Editor’s note: To support personal and family gospel learning, the Church News is publishing articles on messages from April 2026 general conference. It is recommended to listen to or read the full address in addition to reviewing these resources.
About this talk
- “Jesus Christ Is the Way”
- Elder Brian J. Holmes | General Authority Seventy
- Saturday afternoon session of April 2026 general conference.
- Theme: Disciples who bind themselves to Jesus Christ through covenant and follow His living prophet are led safely home.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Holmes’ message here.
Outline
- Elder Holmes ran an extremely difficult marathon with his wife last year. Later he learned that another participant in the race was blind and ran the marathon tethered to a guide.
- Like a marathon, the journey of life can be difficult and hard to navigate. Without a greater power, no one would successfully finish the race.
- In His perfect love, Heavenly Father provided a Savior to guide His children (see John 3:16).
- Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and broke the bands of death. Because of His Atonement He is the only path back to the Father (see John 14:6).
- The Savior invites everyone to walk with Him along the covenant path. The ordinances of His gospel are essential to enter the kingdom of God (see John 3:5).
- Much like the blind runner tethered to his guide, disciples of Christ must also tether themselves to Him through covenants. Remaining tightly bound to the Savior will bring strength, joy and blessings even in a steep stretch of life.
- When life gets hard, and even when others turn back, the Savior is the only path to eternal life (see John 6:66–69).
- The Savior calls prophets, speaks through them and governs His Church by them. Rejecting the Lord’s prophets is equivalent to rejecting the Lord Himself (see Luke 10:16).
- Jesus Christ built His Church upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Himself being the chief cornerstone (see Ephesians 2:20).
- God desires for all of His children to come home, and Jesus Christ is the only way back. His disciples bind themselves to Him through covenant and follow His living prophet.
Reflection questions
How can you tether yourself to the Lord as you journey through life?
What’s the next step you can take on the covenant path?
In what ways have you bound yourself to Christ?
In what areas of your life can you bind yourself closer to Christ?
What can you do to follow prophetic counsel?
Speaker quotes
- “The Savior taught that He is not only our guide; He is the path. His way is the only path that leads to eternal life.”
- “As we remain tightly bound to Him, He is bound to us. We can expect His power to bless us with strength and joy even when we are experiencing a steep stretch of life.”
- “When our path gets hard — and it will — we can remember the apostle Peter. When the road of discipleship became steep and many ‘walked no more’ with Jesus, He turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Will ye also go away?’ It was a searching question, one that reaches through time to each of us.”
Reference scriptures
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
- “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”
- “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Invitations and promises
- “Like that marathon, our journey through life has moments of beauty and joy but is no walk in the park. We all want to cross the heavenly finish line and gain eternal life. Yet the course is often steep and difficult to navigate. We all face trials. Without a power greater than our own, no one successfully finishes this race.”
- “Our Savior invites us to walk with Him. His way is the covenant path, the one path that leads to our celestial finish line. We choose to walk the covenant path by exercising faith in Jesus Christ unto repentance, receiving the ordinances of His gospel and enduring to the end.”
- “When we have doubts, when discipleship feels demanding, when others turn back, that is the moment to stay bound to Christ just as Peter did. There is nowhere else to go; only Christ has the words of eternal life.”
Stories
- Last year, Elder Holmes and his wife ran the Jungfrau-Marathon in Switzerland. It is considered one of the most difficult marathons in the world. One runner who finished the race was blind, tethered to a guide.
From the footnotes
- 19. Ephesians 2:20; compare 1 Nephi 8:26–27 and 1 Nephi 11:34–36. Interestingly, the great and spacious building stood high in the air — in other words, it had no foundation, “and the fall thereof was exceedingly great” (1 Nephi 11:36). Additionally, those who occupy that building are described as they who fight against the Apostles of the Lamb.
Additional resources
- Related image: “Road to Emmaus” by Wendy B. Keller
- Related video: “Following God”
- Related hymn: No. 1004, “I Will Walk With Jesus”
Recent conference talks on following Jesus Christ
- President Dallin H. Oaks: “Divine Helps for Mortality” (April 2025)
- Elder David A. Bednar: “Abide in Me, and I in You; Therefore Walk With Me” (April 2023)
- President D. Todd Christofferson: “Why the Covenant Path” (April 2021)
Who is Elder Holmes?
- Elder Brian J. Holmes was sustained as a General Authority Seventy during the April 2025 general conference. He grew up in Salt Lake City, one of 12 children, and worked as vice president of Holmes Homes in Arizona, founded Holmes Law PLC and more recently worked as general counsel for Charter One LLC.
