The Mission of Jesus Christ

Each person has a purpose on this Earth.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are included in that every dissention from Heaven to the Earth is for a reason.  The condescension of God, although different in purpose, has the same meaning: God voluntarily leaves His throne in the Heavens to complete a mission on Earth.  There are few instances in which the condescension of the Godhead is described in scripture.  In 1 Nephi 11:11, Nephi explains, “it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another.”  This is the Holy Ghost in the form of a human on Earth.  Nephi follows with the condescension of Heavenly Father that the Holy Ghost reveals unto him.  God humbly leaves his exalted position in Heaven to impregnate the mortal Mary.  “Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.  And… I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit” (1 Nephi 11:18-19).  Jehovah, the Son of God, is born soon after as Nephi describes the Virgin Mary holding her half mortal, half heavenly child.  The condescension of God and His Beloved Son are God’s gifts to his children.  “And behold how great the covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men; and because of his greatness, and his grace and mercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in the future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of Israel” (2 Nephi 9:53).  This is the purpose of the dissention of the Godhead. 

The mission of Jesus Christ, His purpose to descend from His Heavenly throne, is one of unconditional love.  “Some acknowledge that ‘Jesus was a great teacher.’ Others say, ‘He was a prophet.’ Others simply do not know Him at all. We should not be totally surprised.” (Elder Russell M. Nelson, The Mission and Ministry of Jesus Christ, Ensign April 2013).  Elder Nelson continues, “His… objective we know as the Atonement. This was His magnificent mission in mortality” (Nelson).  Through suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, His crucifixion, and His resurrection from the tomb, the Lord completes His divine mission.  The Lord explicitly states His mission statement through the process of the Atonement: ‘I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.’ ‘And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me’” (3 Nephi 27:13-14).  The purpose of Jehovah’s time on Earth was to bring opportunity of infinite and eternal blessings (see Alma 34:10).  The Atonement was not only to, “provide for the resurrection and immortality of all humankind, but it was also to enable us to be forgiven of our sins—upon conditions established by Him” as demonstrated in Christ’s ministry in the Americas;  “Thus His Atonement opened the way by which we could be united with Him and with our families eternally. This prospect we esteem as eternal life—the greatest gift of God to man” (see D&C 14:7; Nelson).  His mission was to provide opportunity for happiness, through his suffering and love.  The Atonement is Christ’s example, “that ye should do as I have done,” which is strife to perfection in exaltation (John 13:15, 14:6).  His mission is defined through everlasting love, for His Father and for His brethren. 

The mission of Christ through the process of the Atonement is essential to my mortal life.  Without the Atonement, I would have no opportunity to live with my Heavenly Father again.  Repentance through mercy and love define life as a mortal being.  No one is perfect, and without the sacrifice from Christ, no one could ever be.  This means that I must also sacrifice and humble myself unto the Lord as Jesus has done.  I must follow his example and do as He has done.  There are almost daily instances in which I fail to emulate the example of Christ.  However, I know that through Christ’s Atonement that I can repent and be forgiven, to have a renewed opportunity to achieve eternal life.  Through times of trial and hardship, I can especially remember the importance of the Atonement in my life.  A specific experience in which I was struggling with my health for many years allowed me to focus on the essential aspects of Christ’s mission in my life.  Though I was bitter and unhappy with my circumstances, I was able to remember Christ’s example while being tortured by His peers on Earth.  It was helpful for me to remember that He has felt my pains and suffered so much more than I could imagine for myself.  It was also inspiring for me to remember that He overcame it all with literal perfection.  What a priceless gospel that I have been taught.  The mission of Jesus Christ, to me, means hope.  Hope that I can overcome my challenges, hope that I can be forgiven for my transgressions, and hope that I can one-day return to live with my Heavenly Father and be perfected in Him.  The Atonement of Christ has filled me with love and given me hope that I can succeed as a daughter of God.