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Searching for Truth

Study and ponder on all the following references throughout the week. It will be a deeper
experience if you:
Start each session with prayer, and
Develop adailystudy habit rather than trying to complete this assignment all at once.

Jesus is the Christ

Who is Jesus Christ?
Introduction
In the title page of the Book of Mormon, Moroni declares that the main purpose of the
book is to "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD."

We live in a world where many people do not believe that Jesus is the Christ. Some deny
that Jesus Christ is Jehovah of the Old Testament. Others claim that Christians twisted Old
Testament prophesies to t the life of Jesus after He died.
The Christian world has been fractured and divided for centuries over the simple question:
who is Jesus Christ? The Book of Mormon declares that Jesus is the Christ, the promised
Messiah that the ancient prophets and apostles of the Bible testied of.
The Book of Mormon confounds many of the philosophical creeds that are predominant in
the Christian world today. Early Christian leaders debated who Jesus Christ is and a majority
determined in 4th and 5th century councils that God was an ethereal essence and that Jesus
was of "one substance" with the Father. Some Christians even deny the divine Sonship of
Jesus Christ. They would have us believe He is the son of Joseph and Mary and not the son of
God. They cannot conceive that the Father would literally have a son "after the manner of the
esh" (1 Nephi 11:18) because of their philosophical creeds. Increasingly today Jesus is seen
as a moral philosopher but not as our Savior, the Son of God.
Even among those who do believe that He is the Savior, many disagree about who Jesus is
and what he is like. For example, some people think Jesus is so loving and forgiving that they
dont really need to repent or keep his commandments. Others view Jesus as so stern and
strict that they feel hopeless. The Book of Mormon teaches the correct understanding of the
character, perfections, and attributes of Jesus Christ (see Lectures on Faith, Lecture Three). As
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character, perfections, and attributes of Jesus Christ (see Lectures on Faith, Lecture Three). As
"we come to the knowledge of the true Messiah," (1 Nephi 10:14) and know who Jesus Christ
really is, we can obtain the faith necessary for salvation.

Scriptural Outline
1. Jesus Christ is a member of the Godhead and "one" with the Father and the Holy
Ghost in every conceivable aspect except for their separate personages.
a. Nephi closes his teachings of the doctrine of Christ by bearing witness of the
Godhead. (2 Nephi 31:21)
b. Mormon declares we will sing praises to the Godhead because of our
redemption by Jesus Christ. (Mormon 7:67)
c. Jesus teaches the Nephites of baptism; We are to baptize in the name of all
three members of the Godhead (3 Nephi 11:2327)
2. The Book of Mormon bears witness that Jesus Christ is God.
a. The Brother of Jared sees Jesus Christ in all his pre-earth Godly glory and bears
record of it. (Ether 3:616)
b. King Benjamin bears witness of Jesus as God who will come into the world to
save the world. (Mosiah 3:111)
c. Abinadi calls Jesus, God himself (Mosiah 13:28, 34; 15:1)
d. Nephi son of Lehi bears witness of Christs Godhood. (2 Ne. 11:67)
e. Nephi, Son of Helaman bears witness that all prophets have born witness of
Jesus as God. (Hel. 8:2223)
3. The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus Christ condescended to become the Son of
God in the esh.
a. Nephi sees the condescension of God the Father having a child with Mary, and
the condescension of God the Son becoming that child of God and Mary. (1
Nephi 11:1323)
b. King Benjamin bears witness of the mortal Messiahs birth and mortal mission.
(Mosiah 3:110)
4. The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus Christ is both the Father and the Son.
a. Abinadi bears witness of the divine nature and mortal nature of the Christ.
(Mosiah 15:17)
5. The Book of Mormon bears witness of the divine attributes of Jesus Christ.
a. King Benjamin teaches the people of Zarahemla some of the divine attributes of
Jesus Christ. (Mosiah 4:6, 9)
b. Both Enos and the brother of Jared teach that God cannot lie. (Enos 1:6; see also
Ether 3:12)
c. The Brother of Jared expresses his faith in the attributes of Godliness as he
requests the Lord to touch the prepared stones to light his ships. (Ether 3:25)
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requests the Lord to touch the prepared stones to light his ships. (Ether 3:25)
d. Jacob bears witness of Gods justice, mercy, knowledge, and holiness. (2 Nephi
9:17, 1921)
e. Alma and Abinadi teach the attribute of Godly jealousy. (Mosiah 11:22; 13:13)
f. Jacob teaches the Nephites at the temple that one soul is as precious to God as
another. (Jacob 2:21)
g. Jacob teaches the Nephites at the temple the attribute of pure chastity inherent
in God. (Jacob 2:28)
h. As Ammon glories in the Lord at the end of his 14 year mission he bears witness
of the divine attributes of Christ. (Alma 26:3537)

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Introduction
The Book of Mormon was written "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the
Christ"(Title Page). The Book of Mormon provides the most clear and comprehensive
explanation of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our canon of scripture. Its witness of Jesus
Christ as our Savior and Redeemer is convincing!
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the central theme of the Book of Mormon. The Prophet
Joseph Smithdeclared that "the fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of
the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again
the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are
only appendages to it" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,121).
The prophets of the Book of Mormon all testied that "Christ shall come among the
children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall make an
atonement for the sins of the world" (Alma 34:8). During his personal ministry among the
Nephites, the Savior taught His gospel and bore witness of His atoning sacrice, testifying "I
am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the
world" (3 Nephi 11:14).
All of us desperately need the atonement of Jesus Christ. Each of us have fallen through
our mortal nature, and therefore there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from our lost
and fallen condition. No one can be saved unless they rely upon "the merits, and mercy, and
grace of the Holy Messiah." (2 Ne. 2:8)
The Book of Mormons witness of Jesus Christ can help you gain your own testimony that
He is our Savior and Redeemer. It can help you develop the faith to repent of your sins, obey
His gospel, and gain eternal life.

Scriptural Outline
1. The Book of Mormon teaches why an atonement was necessary for our salvation.
a. Jacob teaches that without an atonement we would be miserable forever and
become subject to the devil (2 Nephi 9:124)
b. Amulek testies that only an innite and eternal atonement can satisfy the

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b. Amulek testies that only an innite and eternal atonement can satisfy the
demands of justice (Alma 34:117)
c. Alma teaches his son Corianton that the Atonement was necessary to satisfy the

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