The Truth Shall Make You Free

Elder Thierry K. Mutombo gave a talk titled Ye Shall Be Free in the most recent conference. Though he didn’t reference this exact title in the talk itself, it likely comes from this statement of the Savior to the Jews of His day: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free…. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:32, 36). He spoke about how his parents were in darkness before they found the light of the restored gospel: “My parents were also blinded and were desperately seeking to know the truth and were concerned about where to turn to find it.” A missionary couple began to teach them and they started to accept the truths of the gospel. He commented, “The words of Christ began to enlarge our souls. They began to enlighten our understanding and became delicious to us, as the truths that we received were discernible and we could see the light, and this light grew brighter and brighter daily.” Though his family receiving the gospel did not change their physical conditions or social status, it freed them from the sins that held them back and helped them to know and be more like the Savior. He summarized their experience this way: “The gospel has blessed three generations of my family and will continue to bless many generations to come.” He also suggested that “many still seek the truths needed to become free of some of the traditions and the lies that the adversary spreads throughout the world.” Many indeed are “kept from the truth because they know not where to find it” (Doctrine and Covenants 123:12).

But we do know where to find it—in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Gospel truths taught by prophets and in the scriptures can set us free from the lies of the adversary that seek to bind us down, and the Truth—Jesus Christ—will set us free from our sins as we live according to those truths. I was touched by the story Elder Mutombo also told in his talk about the Mulumba family who lived in Congo during a terrible conflict in 2016 and 2017 between government forces and a traditional group of warriors. This family were members of the church, and when the fighting came to their village they chose to simply stay put instead of fleeing without having anywhere to go. He recounted, “One day some neighborhood militiamen had noticed the presence of Brother Mulumba and his family as one evening they went out to try to find some vegetables in the family garden to eat. A group of the militiamen came to their home and then pulled them out and told them to choose to adhere to their militia practices or be killed. Brother Mulumba courageously told them, ‘I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My family and I have accepted Jesus Christ and have faith in Him. We will remain faithful to our covenants and will accept to die.’ They told them, ‘As you have chosen Jesus Christ, your bodies will be eaten by the dogs,’ and they promised to come back. But they never did come back, and the family stayed there for two months and never saw them again. Brother Mulumba and his family kept the torch of their faith alight. They remembered their covenants and were protected.” For those in this militia, freedom meant being able to freely terrorize and destroy as they went from place to place. But for this family, freedom meant being able to stand true to the Savior no matter what the consequences. Like the Anti-Nephi-Lehis in the Book of Mormon, they had been cleansed by the Savior and covenanted with Him. So they could boldly declare: “If our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved” (Alma 24:16). True freedom is to know that no matter what happens to us in the world, as we keep our covenants with the Savior nothing can hold us back from returning in glory to the presence of the Father.