10 Characteristics of Jesus Christ

What are the characteristics of Jesus? During the Last Supper, Peter asked the Savior, “Lord, whither goest thou?” Jesus responded, “Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards” (John 13:36). Still confused, Thomas replied, “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” (John 14:5).

Sometimes we may feel, like Thomas, that we are lost, not knowing the right way to go. But we can trust the Savior’s sure answer: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

As we study these 10 characteristics of Jesus Christ and try to develop them in ourselves, we can know that Jesus Christ is the way to true happiness and joy.

FAITHFUL

One of the characteristics of Jesus is faithfulness.To be faithful is to hope for and act on things which are not seen, which are true . In mortality, Jesus Christ did all things by faith, even performing mighty miracles such as walking on water.

He asks us to exercise faith in Him and His purposes by trusting Him and keeping His commandments.

PRAYERFUL

Prayer is pure communication with our Father in Heaven. Jesus Christ prayed often for friends and enemies as well as for help during trials. We too have access to divine help and guidance through prayer. We can follow the Savior as we pray daily, expressing thanks and seeking divine assistance in our lives.

WISE

From His earliest moments, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). In many cases, the Savior used the scriptures to rebuke offenders and teach important principles. We can likewise increase in wisdom as we study the scriptures.

VIRTUOUS

Jesus Christ is pure and virtuous. If we are to be virtuous like the Savior in an unclean world, we must turn away from things that pollute our minds, bodies, and spirits. Choosing carefully our entertainment and actively avoiding pornography will greatly increase our virtue and cleanliness before the Lord. No matter the past, choose to be virtuous today.

HUMBLE

Jesus taught, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). As we look to the Savior’s example, we will submit our will to God in humility and trust in His plan.

OBEDIENT

The Savior was perfectly obedient in all things. He promises, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love” (John 15:10). Obedience is a choice to trust God more than we trust our own limited knowledge. We can strengthen our obedience one good choice at a time.

PATIENT

The Savior patiently waits for us to choose to follow Him. The scriptures teach, “Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden” . We can follow His example by exercising patience with others and ourselves in our efforts to improve.

CHARITABLE

Charity is Christ’s pure love, which He gives freely to us each day. He admonishes us to love God and love our fellowmen (see Mark 12:30–31). We can show love to others each day through small and simple acts of kindness. Each time we reach out to another in love, we reflect Christ’s love.

GIVING

Jesus Christ’s ministry was filled with service, often given along the way. He healed one woman as He journeyed to raise another from the dead (see Mark 5). To be like Him, we should open our eyes and hearts to the needs of others along our way and give meaningful service each day.

FORGIVING

With open arms the Savior says, “Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me” We can develop this trait as we sincerely forgive those who have wronged us. To forgive is sometimes difficult. But to withhold forgiveness is bondage. As we forgive and trust the Lord, our hearts will soften and we will be freed to become more like our Savior.