Oaks - "The Light and Life of the World" - October 1987

President Oaks speaks about Jesus Christ being the light and life of the world.  He speaks about each of these ideas separately during his talk.

• Jesus Christ is the light and life of the world because all things were made by him. Under the direction and according to the plan of God the Father, Jesus Christ is the Creator, the source of the light and life of all things.
  

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
President Oaks gives several examples concerning how Jesus Christ is the light of the world.

• Jesus Christ is the light of the world because he is the source of the light which “proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space.” His light is “the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
• Jesus Christ is also the light of the world because his example and his teachings illuminate the path we should walk to return to the presence of our Father in Heaven.
• Jesus Christ is also the light of the world because his power persuades us to do good.
• Jesus Christ is the light of the world because he is the source of the light that quickens our understanding, because his teachings and his example illuminate our path, and because his power persuades us to do good.

Obedience bring more light into our lives and provides for us a clear path that we need to follow to become more like the Savior.

• As we keep the Lord’s commandments, we see his light ever brighter on our path.

THE LIFE OF THE WORLD

President Oaks outlines two ways that Jesus Christ is the life of the world.

• We come to the Father through the life-giving mission of the Son in two ways. In each of these ways, Jesus Christ is the life of the world, our Savior and our Redeemer.
  • Through the power and example of the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ, all mankind will be resurrected. Our mortal life came into being because of his creative act. Our immortal life has now been assured because the Resurrected Lord has redeemed us from death. According to the plan of the Father, the Son was “the firstborn from the dead.” “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive”
  • Jesus Christ is also the life of the world because he has atoned for the sins of the world. By yielding to temptation, Adam and Eve were “cut off from the presence of the Lord.” In the scriptures this separation is called spiritual death.  The atonement of our Savior overcame this spiritual death. The scriptures say, “The Son of God hath atoned for original guilt.”

Again, obedience is the key to obtaining the gifts that Chris has made possible for us to receive.  Receiving the gifts He has freely given us will help us become more like Him.

• In order to lay claim upon our Savior’s life-giving triumph over the spiritual death we suffer because of our own sins, we must follow the conditions he has prescribed.

President Oaks shares his testimony of the Savior.

• We love the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Messiah, our Savior and our Redeemer. His is the only name by which we can be saved. We seek to serve him. We belong to his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our missionaries and members testify of Jesus Christ in many nations of the world. As the prophet Nephi wrote in the Book of Mormon, “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

Finally, President Oaks reminds us what it means to be called a "Saint" in ancient and modern times.  He then encourages us to action and encourages us to invite people to come unto Christ.

• What does this knowledge mean to Latter-day Saints? (We call ourselves “Saints” because this is the scriptural term for those who have sought to make their lives holy by entering into covenants to follow Christ.)
• Latter-day Saints invite each other and all men and women everywhere to “come unto Christ.”

I love when prophets talk about light.  Light is a heavenly reference and exists because God created it.  Lighting our souls with knowledge and understanding is possible because God has created that process.  President Oaks speaks of the Savior in such simple terms and provides to us clear understanding of the roles that Christ plays in the plan of Salvation.  It appears to me that there are ways to unlock more light and understanding when we focus on the Savior and his role as the life of the world.  I am going to continue to seek this special light that the Savior gives to the world and invite others to join me in my personal path to true discipleship of the Savior in this life.