Article of Faith 1 – The Godhead

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
- Articles of Faith 1:1

A correct understanding of the Godhead is essential to salvation. Indeed, as Jesus prayed during his Intercessory prayer, this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent [John 17:3]. We believe that the Godhead consists of three physically distinct beings as mentioned: God the Father; Jesus Christ, his son; and the Holy Ghost.

It is often written in scripture that Jesus Christ and his Father are one [John 10:30, 1 Jn 5:7], however he uses this same wording in his intercessory prayer, asking that his disciples may be one with him, even as he is one with the Father [John 17:11]. Jesus' victory over death makes possible the resurrection of all men, at which point all will have physical bodies like the ones we have now, only perfected [1 Cor 15:22, Alma 40:23]. We may conclude, therefore, that the similar oneness that Jesus and the Father enjoy, is not a physical oneness, but a more metaphorical oneness, referring to their purpose, desires, and powers.

In revelation given to Joseph Smith, the Lord teaches that The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. [D&C 130:22] Thus the Father is indeed a physical person, and likewise Jesus Christ at the time of the revelation, though it was not always so. The Holy Spirit is, then, still a spirit.

God, the Eternal Father

God the Father presides in the Godhead, and is the leader of the three [Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith; Ch 2]. He has a perfected body of flesh and bone [D&C 130:22]. As man was created in the image of God [Gen 1:26], we are to assume that the Father is likewise humanoid, having the same form as Adam. The prophet Joseph Smith taught that God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! [Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith; Ch 2] He was obedient, and overcame sin through the power of his savior, and was thus exalted to godhood. Paul preaches this point further, speaking to the Athenians on Mars' Hill, as certain of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. [Acts 17:28-29].

Paul's assertion that we are the offspring of God also demonstrates our relationship with the Father: we are his spirit children. He is our father, and, as a perfect father, loves us and desires to bless us and teach us [Matt 7:9-11]. He will also correct and chasten us as we make mistakes, for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth [Heb 12:6-7]. Truly the Father's desire and greatest purpose is to teach us obedience, and to lead us unto perfection [Moses 1:39]. As a result, it is wrong to assume that the Father is without passion. He loves us greatly, and his love can be felt by all who pray to him, and seek to feel his love.

Just as the Father has overcome mortality and entered into godhood, so can we, as we are created in his image, as his children. The Psalmist teaches us that Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High [Ps 82:6]. Paul expands this teaching saying and if children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if it so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together [Rom 8:17]. As children it is our right, should we claim it, to receive every blessing which our Father has received through his faithfulness, including power, glory, and immortality. These blessings are, as evident through the scriptures, dependent on our reliance on Jesus Christ.

It is also evident that God is bound by certain laws, resulting in his unchanging nature. The Nephite prophet Moroni confidently asserts that God is a god of miracles, for he was in the past, and therefore must continue to be [Mormon 9:9]. If he were to change in this point, or in any other, then he would depart from perfection, and cease to be God [Mormon 9:19]. It is impossible for him to deny his own word [Alma 11:34]. If he makes a promise, then he is completely bound by it, and thus covenants can only be broken by the mortal party [D&C 82:10].

The Father has all knowledge [2 Ne 9:20], all wisdom , all power [Hel 12:8-20]. His ways are higher than ours, and his will better for us than ours [Isa 55:9]. Once we understand these attributes, and his loving nature toward us, it is possible, and even preferable to believe in and rely on him.

His Son, Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the mortal son of the Father, "the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh" [The Living Christ]. He was first born among the Father's Spirit children, and the only mortal of divine parentage.

His corporeal nature is much a good deal more evident in the Bible, as the accounts record his ministry in the flesh after the resurrection [Luke 24:39-43, John 20:20,24-28]. As with all mortal humans, he lived before his mortal ministry as a spirit [Ether 3:6-9], and as a spirit was Jehovah, the Lord of the Old Testament [Isa 43:11]. He was sent to Earth under his Father's direction to establish the gospel, fulfill the prophecies and the Law of Moses, and to perform his atoning sacrifice for the redemption of man [John 3:16].

Jesus' role in the godhead is as a mediator between us and the Father [1 Tim 2:5]. He was prepared for this role before the creation of whe world [1 Pet 1:20, Rev 12:9-11, 1 Ne 10:18, Alma 12:25], and served in it throughout human history, as Adam and Eve were instructed to do all things in the name of the Lord [Moses 5:8]; as the Law of Moses was administered to the Israelites, and Jesus served as their god in place of the Father because they could not abide a higher law [Mosiah 3:14]; as he suffered and died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected [Mosiah 15:8, Hel 14:15]; as he organized the preaching of the gospel to the deceased spirits in prison [D&C 138:29-30]; and so on to the present day, where we may exercise faith in him to receive forgiveness of sins, and to approach the Father in purity and confidence despite the weakness of our mortal condition.

By the law which the Father has established, all men are considered sinners [Rom 3:20, 2 Ne 2:5], disqualifying us from salvation. Under the Law of Moses, which was a type of things to come, sacrifices were required, and without shedding of blood is no remission [Heb 9:22] of sins. In the new covenant, the blood of remission is that shed by Jesus Christ when he suffered and died for us, making the great and last sacrifice [Alma 34:10-14]. Because of this sacrifice, Christ is empowered to grant us mercy in the face of our sins, as we exercise faith in him, and repent of our sins [Alma 34:15], and allowing us to approach the Father again, eventually being purified and entering into his kingdom [3 Ne 27:19]. He is called the advocate, and will speak in our favor in the day of judgement if we have faith in him [Moro 7:28], and take his name upon us [Matt 10:32].

In mortality, Christ did not achieve perfection all at once. He grew into it as we all must do [D&C 93:11-13, 2 Ne 28:30]. The great difference is that during his growth, he made no mistakes, and never transgressed the Father's law. He experienced mortality just as we all do. He was tempted [Heb 4:15], and wept for his loved ones [John 11:35-36]. Through obedience, revelation, and the the gift of the spirit, he learned all things which were necessary, and grew into a fullness of perfection, just as his Father possesses [D&C 93:16-17].

The Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost is a being of spirit, and functions as a witness of the other members of the godhead. By the power of the Holy Ghost, we can know the truth of all things [Moro 10:5]. It is common that, as we pray, study the scriptures, or otherwise worship, that the Father will respond to our worship by way of the Holy Ghost. It may teach us and bring things to our remembrance [John 14:26], speak peace to our hearts [D&C 6:23], or testify of truth [D&C 9:8]. Many of the gifts of God are administered through the Holy Spirit, such as prophecy, wisdom, knowledge, healing, miracles, tongues, and so forth [1 Cor 12:8-11, Moro 10:9-17].

The presence of the Holy Ghost comes in differing degrees. All are able to feel the influence of the holy spirit as they turn themselves to God, hear truth, or experience tender moments. Its influence in such circumstances is temporary. To those who make covenants with God, he promises the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost [Mosiah 18:10]. We are enabled and commanded to receive it in the ordinance of confirmation, following baptism, and may repeatedly receive the promise of its company as we covenant weekly in the sacrament to obey, remember Jesus Christ, and take his name upon us [3 Ne 18:11; Moro 4:3, 5:2].

The presence of the Holy Ghost can be recognized by distinct feelings, and an increase of righteous desires and attributes within us. These are listed in Galatians, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance [Gal 5:22-23].

Worshippers or followers of Christ may often find themselves moved upon by various influences, feeling "inspired" to take certain courses of action by the spirit. This is often the case, as it is given to us as a guide [2 Ne 23:5], but many find themselves concerned wondering if an impression is their own thought, or the influence of the Holy Ghost. The fact is that it doesn't particularly matter in the course of daily actions, or service to others: every thing that invites us to do good, or to do righteously is of divine origin [Moro 7:13], either through the holy spirit, or the righteous tendencies of our own spirit which we have cultivated.

In Worship

God the Father is the focus of our worship. We are taught in the scriptures that we should pray to [our] father [Matt 6:6] and call upon God in the name of the Son [Moses 5:8]. Even Jesus directs himself to the Father in prayer [Matt 6:9, Luke 22:42, 23:34,46], and asserts that he must do the will of his Father [Luke 2:49, John 5:30]. The Father is the God whom Jesus worships. Jesus likewise directs us to worship the Father, saying true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth [John 4:23]. This is the one way in which the words of Christ are fulfilled saying no man cometh unto the Father, but by me [John 14:6].

This worship is largely meaningless without the sacrifice of the Son. Fallen man is a filthy creature, and is naturally unworthy to approach God [Rom 3:23, 2 Ne 2:5]. Jesus Christ is our Mediator with the Father. By his merits, and through his cleansing power, we may approach our Father with confidence [Alma 5:27; Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence]. We bind ourselves to Jesus Christ through covenants made in chapels, baptismal fonts, and temples. As we make these covenants, we are yoked to the Savior [Matt 11:28-30], and receive his cleansing and sanctifying power. However, we do not worship Jesus Christ directly. In the Bible, his title is Lord, meaning one who is in authority, deserving of reverence and deference, but not worship. We honor him, as our salvation is unattainable without him. We emulate him because he gave us the example of perfection [John 13:15, 2 Ne 31:7], but in so doing, he did only the works of his Father [John 5:19].

Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught the following about hearing the voice of God.

First, be it remembered that most scriptures that speak of God or of the Lord do not even bother to distinguish the Father from the Son, simply because it doesn’t make any difference which God is involved. They are one. The words or deeds of either of them would be the words and deeds of the other in the same circumstance. Further, if a revelation comes from, or by the power of the Holy Ghost, ordinarily the words will be those of the Son, though what the Son says will be what the Father would say, and the words may thus be considered as the Father’s. Thus any feelings of love, praise, awe, or worship that may fill our hearts when we receive the divine words will be the same no matter who is thought or known to be the author of them.
- Our Relationship with the Lord; Mar 2, 1982; speeches.byu.edu

Unities of the Godhead

Conclusion

The godhead consists of three persons who are distinct in being and function, but who are one in word and purpose. This correct understanding, as well as an understanding of their love, power, knowledge, wisdom, and desire to bring all men to perfection in their presence, are essential to exercising faith, and receiving perfection through them.