The Mormon Doctrine of Deity: The Roberts-Van Der Donckt Discussion: To which is added a discourse, Jesus Christ, the revelation of God; also a collection of authoritative Mormon utterances on the being and nature of GodRoberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Religion
The Mormon Doctrine of Deity: The Roberts-Van Der Donckt Discussion: To which is added a discourse, Jesus Christ, the revelation of God; also a collection of authoritative Mormon utterances on the being and nature of God
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Doctrines; God (Christianity); Jesus Christ -- Mormon interpretations; Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. * * * And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the inly begotten of
the Father) full of grace and truth.[A]
[Footnote A: John 1.]
The identity between Jesus of Nazareth--"the Word made flesh"--and the
"Word" that was "with God from the beginning," and that "was God," is
so clear that it cannot possibly be doubted. So the Son is God, as well
as the Father is God. Other evidences go to establish the fact that
Jesus had the Godlike power of creation. In the very passage I have
just read, it is said:
All things were made by him [that is, by the Word, who is Jesus];
and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was
life; and the life was the light of men.[A]
[Footnote A: Verses 3, 4.]
One other scripture of like import, but perhaps even more emphatic than
the foregoing, is that saying of Paul's in the epistle to the Hebrews:
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by
whom also he made the worlds.[A]
[Footnote A: Heb. 1:1-3.]
Not only one world, but many "worlds," for the word is used in the
plural So that we find that the Son of God was God the Father's agent
in the work of creation, and that under the Father's direction he
created many worlds. There can be no question then as to the divinity,
the Godship, of Jesus of Nazareth, since he is not only God the Son,
but God the Creator also--of course under the direction of the Father.
Again, the Holy Ghost is spoken of in the scriptures as God. I think,
perchance, the clearest verification of that statement is to be found
in connection with the circumstance of Ananias and his wife attempting
to deceive the apostles with reference to the price for which they had
sold a certain parcel of land they owned, which price they proposed
putting into the common fund of the Church; but selfishness asserted
itself, and they concluded to lie as to the price of the land, and only
consecrate a part to the common fund It was an attempt to get credit
for a full consecration of what they possessed, on what was a partial
dedication of their goods. They proposed to live a lie, and to tell one
if necessary to cover the lie they proposed to live. When Ananias stood
in the presence of the apostles, Peter put this very pointed question
to him: "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?" *
* * "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."[A] To lie to the Holy
Ghost is to lie to God, because the Holy Ghost is God. And frequently
in the Scriptures the Holy Spirit is spoken of in this way.
[Footnote A: Acts 5.]
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