Jeffrey R. Holland on the Savior's love and gifts for us

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (1940- ) served as Church Commissioner of Education from 1976-1980, as the president of BYU from 1980-1989, as a Seventy from 1989-1994, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles since 1994.

"So today [Easter Sunday] we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever faced—to say nothing of our resurrection from death and forgiveness for our sins. That victory is available to us because of events that transpired on a weekend precisely like this nearly two millennia ago in Jerusalem....

"That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of this world. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience to His commandments, lift us to eternal life.

"This Easter I thank Him and the Father, who gave Him to us, that Jesus still stands triumphant over death, although He stands on wounded feet. This Easter I thank Him and the Father, who gave Him to us, that He still extends unending grace, although He extends it with pierced palms and scarred wrists. This Easter I thank Him and the Father, who gave Him to us, that we can sing before a sweat-stained garden, a nail-driven cross, and a gloriously empty tomb:

"How great, how glorious, how complete
Redemption's grand design,
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine! (Hymns, no. 195.)"

- Jeffrey R. Holland, "Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet," General Conference, April 2015, Sunday Morning session
Click here to read the full talk

Elder Holland's remarks were shared during the Easter Morning session of the recent general conference, and provided a tender and practical look at the Savior's Atonement and its meaning in our lives. This is a wonderful summary of the blessings of that "most generous gift" to us:

It truly is "the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of this world." Of course, that gift is offered to us, but with the exception of the resurrection (that comes to all men), the gift must be received by us. We have to choose to accept His love!