If you’ve felt steadied by President D. Todd Christofferson’s voice, you’ll recognize the pattern: Christ at the center, covenants as the path, Zion as the aim, and family sealed by priesthood power. Now Second Counselor to Dallin H. Oaks in the First Presidency, he has offered 40+ General Conference messages over more than 30 years of service as a Seventy and Apostle. This page includes quotes from his conference talks organized by theme so you can find the right words quickly—whether you’re preparing a lesson, drafting a talk, or studying at home.
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Table of Contents
- Core Doctrine and Atonement
- Personal Discipleship and Growth
- Service and Unity
- Eternal Family and Exaltation
Jesus Christ and Atonement Quotes
President D. Todd Christofferson speaks most often in General Conference about core Latter-day Saint doctrinal issues, especially Jesus Christ and Atonement.
This section includes his quotes on topics such as the Restored Gospel, the nature of God, and the central role of Christ.
Atonement, Redemption, and Grace
Only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation.
The Divine Gift of Repentance (October 2011)
Among the most significant of Jesus Christ’s descriptive titles is Redeemer. As indicated in my brief account of immigrant “redemptioners,” the word redeem means to pay off an obligation or a debt. Redeem can also mean to rescue or set free as by paying a ransom.
If someone commits a mistake and then corrects it or makes amends, we say he has redeemed himself.
Redemption (April 2013)
His is a Father’s pure love—We need not hesitate to call upon God, even when we feel unworthy. We can rely on the mercy and merits of Jesus Christ to be heard.
As we abide in God’s love, we depend less and less on the approval of others to guide us. to all yet personal to each.
The Love of God (October 2021)
Jesus Christ’s Resurrection and Testimony
The Resurrection confirms the divinity of Jesus Christ and the reality of God the Father.
Preparing for the Lord’s Return (April 2019)
Jesus of Nazareth is the resurrected Redeemer, and I testify of all that follows from the fact of His Resurrection.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (April 2014)
The central purpose of all scripture is to fill our souls with faith in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ—faith that They exist; faith in the Father’s plan for our immortality and eternal life; faith in the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which animates this plan of happiness; faith to make the gospel of Jesus Christ our way of life; and faith to come to know “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He has] sent” (John 17:3).
The Blessing of Scripture (April 2010)
The Doctrine of Christ and Revelation
To eat His flesh and drink His blood is a striking way of expressing how completely we must bring the Savior into our life—into our very being—that we may be one.
The Living Bread Which Came Down from Heaven (October 2017)
In the Church today, just as anciently, establishing the doctrine of Christ or correcting doctrinal deviations is a matter of divine revelation.
The Doctrine of Christ (April 2012)
Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine.
It is commonly understood in the Church that a statement made by one leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, not meant to be official or binding for the whole Church.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “a prophet [is] a prophet only when he [is] acting as such.”
The Doctrine of Christ (April 2012)
Discipleship and Personal Growth Quotes
These D. Todd Christofferson quotes address the principles of obedience, personal development, repentance, and cultivating an abiding relationship with God.
Our overarching covenant commitment is to do God’s will “and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us.” Following the principles and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ day by day is the happiest and most satisfying course in life.
Why the Covenant Path (April 2021)
Covenant Living and Obedience
Joy comes from keeping Christ’s commandments, from overcoming sorrow and weakness through Him, and from serving as He served.
The Joy of the Saints (October 2019)
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The gospel cannot be written in your heart unless your heart is open. Without a heartfelt desire, you can participate in sacrament meetings, classes, and Church activities and do the things I will tell you, but it won’t make much difference.
When Thou Art Converted (April 2004)
It is essential that we honor and obey His laws, but not every blessing predicated on obedience to law is shaped, designed, and timed according to our expectations. We do our best but must leave to Him the management of blessings, both temporal and spiritual.
Our Relationship With God (April 2022)
Repentance and Self-Correction
Divine chastening has at least three purposes:
“As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten” (April 2011)
- To persuade us to repent,
- To refine and sanctify us, and
- At times to redirect our course in life to what God knows is a better path.
Perhaps the more insidious form of rebellion against God, however, is the passive version—ignoring His will in our lives.
Many who would never consider active rebellion may still oppose the will and word of God by pursuing their own path without regard to divine direction. I am reminded of the song made famous years ago by singer Frank Sinatra with the climactic line “I did it my way.”
Burying Our Weapons of Rebellion (October 2024)
Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness through Christlike service (see Mark 10:42–45).
Moral Discipline (October 2009)
Our Relationship With God
There seems to be no end to the different sources people look to for meaning, happiness, and help. Most are “looking beyond the mark.” But we need not be “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine [or fashion].”
In looking to God, we can find peace in difficulty, and our faith can continue to grow even in times of doubt and spiritual challenge. We can receive strength in the face of opposition and isolation.
Look to God and Live (October 2025)
God will not live our lives for us nor control us as if we were His puppets, as Lucifer once proposed to do. Nor will His prophets accept the role of “puppet master” in God’s place.
Brigham Young stated: “I do not wish any Latter Day Saint in this world, nor in heaven, to be satisfied with anything I do, unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ,—the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied. I wish them to know for themselves and understand for themselves.”
Free Forever, to Act for Themselves (October 2014)
We want to be among those described by Ether as “always abounding in good works.” But it is not so much because of some tally kept in celestial account books.
These things matter because they engage us in God’s work and are the means by which we collaborate with Him in our own transformation from natural man to saint.
Our Relationship With God (April 2022)
Service, Unity, & Zion Quotes
Zion is one of President Christofferson’s most frequent themes. The quotes in this section are drawn from his general conference talks about the importance of the Church, service to others, unity in Christ, and preparing the world for the Second Coming.
It is only in and through our individual loyalty to and love of Jesus Christ that we can hope to be one—one within, one at home, one in the Church, eventually one in Zion, and above all, one with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.
One in Christ (April 2023)
The Church and Unity in Christ
In our own dispensation, the Lord admonished, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.”
Among the reasons the Lord gave as to why the early Saints in Missouri had failed to establish a place of Zion was that they “are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom.”
One in Christ (April 2023)
It is worth pausing to consider why Jesus Christ chooses to use a church, His Church, to carry out His and His Father’s work.
Why the Church (October 2015)
Elder Patrick Kearon reminded us that “we do not gather on the Sabbath simply to attend sacrament meeting and check it off the list.
We come together to worship. There is a significant difference between the two. To attend means to be present at. But to worship is to intentionally praise and adore our God in a way that transforms us!”
Worship (April 2025)
Service and Shared Responsibility
Having one Melchizedek Priesthood quorum in a ward unifies priesthood holders to accomplish all aspects of the work of salvation.
The Elders Quorum (April 2018)
The Church and the world and women are crying for men—men who are developing their capacity and talents, who are willing to work and make sacrifices, who will help others achieve happiness and salvation. They are crying, “Rise up, O men of God!”
Brethren, We Have Work to Do (October 2012)
While the duty to warn is felt especially keenly by prophets, it is a duty shared by others as well.
The Voice of Warning (April 2017)
Building Zion and Preparing for Christ’s Return
What can we do to prepare now for that day? We can prepare ourselves as a people; we can gather the Lord’s covenant people; and we can help redeem the promise of salvation “made to the fathers,” our ancestors.
All of this must occur in some substantial measure before the Lord comes again.
Preparing for the Lord’s Return (April 2019)
Zion is Zion because of the character, attributes, and faithfulness of her citizens. Remember, “the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18).
If we would establish Zion in our homes, branches, wards, and stakes, we must rise to this standard.
It will be necessary (1) to become unified in one heart and one mind; (2) to become, individually and collectively, a holy people; and (3) to care for the poor and needy with such effectiveness that we eliminate poverty among us.
We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen—Zion will come only as they happen.
Come to Zion (October 2008)
When secularization separates personal and civic virtue from a sense of accountability to God, it cuts the plant from its roots. Reliance on culture and tradition alone will not be sufficient to sustain virtue in society.
When one has no higher god than himself and seeks no greater good than satisfying his own appetites and preferences, the effects will be manifest in due course.
Sustainable Societies (October 2020)
Eternal Family, Sealing & Exaltation
These quotes by President D. Todd Christofferson talk about the divine plan of happiness, the eternal significance of family and gender roles, and temple ordinances that enable exaltation.
Salvation is an individual matter, but exaltation is a family matter. No one can be exalted alone.
The Sealing Power (October 2023)
Divine Design of Family and Gender
Fatherhood is much more than a social construct or the product of evolution. The role of father is of divine origin, beginning with a Father in Heaven and, in this mortal sphere, with Father Adam.
Fathers (April 2016)
Without the sealings that create eternal families and link generations here and hereafter, we would be left in eternity with neither roots nor branches—that is, neither ancestry nor posterity.
It is this free-floating, disconnected state of individuals, on the one hand, or connections that defy the marriage and family relations God has appointed, on the other hand, that would frustrate the very purpose of the earth’s creation.
Were that to become the norm, it would be tantamount to the earth being smitten with a curse or “utterly wasted” at the Lord’s coming.
The Sealing Power (October 2023)
We do not diminish the value of what women or men achieve in any worthy endeavor or career—we all benefit from those achievements—but we still recognize there is not a higher good than motherhood and fatherhood in marriage.
The Moral Force of Women (October 2013)
Sealing Power and Exaltation
We tend to think of the sealing authority as applying only to certain temple ordinances, but that authority is necessary to make any ordinance valid and binding beyond death. The sealing power confers a seal of legitimacy upon your baptism, for example, so that it is recognized here and in heaven.
The Sealing Power (October 2023)
Given the reality of the Resurrection of Christ, repentance of any violation of His law and commandments is both possible and urgent.
The Savior’s miracles were real, as is His promise to His disciples that they might do the same and even greater works. His priesthood is necessarily a real power that “administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.”
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (April 2014)
Our anxiety to redeem the dead, and the time and resources we put behind that commitment, are, above all, an expression of our witness concerning Jesus Christ. It constitutes as powerful a statement as we can make concerning His divine character and mission.
The Redemption of the Dead and the Testimony of Jesus (October 2000)
Spiritual Development and Joy
You may ask, Why doesn’t this mighty change happen more quickly with me? You should remember that the remarkable examples of King Benjamin’s people, Alma, and some others in scripture are just that—remarkable and not typical. For most of us, the changes are more gradual and occur over time. Being born again, unlike our physical birth, is more a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of mortality.
Born Again (April 2008)
Joy comes from keeping Christ’s commandments, from overcoming sorrow and weakness through Him, and from serving as He served.
The Joy of the Saints (October 2019)
To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes. True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices—to God’s purposes (see John 17:1, 4; D&C 19:19).
Reflections on a Consecrated Life (October 2010)
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Further Reading
Explore more From the Desk articles about topics addressed in general conference talks by President D. Todd Christofferson:
- Approaching Zion: Is Hugh Nibley’s Vision Realistic?
- How Is Vision Related to Purity in the Doctrine and Covenants?
- How Has Temple Worship Evolved Since Joseph Smith’s Time?
- Does Atonement Theory Matter to Latter-day Saints?
- Global Mormonism: Latter-day Saints Around the World
First Presidency Resources
Learn more about Dallin H. Oaks, Henry B. Eyring, and D. Todd Christofferson in these exclusive From the Desk articles:
- In the Hands of the Lord: The Life of Dallin H. Oaks
- Dallin H. Oaks Quotes From Every General Conference
- I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B. Eyring
- How Was Henry B. Eyring Called to the First Presidency?
President Christofferson Links
Explore resources on other sites about D. Todd Christofferson, Second Counselor in the First Presidency:
- D. Todd Christofferson General Conference Talks (churchofjesuschrist.org)
- President Christofferson Devotionals (BYU Speeches)
- President Dallin H. Oaks Announced as 18th President of the Church, Names Counselors (Church News)
- Official Biography (Church Newsroom)
- The Savior Engaged People and Invited Them to Exercise Their Own Moral Agency, Elder Christofferson Says (Church News)
- Elder D. Todd Christofferson: Happiness and Work (Ensign College)
