In order to understand more fully why the members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more commonly referred to as
the Mormons) believe as they do and act as they do, I feel it is important to
have knowledge of what our core beliefs are. It is not my intention to make
believers out of everyone who reads this. I have no doubt many will shake their
heads in wonderment that such fanciful things could be believed. My hope is to
simply inform those who are looking for enlightenment in why we believe what we
do.
I should also state that while I am a member of this
church, I do not speak for them in any official way. This is simply me taking
what has been taught and trying to help you understand.
To start I would like to make this
important statement: we worship Jesus Christ. It is in the name of our church.
We believe the Bible to be the word of God so far as it is translated
correctly. I point this out because many comments have been made that we
worship Joseph Smith, a man who we believe restored the gospel of Jesus Christ
in these days.
The second portion of that
sentence is true. The lack of truth lies in one word: worship. We do not
worship Joseph Smith. We revere him as a prophet, just as we revere prophets of
old: Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Peter, and many others from
the Old and New Testaments. But there is only one person we worship, and that
is Jesus Christ.
One of the largest reasons we, as
Mormons, are not considered Christian by other Christian faiths is our belief
system in the Godhead. It is here I would like to focus this first post.
God the Father
One of the core beliefs of our
faith states: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus
Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” Where our views tend to depart from that of
other faiths is in the belief that these are three distinct, separate
individuals. Jesus Christ is literally the spirit child of the Father, but he
is also the only ‘begotten’ of the Father – meaning Christ is the only mortal
child as well.
Christ talks often of Heavenly
Father during His time on earth.
“My Father is greater than I” John
14:28.
And again:
“Father, the hour is come; glorify
thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:…And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent”
John 17:1,3.
For me, the moment of Christ being
baptized is one of the greatest proofs of these three beings as separate, as is
shone in Matthew 3:16-17.
“And Jesus, when he was baptized,
went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto
him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon
him:
“And lo a voice from Heaven,
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
For us as Mormons the idea that
God the Father and Jesus Christ are two separate beings was solidified when
both came to Joseph Smith as an answer to a simple prayer. Joseph saw each
individual, similar in appearance but definitely not the same person.
“When the light rested upon me I
saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing
above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said,
pointing to the other – This is My Beloved Son, hear Him!” Joseph Smith –
History 1:17.
Again there is the proclamation of
God the Father declaring Jesus Christ to be His Son, only this time there was a
witness who acknowledged them as two separate Beings.
We were created in God the
Father’s image.
“And God said, Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness…
“God created man in his own image,
in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” Genesis
1:26-27.
We are His children.
“I have said, Ye are gods; and all
of you are children of the most High” Psalm 82:6.
As Mormons we also believe that we
might also become like God.
“The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 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 be also glorified together” Romans 8:16-17.
“Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he
shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” 1 John
3:1-2.
I will, as I begin to study a lot
more about this particular subject, write a separate post on this belief. For
now, I simply hope it helps you to understand just a little of our belief in
the Father.
Jesus Christ
“In giving revelations our Savior
speaks at times for himself; at other times for the Father, and in the Father’s
name, as though he were the Father, and yet it is Jesus Christ, our Redeemer
who gives the message” (Smith, Joseph Fielding, Selections from Doctrines of Salvation, p. 19).
I referred earlier to the
visitation of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, to Joseph Smith. If we continue reading in the next few verses we can see Jesus speaking in behalf of the Father.
“…When the light rested upon me I
saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy description, standing above
me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing
to the other – This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
“My object in going to inquire of
the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which
to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able
to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of
all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart
that all were wrong) – and which I should join.
“I was answered that I must join
none of them” (Joseph Smith – History 1:17-19, italics added).
Though God the Father could have
directed Joseph in what to do, He left it up to His Son, who did so as though
He were the Father.
Think for a moment of a Mother and
Father who are in harmony, that work together to raise their children. At times
we are able to answer for the other, even when the other is not present to
affirm a decision. The simple word, “I” is often used in place of “we” because
it’s simply not necessary to differentiate between the two. The child knows if
one parent says so, the other parent will agree.
So it is with the Father and the
Son. Often Jesus Christ speaks in the first person, “I” or “my”, but is actually
speaking in behalf of the Father. He is the mediator between the Father and
mankind.
When Adam transgressed one of the
commandments he could no longer stay in the presence of the Father. Christ
stepped in as our advocate. In the scriptures we often witness Him praying to
the Father in our behalf.
Christ was the Firstborn in spirit
and the Only Begotten in flesh. “…The firstborn of every creature” (Colossians
1:15).
Though Christ was the literal Son
of God, he still grew up in a mortal world and needed to live and learn as we
all do. He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man”
(Luke 2:52). “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things
which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Though He never sinned in this life, He was
still required to learn as the rest of us: line upon line, precept upon
precept.
Jesus Christ did what we all must
do: He lived, He died, He was resurrected, and then He ascended to the Father.
This we must do also, in our own way, though it will take longer to accomplish.
Holy Ghost
I once read a woman’s article on
how Mormon’s bear their testimony. In it she made the comment that “you have to
say Holy Ghost. That’s what they call it.” I found it to be such an odd comment
as he is often referred to in the Bible as the Holy Ghost. We are not the only
ones who refer to him as such. He goes by many different names: The Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Truth, and the
Comforter.
The mission of the Holy Ghost is
simple: to teach truth. Not the truth of Man, but God’s truth.
“But the Comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all
things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you" (John 14:26).
Christ was speaking of the time
when He would no longer be among his disciples, though they fought hard not to
believe that time would fast approach. In His place would be the Holy Ghost to
guide and comfort and direct them in proclaiming the Gospel.
The Holy Ghost reveals things to
us. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).
Not only were the prophets
directed by the Spirit of God, but as individuals we are given the right to
personal revelation as well. He will reveal truth to those who are humble,
obedient, and worthy to receive truth and light. These are the basis behind
one’s testimony (or personal witness). No other being has that same convincing
power. Some hearts are too proud and minds are too closed to receive revelation and become more easily influenced and tricked into believing falsehoods.
In our Church we believe that all
have access to that beautiful influence of the Holy Spirit, that ability to
have revelation of truth and light. We also believe there is a difference
between having the influence of the Holy Ghost, and having the gift of the Holy
Ghost.
The influence of the Holy Ghost is
not constant. It is here and there as truth and light are humbly searched after
and prayed for. The gift of the Holy Ghost comes after one is baptized by
immersion by those who have the proper priesthood authority, and are then
confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and asked
to receive this gift. For us, we believe that so long as we are worthy, we
might have access to the Holy Spirit to guide, guard, and direct us.
That is a basic overview of what
we, as Mormons, believe regarding the Godhead. It is not a perfect summary, but
it is what I felt guided to share with you at this time. Perhaps there are
those out there who might be able to add to this information, especially when
it comes to scriptural evidences, or who can clarify things far more than I was
able to accomplish.
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