in God, the Eternal Father,
and in His Son, Jesus Christ,
and in the Holy Ghost.
Who is God? That's a good, basic question for a religious blog, isn't it??
We believe that three beings, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, make up the governing, presiding council of the Godhead. Today we'll address how our Christian doctrine of the Godhead differs from traditional Christianity's doctrine of the Trinity. In subsequent first-Sunday-of-the-month posts, we'll discuss the members of the Godhead individually.
So: how do our beliefs differ from other doctrines of the Trinity?
The main (and major) distinction is that we do not credit the "three-in-one" compromise of Constantine's 325 AD council in Nicaea. We believe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost to be physically separate, and personally distinct beings. While separate and distinct, we believe them to be perfectly united in one purpose: our salvation.
This belief is beautifully clarifying of ancient scripture. When we read in Genesis 1 that man was created in the image of God, we understand that our imperfect (but miraculous!) mortal bodies reflect the glory and image of our Heavenly Father's perfected, immortal body.
When we read of Jesus Christ's baptism in the river Jordan (Matthew 3), of his transfiguration on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 17), and of his appearance to the Nephites (3 Nephi 11), we recognize the witnessing "voice from heaven" heard by those present as the distinct voice of God the Father, speaking, indeed, from heaven, declaring the divinity of his beloved, obedient son on earth.
When we read of Christ addressing, "Our Father who art in heaven," the image of a devoted Son communicating with a distinct, loving Father is vivid and instructive.
But what of other prayers? What of the confusing, "Thou in me" and "I in thee," statements regarding the Father and Son? What about the scriptures - ancient and modern - declaring that the "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God (D&C 20:28)?"
We believe those phrases imply the same kind of oneness that is understood in the Savior's desire to be one with us (D&C 35:2) and in his command for us to be one with each other (1 Corinthians 12): spiritual oneness. Unity of heart and mind. Confederation of purpose.
Christ's intercessory prayer is clarifying:
1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee...
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are...
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
It seems clear to me that the unity Christ desires to have with us is, truly, the same, like, as his unity with the Father: spiritual oneness, not physical sameness.
Now, this is the point of the post where I start to feel like I'm splitting hairs. I mean: do these details really matter? I know lots of Christians and folks of other faiths entirely who have an exemplary relationship with God as they understand Him. And although they understand Him differently than what I've detailed above, they live faithful lives and proclaim His existence and goodness with admirable vigor. So really, how valuable and/or relevant are these details?
For me, it comes down to two things:
1) Don't we all want to know what's true? Isn't there something intrinsically important about knowing of "things as they really are, and of things as they really will be"? (Jacob 4:13)
2) A correct understanding of the nature of God affords us a correct understanding of God's plan for us as his spirit children. In other words, these doctrinal details about God not only satiate our curiosity but are intensely relevant to our own futures. They give us a valuable glimpse of our previous relationship with our Father (as his spirit children) and of our potential relationship with Him (as his resurrected, immortal heirs - inheritors of his nature and his godly purposes of eternal parenthood and governance). They give us a changed view of ourselves and endow our lives with the exalted goal of returning to God - a being we previously knew and loved, who we can come to know here, and who we can someday resemble.
Those are big doctrines to just breeze through. The point is: these distinctions about the nature of God are important and relevant.
We're so grateful for those who have seen both the Father and the Son and whose testimonies ground our faith in three separate but united beings. Stephen in the New Testament saw Christ in vision, "standing on the right hand of God." In 1820, Joseph Smith prayed for wisdom regarding religion and, in answer, saw two distinct Personages, "whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above [him] in the air. One of them," God the Eternal Father, "spake unto [him], calling [him] by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son," Jesus Christ.
There is so much more to say about each of these beings: God, our presiding, loving, eternal Father, Jesus Christ, our gracious Savior, the literal, physical Son of God, and the Holy Ghost (whom I have barely mentioned), God's purifying, witnessing gift to us.
Be assured: more to come!
