In his recent General Conference address, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told a moving story about a young boy named Easton who, despite the challenges of muscular dystrophy, managed to pass the sacrament at church. Holland describes the effort and perseverance it took, and the joy the boy felt in serving others, including his own father, who was serving as bishop.

It’s a heartfelt moment. I think anyone who loves children—or who has seen someone push through real limitations to serve others—can appreciate the beauty and dignity of Easton’s perseverance. His desire to do something meaningful for God and his community is admirable and touching.

But Elder Holland ends the story with a line that gave me pause. Speaking of the boy, he says:

“And Easton, with relief and a broad smile consuming his face, might well have said, ‘I have glorified [my father and] have finished the work [he gave] me to do.’“

Those words, of course, are drawn from Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17:4. They are not ordinary words. They are Jesus’ words to the Father on the night before His crucifixion—words that declare the completion of His unique mission to redeem a people for God through His perfect obedience and upcoming death.

That is where the beauty of Easton’s story begins to blur into something theologically troubling. Placing Jesus’ sacred words from John 17 into the mouth of anyone else—even in a poetic or metaphorical sense—is a category error. What do I mean by that? Simply this: those words belong to a different category of work than anything we as humans are ever called to do. They don’t just express the satisfaction of a job well done—they declare the completion of a unique, once-for-all redemptive mission that only Jesus, as the sinless Son of God, could accomplish.

This is actually a pattern in Latter-day Saint rhetoric. Jesus’ acts—particularly Gethsemane, the atonement, and His obedience—are frequently applied to believers as templates. But in doing so, Mormonism often blurs the line between Christ’s redemptive work and our human efforts. Christ’s work was once for all, complete, and utterly without parallel. We can glorify God in our lives, yes—but not in the way Jesus did, not in the redemptive sense. The glory we give is always derivative, responsive, and dependent on His.

Latter-day Saints often emphasize becoming more like Christ, and there is certainly biblical support for imitating His humility, love, and obedience. For instance, the apostle Paul encourages believers to “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” pointing to Jesus’ example of self-emptying, servanthood, and obedience—even unto death (Philippians 2:5–8). But there is also a crucial distinction: while we are called to follow Jesus, we are never called to become Him in His role as Redeemer. When Jesus said, “I have finished the work,” He wasn’t just summarizing a personal triumph—He was announcing the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan to save sinners through the cross. To apply those words to our own acts of service, however noble, confuses the kind of work we do (as grateful followers) with the kind of work only He could do (as Savior).

As believers, we are called to glorify God in our lives—not by mimicking Christ’s redemptive work, but by abiding in Him. As Jesus Himself said just one chapter earlier:

“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8, ESV).

Easton’s story is inspiring. But Christ’s words are holy. Let’s not confuse the two.