The Vitality of Mormonism: Brief Essays on Distinctive Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsTalmage, James E. (James Edward)
Religion
The Vitality of Mormonism: Brief Essays on Distinctive Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Talmage, James E. (James Edward)
Latter Day Saint churches; Latter Day Saints
The Jews denied and blasphemously decried the Godship of Christ because
He was to them a man, the reputed son of a carpenter, and His mother,
brothers and sisters were known to them as familiar townsfolk. Christ
emphatically affirmed that He was following His Father's footsteps,
as witness His words on another occasion, when the Jews tried to kill
Him because He had said "that God was his Father, making himself equal
with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the
Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son
likewise." Read John 5:17-23. In the verse following, Jesus declared
that unto Him the Father showed all things that He, the Father, did.
In connection with the same occurrence He declared, "My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work."
It is plain that Jesus Christ recognized the literal relationship of
Sonship which He bore to the Father; and moreover, that He was pursuing
a course leading to His own exaltation, a state then future, which
course was essentially that which His Father had trodden aforetime. To
the Father's supremacy He repeatedly testified, and expressly stated,
"My Father is greater than I." (John 14:28.)
Jesus Christ lived and died a mortal Being, though distinguished in
certain essential attributes from all other mortals because of His
status as the Only Begotten of God His Father in the flesh. Yet Jesus
Christ has attained the supreme exaltation of Godship, and has won His
place at the right hand of the Eternal Father. Ponder the significance
of His words: "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given
to the Son to have life in himself." (John 5:26.) The teachings of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on this affirmation by the
Lord Jesus were set forth by Joseph Smith the prophet in this wise:
"As the Father hath power in Himself, so hath the Son power in Himself,
to lay down His life and take it again, so He has a body of His own.
The Son doeth what He hath seen the Father do: then the Father hath
some day laid down His life and taken it again; so He has a body of His
own."
And further: "God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted
Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret. If
the veil was rent to-day, and the Great God who holds this world in its
orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to
make Himself visible--I say, if you were to see Him to-day, you would
see Him like a man in form--like yourselves in all the person, image,
and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion,
image, and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked,
talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with
another."
We read further: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible
as man's; the Son also." (D&C 130:22.)
Our belief as to the relationship of humanity to Deity is thus
expressed:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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