Abide in the Savior’s Love

By Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

From an October 2016 general conference address.

Jesus said:

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:9–10).

To “continue in” or “abide in” the Savior’s love means to receive His grace and be perfected by it. To receive His grace, we must have faith in Jesus Christ and keep His commandments, including repenting of our sins, being baptized for the remission of sins, receiving the Holy Ghost, and continuing in the path of obedience.

Jesus revealed that to atone for our sins and redeem us from death, both physical and spiritual, His suffering—the ultimate manifestation of His love—caused Himself, “even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18). His agony in Gethsemane and on the cross was greater than any mortal could bear. Nevertheless, because of His love for His Father and for us, He endured and can offer us both immortality and eternal life.

What a precious gift is divine love!

Will you not love Him who first loved you (see 1 John 4:19)? Then keep His commandments. Will you not be a friend to Him who laid down His life for His friends (see John 15:13)? Then keep His commandments. Will you not abide in His love and receive all that He graciously offers you? Then keep His commandments. I pray that we will feel and fully abide in His love.