The Condescension of God

Church Educational System

Condescension means a voluntary descent from rank or dignity. Elder Gerald N. Lund, formerly of the Seventy, commented on how well this word describes the coming of the Savior into mortality: “Here was Jesus—a member of the Godhead, the Firstborn of the Father, the Creator, Jehovah of the Old Testament—now leaving His divine and holy station; divesting Himself of all that glory and majesty and entering the body of a tiny infant; helpless, completely dependent on His mother and earthly father. That He should not come to the finest of earthly palaces and be … showered with jewels but should come to a lowly stable is astonishing. Little wonder that the angel should say to Nephi, ‘Behold the condescension of God!’” (Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Salvation [1991], 16).

Book of Mormon Student Manual (2009 Edition)

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