President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke during the Sunday morning session of October 2024 general conference about the “divine DNA” of Jesus Christ. The following is a summary of what he said.
President Holland’s talk summary
When soldiers arrived to arrest the Savior in His final days in mortality, Jesus asked, “Whom seek ye?” and they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said, “I am he” (John 18:4-5). These verses contain some of what President Holland calls “the most stirring lines in all of scripture.”
Jesus came from a humble background, yet He confounded scribes and lawyers.
“Jesus was routinely placed in difficult — often devious — situations in which He was always triumphant, victories for which we have no explanation except His divine DNA.”
Throughout history, the testimony of the Saints regarding their witness of the Savior has been simplified and trivialized.
“They have reduced His righteousness to mere prudishness, His justice to mere anger, His mercy to mere permissiveness. We must not be guilty of such simplistic versions of Him that conveniently ignore teachings we find uncomfortable.”
Christ has the ability to both heal the deepest pain and declare the hardest reality.
“He is one who could administer grace and insist on truth at the same time. … His love allows an encouraging embrace when it is needed and a bitter cup when it has to be swallowed.”
See the full text of President Holland’s talk: ‘I am He’
Notable quotes
“Jesus was routinely placed in difficult — often devious — situations in which He was always triumphant, victories for which we have no explanation except His divine DNA.”
“They have reduced His righteousness to mere prudishness, His justice to mere anger, His mercy to mere permissiveness. We must not be guilty of such simplistic versions of Him that conveniently ignore teachings we find uncomfortable.”
“He is one who could administer grace and insist on truth at the same time. … His love allows an encouraging embrace when it is needed and a bitter cup when it has to be swallowed.”
Who is President Holland?
- President Jeffrey R. Holland was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on June 23, 1994, and was set apart as acting president of the quorum on Nov. 15, 2023, after the death of President M. Russell Ballard. President Holland was called as a General Authority Seventy in April 1989.
- He served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University, where he was also a professor of English and ancient scripture. During his presidency, the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies was founded.
- He and his wife, the late Sister Patricia Terry Holland, were married in the St. George Utah Temple and have three children. Sister Holland served as a counselor in the Young Women general presidency.
- President Holland was Elder Quentin L. Cook’s mission companion in summer 1962 during their full-time mission service in the British Isles.
What has President Holland done recently?
- During the April 2024 general conference, President Holland promised listeners that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers according to His timing.
- In a Liahona magazine article in August, President Holland taught Saints about the importance of wearing the temple garment and how it is “a symbol of the Savior Himself.”
- A few weeks later, also in August, President Holland was featured on the Church News podcast; he shared a message of life’s challenges and joy that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Most recently, President Holland hosted a Friend to Friend broadcast with the Primary general presidency and Primary children in September. “How grateful I am that we have Primary to teach us more about Jesus Christ and His gospel,” President Holland said.
Read more of President Holland’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.