Ch. 11: The Life of Christ

from Gospel Principles:

The life of Christ was predicted long before His birth. The story of the birth and life of the Savior is found in the New Testament in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There we learn that Jesus was born of a virgin name Mary. The angel told her that she was to be the mother of the Son of God. Hence, Jesus is the only person on earth to be born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father and so why He is called the Only Begotten Son.He inherited divine powers from His Father and from His mother He inherited mortality and was subject to hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, and death.

Jesus led a perfect life. By the time He was 12yo, he had grown in His understanding that He had been sent to do the will of His Father (see Luke 2:46-49). When Jesus was 30yo, He came to John the Baptist to be baptized in order to fulfil all righteousness. Soon after He was baptized, He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights to be with God. After that, Satan came to tempt Him. Jesus firmly resisted all Satan's temptations. Then Jesus began His public ministry. He taught that there are two great commandments: first, to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength; and second, to love others as we love ourselves (Matt 22:36-39). His life is an example of how we should obey these two commandments... if we love God, we will trust and obey Him and if we love others, we will help them meet their physical and spiritual needs.

Jesus wanted His gospel taught to people all over the earth, so He chose twelve Apostles to testify of Him. They received the authority to act in His name. Moreover, near the end of His mortal ministry, He prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for all the sins of mankind (more about the Atonement in the next chapter). Through the atonement, cruxifixion, and resurrection (see Matt 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, John 18-20), He redeemed us from our sins and saved us from death. His sacrifice showed His love for His Father and for us. Jesus taught: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" John 15:13-14. He willingly and humbly went through the sorrow in Gethsemane and the suffering on the cross so we could receive all the blessings of the plan of salvation. To receive these blessings, we must come unto Him, repent of our sins, and love Him with all our hearts.