The Godhead

The Saints of God who worshipped Jesus Christ as the savior of the world down through the dispensations from Adam to the present day were taught and clearly understood the nature of the Godhead. Each generation understood that visitations by the Father to his spirit children on earth ceased with the banishment of our first parents from the garden. From that day to this, Jesus Christ became our mediator with the Father. On the very few occasions the Father has manifested Himself to His earthly children, His purpose has been to introduce His Son and to bear witness of Jesus Christ’s role and mission as the creator and savior of this world. It was also clearly understood down through the generations that the only avenue by which God’s children could return to the presence of their Father was through the name of Jesus Christ. We understand those words to mean that individuals must avail themselves of the ordinances of baptism and confirmation and then live the gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully for the remainder of their days. They understood the role of the Holy Ghost to be that of a personal revelator, guardian, and guide for each believer to the extent the individual was worthy to receive such blessings. The Saints who lived before the mortal mission of the Savior looked forward to the day of His birth and His atonement. Those Saints living since His birth, rejoice in the reality of His birth and His atonement.

Prophets down through the ages have been blessed by the Lord’s presence. Many of them have spoken with Him face to face. But the scriptural record offers no greater illuminating visitation of the Lord to one of His prophets than the appearance of the Lord to the Brother of Jared. Exercising great faith, he asked the Lord to touch each of sixteen stones he had gathered in order that they might be made to “shine.” These stones would then provide light during their long voyage to the promised land in encased vessels. The Brother of Jared was “struck with fear” when he was able to actually see the finger of the Lord touching each of the stones. Recognizing the great faith of this prophet, the Lord appeared to him in person. The Lord’s words are a vivid testimony of His nature then and in the future. “And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image. Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh” (Ether 3:15-16).

The scriptural record and the teachings of the prophets make it clear that the Godhead consists of three separate and distinct beings: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This then is the basis of our first Article of Faith: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

These beings have made themselves manifest in pairs or as a trio at various times. As Stephen was being stoned, “he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus Standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55-56). After John the Baptist had baptized the Savior, “the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). After praying in a wooded grove near his home for direction as to which of the churches in his vicinity he should join, the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820. “When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith - History 1:17).

The Godhead consists of three personages who have different roles namely, the Father, His Son as creator and savior, and the Holy Ghost as testifier and sealer. We further understand that Jesus Christ possesses a resurrected body of flesh and bones. Physical evidence of this fact was given to the Saints who lived among the Jews after His resurrection as well as to those who lived on this American continent and to whom the Savior appeared after His resurrection in Jerusalem. Through modern-day scripture and prophetic teachings, we know that the Father also possesses a resurrected body of flesh and bones. The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit in order that he may accomplish his assigned mission.

Why is it important to understand the true nature of God? In 1833, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith a few verses from the record of John the Baptist wherein the Baptist bears testimony of the role and divinity of Jesus Christ. Then the Lord said to the Prophet, “I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness” (D&C 93:19). If we are not only to be worthy of returning to our Father in Heaven after leaving this world but also of having the opportunity to fulfill the full purpose of our creation, then we must know who our Father and His son, Jesus Christ, are, and we must know how we are to properly worship them. An achievement of this magnitude may be accomplished only if we possess a clear understanding of our mission.