All Who Have Endured Valiantly

Understand enduring to the end as spiritual transformation

Elder Bednar begins by contrasting common ideas of endurance with the scriptural meaning of enduring to the end. In the gospel, enduring is not merely hanging on through pain, duty, or adversity. It is a higher and holier process of lifelong discipleship in which we look to Christ, keep His commandments, and are changed by Him. Enduring to the end leads to eternal life because it is part of becoming what the Savior invites us to become.

But in a spiritual context, enduring is far more than merely persevering tenaciously to complete demanding duties or challenges.

Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.

If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.

I pray for the assistance of the Holy Ghost as we consider a higher and holier understanding of what it means to endure to the end as lifelong disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

• How does Elder Bednar distinguish spiritual endurance from ordinary perseverance?
• What blessings do the scriptures promise to those who endure to the end?
• Why is enduring to the end connected to lifelong discipleship rather than temporary effort?
• What does it mean to "look unto" the Savior while enduring?
• When have I thought of enduring to the end as merely surviving rather than becoming?
• How can I change the way I view daily discipleship?
• What current challenge could become a setting for spiritual growth in Christ?
• How can I more intentionally look to the Savior in my efforts to endure faithfully?

Become a new creature in Christ

The restored gospel does not simply help us improve behavior; it invites a complete spiritual transformation. Elder Bednar teaches that as we come unto Christ, are born again, make sacred covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and experience a mighty change of heart, we become new creatures in Christ. This transformation is only possible through the Savior’s Atonement and through continual divine help.

The Savior’s restored gospel invites us to be spiritually transformed—not merely to improve our behavior.

As we align our character, desires, actions, and what we truly love more closely with God’s will, the Savior can bring about a comprehensive and complete change in us.

We are to become new creatures in Christ.

This mighty spiritual change is possible only "through the merits, ... mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah."

As mortal beings, we are in absolute and never-ending need of Heavenly Father’s and the Savior’s help to realize our eternal destiny.

• What is the difference between behavior improvement and spiritual transformation?
• What experiences and ordinances does Elder Bednar identify as part of becoming new creatures in Christ?
• Why is the mighty change of heart impossible without the Savior?
• What does Elder Bednar teach about our dependence on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
• In what ways is the Savior changing not just my actions but my desires?
• How have covenants and ordinances helped me become more like Christ?
• What evidence have I seen of a mighty change in my heart?
• How can I rely more fully on the Savior’s merits, mercy, and grace this week?

Receive spiritual gifts through the Holy Ghost

Elder Bednar explains that spiritual gifts are divine blessings and capacities given through the Holy Ghost. These gifts are available to those who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by proper authority and are intended to bless those who love the Lord and keep His commandments. Spiritual gifts are essential to coming unto Christ and becoming like Him. Because they are gifts, they come according to God’s will and timing, not merely through human effort.

Spiritual gifts are blessings and capacities given by God to His children through the power of the Holy Ghost.

All individuals who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by proper priesthood authority and the laying on of hands are eligible to receive spiritual gifts intended "to bless and benefit those who love the Lord and seek to keep His commandments."

Spiritual gifts are prerequisites for and essential to our coming unto the Savior, being blessed with His attributes, and ultimately becoming more like Him.

The very name "spiritual gifts" teaches a vital lesson.

All such gifts are given by God according to His will and timing; they are not results we earn solely through focused effort and personal discipline.

• What are spiritual gifts according to Elder Bednar?
• Who is eligible to receive spiritual gifts?
• Why are spiritual gifts essential in becoming like the Savior?
• What does the word "gift" teach us about how these blessings are received?
• What spiritual gifts have I recognized in my life?
• How have spiritual gifts blessed me or others in my family or ward?
• Am I seeking spiritual gifts with humility and faith rather than self-reliance?
• What can I do to be more receptive to the influence of the Holy Ghost?

Let charity possess your heart

A central message of the talk is that charity, the pure love of Christ, is the greatest of all spiritual gifts and is inseparably connected to enduring to the end. Elder Bednar highlights scriptural descriptions of charity as something that endures forever, suffers long, bears all things, and never fails. He teaches that while we may possess charity, the deeper goal is for charity to possess us, changing our very spiritual nature and character.

Mormon testified that "charity is the pure love of Christ" and "the greatest of all" spiritual gifts.

Significantly, the word endure is used in the scriptures to define and describe charity.

Charity ... endureth forever," "suffereth long, ... seeketh not her own, ... beareth all things, ... endureth all things.

Charity never faileth.

We can possess charity, but ultimately charity should possess us.

As we are blessed to receive this supernal gift, a transformation occurs in our spiritual nature and character.

• Why does Elder Bednar call charity the greatest of all spiritual gifts?
• How do the scriptures connect charity with enduring?
• What does it mean to say that charity should possess us?
• How does receiving charity change a disciple’s nature and character?
• When have I felt the pure love of Christ influencing my actions or attitudes?
• In what situations do I need charity to possess me more fully?
• How can I pray with greater sincerity to be filled with Christlike love?
• What relationships in my life would be changed by greater charity?

Pursue the higher and holier dimensions of charity

Elder Bednar teaches that charity includes both what disciples do and what they become. At one level, charity is expressed in acts of kindness, compassion, and generosity. At a higher and holier level, charity is the very essence of the end toward which we endure: becoming new creatures in Christ. He uses the thirteenth article of faith to show both dimensions—doing good and enduring in a process of spiritual transformation.

For disciples of the Savior, charity encompasses both what we do and what we can become as this spiritual gift ultimately possesses us.

At a fundamental level, charity certainly includes acts of compassion, kindness, and generosity directed toward others.

But at a higher and even holier level, charity is the very essence of the "end" toward which we are enduring—becoming new creatures in Christ.

This concluding article of faith is an admonition for us to do good, to be good, and to endure to the end in coming unto and following the Savior and receiving the heavenly gift to love as He loves.

• What are the two dimensions of charity Elder Bednar describes?
• How does the thirteenth article of faith illustrate both doing good and becoming good?
• Why is charity more than isolated acts of kindness?
• How is charity related to the ultimate purpose of enduring to the end?
• Do I focus more on performing good acts or on becoming Christlike in my heart?
• How can I let my service to others become an expression of deeper conversion?
• What does it mean in my life to "do good" and also "be good"?
• What qualities from the thirteenth article of faith do I feel prompted to seek more earnestly?

Follow the Savior’s outward pattern of love and service

The Savior’s perfect compassion flowed from His divine nature and character. Elder Bednar contrasts Christ’s outward turning love during pain and adversity with the natural man’s tendency to turn inward in selfishness. As disciples follow, love, and serve the Savior, they increasingly focus less on themselves and more on the needs of others. This is evidence of real spiritual change and of charity taking root in the soul.

The Savior’s divine nature and sublime character were the wellsprings of perfect compassion during His mortal ministry.

The Redeemer of the world turned outward in love and service when He faced spiritual adversity or physical pain—in contrast to the natural man in each of us that turns inward in self-interest, self-centeredness, and selfishness.

As we live as He invites us to live and with His help, our nature and character over time increasingly become more like His.

As we follow, love, and serve the Savior, we gradually focus less on our own desires and interests and more on understanding and addressing the needs of others.

We do not merely perform benevolent deeds; rather, our state of being is changed and becomes increasingly Christlike.

Charity, then, ultimately possesses us.

• How did the Savior respond to adversity and pain?
• How does the natural man typically respond in contrast to the Savior?
• What changes occur as disciples follow, love, and serve Jesus Christ?
• Why is focusing on others a sign of increasing Christlikeness?
• How do I usually respond when I am tired, hurt, or discouraged—by turning inward or outward?
• When have I seen the Savior help me notice someone else’s needs during my own trials?
• What is one way I can turn outward in love and service this week?
• How is the Lord helping me become less self-centered and more Christlike?

Grow grace for grace through Jesus Christ

Elder Bednar reassures listeners that becoming like Christ may seem impossible, but the Savior has marked the path and led the way. He points to the pattern in the Savior’s mortal life: Jesus received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace until He received a fulness. Likewise, God’s children can receive of His fulness in due time by following the same grace-for-grace pattern through doctrine, covenants, ordinances, and the Savior’s enabling power.

The prospect of being blessed in mortality with even a small portion of the character and attributes of Jesus may seem utterly impossible to us.

But the Redeemer "marked the path and led the way."

The power of His doctrine, covenants and ordinances, and example can bless us in every aspect of our lives.

He "received not of the fulness at first, but [received and] continued ... grace to grace, until he received a fulness."

As children of God, we also can receive of His fulness "in due time," following the same "grace for grace" pattern as did the Savior.

• Why might becoming like Christ seem impossible from a mortal perspective?
• What does it mean that the Savior "marked the path and led the way"?
• What is the grace-for-grace pattern Elder Bednar describes?
• How does this pattern give hope to disciples seeking spiritual growth?
• Where have I seen gradual spiritual growth in my life rather than instant change?
• How can I be more patient with the Lord’s timing in my development?
• What role are covenants and ordinances playing in my growth right now?
• What would it look like for me to seek the Savior’s grace more deliberately each day?

Link enduring to the end with the pure love of Christ

In a striking teaching moment, Elder Bednar rereads three scriptures containing the phrase "endure to the end" and inserts the phrase "is possessed of the pure love of Christ." He teaches that enduring to the end is inseparably connected with charity. It is not merely gritting one’s teeth through mortality but pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ, trusting Him, receiving His help, and being filled with joy as love for Him deepens.

Enduring to the end is linked inextricably to the spiritual gift of charity.

Enduring to the end is not merely a relentless determination to grit our teeth, hold on to the limits of our physical strength and mental capacity, and push through the challenges and adversities of mortal life; it is so much more than that.

Enduring to the end is the joyous quest of a lifetime—a pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ in a gradual process of trusting in and receiving help from our Savior to become more like Him.

As our love for Him grows ever stronger and deeper, we can be blessed to receive spiritual perspective, the Lord’s empowering grace, and exceedingly great and indescribable joy.

• What did Elder Bednar want listeners to learn by substituting "is possessed of the pure love of Christ" into these scriptures?
• How is enduring to the end connected to charity?
• Why is enduring to the end more than determination and stamina?
• What blessings come as our love for the Savior grows?
• How has my understanding of enduring to the end changed after studying this talk?
• What helps me press forward with faith in Jesus Christ rather than in self-reliance?
• When have I felt joy, grace, or spiritual perspective while trying to follow the Savior?
• How can I deepen my love for Jesus Christ in practical ways?

Come unto Christ and endure valiantly for the gospel

In his concluding testimony, Elder Bednar explains that "come unto me" is the Savior’s invitation to begin the process of spiritual rebirth, while "endure to the end" is both a reminder and a promise of what disciples may become through ongoing conversion. He closes with the Lord’s promise that glorious eternal blessings will be revealed to those who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the Lord’s grace and mercy, all disciples can believe, hope, and endure valiantly.

The scriptural phrase "come unto me" is the Savior’s introductory invitation to learn and act in His doctrine and begin a process of spiritual rebirth.

The scriptural phrase "endure to the end" is a repeated reminder of the mighty spiritual change in our hearts that should be ongoing throughout our lives; it also is His promise of what we may become if we truly are possessed of the pure love of Christ.

All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I joyfully witness that each of us, with the Lord’s grace and mercy, can believe all things, hope all things, and endure valiantly all things.

• What does "come unto me" mean in Elder Bednar’s teaching?
• How does "endure to the end" function as both a reminder and a promise?
• What promise is given to those who endure valiantly for the gospel?
• According to Elder Bednar, what makes valiant endurance possible?
• What does it mean for me personally to endure valiantly for the gospel?
• How am I responding to the Savior’s invitation to come unto Him?
• What ongoing change in my heart do I hope the Lord will continue to work in me?
• What can I record from my life that shows the Lord’s grace and mercy helping me endure?