Brothers and sisters, this is a humbling yet inspiring opportunity. The assignment to address you here in the BYU-Idaho Center has caused me to spend many hours pondering, reflecting, fasting, and praying. I appreciate the music and the prayer that have calmed my heart and steadied my nerves. It helps, more than you can imagine, that I feel like I am among friends. I wish above all to express appreciation to a kind and loving Heavenly Father, for I know that the message I will deliver today has come to me from Him, through the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost.[1]
This is a wonderful time of the year. We are just two days past the celebration of Easter and even here in Rexburg Idaho there are signs of spring! The trees, shrubs, bulb flowers, and grasses are showing signs of new life just as we have celebrated the newness of life that is represented by the resurrection of the Savior on that first Easter morning.
Fifteen years ago this month a popular news magazine had an article entitled, "Rethinking the Resurrection," in which Christian scholars analyzed and debated the issue of whether the resurrection of Jesus Christ ever really occurred.
One, at the time a New Testament scholar at Vanderbilt Divinity School, suggested that the Resurrection was an "empty formula" that must be rejected by anyone holding a "scientific world view." This same scholar indicated that the post-crucifixion sightings of the Savior could be attributed to "interpsychic experiences."
Another, which the article described as a "prolific Biblical scholar at DePaul University in Chicago," offered that the tomb was indeed empty on Easter morning because Christ's body had "been devoured by wild dogs."
While other similar explanations could be quoted from the article, I think these two will suffice to give you a feel for the intellectual reasoning of Christian scholars who, unaided by the gift of the Holy Ghost and without the benefit of the Restored Gospel are "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."[2]
Among Latter-day Saints there should be no such misunderstanding on the topic of the resurrection. The resurrection was the capstone to the atonement of Jesus Christ. To deny the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely to deny the crowning and final act of the atonement it is to deny the whole of the atonement. Without the empty tomb, the suffering in Gethsemane and the death on Golgatha would have been for naught.
Let's consider together the great benefit that the restoration of the gospel has on our understanding of the plan of salvation, of which the resurrection is a central tenet.
Because of the restoration, we understand that we lived in a pre-mortal spirit state with our Heavenly Father. In the pre-existence we could see our Father and we knew that, while we were only spirits, He has a glorified body of flesh and bone. We wanted to become like our Father and desired to obtain a body. We know that Heavenly Father authored a plan that would allow us to have the experience of living in mortality with a physical body, use agency to make choices in this life, be tested as we walk by faith, and thereby progress to become like Him and eventually, if we use our agency properly, return to His presence.
We understand that part of this plan required that this Earth be created. The creation of the Earth is a manifestation of the love of our Heavenly Father. The beauty of the Earth and the abundance that it yields forth are evidences that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy in this second estate and designed a place were we could be so.
We understand that following the creation of the Earth, the plants, and the animals, our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created in the express likeness of the Father and placed in the Garden of Eden. They lived there is a state of innocence without the ability to keep the first commandment that they were given, to multiply and replenish the Earth because they were keeping the second commandment, to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
We understand that through the wise use of their agency they brought about the Fall and were cast out of the garden and out of God's physical presence. Had Adam not fallen, as Lehi teaches,
"he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin... Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."[3]
We understand that the joy Lehi refers to is brought to pass because the Father's plan provided a way for us to be redeemed from the Fall. In the very next verse in 2 Nephi chapter two, Lehi declares "And the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall."[4] Surely, the understanding that there would be a Savior to redeem us is part of the reason that in our pre-mortal estate "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy."[5]
Because of the restoration of the gospel, we understand that the Fall brought two distinct deaths into the world, one spiritual and one physical. The spiritual death is a natural result of sin and transgression and is characterized by our being separated from the presence of our Heavenly Father. The physical death is the natural result of our mortal existence and is characterized by the separation of our body from our spirit. We shouted for joy those long years ago because we knew a Savior, Jesus Christ, would come into the world to overcome both spiritual and physical death.
Spiritual death is overcome as we exercise our agency, repent of our sins, and are reconciled to God through the merits and mercies of the Savior and His atonement.
In his counsel to his son, Jacob, the prophet Lehi teaches us about the conditions on which forgiveness of sins is based: "Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered."[6] Physical death, on the other hand, is overcome as a free gift to all by virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul declared, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."[7]
Do you see the importance of the resurrection in the plan of salvation? Do you see how the entire plan would be thwarted without the resurrection? Perhaps pondering on the following questions will help you:
For what purpose would Christ have taken upon Himself our sins and our sorrows and our pains and our afflictions had He not also "become the first fruits of them that slept?"
To what end would we repent of the sins committed in mortality and thereby receive a remission of those sins without the hope of a resurrection from the dead?
If Christ had suffered for our sins and thereby given us the opportunity to repent, but had not resurrected from the dead and given us hope for a resurrection ourselves, then the best we could hope for after the death of our mortal bodies would be to live forever as a spirit. But that was the state in which we found ourselves before coming to this Earth. We could have lived forever as spirits without this Earth experience.
You see, brothers and sisters, without the resurrection the entire purpose for which the Earth was created becomes null and void. We came here to gain a body and to return back to our Heavenly Father having become like Him. The way to become like Him involves two equally important components. The first is to completely apply the atonement in our lives by repenting of all of our sins and becoming Holy as He is Holy.
The Lord himself said to Adam,
"Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time."[8]
The second and equally important component of becoming like our Heavenly Father is that we have to have a body like the one He has. Our Heavenly Father will preside over the Celestial Kingdom. The Lord explained to the prophet Joseph Smith in the 88th section of the Doctrine and Covenants that those whose spirits have become celestial will be resurrected with a celestial body and will inherit that kingdom.
"And the spirit and the body are the soul of man. And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul. And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it. Therefore, it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory; For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father. That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified... They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened. Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fullness."[9]
To not understand the resurrection is fundamentally to not understand the purpose of the atonement, the need for the Fall, the noble role of Adam and Eve, the true nature and purpose of the creation, and indeed, the reality of our pre-existent state. In essence, to not understand the resurrection is to not understand the nature of God and the purpose of His plan of happiness for His children. No wonder that the Lord declared, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
Since the resurrection is such a pivotal part of the plan of salvation, it should not surprise us that there are many witnesses of the risen Lord. Let's briefly review the scriptural accounts of those who saw the Savior after the crucifixion and became eyewitnesses of His resurrection:
In Mark 16:9 we read that when "Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene." Later that same day He walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus[10] and "sat at meat with them, and took bread and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him."[11] These two disciples quickly arose and returned to Jerusalem to report to the Apostles that the Lord had risen and appeared unto Simon.[12]
On that same evening Christ appeared to the disciples. In Luke it records "And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."[13]
One week later, again on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared unto the 11 with Thomas who had been absent the week before. This was the occasion when Jesus proclaimed "because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."[14]
Subsequently he showed himself to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias,[15] to Stephen on the occasion of his martyrdom,[16] to Paul on the road to Damascas,[17] to above 500 brethren at once,[18] and to the Apostles over a 40-day period on numerous occasions.[19]
In addition to apostles and disciples who lived in the meridian of time, whose testimonies of the Savior are recorded in the Bible, the Lord has also given us another testament of Jesus Christ. To the prophet Enoch the Lord declared, "And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men."[20] I testify that the Book of Mormon is the "truth sent forth out of the earth" to bear testimony of the Lord and of His resurrection and of the resurrection of all men.
The Savior's appearances to the Nephite multitude found in 3 Nephi are some of the most compelling testimonies of the resurrection ever recorded.
"And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
"And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffer the will of the Father in all things from the beginning...Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
"And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come."[21]
In chapters 19 and 27 of 3 Nephi we read of two other appearances of the resurrected Savior to the Nephites. The Book of Mormon also records the visitation of the Lord, after his resurrection, to the prophet Mormon[22] when he was only 15 years old, and to Mormon's son, Moroni. In Moroni's own words we read,
"And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things; And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen."[23]
As clear evidence that the Lord loves His people in every dispensation of time, we have modern witnesses of the resurrection as well. The Prophet Joseph Smith, as a young boy with a desire to know which of the churches in his day was the true church of Christ on the earth, knelt in a grove of trees near his home and asked of God. He gave this account of his First Vision.
"So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.
"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God... I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other - This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"[24]
The Lord also appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple[25] and in the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon record this witness of the resurrected Lord,
"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father - That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."[26]
In addition to the scriptural accounts of the Lord's resurrection, let me share two other modern witnesses. Lorenzo Snow's granddaughter testified that the prophet spoke to her on one occasion in the Salt Lake Temple and said:
"It was right here that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me at the time of the death of President Woodruff. He instructed me to reorganize the First Presidency of the Church at once and not wait as had been done after the death of the previous presidents, and that I was to succeed President Woodruff...He stood right here, about three feet above the floor. It looked as though He stood on a plate of solid gold." She recalled: "Grandpa told me what a glorious personage the Savior is and described His hands, feet, countenance, and beautiful, white robes, all of which were of such a glory of whiteness and brightness that he could hardly gaze upon Him." Then Grandpa came another step nearer and put his right hand on my head and said: "Now, granddaughter, I want you to remember that this is the testimony of your grandfather, that he told you with his own lips that he actually saw the Savior here in the Temple and talked with Him face to face."
When I was a freshman at BYU my roommate and I drove to Salt Lake City to attend the April 1978 General Priesthood session of conference. I can to this day remember where I sat in the Tabernacle and the feelings of reverence and peace that I felt. The most touching moment of the session for me was the very last statement of President Spencer W. Kimball in his concluding talk. I quote as it was recorded in the May 1978 Ensign magazine: "I know that God lives. I know that Jesus Christ lives," said John Taylor, my predecessor, "for I have seen him. I bear this testimony to you brethren in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
And so we have dozens of testimonies, both ancient and modern, that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that He lives yet today with a resurrected body of flesh and bones. In many ways the power of the message of the restored gospel lies in the individual testimonies of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The absolute knowledge that Jesus Christ's resurrection was a literal resurrection from death to life and the sure and certain knowledge that all mankind will likewise resurrect will never be lost from the Earth so long as this testimony burns in your heart and in my heart.
In that spirit I would now like to add my testimony to the others I have referred to this afternoon. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He lives. I testify that He has a glorified body of flesh and bones. I testify that a sure and true and saving and exalting testimony of Him and of His resurrection comes through the restored gospel and in no other way. Relative to our Heavenly Father, Christ was both the firstborn in the Spirit and the only begotten in the Flesh. He was chosen from before the foundations of the Earth to be both the creator and the redeemer. He is our Savior from both spiritual and physical death. I humbly and solemnly testify that He yet bears in His hands and in His feet and in His side the sacred tokens of His infinite and atoning sacrifice and He is therefore the only name given under heaven whereby salvation cometh. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Doctrine and Covenants 121:26
[2] 2 Timothy 3:7
[3] 2 Nephi 2:22-23, 25
[4] 2 Nephi 22:26
[5] Job 38:7
[6] 2 Nephi 2:7
[7] 1 Corinthians 15:22
[8] Moses 6:57
[9] Doctrine and Covenants 88:15-20, 28, 29
[10] Luke 24:13
[11] Luke 24:30-31
[12] Luke 24:34
[13] Luke 24:36, 39
[14] John 20:29
[15] John 21:1
[16] Acts 7:55
[17] Acts 9:5
[18] 1 Corinthians 15:6
[19] Acts 1:3
[20] Moses 7:62
[21] 3 Nephi 11:8-15
[22] Mormon 1:15
[23] Ether 12:39, 41
[24] Joseph Smith-History 1:14-17
[25] Doctrine and Covenants 110:2
[26] Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-24