Father in Heaven / God the Father and the Trinity
Official Statement/Doctrine:
Origin of the Phrase: “As man now is, God once was: “As God now is, man may be.”
This resource discusses the often used phrase “As man now is, God once was : As God now is, man may be.” It’s history and what it means in the LDS faith.
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Social Media Resources:
Why the idea of the Trinity was added to the Bible (5 min)
Why the very idea of the Trinity was added to the Bible long after it had became cannon.
Neither the Catholic nor the Orthodox Church was a continuation of the Church established by Jesus Christ. The trinity is not of God and was never taught in the Bible. (7 min)
LDS Scholar: This is where Christianity went WRONG. The nature of God the Father. (44 min)
In this episode, David Snell and special guest Terryl Givens talk about perhaps the most controversial divide between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (colloquially, Mormons) and mainstream Christianity: The nature of God is discussed at length.
If You Want To Understand The Trinity, You NEED To Watch This (5 min)
Are you confused by the doctrine of the trinity? The Bible is crystal clear that Jesus and the father and the Holy Spirit are one… but does that mean they are the same being? How could 3 different persons be the same being? I like you to consider a different notion. A notion taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Elder Holland of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints explain what is really meant by the oneness of God. (Full Talk: The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent)
All the Church Fathers Secretly Taught Mormon Doctrine! [Apotheosis] (56 min)
An interesting and sometimes irreverent look at early Christian teachings that mortal men can become as sons of God, as in God’s children (us) will become like the Father in Heaven, not to replace him, but to join him as his sons and daughters inheriting all that he has. Joseph Smith once again is proven to have taught and restored the original form of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught originally by Christ’s 12 apostles and their early followers.
The Great Apostasy and the history of the Trinity Doctrine (1 hr)
In this episode you will find a satisfying historical review of where the doctrine of the Trinity originated from and how truth was corrupted and authority was lost with the death of the Apostles resulting in an Apostasy that required a Restoration later in history by the prophet Joseph Smith.
Colton B. Miller’s Take on the Trinity, it’s history, and why it makes little sense with basic Bible scholarship (10 min)
Colton B. Miller gives a quick but thorough history of what the Trinity is and why it is not correct doctrine. Thank heavens for the simple reading of the Bible and modern day revelation.
God has a Physical Body and We Are Made in His Literal Image (14 min)
In this episode, Hayden and Jackson, along side special guests Mike Day from @talkingscripture and David Butler from Plain and Precious Publishing, dives deep into the profound teachings of the King Follett Discourse. Together, they explore theological revelations and lasting impact of Joseph Smith's sermon, touching on concepts of the nature and origin of God, eternal progression, and the potential divinity of humankind.
Key Points on our Heavenly Father:
Our Heavenly Father is an exalted man, who once lived as we do now as a mortal in a similar world, and who, through eternal progression, with our Heavenly Mother, became our Heavenly/Godly parents and created us as their spiritual children.
Heavenly Father (in partnership with our Heavenly Mother) is the the creator of all of our spirits, of Jesus Christ his first born, our eldest Brother, also of Satan, The Son of the Morning our fallen brother, also of the Universe and everything within it.
Our Heavenly Father is perfect, all knowing, all powerful and eternal. He is an exalted man with a perfect resurrected body of refined flesh and bones existing in a celestial state.
Our Heavenly Father’s greatest joy is to bring to pass the eternal life and immortality of his children by way of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, his First Born spirit son and Only Begotten in the Flesh.
Question: How can God the Father be a being who has existed from eternity to eternity, who is Alpha and Omega and also have been a mortal man who lived like us on a world similar to ours prior to progressing to become our Heavenly Father and God?
Answer: When a mortal being achieves eternal exaltation, they reach a very different realm/dimension/kingdom from ours where time ceases to exist. At this level of progression with time being completely irrelevant, with all knowledge of all things past present and future being before them continually, with all power and glory being their very essence, they become a being that has no end and has no beginning in a plane of existence that has no end nor beginning. They become eternal, having become part of a realm of endless glory that stretches from eternity to eternity. This is a concept barely understandable to our mortal minds that are so biased towards timelines and linear progression.
It may also be helpful to consider that to a mortal man, being shown the history of our Universe as many prophets have reported witnessing in various visions, they will look and see our Heavenly Father existing before the creation of all things in our reality and Universe and existing after it ends. To our finite point of view, he will appear to have existed from before the beginning of time and will exist after the end of our Universe and time itself. So to our mortal eyes, he is literally a being that has existed forever, from “eternity to eternity”.
As to our eternal progression, if we keep all the promises, covenants and commandments that Jesus Christ has required of us, we to can progress like our Father and Mother before us. Our Heavenly Father’s greatest goal is to help us to achieve godhood as his children, Joseph Smith revealed our potential path to the eternities as such: D&C 132 : 20 “Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.”
It is important to note, that our Heavenly Father will always be our exalted Father in Heaven, our God, our Creator, our Master. As we progress to be gods ourselves, He will always be the one we look up to as our Eternal God, who we will worship for ever and ever, adding to his glory and majesty as we grow similarly from below, an eternal chain of family relationships and power with one generation exalting and praising the one before them that gave them life, potential and eternal existence.
