Elder Bednar: "All Who Have Endured Valiantly"
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Elder David A. Bednar explains that enduring to the end is about spiritual transformation and the gift of charity, not just persistence.
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke in the April 2026 general conference on “All Who Have Endured Valiantly,” a title drawn from Doctrine and Covenants 121:29. The full talk is on the Church's Gospel Library. He offers what he calls a higher and holier way to understand “enduring to the end.”
More than hanging on
Elder Bednar starts with his own lifelong love-hate relationship with running, where “endure” means pushing through exhaustion. In a spiritual sense, he explains, enduring is far more than grim persistence at hard tasks. It belongs to a lasting transformation of heart, so that we become new creatures in Christ through His Atonement, His mercy and grace, and sacred covenants.
Spiritual gifts and charity
He teaches that spiritual gifts are given by God through the Holy Ghost, according to His will and timing, and are not simply rewards for our effort. Among them, charity is the greatest. He points out that scripture uses the word “endure” when describing charity, and that the Book of Mormon speaks of being “possessed” of charity at the last day. We can have charity, he says, but ultimately charity should possess us.
Two sides of charity
He draws on the thirteenth article of faith, which pairs doing good to others with continuing to seek what is virtuous and lovely. Charity includes acts of kindness, he says, but at a deeper level it is the very change we are enduring toward. As we follow and serve the Savior, our focus gradually shifts from our own interests to the needs of others.
Grace for grace
Because becoming like Christ can seem impossible, he points to the scriptural pattern that Jesus Himself received “grace for grace.” We can follow the same pattern, with His help and example, until we receive of His fulness in due time.
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