How can observing the life of Jesus Christ help us understand and love God?
How do you get to know someone? Likely, you do so by observing their words and actions. When it comes to getting to know God, a general conference talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Grandeur of God,” gives some beautiful insight. Elder Holland teaches, “In word and in deed Jesus was trying to reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in Heaven. He did this at least in part because then and now all of us need to know God more fully in order to love Him more deeply and obey Him more completely.”
Ultimately, to learn of Jesus Christ is to learn of God. The more we know them both, the more we are able to feel loved by them and love them in return—and isn’t that the whole point? Elder Holland profoundly states, “Jesus did not come to improve God’s view of man nearly so much as He came to improve man’s view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them.” Jesus Christ so beautifully exemplifies godly attributes of mercy, knowledge, patience, charity, humility, and countless others. As we come to know God through “the perfect Son’s manifestation,” we can become more confident in that mutual love.
Thankfully, we also have sources in which to learn of, or “get to know,” Jesus Christ and, through him, God. For example, I have felt God’s love through different people he has placed in my life, to show me love and for me to love them too; our expressions of love reflect his. The Bible and the Book of Mormon are also essential in our practice of coming to know God and Jesus Christ, and in the scriptures we can search both for manifestations of “The Grandeur of God” and his son. Finally, praying to know about one specific attribute that God and Jesus Christ possess might also assist in deepening the love we have for them.
Listen to “The Grandeur of God” for more of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s powerful words regarding the character of God and Christ.
Source: General Conference
—Maya Burnett, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
Read or listen to “The Nature and Character of God” by Andrew C. Skinner to learn how understanding God’s attributes can improve our relationship with him.
Check out “That They May Know Thee,” where Johnathan S. Schmitt focuses on how Jesus Christ demonstrates God’s character.