"All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Elder David A. Bednar
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Two Kinds of Enduring
Physical
"Maintaining intense physical and mental effort over an extended period of time"
Sore muscles. Aching lungs. Exhaustion. Grit your teeth and push through.
Spiritual
"Far more than merely persevering tenaciously to complete demanding duties or challenges"
A joyous quest. A pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ.
"Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."
— 3 Nephi 15:9
Becoming New Creatures in Christ
"The Savior's restored gospel invites us to be spiritually transformed — not merely to improve our behavior."
Come Unto Him
Draw near through covenant, ordinance, and sincere discipleship
Be Born Again
Experience a mighty change of heart — not improved habits, but a new nature
Receive Fullness
Receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost through merits, mercy, and grace
Put Off Natural Man
Through the Atonement, overcome the self-centered, inward-turning nature
Become Saints
Consecrate heart, might, mind and strength in the Lord's service
Absolute Need
Possible only "through the merits, mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah"
The Role of Spiritual Gifts
Blessings and capacities given by God through the power of the Holy Ghost
All who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost are eligible to receive spiritual gifts — intended "to bless and benefit those who love the Lord and seek to keep His commandments."
Prerequisites — Not Rewards
Spiritual gifts are prerequisites for coming unto the Savior — not trophies earned through personal discipline and focused effort alone
Given, Not Earned
"All such gifts are given by God according to His will and timing; they are not results we earn solely through focused effort and personal discipline"
Charity
The Pure Love of Christ · The Greatest Spiritual Gift
"Mormon testified that 'charity is the pure love of Christ' and 'the greatest of all' spiritual gifts. Significantly, the word endure is used in the scriptures to define and describe charity."
"Endureth Forever"
Moroni 7:46–47
"Beareth All Things"
1 Corinthians 13:7
"Never Faileth"
1 Corinthians 13:8
Possessed of Charity
"Whoso is found possessed of [the spiritual gift of charity] at the last day, it shall be well with him." — Mormon
We Can Possess Charity
We work toward it. We seek it. We pray for it. We exercise acts of love, compassion, and service.
"Give, and it shall be given unto you"
Charity Can Possess Us
Through God's grace, charity becomes our nature. We stop performing acts of love — we become loving beings.
"That ye may be filled with this love"
"Note the double meaning of the word of in this verse. We can possess charity, but ultimately charity should possess us."
— Elder Bednar
Higher and Holier
Two dimensions of charity — as seen in the 13th Article of Faith
First Half — What We Do
"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men."
Charitable and Gracious Acts
Second Half — What We Become
"We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things."
Ongoing Spiritual Transformation
"An admonition for us to do good, to be good, and to endure to the end in coming unto and following the Savior and receiving the heavenly gift to love as He loves."
The Savior Turned Outward
Natural Man — Turns Inward
— Self-interest
— Self-centeredness
— Selfishness
Turns inward in adversity and pain
The Savior — Turned Outward
+ Compassion for others
+ Service in adversity
+ Love under pain
Turned outward even in spiritual adversity and physical pain
"We do not merely perform benevolent deeds; rather, our state of being is changed and becomes increasingly Christlike. Charity, then, ultimately possesses us."
— Elder Bednar
Grace for Grace
The Pattern of Spiritual Development
"He received not of the fulness at first, but [received and] continued … grace to grace, until he received a fulness."
— Doctrine & Covenants 93:13
1 · We Were There
Jesus Christ "was in the beginning with the Father." So were we — this is our eternal origin
2 · He Showed the Way
"He marked the path and led the way" — progressing grace to grace throughout His mortal life
3 · We Follow
We can receive of His fulness "in due time" — following the same "grace for grace" pattern
"The prospect of being blessed in mortality with even a small portion of the character and attributes of Jesus may seem utterly impossible to us. But the Redeemer 'marked the path and led the way.'"
The Key Substitution
Replace "endureth to the end" with "is possessed of the pure love of Christ"
"He that endureth to the end [or is possessed of the pure love of Christ] shall be saved."
— The Savior, to His ancient Apostles · Matthew 10:22
"He that endureth to the end [or is possessed of the pure love of Christ], the same shall be saved."
— Nephi · 2 Nephi 31:20
"He that findeth mercy and endureth to the end [or is possessed of the pure love of Christ] the same shall be saved."
— Alma · Alma 32:43
"Enduring to the end is linked inextricably to the spiritual gift of charity."
— Elder Bednar
The Joyous Quest
"Enduring to the end is the joyous quest of a lifetime — a pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ in a gradual process of trusting in and receiving help from our Savior to become more like Him. As our love for Him grows ever stronger and deeper, we can be blessed to receive spiritual perspective, the Lord's empowering grace, and exceedingly great and indescribable joy."
Spiritual Perspective
See with eternal eyes, not temporal fear
Empowering Grace
The Lord's enabling power sustains us daily
Indescribable Joy
Not only at the end — but now, along the way
Promise and Testimony
"All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ."
— Doctrine & Covenants 121:29
"Come Unto Me"
The Savior's introductory invitation — to learn, act, and begin a process of spiritual rebirth
"Endure to the End"
A reminder of the mighty spiritual change that should be ongoing — and His promise of what we may become
"I joyfully witness that each of us, with the Lord's grace and mercy, can believe all things, hope all things, and endure valiantly all things."
— Elder David A. Bednar
In the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ — Amen