Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during the Sunday morning session of October 2025 general conference about evidence of the works of God. The following is a summary of what he said.
Elder Holland’s talk summary
Jesus Christ’s healing of a blind man in John 9 was evidence of God’s power.
The works of God are manifest through ordinances. “When we participate in any of the ordinances of the gospel and honor the corresponding covenants, we come to know the Savior much more personally.”
Similar to how the blind man was healed with unlikely ingredients, God can bless His children by whatever method He chooses.
“How easy it is for us to dismiss the source of our redemption because the ingredients and the instruments seem embarrassingly plain.”
The holy priesthood follows an unbroken sequence back to the Lord Jesus Christ. Another “marvelous evidence” of the Church’s truthfulness is the blessings and covenants extended to deceased kindred.
The Book of Mormon is a rod of safety for the soul, a light of revelation and illumination of the path “when mists of darkness come. And surely they have, and surely they will.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “a true restoration of the New Testament church and more, because I could not deny the evidence of that Restoration, particularly the spiritual evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the very word of God itself.”
Read the full text of Elder Holland’s talk: ‘And Now I See’
Notable quotes
“When we participate in any of the ordinances of the gospel and honor the corresponding covenants, we come to know the Savior much more personally.”
“[The Book of Mormon] has been for me a rod of safety for my soul, a transcendent and penetrating light of revelation and illumination of the path I must walk when mists of darkness come. And surely they have, and surely they will.”
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a true restoration of the New Testament church and more, because I could not deny the evidence of that restoration, particularly the spiritual evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the very word of God itself.”
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Who is Elder Holland?
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on June 23, 1994. He acted as president of the quorum following the death of President M. Russell Ballard in November 2023 until President Russell M. Nelson’s death on Sept. 27, 2025. Elder 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 they have three children. Sister Holland served as a counselor in the Young Women general presidency.
- Elder Holland was Elder Quentin L. Cook’s mission companion in summer 1962 during their full-time mission service in the British Isles.
What has Elder Holland done recently?
- In the April 2025 general conference, then-President Holland spoke about the virtues of children.
- Elder Holland and other Church leaders paid tribute to the late President Russell M. Nelson, four days after his death, in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. He said the Prophet’s character was rooted in his love of God.
- On Aug. 31, in the concluding devotional of the 2025 Utah Area YSA Conference, Elder Holland offered young adults guidance for “pivotal moments” in life.
- He launched a YouTube channel at the end of August, with his first video explaining why Kirtland, Ohio, is so important in Christ’s restored Church.
Read more of Elder Holland’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X/Twitter.
