Nearly two thousand years ago Jesus gave the startling commandment, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Then, after the triumph of the atonement and resurrection, when he had become fully perfected, Jesus Christ amended that proclamation to include himself: "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am."
In a perceptive and moving exploration of the Savior's personality, Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, takes up that challenge. He writes, "With the author's calling to the holy apostleship . . . and the conferring of the solemn duties that go with being a special witness of Jesus Christ. . . . I gladly give full attention to the task. . . . The time to try has come—the time to testify not only of Jesus' transcendent actuality, but also His resplendent personality."
Even As I Am examines attribute by attribute the qualities of the Savior that lead us to perfection. "Having marked and shown the path, He, as our risen and tutoring Lord, waits for us lovingly and personally with open arms to usher us into the third estate," Elder Maxwell writes.
Even As I Am is an outstanding portrait of Jesus Christ written for all who love the Savior and all who want to know him better.
