Redeemer

We live in a Fallen world that often times feels broken. Terrible things happen to good people. Dreams go unfulfilled. The guilty go seemingly unpunished for their crimes. Or even worse, we are the guilty ones in ways big or small, and we see no way out of the mess that we’ve created. There are many good and beautiful things in this world that I don’t mean to discount. But I also want to acknowledge that we all experience dark times too, sometimes so dark that it seems there is no escape.

This is why we all need a Redeemer, someone both loving enough and powerful enough to pull us from these dark places.

The Good News of the gospel is that we DO have a Redeemer! We never need to do it alone! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the divine, glorious Being who created the entire universe willingly came to Earth as a mortal man and experienced an unfair life in the same broken world that we live in. This is our Redeemer!

Our Redeemer didn’t just experience His own mortal life. He went one giant step further, and experienced each of our lives too, willingly taking upon Himself each of our sins, our burdens, and our deepest heartaches so that He could perfectly understand us. We do not understand exactly how He did this, but He did so in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed mightily and felt such immense pain that it caused Him “even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore” (Doctrine & Covenants 19:18).

He felt every possible darkness of this world, every soul-crushing devastation or calamity ever known, and “descended below them all” (Doctrine & Covenants 122:8) so that we never, ever have to be alone in our suffering. Our Redeemer, the only perfect person to live on this earth, willingly took the punishment for our sins so that “[we] might not suffer if [we] would repent” (Doctrine & Covenant 19:16). And then, triumphing in this ultimate act of love, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, sacrificed His life for us. He died. His body was placed in a tomb. And then after three days, He miraculously rose from the dead, His once mortal and imperfect body now made perfect and immortal, unlocking the power for each of us to eventually live again, too.

Can you think of a more important message? We have a Redeemer! Jesus Christ loves us! And He has already won every battle for us!

“The hardest thing that ever was done,

The greatest pain that ever was known,

The biggest battle that ever was won—

This was done by Jesus!

The fight was won by Jesus!”

“Gethsemane” by Melanie Hoffman

Yes, you and I live in a Fallen world, but we have a Redeemer who loves us. He came to save us, and He has already paved the way to our ultimate victory. One day He “will wipe away tears from off all faces” (Isaiah 25:8). I testify that He loves you and that He will always be ready for you as you turn towards Him.

Image credit: “And I Partook” by Kristin Yee

Thoughts about Jesus Christ—our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend.

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Questions To Ponder On

Why do we need a Redeemer?

We live in a Fallen world that often feels broken. Sometimes terrible things happen, dreams go unfulfilled, and we find ourselves in darkness—whether caused by others or by our own mistakes. This is why we all need a Redeemer, someone both loving enough and powerful enough to pull us from these dark places.

Who is our Redeemer?

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our Redeemer. He is the divine, glorious Being who created the universe and willingly came to Earth as a mortal man to live in the same broken world that we live in. This is our Redeemer!

What did Jesus Christ do to redeem us?

He not only lived a mortal life, but He went one giant step further—He willingly took upon Himself each of our sins, burdens, and deepest heartaches. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He suffered immense pain, that caused Him, “even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore.” He “descended below them all,” so that we never, ever have to be alone in our suffering.

What does Christ’s resurrection mean for us?

After sacrificing His life for us and being placed in a tomb, Jesus Christ miraculously rose from the dead three days later. His mortal, imperfect body was made perfect and immortal, unlocking the promise that each of us will eventually live again too.

How does knowing about our Redeemer help us in dark times?

We never need to do it alone. Jesus Christ has already won every battle for us. He loves us, He understands us perfectly, and one day He “will wipe away tears from off all faces.” He has paved the way to our ultimate victory.