“Lesson 162—The Living Christ, Part 1: ‘We Bear Testimony, as His Duly Ordained Apostles—That Jesus Is the Living Christ,’” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)
“The Living Christ, Part 1,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Lesson 162: The Living Christ
The Living Christ, Part 1
“We Bear Testimony, as His Duly Ordained Apostles—That Jesus Is the Living Christ”
On January 1, 2000, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued a declaration known as “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles.” Their testimony commemorated the 2,000th anniversary of the Savior’s birth. This lesson can help students deepen their understanding of Jesus Christ.
Possible Learning Activities
Jesus is the living Christ
Display the picture of Jesus Christ from the beginning of this lesson or another picture of the Savior. Consider giving a student in the middle of the room a picture of the world. Invite the class to direct that student to move closer to or away from the picture of Jesus Christ based on how they feel about the state of the world. Invite them to explain why they feel that way.
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Why does it matter if the world is getting closer to or farther away from the Lord?
Take a moment to ponder the following questions:
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Why does it matter to you if you are moving closer to or farther away from the Lord?
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What are some ways the Savior can help you in your life right now?
Invite students to ponder these questions as they study today and to seek guidance from the Lord to help answer them.
“The Living Christ”
Hand out copies of “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), or invite students to locate it in their study journals.
To help students learn more about this declaration, encourage them to answer questions like the following: What do you notice? When was it issued? Who signed it? Do you recognize the names of any of the individuals who signed it?
Alternatively, you could have a student read the following contextual paragraph.
As special witnesses of Christ (see Doctrine and Covenants 107:23), the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued a declaration on January 1, 2000. This declaration, known as “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” commemorated the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus Christ’s birth.
Read or watch the following statement by Elder Robert D. Hales (1932–2017) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for why this declaration is important:
General Conference: Strengthening Faith and Testimony
The world is moving away from the Lord faster and farther than ever before. The adversary has been loosed upon the earth. We watch, hear, read, study, and share the words of prophets to be forewarned and protected. For example, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” was given long before we experienced the challenges now facing the family. “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” was prepared in advance of when we will need it most. (Robert D. Hales, “General Conference: Strengthening Faith and Testimony,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 7)
Invite students to share what stood out to them from the statement. Ask them why they think the Apostles’ testimonies of the Savior may be needed more now and in the future than when the declaration was given.
Explain that students will have an opportunity in today’s lesson to come closer to the Savior by deepening their understanding of Him through this prophetic declaration.
Study “The Living Christ”
Help Students Come to Know Jesus Christ: The following activity is designed to help students come to know Christ better. To learn more about how to do this, see the training titled “Teach about the titles, roles, and attributes of Jesus Christ,” found in Teacher Development Skills: Focus on Jesus Christ. Consider practicing the skill “Create search questions to help students identify roles, titles, attributes, and characteristics of Jesus Christ.”
Study “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” looking for truths about Jesus Christ. Highlighting one or more of the following could help:
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The different names of Jesus Christ used in the document
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What you feel are key phrases in the document
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Statements that show what Jesus Christ has done for you
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Roles and attributes of Jesus Christ
Consider visiting with individual students to offer help and encouragement while they study.
If useful, students could follow along and mark their copy of “The Living Christ” while watching the following video of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reciting excerpts from it. Or students could watch the video after their study to reinforce what they learned or to gain new insights. The video, “Excerpts from ‘The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles’”(2:45), is available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Excerpts from "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles"
Allow students a few minutes to share what they learned as they studied “The Living Christ.” Encourage students to listen to and learn from each other. They could explain why they value a classmate’s comment or even ask a question to help deepen understanding.
There are many truths students could identify. The following are some examples:
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Under the direction of the Father, Jesus Christ created the earth.
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Jesus Christ gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind.
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Jesus Christ was resurrected and lives today.
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Jesus Christ is the light, the life, and the hope of the world.
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Jesus Christ’s way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.
Select one of the truths you or others identified about Jesus Christ that you would like to learn more about.
Expand our understanding of truths
You could read the following statement to suggest one way to deepen understanding of these truths.
President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited us to “consider searching the scriptures to expand [our] understanding of the specific truths found in ‘The Living Christ’” (M. Russell Ballard, “Return and Receive,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 65).
Invite students to use their scriptures to expand their understanding of one of the truths about Jesus Christ. They could look up key words or phrases in the Guide to the Scriptures or the Topical Guide. Or they could select a story of the Savior that illustrates the truth they chose.
Students can also do the following to expand their understanding:
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Search the hymnbook by topic, looking for what the hymns teach about Jesus Christ and His various roles.
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Use a dictionary to define difficult words.
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Look for statements by Church leaders.
You may want to display the following instructions to guide students as they study.
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Write down scriptures you studied and additional insights that expand your understanding of the truth you selected about Jesus Christ.
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Ponder why it is important to understand that truth about Jesus Christ.
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Because Jesus is resurrected and living today, He still fulfills the truth you studied. Write how He is doing this in your life or how it can make a difference to you.
Students could write what they find on their copy of “The Living Christ.”
Invite students to share with others what they have learned today. One way would be for them to move around the room to find someone they have not worked with recently. They could share what they learned and their thoughts about it. Then they might move to another student and share again. This might help them get to know more students and hear a variety of thoughts.
Consider listening to students as they share what they found. As you listen, you may want to ask a few of them to share with the whole class. They will have an opportunity to share more in the following lesson.
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How do you think the truths taught in “The Living Christ” can help us understand and come closer to Jesus Christ?
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How does better understanding the Savior help you in your life?