Under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ created the world, all things in the heavens, and the bodies of men…and he continues to do so. Because Jesus precisely executes the Father’s will in the creation, management and salvation of all things, he is called the Word of God.

“Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation--The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.” 8

The Prophet Joseph Smith gave this testimony about the living Savior as the Creator: “…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.” 9

The living Savior is Jehovah and the Messiah

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New Testament. 10

Identifying the living Savior as Jehovah, Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “The death and resurrection of Jehovah…is foretold in Isaiah in these words: ‘In the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.... Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise....’ (Isa. 26:3, 19). On April 3, 1836, Jesus Christ appeared in the Kirtland Temple to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery under his name 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.’” 11

In addition to his names, Jehovah, Savior and Messiah, Jesus Christ is called by many other descriptive titles. Some of these include: Lord, Lord of Hosts, Lord Omnipotent, Lord of Sabaoth, Redeemer, Mediator, Messenger of Salvation, Messenger of the Covenant, The Way, Truth and Life, Immanuel, Advocate, Almighty God, Wonderful, Councelor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Alpha and Omega, Author of Salvation, Son of God, Son of Man, Beloved Son, Only Begotten Son, Son of David, Stem of Jesse, Bread of Life, Living Manna, Bridegroom, Bright and Morning Star, Captain of the Lord’s Host, Captain of Salvation, Chosen One, Creator, Deliverer, Desire of All Nations, Door of the Sheep, Elder Brother, Eternal Life, Exemplar, First and the Last, Firstborn, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God of Israel, God of the Whole Earth, God of Truth, Good Shepherd, Great I Am, Heir of God, Great High Priest, Holy One of God, Holy One of Israel, Lamb of God, Keeper of the Gate, King of Glory, King of Heaven, King of Kings, King of Israel, King of the Jews, King of Zion, Light of Life, Light of the World, Resurrection and the Life, Rock of Heaven, Root of David, Shiloh, Spirit of Truth, Stone of Israel, True Vine, and Word of God. 12

Qualifications: The living Savior was sinless and immortal

Though sinless…He gave his life to atone for the sins of all mankind world (“The Living Christ”).

In order to accomplish the universal Atonement and overcome the effects of sin and death, the Savior had to be:

1. Sinless—Because Jesus, the Savior, was the Son of God, and because God is perfect, Jesus inherited the power to live a perfect life. Therefore, because the Savior was sinless, he was the only person who could qualify to suffer the consequences of sins that were not his own.



2. Immortal—Because Jesus, the Savior, was the Son of God, and because God is immortal, Jesus inherited the power to live forever. Therefore, because the Savior was immortal, he was the only person who had the power to voluntarily lay down his life and take it up again.

Jesus Christ, the living Savior, was an absolutely unique being. He came into this world with an unprecedented dual nature: The Savior was the literal Son of God and the son of Mary.

• From his perfect and immortal Heavenly Father, the Savior inherited the ability to remain sinless and live eternally.



• From Mary, his mortal mother, the Savior inherited the ability to sin and to die.

Therefore, the choice to sin or not sin and to die or not die was always his, which ability made the Savior's sacrifice completely voluntary. A modern-day apostle, Russell M. Ballard, explained the Savior’s nature in these words:

“[The Savior] was conceived as ‘the only begotten of the Father’ (John 1:14). Through His mother, Mary, He received many of the frailties of mortality essential to His preordained and much-prophesied mission to suffer and die for the sins of all mankind. Through His Eternal Father He received certain powers of immortality, which gave Him the ability to live a sinless life and to eventually conquer death--for Himself and for us.” (Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, p.9). 13

Of the living Savior’s exclusive ability to remain sinless, we have these prophetic statements:

• “None ever were perfect but Jesus, and why was he perfect? because he was the Son of God, and had the fulness of the Spirit, and greater power than any man." 14



• “In all the world, there was only one perfectly holy, perfectly sinless being Only one man lived his very life without a single thought, word, or action that was out of harmony with the will of God.” 15



• “[The Savior was] supremely wise, supremely good, no error, no sinister intention, no imprudence, no ignorance, no evil passion, no impatience; in a word, no fault; but all is perfect uprightness; innocence, wisdom, goodness and truth. The mind of man has never conceived the idea of such a character…strict justice, but of overflowing benignity…temperate, without austerity; his meekness and humility are signal; his patience is invincible; truth and sincerity illustrate his whole conduct; every one of his virtues is regulated by consummate prudence…a character of unearthly perfection, symmetrical in all its proportions, and encircled with splendor more than human.” 16

Of the living Savior’s exclusive ability to never die, we have these prophetic statements:

• “No man taketh it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” 17



• “[The Savior was] the Only Begotten Son of the Father, the only being who has ever walked the earth…not the child of two mortal parents….Christ, the Son of a mortal woman but not begotten by a mortal father, combined within himself the powers of Godship and the attributes of mortality. How else can we explain his own declaration that he had life in himself?…He said unto the people: ‘Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again….’ by which we may understand that from his Father he had derived, by heredity, the power to rise from mortality to immortality.” 18



• “[The Savior] came from the Father, that He was his Father's Son, begotten of His Father, born of His mother Mary, thus partaking of the elements of eternal life and power over death, inheriting this power from His Father; and possessing the power to lay down His life through the mortality inherited from His mother.” 19

Qualification: The living Savior is one with the Father

Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father.” 20

One in purpose--The living Savior, Jesus Christ, is one, or “at one,” with the Father, meaning that his purposes and the Father’s purposes are the exactly the same. The one purpose of these two divine beings is: “To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” 21

Two separate beings--While the Father and the Son are one in purpose they are two separate beings. This fact is verified by of the Father repeatedly bearing testimony from heaven of his beloved Son, who was ministering on earth. Some biblical accounts are: the baptism of the Savior; 22 the Savior’s transfiguration; 23 and the Savior's’ discourse to his disciples. 24 Perhaps the Prophet Joseph Smith gave the most vivid description of the duality of the Father and the Son: “I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description standing above me in the air. One of them called me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” 25

One in glory, power, might and dominion--Of the Father and the Son’s oneness, Joseph Smith described the Savior as having: “a fullness of the glory of the Father,” and “possessing the same mind, the same wisdom, glory, power, and fullness…and the same kingdom.” Furthermore, the Prophet said that Jesus was “in the express image and likeness of the Father….” 26

An invitation to be ‘one’--The living Savior invites all of us to be one or at one with him and the Father. 27 This at-oneness of purpose, power, mind, and glory is central to the Savior’s great sacrifice and atonement or At-one-ment. Elder Harold B. Lee offered a three-fold plan for becoming one with the Savior and Father:

1. enter into the family of Jesus Christ through baptism



2. receive all the saving priesthood ordinances and obey the commandments



3. follow the living prophets and apostles of God. 28

Being called the Father--Because the living Savior and the Father are one, Jesus is often referred to as the Father. Here are three examples:

1. the Savior is called the Father of heaven and earth because he, under the direction Heavenly Father, was and is the creator of all things.



2. When we are baptized, we are born again and enter into the family of Jesus Christ, or the Church of Jesus Christ. 29 We are “spiritually begotten,” and become “his sons and his daughters." 30



3. Heavenly Father puts his own name on the Savior. Therefore, Jesus, with full authority, can speak in the first person as though he were the Father. Everything he [the Savior] says or does is exactly what the Father would say and do.” 31

Questions about 'The Living Savior--Who is the Living Savior?'

• What was the Savior's name and identity before he was born in Bethlehem?
• Because the Savior, Jesus Christ, was the Firstborn son of Heavenly Father, what was his right to inherit?
• By conforming to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, we can become joint-heirs with the living Savior, Jesus Christ, and inherit what?
• Who chose and prepared Jesus to become our Savior?
• Who, under Heavenly Father's direction, created the world and the entire universe?
• In addition to his name Jehovah, what other names or titles does the Savior have?
• To qualify as the Savior, what two attributes did Jesus have to possess?
• In addition, Jesus Christ, the Savior, had to be "one with God." What does "one with God" mean?
• Are the Father and the Son two separate beings?
• How can we become "one" with the Father and the Son?
• Why is the living Savior, Jesus Christ, sometimes referred to as the Father?

References for 'The Living Savior--Who is the Living Savior?'

1. Jesus the Christ, p.30
2. "The Living Christ"
3. D&C 93:21
4. John 16:15
5. D&C 93:16
6. Romans 8:14-18; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.347 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:14-18). "...What is it? To inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a God, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before. What did Jesus do? Why, I do the things I saw my Father do when worlds came rolling into existence. My Father worked out his kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present it to my Father, so that he may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt him in glory. He will then take a higher exaltation, and I will take his place, and thereby become exalted myself. So that Jesus treads in the tracks of his Father, and inherits what God did before; and God is thus glorified and exalted in the salvation and exaltation of all his children. It is plain beyond disputation, and you thus learn some of the first principles of the gospel, about which so much hath been said" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 347).
7. John 1:3; "The Living Christ"
8. D&C 93:8-9
9. D&C 76:24
10. "The Living Christ"
11. Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., p.392; D&C 110:4
12. "The Living Christ"
13. "Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints", p.9
14. Words of Joseph Smith, p. 72
15. Gerald N. Lund, "Selected Writings of Gerald N. Lund: Gospel Scholars Series," p.164
16. Charles H. Hart,Conference Report, October 1931, Second Day-Morning Meeting, p.70
17. John 10:18
18. James E. Talmage, Conference Report, April 1928, Third Day-Morning Meeting, p.94 - 95
19. Joseph F. Smith, Conference Report, October 1913, p.9
20. "The Living Christ"
21. Moses 1:39
22. Matthew 3:17 – And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
23. Mark 9:7 – And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.
24. John 12:28 – Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, [saying], I have both glorified [it], and will glorify [it] again.
25. Joseph Smith History 1:17
26. Lectures on Faith 5:2
27. John 17: 12, 21-23
28. Conference Report, April 1950, p.99
29. Mosiah 27:24-29 – For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. nd the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off. Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God. My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.
30. Mosiah 5:7
31. "The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Twelve"; Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.130