Elder Kyle S. McKay, General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, delivered Tuesday’s devotional address. He spoke about the many reasons why we need Jesus Christ in our lives.
Throughout history, many have rejected the idea of a Christ and have not recognized the need for a Messiah or Redeemer. Elder McKay asked the audience to imagine what life would be like without Jesus Christ to understand how necessary He truly is.
“If there be no Christ, then there is no healing from our sorrows, no relief from our pain, no hope for deliverance,” he stated.
Elder McKay continued to explain that without Christ, there would be no resurrection. With no resurrection, death would be the end. There would be no hope of healing with time or finding deliverance from sorrows and suffering.
He elaborated that “time doesn’t heal anything. Jesus, with time and over time, heals all wounds. He graciously grants interim and ultimate victories over suffering and death.”
Without Christ, there would also be no change and no choice. The scriptures teach that Lucifer sought to destroy the agency of man. If there was no Christ, then the power to choose would be taken away and change would be impossible.
But this is not so: “What a relief it is to know that there is a Christ and that through His Atonement our agency has been preserved, including our ability to choose to repent, to change permanently for the better in Him.”
The fall of Adam made possible the earth experience, but only a Christ, a Messiah and Deliverer, could undo the effects of the Fall. With Christ, repentance and redemption are made possible.
“No matter how far or deep you have fallen, Jesus has descended deeper and further. During His descent, He became acquainted with our grief, and He was bruised by your inequities. He did it so he could rise above it all and bring you back home where you belong.”
Elder McKay moved beyond the hypothetical of a life without Christ and invited listeners to read King Benjamin’s final address where Jesus is introduced as the Christ.
“As you read with an open mind and a soft heart, the Spirit will help you to remember that our potential is beyond our present capacity. We cannot attain it in our current condition, and we cannot attain it on our own. We need help. We need a helper; we need Jesus, who is our Helper.”
Acknowledging the need for help is the beginning of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Humility is a chief attribute of the faithful, and only the humble can recognize their fallen state and need for a Savior. Humility, Elder McKay explained, becomes a “forerunner and magnifier of faith.”
Elder McKay stated that having faith in Christ accelerates and amplifies all healing. Increasing faith is possible as individuals plant the doctrine of Christ into their hearts and nourish it by seeking Jesus each day.
“Jesus is saving and helping and healing and forgiving right now. He is quick to forgive and slow to anger. He is mighty to save, and to that end, He is mighty to change you and me. Let us come unto Him in humility and faith so that we will be prepared when He comes unto us in power and glory.”
Next Forum:
Drew Gilpin Faust, American Historian and Author, will deliver the forum address on March 30 at 11:05 a.m.
Drew Faust's remarks will be broadcast live on BYUtv, BYUtv.org, KBYU-TV 11, Classical 89 FM, BYUradio 107.9 FM and SiriusXM 143.
