Institute teacher Donny Anderson believes in the importance of fully comprehending Jesus Christ.
Anderson, who teaches at the Logan Institute of Religion in Logan, Utah, said there can be inaccurate cultural images of the Savior. For instance, He is sometimes perceived as merely “nice,” when in reality He was kind and loving, which carry much deeper meanings than “nice.”
“As we get to know Jesus most fully as He reveals Himself in the New Testament, we need to confront our discomforts till we know Him most fully,” Anderson said. “But He reveals Himself to us. We just need to let Him do that.”
Anderson recently spoke with Church News about the New Testament in preparation for next year’s study. In 2027, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will study the New Testament for “Come, Follow Me” at home and church. The manual is now available on the Church’s website and in the Gospel Library app.
4 ways the Savior reveals Himself
Anderson identified four key ways that the Savior reveals Himself in the New Testament:
- Through His divinity
- Through His power
- Through His indispensability
- Through His paramount role in all of God’s dealings with His children
Regarding the first point, Christ’s divinity, Anderson said Latter-day Saints know the Godhead is made up of three separate beings: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. And while this is wonderful knowledge, it can cause people to separate the three so much that they inadvertently “undeify” the Savior.
“But Jesus is Jehovah. He is our Creator. He is our God,” Anderson said. “And throughout the Gospels, Jesus is continually showing us that.”
For instance, during the Light of the World sermon, He said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58); or when the woman at the well said, “I know that Messias cometh,” the Savior replied, “I that speak unto thee am he” (John 4:25-26).
Regarding the second point, Christ’s power, Anderson said it’s important for individuals to believe that Christ has the power to perform miracles.
For example, the man at the pool of Bethesda (see John 5:2-16) essentially says he can’t be healed. In response, the Savior asks the man if he will be healed — then commands the man to rise, take up his bed and walk.
“With the Savior’s power, things that are ‘cannot’ become ‘will or will not,’” Anderson said. “And that gives us the opportunity to exercise faith even to the point of salvation.”
Regarding the third point, Christ’s indispensability, Anderson said some people consider the Savior “a good alternative” in a world of options. But in reality, “Jesus is indispensable for all,” Anderson said. “Everybody needs Jesus Christ.”
The Savior shows this in the New Testament by comparing Himself to things that people absolutely need; for instance, he calls Himself “the bread of life” (John 6:35), “living water” (John 4:10) and “the light of the world” (John 8:12), among other names.
“The Savior shows us that everything we need, ultimately, He is, and we all need Him,” Anderson said.
Regarding the fourth point — Christ’s paramount role in all of God’s dealings with His children — Anderson first noted that the Old Testament’s “contextual key” is Jesus Christ. “When you read the Old Testament with the Savior in mind, looking for Him, it comes alive.”
In the New Testament, then, Christ identifies ways in which the Old Testament testifies of Him. For instance, in John 5:39, He says, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
“Jesus Christ has a paramount role in everything that God has done with us, all the way up to Jesus Christ’s time and, of course, ever since, and it’ll always be that way,” Anderson said.
Spiritual knowledge
Anderson concluded by saying it’s important to have confidence in knowing spiritual things. Many people think it’s OK to believe spiritual things while also thinking that no one can know spiritual things; however, this completely discounts the Holy Ghost, Anderson said.
“The Holy Ghost is a source of knowledge, and it’s the best source because the Holy Ghost reveals to us the way things really are and leads us to all truth,” Anderson said.
He also quoted the late President Russell M. Nelson, who said during April 2023 general conference that the answer to any question or problem is always found in Christ’s teachings.
“I know that to be true,” Anderson said. “And I know that as we pay the price in the New Testament, that Jesus will reveal Himself to us.”
