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Men and Women Becoming Gods and Goddesses in the Eternities Ahead
By Kerry A. Shirts
The very nature of this issue has caused offense with Christians through the years since the Restoration in 1830. But our doctrines certainly are Bible doctrines as this essay will demonstrate. Perhaps the difference lies in the fact that we Mormons take the Bible literally far more than Christians who apparently are more comfortable in explaining away the Bible, than merely explaining the Bible. George Q. Cannon noted that Mormons, as Christians have the highest possible views of the evolution of humanity:
"True evolution: We hear considerable about evolution. Who is there that believes more in true evolution than the Latter-day Saints?—the evolution of man until he shall become a god, until he shall sit at the right hand of the Father, until he shall be a joint heir with Jesus! That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, believed in by the Latter-day Saints."[1]
In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). In the Joseph Smith Translation, we read: "Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect" (JST, Matthew 5:50). The translation of the Greek word for perfect means "complete, finished, fully developed." Some biblical analysts indicate that the suggestion to become perfect is exaggerated idealism or scriptural hyperbole (embellishment, enhancement, or exaggeration). As Latter-day Saints, we interpret that verse very differently.[2] As Cannon has rightfully noted, we do interpret these differently than our Christian friends. We accept them literally for what they say instead of trying desperately to explain them away into mere metaphors or symbolic language.
Another LDS Gospel student has noted this almost hysterical shame at such a doctrine of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Note how the Bible indicates the same sort of thing from Christensen’s analysis:
"Latter-day Saints have been criticized for believing that the Savior really meant what he said, and that becoming like our Father in Heaven and the Savior is a commandment—not just a suggestion. Over the years, many vindictive books and articles have been written condemning our beliefs as blasphemous. How dare we believe that we could and even should try to become like our Father in Heaven!
We are attacked for these beliefs even though the Bible, which is accepted as scripture by all Christians, makes frequent reference to the fact that we are children of and should become like our Father in Heaven. Note the following small sampling of the many biblical scriptures on the topic:
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour" (Psalm 8:4-5).
"I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High" (Psalm 82:6; emphasis added). The Savior even referred to this idea: "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?" (John 10:34).
"Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device" (Acts 17:29; emphasis added).
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:17; emphasis added).
"Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ" (Galatians 4:7; emphasis added).
"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (Hebrews 12:9; emphasis added).
"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 3:2; emphasis added).[3]
What I find remarkable is that the Bible is rather strongly suggestive of the idea that we already are gods, the very sons of God. Rather than explaining it into something other than it says, Mormonism accepts the Bible at its word. Brother Christensen then relates an interesting story of how this perception literally can influence lives for the better:
"Almost thirty years ago, Barbara and I had the opportunity of participating in a Religion in Life Conference at a southwestern university, at which I had been invited to represent a Latter-day Saint point of view. Our three days there were very busy. Among the many presentations was one I was to give to an evening philosophy class that met for two hours in an amphitheater-like lecture room with a long laboratory table stretched across the front. I had no idea who the teacher was or what his attitude might be toward institutionalized religion.
We arrived with our returned-missionary student host a few minutes before the class was to begin. The professor met us outside the door and said, basically, "Now, when you get in there, I don't want you to take the time telling the students about all the ways your church is like other churches. I want you to take the first hour and a half telling them how your church is different from other Christian churches." Then he added, with a twinkle in his eye, "And I want you to tell them in such a way that you will make Mormons out of all of them!" I interpreted this to mean that I was to speak from my heart and not hesitate to tell them what I believed.
He opened the door and ushered us into the classroom, where about eighty-five students were seated. I was hurriedly outlining in my mind some of the ideas that set our faith apart from traditional Christian faiths. (If you had received that assignment, what would you have included?)
During the next hour and a half, I shared with them some of the great distinctive ideas we have received in the doctrine and theology of the Church as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, including such concepts as the nature of God, the nature of man, our relationship to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ, the Creation, the problem of evil, continuous revelation, a lay priesthood, and eternal progression.
Then followed about thirty minutes of sincere, searching questions and responses, and the class ended. I stood at the end of the laboratory table near the exit and was speaking with a few students who wanted to ask additional questions. After a few minutes, the professor approached me and, pointing to our returned-missionary student host, said, "That fellow over there said you believe this." He had written in shorthand some notes on a pad and slowly read through them: " 'As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become.' Do you believe that?"
I had purposely not used that statement during my remarks to the class, because I felt that I could raise more dust with that one than I would be able to settle in one class period. I didn't have any idea whether the professor thought the idea was good, bad, or indifferent. I explained that the statement came from Lorenzo Snow in the 1830s and was approved by the Prophet Joseph Smith. I explained that, through scripture and latter-day revelation, we have learned a lot more about what God is like. Wondering what he was thinking, and not knowing what his reaction might be to the idea, I found myself circumlocuting around and around the question, until finally I looked him squarely in the eye and simply said, "Yes, we believe that."
He looked down at his notes and slowly and thoughtfully mumbled through the words again: " 'As man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become.' Hmmmm . . . " Then, with genuine enthusiasm, he said, "That is the greatest idea I have ever heard!"
He was elated. He made his living by teaching ideas, and the greatest idea he had ever heard came through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Truly it is one of the most powerful beliefs we have. As believers in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we should take seriously the commandment, "Be ye therefore perfect," and strive continually to become more like our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. [4]
J. Reuben Clark, Jr., with his characteristic insights and understanding elaborates this theme with clear precision:
"There is only one verse of scripture in the entire New Testament that tells us what the Savior did to develop himself during the span of years from age twelve until he began his formal ministry at age thirty. The verse consists of just fourteen words. Count them: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52).
We Christians professing the name of Christ and proclaiming his Gospel, give the lie to our professions and our proclamations, we "become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal" (1 Cor. 13:1) if we do not live the brotherhood of man; if we do not ourselves obey this divine law of love. So sure as there is a God in heaven who decreed this law, just so surely is there no escape therefrom. But if we live the law, if we live the way of the Christ, we shall inherit the celestial glory, of which Paul spoke (1 Cor. 15:40); we shall be of them "whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical" (D & C 76:70), we shall be of them who "shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever." (Ibid., v. 62.)[5]
Matthew Cowley described an experience he had wherein this doctrine of man as God clearly affects us for the good of ourselves, as well as our loved ones around us:
"We can do a lot of this work, brethren, but we need a lot of help. We are in the business of saving souls. I went to an AA meeting one night in Salt Lake, and I heard the finest testimony on that saying of Lorenzo Snow's, "As man now is, God once was, and as God now is, man may become," that I have ever heard. Now this fellow got up in his working clothes, overalls. He is a mechanic I think and he said, "It is my turn to speak. I am going to give a talk tonight on something I have heard all my life and didn't know what it meant until recently and that is this saying. I never knew what that meant, but I know now. Five years ago I was in the gutter. I was degenerate, demoralized, had been drunk for ages. My wife left me, got the custody of my four children. She got our home, and she was entitled to it all, and I was just turned loose, and I was just down in the gutter. Then you fellows got hold of me, and for five years I haven't had a drink. You know what has happened. I've got my wife back. I've converted her. She is baptized. The children have all
been baptized. Last week I was ordained an elder, and the bishop said, 'Now that your wife is in the Church and your children, a year from now you can go to the temple of God, and all be sealed to each other.' Fellows, from the gutter to the temple of God in six years. You are looking at a God. 'As God now is man may become.'"[6]
Alvin R. Dyer discusses our relationship with Deity as well as ourselves and the thing to note is the crucial importance of the tangible reality he is discussing, with a literal understanding of God’s Holy Word, the Bible:
As a spirit child of God dwelling in his presence, man had learned of the reactionary power of obedience to the laws of right fitted to that sphere of existence. The probationary aspect of mortality, could prove that man would keep his commandments though separated from the presence of God. As a result of the attainments made by man in the "second estate," though these would be in varying degrees, as was the condition in the "first estate," there would be added upon him honor, glory, and a "fulness of joy." Honor and glory imply a meaning of progress in the evolution of the soul of man as he moves toward perfection. The term "fulness of joy," no doubt refers to the privilege that would come to some in eternity of eternal increase or offspring, thus, also clarifying the meaning of "eternal lives." This glory can be attained through obedience to certain laws. It is the work and glory of God the Father to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, and man, in receiving a "fulness of joy," receives of the same glory which God has. Then man, too, may, in the eternity of time, become like unto God in providing the immortality and eternal lives of their spirit children offspring.
And the promise to the sons of God on the earth is, that if they will follow in the footsteps of him who provides the doorway, of him who is the mediator between God as God, and man as man, they also shall be exalted and shall partake of that glory which he, the firstborn, in showing the way, partakes of. They shall become gods, even the sons of God, and all things shall be theirs.
(1 John 3:1 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.(1 Jn. 3:2)2 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;
John 17:16-22:
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
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:)[7]
Dyer then describes the idea how man is destined to become like God:
Because man as man, if he will, is destined to become like unto God in all the majestic nobility of personal greatness, he should love and respect himself; not in a vain and pompous manner, but in a deeply sincere and responsive manner to that which is real. And because his fellowman is just like himself in the eternal and progressive journey of the soul, he also has a deep respect of his rights and ascent to the highest nobility. If man does not cultivate this love for his fellowman; he can never attain Godhood or achieve perfection where the basic requirement is to associate with other beings in love and understanding, to multiply their own species in providing the way of immortality and eternal life...[8]
The promise to the sons of God on the earth is, that if they will follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the Lord, they also shall be exalted and shall partake of that glory of which he partakes. They shall become Gods, even the sons of God, and "all things" shall be theirs. The revelations from God in these latter days are crystal clear on the point that if man is faithful in all things, "all that the Father hath" shall be given unto him. Man shall become like him, receiving power, dominion, and glory similar to that which he possesses, only, and this too is made clear, he will always be above us. God is our Father, and Jesus Christ is our elder brother.[9]
Dyer further notes how very Biblical this idea is of acquiring what Christ and His Father have as heirs. This is an essential part of the Gospel.
"In writing to the Ephesian saints, the Apostle Paul gives evidence of his knowledge concerning man's relationship to God the Father and his Beloved Son Jesus Christ. For, said he, speaking of obedient and righteous man who ultimately will be associated with the Son eternally and of whom he will become a Father by adoption:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ;
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. (Ephesians 1:3-5)[10]
Rather than arguing concerning the ideas of being saved by either Grace or Works (neither of which, standing alone is correct in the first place), note how various LDS scholars and leaders have described the Biblical information of becoming like our Father in Heaven through Christ:
"Now, if we have the gospel (and we know we have), I say to each and every Latter-day Saint, who desires to grow and enlarge in the gospel, he must keep the commandments of God. As we keep the commandments of God and live God-like lives, we become full of charity, long-suffering, and love for our fellows, and we grow and increase in all those things that go to make us noble and God-like."[11]
"...many who "taste the bitter" enough to sense its contrast with "the good" will consciously accept the Lord's atoning grace, willingly repent, and thus learn from their experience to prize the good. These are they who yield "to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord." (Mosiah 3:19.) Through the combined effect of their repentance, their efforts to learn, and the spiritual power of the Atonement through the grace of Christ, these children of Adam become "as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love." (Mosiah 3:19.) Through the bestowal of Christlike attributes, they can then ultimately become saints or, in other words, good by nature—even divine. That is the final potential of the spirit offspring of God, to become as he is."[12]
"The ultimate purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to cause the sons and daughters of God to become as Christ is. Those who see religious purpose only in terms of ethical service in the relationship between man and fellowmen may miss that divinely ordained possibility. It is quite possible to render charitable—even "Christian"—service without developing deeply ingrained and permanent Christlike character. Paul understood this when he warned against giving all one's goods to feed the poor without true charity. President Clark understood it when he warned against equating man-made systems of ethics with the gospel of Christ. We can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving. If our vertical relationship with God is complete, then, by the fruit of that relationship, the horizontal relationship with our fellow beings will also be complete. We then act charitably toward others, not merely because we think we should, but because that is the way we are."[13]
B. H. Roberts masterfully analyzes the situation from the Biblical viewpoint of man’s relationship with the divine and has some rather startling Bible conclusion which apparently Christians are hesitant to understand and adapt into their own lives these days:
"I know how like sacrilege it sounds in modern ears to speak of man becoming a God. Yet why should it be so considered? Man is the offspring of Deity, he is of the same race and has within him—undeveloped, it is true—the faculties and attributes of his Father. He has also before him an eternity of time in which to develop both the faculties of the mind and the attributes of the soul—why should it be accounted a strange thing that at last the child shall arrive at the same exaltation and partake of the same intelligence and glory with his Father? If Jesus Christ, "being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God," fn why should it be considered blasphemous to teach that man by faith and righteousness in following the counsels of God, shall at last become like him, and share his power and glory, being a God, even a son of God?
I grant you the height from our present position looks tremendous; yet it is not impossible of attainment, since we have eternity in which to work. Stand by the cradle of a new-born babe and contemplate it. Within that little body of organized pulp—with eyes incapable of distinguishing objects; legs unable to bear the weight of its body—without the power of locomotion; hands over whose movements it has no control; ears that hear but cannot distinguish sounds; a tongue that cannot speak—yet within that helpless little tabernacle, what powers lie dormant! Within that germ in the cradle are latent powers which only require time for their unfolding to astonish the world. From it may come the man of profound learning who shall add something by his own wisdom to the sum-total of human knowledge. Perhaps from that germ will come a profound historian, a poet or eloquent orator to sway the reason and passions of men, and guide them to better and purer things than they have yet known. Or a statesman may be there in embryo; a man whose wisdom shall guide the destiny of the state or perhaps with God-like power rule the world! If from such a germ as this in the cradle may come such an unfolding of power as we see in the highest and noblest manhood, may it not be, that taking that highest and noblest manhood as the germ, that from it may come, under the guiding hand of our Father in heaven, a still more wonderful unfolding, until the germ of the highest and noblest manhood shall develop into a God? The distance between the noblest man and the position of God is greater, perhaps, than that between the infant in the cradle and the highest development of manhood; but if so, there is a longer time—eternity—in which to arrive at the result; and God and heavenly influences instead of human parents and earthly means to bring to pass the necessary development.
This doctrine makes very clear some of the sayings of the scripture, "Now are we the sons of God," said the Apostle John, "and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he [Christ] shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is; and every man who hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure." We can see now some meaning in the exhortation of Jesus—"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." All these sayings give us reason to believe that man may become as Christ and God are; that he may walk in their footsteps, become like them and inherit the same glory with them.[14]
So how do we go about attaining this wonderful Biblical ideal for God’s children, us? How on earth can we possibly become like God? The very idea is striking to be sure. Again, ideas have been proffered for our benefit, and the scriptures have been elaborated upon which show us the way:
"Service to others will surely bring us closer to God, especially when motivated by an unselfish sense of personal compassion. But even such desirable service will not of itself complete our relationship with God, because it will not by itself result in the bestowal of the complete attributes of godliness. That bestowal requires the ordinances and doctrines of the restored gospel and all the other elements of sacrifice and obedience spelled out in the scriptures. For that reason, while religious philosophies whose highest aim is social relevance may do much good, they will not ultimately lead people to achieve the highest religious purpose, which is to become as God and Christ are."[15]
"The whole design of the gospel is to lead us, onward and upward to greater achievement, even, eventually, to godhood. This great possibility was enunciated by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the King Follet sermon (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 342-62) and emphasized by President Lorenzo Snow. It is this grand and incomparable concept: As God now is, man may become! (See The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, comp. Clyde J. Williams, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1984, p. 1.) .
Today is a part of eternity. . . .
Eternal vigilance is the price of eternal development. ("Don't Drop the Ball," Ensign, November 1994, p. 48.)
People sometimes ask me, "What is your favorite verse of scripture?" I tell them that I have many, but among these is one for which I feel a particular love. It is found in the fiftieth section of the Doctrine and Covenants and reads as follows: "And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.
"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:23-24). I ask you to ponder those words: "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." For me, in those few words there is encompassed the marvelous concept of the eternal plan of God in behalf of His sons and daughters whom He loves. That statement speaks of learning. It speaks of the now and the forever. It speaks of growth and development. It is positive and affirmative and wonderful." ("True to the Faith," Salt Lake Valley-Wide Institute Fireside, January 21, 1996.)[16]
Milton R. Hunter has basically explained how the Mormons have become familiar with this supposedly strange and unBiblical teaching.
"In June, 1840, Lorenzo Snow formulated the following famous couplet: "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become." fn This doctrine, when first announced by the Prophet and later restated by Elder Snow, was astounding to Christendom, since the teachers as well as the laity had long ago ceased to regard man as a being of such magnitude. Even today it is still a doctrine understood primarily by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Following the earlier pronouncements of this doctrine, much more light came to earth through the prophets of the last dispensation. For example, in a revelation given to Joseph Smith on May 6, 1833, he learned of Jesus' development in the spirit world and of the unfoldment of His personality in mortality and glorification in post-mortal life wherein "He received a fullness of the glory of the Father." Then the following promise was made to mortals:
For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his [God's] fullness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.
The glory that Christ received was that of Godhood; therefore, for men to receive the same glory they also shall become Gods. In fact, when the Church leaders during the early period of Mormondom searched the scriptures more carefully, it became very clear to them that the ultimate goal of eternal progression is to receive eternal life, i. e., to become as God is. For this cause the Gospel of Jesus Christ was instituted before the foundation of the world and revealed to mankind from age to age by a gracious Heavenly Father.[17]
So what does this do, prove a plurality of Gods? Well, certainly! However, the context clearly is shown that this is not a pagan occult belief in Mormon Christianity at all, but stems directly from the Bible itself, as even the Early Christians recognized:
"The first question that may arise in one's mind is, "How can mortals ever become Gods when there is already a supreme being?" As it is possible for several sons here in mortality to eventually become fathers, so is it just as possible for the sons of God to reach the station of perfection that He has attained. Of course, at that time He will still be God, and even a greater Deity than He is today. This is the doctrine of the plurality of Gods.
Methodius, the Greek father, emphatically declared that "every believer must, through participation in Christ, be born a Christ," and he also taught dogmatically that "He was made man that we might be made Gods." Lactantius (about 325 A.D.) affirms that the chaste man will become "identical in all respects with God." Clement of Alexandria employed a language that is well understood by John the Beloved and the Mormons alike. The following statement, taken from Clement's teachings, shows that he had a comprehensive understanding of the doctrine of men's becoming Gods:
"If anyone knows himself he shall know God, and by knowing God he shall be made like unto him"; and again, "that man with whom the Logos dwells . . . is made like God and is beautiful. . . . That man becomes God, for God so wills it"; and "the Logos of God became man that from man you might learn how man may become God." Further, that the true Christian Gnostic "has already become God."
Here and there in the holy scriptures the prophets confirmed the doctrine that there is a plurality of Gods and that men may become Gods. The creation story as recorded in the Book of Abraham uses the term "Gods" throughout the entire text. St. John begins his Gospel by saying: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." This sentence proves that there were at least two Gods who created this world, and is that not a plurality of divine beings? The authors of Psalms declared: "I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praises unto thee." "For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods." Again we read: "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. . . . I have said, 'Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High.' " Thus all of these scriptures proclaim a plurality of the Gods.
When the Man of Galilee was speaking to the Jews, He claimed to be the Son of God, and He accepted the doctrine that those who obeyed the Gospel could some day become Gods. Thereupon the Jews became exceedingly angry and threatened to stone the Master. In defense of this doctrine, He explained unto them:
Is it not written in your law, "I said, ye are gods"? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scriptures cannot be broken; Say of him, whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, "Thou blasphemist"; because I said, "I am the Son of God."[18]
Obviously Jesus himself taught the doctrine. We obviously possess the "seeds of godhood" which the former prophet Spencer W. Kimball has noted:
"We are sons and daughters of God, possessing seeds of godhood. We are not limited by instinct as are the beasts. We have godly power to grow and to overcome and become perfect. Sin was permitted in the world, and Satan was permitted to tempt us, but we have our free agency. We may sin or live righteously, but we cannot escape responsibility. To blame our sins upon the Lord, saying they are inherent and cannot be controlled, is cheap and cowardly. To blame our sins upon our parents and our upbringing is the way of the escapist. One's parents may have failed; our own backgrounds may have been frustrating, but as sons and daughters of a living God we have within ourselves the power to rise above our circumstances, to change our lives. Man can change human nature. Man must transform his life."[19]
This is not a whimsical or silly doctrine at all. It seeks to elevate mankind and increase our stature, our inheritable nobility with God in the eternities. "The greatest truths known to man are that God is a personal being in whose image we are made, that he is our Father, and that we have power to become as he is."[20]
"This is the doctrine of exaltation, the doctrine that as God now is, man may become; this is the doctrine that mortals have power to become like Deity in power, might, and dominion; in wisdom, knowledge, and truth; in love, charity, mercy, integrity, and in all holy attributes. "Ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one," Jesus said to certain faithful Nephite disciples. (3 Ne. 28:10.)"[21]
"As we ponder the profound and deep import of Jesus' declaration that he is the Son of Man and therefore the Son of God, we must remind ourselves anew of the single most important truth in all eternity. It is that God himself, the Supreme Being, the maker, upholder, and preserver of all things, the creator of the universe, our Eternal Father, is a glorified and perfected man. A knowledge of this truth is the beginning of all spiritual progression. This truth is the foundation upon which the whole plan of salvation rests. God himself, the Father of us all, ordained and established the plan of salvation to enable us, his children, to advance and progress and become like him. Salvation consists in becoming as God is. He is a holy man—Man of Holiness is his name—and his beloved Son is the Son of Man of Holiness, or, as Jesus now expresses it, The Son of Man."[22]
"Salvation is in Christ! The plan of salvation is the gospel of God; it is the system ordained by the Father to enable his spirit children, Christ included, to advance and progress and become like him. But Christ is the Redeemer of men, the Savior of the world, the one by whom all men are raised in immortality, and by whom those who believe and obey may gain eternal life. He has abolished death, as the scriptures say, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. He is the Resurrection and the Life. He is the way: he charts the course; he invites all men to follow him. He is the truth, the embodiment and personification of this holy attribute: his word is truth, and truth alone saves. He is the life: life exists because of him; he is the Creator. No man cometh unto the Father but by him. He redeemeth from the fall; he raiseth men from death; he maketh eternal life possible. He is our Advocate with the Father: without him we are nothing; because of him we can attain all things. Truly, salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through his holy name, and in no other way."[23]
The scriptural doctrine of grace springs from the recognition that finite man is powerless to create the agencies of his own existence and Salvation. It is true that as a son of God he is heir to an infinity of powers and dignities. It is true that man is made "a little lower than the angels," and is crowned "with glory and honor." (Psalm 8:5) It is also true that man may eventually "overcome all things" (D&C. 76:60), and become "gods, even the sons of God." (D & C 76:58)[24]
The Book of Mormon also explains this clearly:
"And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one;
And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me.
These words—the last recorded words spoken by Jesus in his Nephite ministry—contain the greatest doctrinal concept ever revealed. They are the Book of Mormon pronouncement that as God now is, man may become; they are the Book of Mormon proclamation that those who gain eternal life inherit, receive, and possess all that the Father hath; they are the Book of Mormon announcement that man—in glorious exaltation—becomes one with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."[25]
B. H. Roberts also noted how many noted theologians in his own day at the earlier part of this century were expressing concern over the Christian churches which had lost sight of the idea that mankind as such, well, we are divine, and that is all there is to it:!
"I want to read to you some key-words of this new theology which is making its way among all churches. It is' not an organized movement. No one appears to know whence it springs. Indeed, it is spoken of as being one of those pulsations of the "cosmic mind" which moves over the people at intervals and proclaims some great truth. Now, you will be astonished at the fundamental truth of this new movement, and the great number of people who are accepting it as the "theology of experience." Its fundament principle is the recognition of the identity between human nature and the divine nature.
In proof of it, I submit the following passages:
"Whence springs the deep-seated hostility of so man, of the representatives of labor to the churches? It can only be from the fact that organized religion has, in the immediate past, lost sight of its own fundamental, the divineness of man." (Rev. R. J. Campbell, in Hibbert Journal, April, 1907, p. 487.)
"When the man with a burdened conscience comes to us for relief, let us tell him that we all bear the burden together, and that until he becomes a Christ all the love in the universe will come to his help and share his struggle. His burden is ours, the burden of the Christ incarnate for the redemption of the world." (Ibid, p. 493.)
"The starting point in the New Theology is belief in the immanence of God, and the essential oneness of God and man. * * * We believe man to be a revelation of God, and the universe one means to the self-manifestation of God. * * * * We believe that there is no real distinction between humanity and the Deity.
"Our being is the same as God's, although our consciousness of it is limited. * * * The new theology holds that human nature should be interpreted in terms of its own highest nature, therefore it reverences Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was divine, 'but so are we.' * * * Every man is a potential Christ, or rather a manifestation of the eternal Christ. * * * The new theology * * * is the gospel of the humanity of God and the divinity of man." (Campbell, London Daily Mail, quoted in Current Literature, April, 1907.)
"I shall continue to feel compelled to believe that the power which produced Jesus must be at least equal to Jesus, so Jesus becomes my gateway to the innermost of God. When I look at him I say to myself, God is that, and if I can only get down to the truth about myself I shall find that I am too. * * * In him (Jesus) the humanity was divinity and divinity humanity. * * * But you make him only a man! No, reader, I do not. I make him the only man, and there is a difference. We have only seen perfect manhood once, and that was the manhood of Jesus. The rest of us have got to get there. * * * We have to get rid of the dualism which will insist on putting humanity and Deity into two separate categories.
"Unitarians used to declare that Jesus was man, not God."
Trinitarianism maintained that he was God and man; the older Christian thought as well as the youngest regards him as God in man—God manifest in the flesh. But here emerges a great point of difference between the new theology on the one hand and traditional orthodoxy on the other. The latter would restrict the description 'God manifest in the flesh' to Jesus alone; the new theology would extend it in a lesser degree to all humanity, and would maintain that in the end it will be as true of every individual soul as it ever was of Jesus. Indeed, it is this belief that gives value and significance to the earthly mission of Jesus—he came to show us what we potentially are." (The New Theology, Campbell, pp. 82, 83.)[26]
Further to the point, Mormons take these things literally, i.e. God and Mankind belong to the same family and universe of discourse and work together both sides being involved in the Plan of Salvation:
"As the Christ thus stood before his disciples he was God manifested in the flesh. And as the Son is, so we are assured, is the Father—a glorious mighty intelligence of tangible reality, as much so as the Christ was there on the mount in all his resurrected glory—a being whose heart throbs in sympathy with his children. For his children! Yes, friends; this Mormon message bids us proclaim that the children of men are also the children of God, essence of his essence, and nature of his nature. Our mesasge proclaims man divine, as also it proclaims God human—God and man of one and the same race! But God relatively to man, perfect; man, fallen and imperfect in his present estate, yet an heir of salvation and a child of God destined to become like his Father and Elder Brother, the Christ. You see I was right in saying that God is no mere abstraction with us, but a real personal being with whom we sustain very definite relations—the relation of child to father, with all the sympathies that grow out of the conception of that relationship."[27]
The harmony between the Book of Mormon and Bible on this idea of the deification of man, and the unity of the relationships of families, both in heaven and on earth between God and man is marvelous to see:
"What say the scriptures about being one with Christ? "By faith," Mormon says, we "become the sons of God." (Moroni 7:26.) Speaking of true believers, John says: "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. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:2-3.) "Ye shall be holy," the Lord says to his saints, "for I the Lord your God am holy." (Leviticus 19:2.) As Christ "which hath called you is holy," Peter pleads with the saints, "so be ye holy." (1 Peter 1:15.) And the great exhortation of the Lord Jesus himself is: "I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." (3 Nephi 12:48.)
Why must those who seek salvation pursue the course charted in these scriptures? Because if they do not, they cannot be like Christ. If they are not pure as he is pure, "holy, as he is holy, and perfect, as he is perfect, they cannot be like him; for no being can enjoy his glory without possessing his perfections and holiness, no more than they could reign in his kingdom without his power." (Lectures on Faith 7:10.)
It is on the basis of these principles that men are able to do the works of Christ. "He that believeth on me," Jesus said, "the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12.) When and why and how can men do greater works than the Lord Jesus did when he ministered among men? The answers are found in his great Intercessory Prayer. "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me," Jesus prayed, "that they may be one, as we are." The apostles are to be one with the Father and the Son. "Neither pray I for these alone," the Lord continued, "but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 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." All true believers, all who have faith, all the saints, all the righteous of all the ages are to be one with the Father and the Son.
Then of the Twelve, Jesus prayed: "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 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. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." (John 17:11, 20-24.)
After quoting the scriptures that we have quoted, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: "All these sayings put together give as clear an account of the state of the glorified saints as language could give—the works that Jesus had done they were to do, and greater works than those which he had done among them should they do, and that because he went to the Father. He does not say that they should do these works in time; but they should do greater works, because he went to the Father." That is to say: "The greater works which those that believed on his name were to do were to be done in eternity, where he was going and where they should behold his glory." They were to be done by those who were one with him and his Father. "For he declares to his Father, in language not to be easily mistaken, that he wanted his disciples, even all of them, to be as himself and the Father, for as he and the Father were one so they might be one with them."
Jesus is thus saying "that unless they have the glory which the Father had given him they could not be one with them; for he says he had given them the glory that the Father had given him that they might be one; or, in other words, to make them one. . . . They were to be partakers with him in all things, not even his glory excepted." (cf. Moses 6:66-68)
What is this New Testament doctrine but a proclamation that as God now is, man may become? Continuing his exposition of such a transcendent and glorious concept, Joseph Smith says that "the glory which the Father and the Son have is because they are just and holy beings; and that if they were lacking in one attribute or perfection which they have, the glory which they have never could be enjoyed by them, for it requires them to be precisely what they are in order to enjoy it; and if the Saviour gives this glory to any others, he must do it in the very way set forth in his prayer to his Father—by making them one with him as he and the Father are one. In so doing he would give them the glory which the Father has given him; and when his disciples are made one with the Father and Son, as the Father and the Son are one, who cannot see the propriety of the Saviour's saying—The works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father."[28]
"Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." That is, we call upon our Eternal Father in a familiar and friendly way, as children here call to their fathers with whom they maintain a familiar intimacy. Having attained this state of friendship with the Eternal One, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit," Paul continues, "that we are the children of God." He has now laid the groundwork. A pronouncement of deep and wondrous import is immediately forthcoming. "And if children"—note it well—"then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." (Rom. 8:14-17.)
Now here is a wondrous presumption, one that neither Paul nor any sane man would dare make, unless its verity burst upon him by the spirit of revelation. It is a case of a man making himself a God. It is a plain statement that mortal man shall inherit equally with Christ. It is the promise: "All that my Father hath shall be given unto him." (D&C 84:38.) The reasoning is perfect. The Father had a Son, a natural Son, his own... literal Seed, the Offspring of his body. This Son is his heir. As an heir he inherits all things from his Father—all power, all might, all dominion, the world, the universe, kingship, eternal exaltation, all things. But our revelations speak of men being exalted also and of their ascending the throne of eternal power. How is it done? Paul has explained it perfectly. They are adopted into the family of the Father. They become joint-heirs with his natural Son, "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect." (Heb. 2:10.)[29]
"Those who believe and obey the gospel in its eternal fulness become, by adoption, the sons of God; they are sons and daughters of Jesus Christ, as King Benjamin taught. Those among them who are living at the Second Coming shall see their Lord. As John said: "Now are we the sons of God," and "we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:2-3.)[30]
So we find on close analysis of the Bible as well as other scriptures that God and man are closely related, and both sides personally involved in the exaltation and eternal life of man, which will be a life of perfection, through adoption, even the deifying of mankind. We are the Gods and Goddesses, only may not realize it.
Endnotes
3. Joe J. Christensen, One Step at a Time, p. 107; Cf. Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 656 - "Perfect worship is emulation; there is no better way to worship God than to so live as to become like him. To be like him is to gain eternal life. To gain this greatest of all rewards, the seeker of salvation must be free to choose between the Lord and Lucifer, for without the damnation of the devil, there can be no salvation with the Savior."
4. One Step at a Time, p. 108 – 109.
5. J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Behold, the Lamb of God, p. 303.
6. Matthew Cowley Speaks, p. 340-341.
7. Alvin R. Dyer, Who Am I? p 197; Cf. Bruce R. McConkie,The Promised Messiah, p. 134 - "Let this mind be in you," writes our theological friend Paul, "which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God" (Phil. 2:5-6), thus showing how Christ, our Prototype, has attained oneness with his Father. Paul's associate apostle John takes the next step and applies the same principle to all who by faith become the sons of God. "Now are we the sons of God," he wrote, meaning that here and now while in mortality we have been adopted into the family of Deity and have become joint-heirs with his natural Son. "And it doth not yet appear what we shall be," he continues, meaning that no mortal man can conceive of the glory and dominion which shall be heaped upon those who reign on thrones in the exalted realms. "But we know that, when he shall appear [the Second Coming of our Lord], we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." As a natural conclusion to such a doctrine, John draws this obvious conclusion: "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure." (1 John 3:2-3.).
8. Who Am I?, p. 280-281.
9. Who Am I? pp. 314-315.
10. Who Am I?, p. 362.
11. Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards, p. 46.
12. Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart, p. 133; Cf. Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 125 "Lehi issues this prophetic invitation: "Look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit." (2 Nephi 2:27-28.) All those who heed the call and live the law become "just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood." (D&C 76:69.).
13. The Broken Heart, p. 197.
14. B. H. Roberts, New Witnesses For God, Volume 1, p. 463 – 465.
15. The Broken Heart, p. 197.
16. Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 179.
17. Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, p. 106; Cf. George Reynolds, Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 2, p. 166 - "Christ taught the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man. That is the conception of the relationship between God and man in which we find comfort. It is as old as mankind. Christ revived it. His disciples proclaimed it, and endeavored to put it into practice."
18. The Gospel Through the Ages, p. 107 – 108.
19. Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 175.
20. Bruce R. McConkie, The Millenial Messiah, p. 77.
21. The Mortal Messiah, Vol. 2, p. 143.
22. The Mortal Messiah, Vol. 3, p. 33.
23. The Mortal Messiah, Vol. 4, p. 71.
24. George Reynolds, Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 4, p. 8.
25. The Mortal Messiah, Vol. 4, p. 391.
26. B.H. Roberts, Defense of the Faith and the Saints Volume 2, p. 317-318.
27. Defense of the Faith and the Saints Volume 2, p. 389.
28.Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness For the Articles of Faith, p. 207-208.
29. Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p. 355.
30. A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 499.