Greater Love Sheldon Monson God’s people are commanded to be like Him. The lesson of Christ’s example outlines how to do so.
E very year at the Passover God’s people are reminded of the impor- tance of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. There can be no greater act of love than what the Father did by giving up His only begotten Son and in what Christ did by laying down His life for mankind. It is only through this incredible act of love that any- one may be pardoned, and redeemed from death (see Hosea 13:14; Psalm 49:15). In the Gospel of John 15:13 Jesus Christ is quoted as saying: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. In verses 14-15 He goes on to say: You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Fa - ther I have made known to you. The word translated servant means “bond servant” or “slave.” The duty of the slave is mechanical obedi- ence—he receives orders and exe- cutes. The master gives the com- mand, and the slave acts upon it without knowing the reasons or questioning. It is the privilege of friendship to share one’s plans, desires, thoughts,
and concerns with another. Jesus held nothing back from those things He received from His Father—He shared them openly. Christ ex- plained that His disciples are more than servants if they do what He commands. They are His friends. God wants His people to have such a love for the truth that they are willing to die for it Friendship and Sacrifice John, the apostle whom Jesus loved (see John 13:23; John 20:2; John 21:20), repeated this thought in his first epistle. I John 3:16 states: By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. This is an unerring principle of which there can be no doubt. It has always been held that it is proper and right in certain circumstances for a man to lay down his life for the good of others. Jesus laid down His life for all mankind, and His people ought to imitate His exam- ple. The prophets and apostles and
other martyrs laid down their lives for the cause of the truth and for the good of the Church. It may be the duty of a captain to give his life for the sake of his pas- sengers and crew, or of a minister or physician to place the lives of oth- ers above his own while attending to their needs in times of pestilence and disease. Both God and men honor those who are willing to put their own lives in jeopardy to save others. Of course, Christians are not to throw away their lives in an im- prudent or reckless manner, but to give them in the faithful execution of duty. When placed in situations where life is exposed to danger, God’s people are not to shrink from responsibility or flee from it. Disregarding Self A powerful way to fulfill John’s admonition is by having such love for the brethren that we are willing, when necessary, to risk our
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