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| The prophet Isaiah writing of Christ's birth, by Harry Anderson |
When Isaiah said, 'here I am, send me,' I was reminded of Jesus during the war in heaven. When the adversary presented his plan of force to bolster his own pride, Jehovah or Jesus, stepped forward with the plan of happiness. This included free agency, endurance, repentance, and grace with the glory of the plan remaining in the hands of Heavenly Father. Jehovah presented Himself as the sacrificial lamb, the Savior.
2 Nephi 22:1–6. All people will praise the Savior during the Millennium“excellent things” He has done for us. Excellent things include teaching us how to have great character, teaching us how to be happy, teaching us His commandments, holding us to very high standards, providing an Atonement so we can return to the presence of the Father, treating us with patience, and loving us unconditionally.
2 Nephi 25:19–30 Nephi shares his testimony of the Savior. If we likewise believe, we should be like Nephi, “labor diligently … to persuade our children … to believe in Christ.” 2 Nephi 25:23; 2 Nephi 25:26 When I get discouraged about all the work it takes to write the curriculum for and run my little school, I remember these verses. I believe in Jesus Christ and want to persuade as many children of this truth that I can reach.
Many not of the LDS faith are offended by Nephi's words, “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23). They point to this and declare that we are not Christian. If we really stop and think about what this statement means, we realize it fits perfectly with all Christian doctrine. Jesus expects us to have faith, repent, be baptized, accept His name, live according to His commandments, and endure all things; these are our works. Even when we do these things, we will fall short of perfection. We have free agency to choose our actions and often choose incorrectly. Daily each and every inhabitant of the earth makes little or great mistakes that require repentance or the grace of Jesus Christ. He expects our very best effort, all our might, mind, and strength but knows it will not be enough. When we accept the fact that we cannot reach the ultimate goal through our own self-sufficiency, then we become truly Christian. (See 2 Nephi 10:24–25; D&C 20:29–31.)
When the Savior visited Lehi's children after His resurrection, he spoke of Isaiah’s teachings and encouraged His followers to study them. “Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah” (3 Nephi 23:1). Isaiah's teachings as well as the those of all the prophets ancient and modern, give me courage to endure and strength to be happy. I'm grateful that Jesus loved me enough to Atone for my sins. I'm grateful that Heavenly Father chose the plan of true happiness that allows me to experience earth life and choose the straight and narrow way.
