“Jesus Christ Is the Source of ‘Lively,’ ‘Good,’ and ‘More Excellent Hope,’” Liahona, Dec. 2024.
Jesus Christ Is the Source of “Lively,” “Good,” and “More Excellent Hope”
In this special season of celebrating the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, may we always remember that Jesus Christ came into the world to be our Savior and Redeemer.
The Nativity, by Sharlotte Andrus
The Apostle Peter and the Book of Mormon prophets Jacob and Moroni emphasize the spiritual gift of hope in Christ in instructively similar ways.
For example, Peter declared, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3; emphasis added). Please notice the use of the word “lively” to describe “hope.”
Jacob proclaimed, “Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh” (Jacob 4:11; emphasis added). Please notice the use of the word “good” to describe “hope.”
And Moroni stated, “And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared” (Ether 12:32; emphasis added). Please notice the use of the word “excellent” to describe “hope.”
What Is Hope in Christ?
The spiritual gift of hope in Christ is the joyful anticipation of eternal life through the “merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8) and a strong desire for the promised blessings of righteousness. The adjectives “lively,” “good,” and “more excellent” in these verses suggest an ever-expanding and vibrant assurance of the Resurrection and of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
The prophet Mormon explained:
“And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?
“And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.
“Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope” (Moroni 7:40–42).
The Father’s Plan of Happiness
Hope in Christ that is lively, good, and more excellent begins with the knowledge that God the Eternal Father lives. He is our Father, and we are His spirit children. We literally are spirit sons and daughters of God and have inherited divine qualities from Him.
The Father is the author of the plan of happiness (see Abraham 3:22–28). As spirit sons and daughters of God, we “accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.” In the scriptures, we learn: “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22). Thus, obtaining physical bodies is essential in the process of progressing toward our divine destiny.
We are dual beings. Our spirits, the eternal part of us, are clothed in physical bodies that are subject to the desires and appetites of mortality. The Father’s plan of happiness is designed to provide direction for His children, to help them return safely home to Him with resurrected, exalted bodies, and to receive the blessings of eternal joy and happiness.
The Christ Child, by Sharlotte Andrus
The Redemptive Role of Jesus Christ in the Father’s Plan
Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of the Eternal Father. He came into the world to do the will of His Father (see 3 Nephi 27:13). Jesus Christ is the one anointed of the Father to be His personal representative in all things pertaining to the salvation of mankind. He is our Savior and Redeemer because He overcame both death and sin.
Alma prophesied to the people of Gideon concerning the saving work of the Messiah:
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
“Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance” (Alma 7:11–13).
The first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. True faith focuses in and on the Savior and enables us to trust in Him and have complete confidence in His power to save us from death, cleanse us from sin, and bless us with strength beyond our own.
Moroni testified, “And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death” (Mormon 9:13).
I testify that the Savior broke the bands of death. He was resurrected, He lives, and He is the only source of lively, good, and more excellent hope.
An Anchor to the Soul
The prophet Ether testified, “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4; emphasis added).
In this special season of celebrating the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, may we always remember that Jesus Christ came into the world to be our Savior and Redeemer. He offers to us the priceless spiritual gifts of life, light, renewal, love, peace, perspective, joy, and hope.
I invite you to seek appropriately for the spiritual gift of hope in the Savior by studying the teachings and testimonies of ancient and modern prophets concerning His atoning sacrifice and literal Resurrection. As you do so, I promise that your testimony of the Redeemer’s divinity will be strengthened, your conversion to Him will be deepened, your desire and determination to stand as a valiant witness of Him will be increased, and you will be blessed with an anchor to your soul—even lively, good, and more excellent hope.
With the Apostles who have borne testimony of Him throughout the ages, I joyfully declare my witness that Jesus Christ is the living Son of the living God. He is our resurrected Redeemer with a glorified, tangible body of flesh and bones. And because of the redemption and reconciliation with God that the Lord makes possible for all humankind, we can receive the spiritual assurance and a lively, good, and more excellent hope that “in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).