The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Do Mormons Believe in Jesus Christ?

Learn More about the Son of God and Creator of the World

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He came to earth to teach us and show us the way
we should live.

Have you ever wondered what Mormons believe about Jesus Christ? Like many other Christians
around the world, Mormons, also known as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints, look to Jesus Christ as their Lord and worship Him as their Savior. Many Mormon
beliefs about Jesus Christ are similar to other Christian beliefs about Him. But Mormons also
believe many pure and precious truths about the Savior that are unique to The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Who do Mormons believe Jesus Christ is?

As Christians, Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Creator of the
World. However, Mormons hold the unique belief that God the Father and Jesus Christ are two
distinct beings. Mormons believe that God and Jesus Christ are wholly united in their perfect
love for us, but that each is a distinct personage with His own perfect, glorified body (see D&C
130:22).

Mormons believe that all men and women ever to be born, including Jesus Christ, lived with God
as His spirit children before this life. God wanted each of us to come to earth to gain experience,
learn, and grow to become more like Him. But God also knew that His children would all sin,
die, and fall short of His glory. We would need a Savior to overcome our sins and imperfections
and reconcile us with God. Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was chosen to be this Savior long
ago during our premortal life with God. We shouted for joy when we were presented with God’s
glorious plan for His children (see Job 38:7).

What do Mormons believe about Jesus Christ’s mortal life?

Mormons believe that Jesus was born as an infant in Bethlehem. As the child of God the Father
and a mortal mother, Mary, He grew up learning His divine mission and His Father’s gospel line
upon line, precept upon precept (see D&C 98:12). Mormons believe that Jesus Christ lived a
perfect mortal life to set the ultimate example for us to follow. He became the Messiah, the
promised Savior of God’s people whose coming prophets had long foretold. The scriptures
record that He taught His gospel through word and deed as “He walked the roads of Palestine,
 healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead” ( “The Living Christ: The
Testimony of the Apostles,” Ensign or Liahona, Apr. 2000, 2).

Mormons also believe that through His Atonement, Jesus Christ suffered beyond description in
Gethsemane and on the cross for the sins of all mankind, so that He could aid us perfectly in all
our afflictions. Mormons believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again so that all
humankind could be resurrected and one day return to live with a loving Heavenly Father. As the
only person who has ever lived a completely sinless life, the Savior was a perfect sacrifice, a
lamb without blemish. Unique to Latter-day Saints is the belief that after Jesus Christ’s death, He
visited His people in the Americas (see John 10:16; 3 Nephi 11).

How can I become more like Jesus Christ?

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of all that is good: faith, hope, charity, virtue, knowledge,
patience, humility, obedience, and every other worthy attribute. Mormons believe that as we
strive to develop these attributes, we will become more like Jesus Christ. We can continue to
become more like Him as we pray frequently, repent of the mistakes we make, and search the
scriptures to learn more about His life.

Having faith in Jesus Christ and following His teachings is the only way to find lasting
happiness. Our life on earth can bring many trials, challenges, and even heartache. But as the
Savior promised in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.”

To learn more about what Mormons believe about Jesus Christ and to strengthen your personal
relationship with Him, visit mormon.org

History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is typically divided into
three broad time periods:
1. the early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith which is in common with all Latter Day Saint
movement churches,
2. a "pioneer era" under the leadership of Brigham Young and his 19th-century successors, and
3. a modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century as the practice of polygamy was
discontinued.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traces its origins to western New York, where Joseph
Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, was raised. Joseph Smith gained a small following in
the late 1820s as he was dictating the Book of Mormon, which he said was a translation of words found
on a set of "golden plates" that had been buried near his home in western New York by an indigenous
American prophet. On April 6, 1830, in western New York, Smith organized the religion's first legal
church entity, the Church of Christ. The church rapidly gained a following, who viewed Smith as
their prophet. The main body of the church moved first to Kirtland, Ohio in the early 1830s, then
to Missouri in 1838, where the 1838 Mormon War with other Missouri settlers ensued, culminating in
adherents being expelled from the state under Missouri Executive Order 44 signed by the governor of
Missouri. After Missouri, Smith built the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, near which Smith was killed. After
Smith's death, a succession crisis ensued, and the majority voted to accept the Quorum of the Twelve,
led by Brigham Young, as the church's leading body.
After continued difficulties and persecution in Illinois, Young left Nauvoo in 1846 and led his
followers, the Mormon pioneers, to the Great Salt Lake Valley. The group branched out in an effort
to pioneer a large state to be called Deseret, eventually establishing colonies from Canada to
present-day Mexico. Young incorporated The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a legal
entity, and governed his followers as a theocratic leader serving in both political and religious
positions. He also publicized the previously secret practice of plural marriage, a form of polygamy.
By 1857, tensions had again escalated between Mormons and other Americans, largely as a result
of church teachings on polygamy and theocracy. The Utah Mormon War ensued from 1857 to
1858, which resulted in the relatively peaceful invasion of Utah by the United States Army, after
which Young agreed to step down from power and be replaced by a non-Mormon territorial
governor, Alfred Cumming. Nevertheless, the LDS Church still wielded significant political power
in the Utah Territory as part of a shadow government. At Young's death in 1877, he was followed
by other powerful members, who continued the practice of polygamy despite opposition by
the United States Congress. After tensions with the U.S. government came to a head in 1890, the
church officially abandoned the public practice of polygamy in the United States, and eventually
stopped performing official polygamous marriages altogether after a Second Manifesto in 1904.
Eventually, the church adopted a policy of excommunicating its members found practicing
polygamy and today seeks to actively distance itself from "fundamentalist" groups still practicing
polygamy.

April 06, 1830

Born in Vermont in 1805, Smith claimed in 1823 that he had been visited by a Christian angel
named Moroni who spoke to him of an ancient Hebrew text that had been lost for 1,500 years. The
holy text, supposedly engraved on gold plates by a Native American historian in the fourth century,
related the story of Israelite peoples who had lived in America in ancient times. During the next six
years, Smith dictated an English translation of this text to his wife and other scribes, and in
1830 The Book of Mormon was published. In the same year, Smith founded the Church of Christ–
later known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–in Fayette Township.

The religion rapidly gained converts, and Smith set up Mormon communities in Ohio, Missouri,
and Illinois. However, the Christian sect was also heavily criticized for its unorthodox practices,
such as polygamy, and on June 27, 1844, Smith and his brother were murdered in a jail cell by an
anti-Mormon mob in Carthage, Illinois.
Two years later, Smith’s successor, Brigham Young, led an exodus of persecuted Mormons from
Nauvoo, Illinois, along the western wagon trails in search of religious and political freedom. In July
1847, the 148 initial Mormon pioneers reached Utah’s Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Upon viewing
the valley, Young declared, “This is the place,” and the pioneers began preparations for the tens of
thousands of Mormon migrants who would follow them and settle there.