This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 19, which includes the Savior’s reflection on the Atonement, which caused Him to “tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18).
Following are a few quotes from past and present leaders about this section of the Doctrine and Covenants.
‘Pray always’
“I would like all of us to take a moment to meditate on our customs and the way they are influencing our families.
“Among the marvelous habits that should be normal for members of the Church are… personal and family prayer. The Savior commands us to pray always (see Doctrine and Covenants 19:38). Prayer allows us to communicate personally with our Heavenly Father in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ.”
— Elder Rafael E. Pino, General Authority Seventy, October 2022 general conference, “Let Doing Good Be Our Normal”
“As a normal part of everyday language, many people take the name of God in vain. Among our youth, vulgar and crude terms seem to come easily as they describe their feelings. My young friends, now is the time to stand tall in eliminating these words from your vocabulary. You know the words to which I refer. Unfortunately, you hear them used over and over again in your schools, music and sports. Will it take courage to stand tall? Of course it will. Can you muster the courage? Of course you can. Seek strength from your Heavenly Father to overcome it. The Savior said, ‘Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:38). … Profanity and crudeness do not exalt; they defile. My wife and I have attended hundreds of youth sporting events. Too often we hear profanity expressed by coaches and other adults who should be role models. Adults need to stand tall in eliminating crude and profane language.”
— Bishop H. David Burton, then the presiding bishop, October 2001 general conference, “Standing Tall”
Humility
“The first quality of the Savior is humility. … We know that Jesus Christ taught humility and humbled Himself to glorify His Father.
“Let us live in humility because it brings peace (see Doctrine and Covenants 19:23). Humility precedes glory, and it brings God’s favor upon us… Humility brings gentle answers. It is the source of a righteous character.”
— Elder Alfred Kyungu, General Authority Seventy, October 2021 general conference, “To Be a Follower of Christ”
Missionary work
“Please, young men, do not postpone your preparation to serve the Lord as missionaries. As you face situations that may make the decision to serve a mission a difficult one — such as interrupting your studies for a time, saying goodbye to your girlfriend without any guarantee that you will ever date her again or even having to walk away from a job — remember the Savior’s example. During His ministry, He likewise faced difficulty, including criticism, persecution and ultimately the bitter cup of His atoning sacrifice. Yet in all circumstances He sought to do the will of His Father and give glory to Him (see John 5:30; 6:38–39; 3 Nephi 11:11; Doctrine and Covenants 19:18–19).”
— Elder Denelson Silva, General Authority Seventy, October 2022 general conference, “Courage to Proclaim the Truth”
“I thought to myself, ‘If I go on a mission, I’m running a risk.’
“But the Lord Jesus Christ was my great inspiration not to be afraid of the future as I strove to serve Him with all my heart.
“He also had a mission to fulfill. … And was His mission easy? Of course not. His suffering, which was an essential part of His mission, caused Him, ‘even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit — and would that [He] might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink —
“‘Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and [He] partook and finished [His] preparations unto the children of men’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18–19).
“Serving a full-time mission may seem difficult to us. Perhaps it requires that we give up important things for a moment. The Lord certainly knows this, and He will always be by our side.”
— Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis, General Authority Seventy, April 2022 general conference, “Lift Up Your Heart and Rejoice”
‘To tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore’
“The plan of redemption is possible thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As He Himself described, the sacrifice ‘caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit — and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18).
“And it is because of this sacrifice, after following the process of sincere repentance, that we can feel the weight of our mistakes and sins lifted. In fact, guilt, shame, pain, sorrow and looking down at ourselves are replaced with a clear conscience, happiness, joy and hope.”
— Elder Taylor G. Godoy, General Authority Seventy, April 2018 general conference, “One More Day”
“I love our Savior, Jesus Christ. I marvel that He loved the Father and us enough to become our Savior and Redeemer; that by so doing, He had to suffer such that it caused Him ‘to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18). Yet faced with this awful prospect and its necessity, He affirmed to the Father, ‘Not my will, but thine, be done’ (Luke 22:42). I glory in the angel’s words: ‘He is not here: for he is risen’ (Matthew 28:6).”
— Elder Stanley G. Ellis, emeritus General Authority Seventy, October 2017 general conference, “Do We Trust Him? Hard Is Good”
“Any pain entailed in repentance will always be far less than the suffering required to satisfy justice for unresolved transgression. The Savior spoke little about what He endured to satisfy the demands of justice and atone for our sins, but He did make this revealing statement:
“‘For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
“‘But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
“‘Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit — and would that I might not drink the bitter cup’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–18).”
— Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2011 general conference, “The Divine Gift of Repentance”
“There is no greater expression of love than the heroic Atonement performed by the Son of God. Were it not for the plan of our Heavenly Father, established before the world began, in a very real sense, all mankind — past, present and future — would have been left without the hope of eternal progression. As a result of Adam’s transgression, mortals were separated from God and would be forever unless a way was found to break the bands of death. This would not be easy, for it required the vicarious sacrifice of one who was sinless and who could therefore take upon Himself the sins of all mankind.
“Thankfully, Jesus Christ courageously fulfilled this sacrifice in ancient Jerusalem. There in the quiet isolation of the Garden of Gethsemane, He knelt among the gnarled olive trees, and in some incredible way that none of us can fully comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin — yours, mine and everyone who has ever lived. His mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Doctrine and Covenants 19:18). And yet Jesus suffered willingly so that we might all have the opportunity to be washed clean — through having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized by proper priesthood authority, receiving the purifying gift of the Holy Ghost by confirmation and accepting all other essential ordinances. Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of these blessings would be available to us, and we could not become worthy and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God.”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2004 general conference, “The Atonement and the Value of One Soul”
‘Learn of me’
“Correct knowledge of and faith in the Lord empower us to hush our fears because Jesus Christ is the only source of enduring peace. He declared, ‘Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:23).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2015 general conference, “Therefore They Hushed Their Fears”
“Sometimes we just lose our focus and drift away. Sometimes we have our feelings hurt or some other problem occurs. It all ends up the same, and we fail to claim the blessings that can be ours. Pride, distrust, deceit, discouragement and many kinds of sin can be removed by a change in our hearts and by following the path that the Savior has shown us. He says, ‘Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:23). The Savior has paid our ransom. He loves each of us and reaches out to all who will come and follow Him.”
— Elder Ned B. Roueché, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2004 general conference, “‘Feed My Sheep’”
“This life is but a chapter in the eternal plan of our Father. It is full of conflict and seeming incongruities. Some die young. Some live to old age. We cannot explain it. But we accept it with the certain knowledge that through the atoning sacrifice of our Lord we shall all go on living, and this with the comforting assurance of His immeasurable love.
“He has said, ‘Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:23).”
— The late President Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2003 general conference, “War and Peace”
“As we witness the unfolding events of the last days, we cannot doubt that… the Lord is speaking directly to us. We are Israel of the latter days. We are they who must teach our children of Him. Peace that endures is not dependent upon outside forces that are beyond our control. ‘Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:23).
“The Lord’s words spoken centuries ago are words of hope and assurance that give comfort to righteous parents who teach their children of Him. They speak to us at a time when peace in the hearts of children can seem but an elusive dream. But the Savior has assured us that it can be a reality if we teach our children.”
— Sister Anne G. Wirthlin, then the first counselor in the Primary general presidency, April 1998 general conference, “Teaching Our Children to Love the Scriptures”
‘Exquisite’ suffering and ‘the bitter cup’
“Temptations are ever present. Because the adversary cannot beget life, he is jealous toward all who have that supernal power. He and those who followed him were cast out and forfeited the right to a mortal body. … He will tempt, if he can, to degrade, to corrupt, and, if possible, to destroy this gift by which we may, if we are worthy, have eternal increase.
“If we pollute our fountains of life or lead others to transgress, there will be penalties more ‘exquisite’ and ‘hard to bear’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:15) than all the physical pleasure could ever be worth.”
— The late President Boyd K. Packer, then the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2015 general conference, “The Plan of Happiness”
“Several scriptures describe the essence of that glorious and rescuing Atonement, including a breathtaking, autobiographical verse confiding how Jesus ‘would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:18). Since the ‘infinite atonement’ required infinite suffering, the risk of recoil was there! (2 Nephi 9:7; Alma 34:12). All humanity hung on the hinge of Christ’s character! Mercifully, He did not shrink but ‘finished [His] preparations unto the children of men’ (Doctrine and Covenants 19:19).”
— The late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2001 general conference, “‘Plow in Hope’”
‘Release thyself from bondage’
“We used to preach much about the paying of debts, but these days we have come into a position where we are encouraged to spend, to buy on time, to buy ahead of time — take next year to pay.
“In 1830, in Doctrine and Covenants 19:35, the Lord gave a revelation to Martin Harris: ‘Pay the debt thou hast contracted with the printer. Release thyself from bondage.’”
— The late President Spencer W. Kimball, April 1976 general conference, “The Stone Cut without Hands”
