A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to give a talk in sacrament meeting in our local ward. I told the bishopric that I was willing to speak, but that I wanted the freedom to pick the topic according to my own inspiration of the Spirit. They agreed, and so the week before Christmas I spoke of having “even now” faith in Jesus Christ, just as Martha did when Jesus arrived after her brother Lazarus was already dead.
“Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” (John 11:22)
Martha’s great faith opened the door which allowed the great miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection to occur. The Lord’s delay in arriving was divinely appointed to demonstrate his great power unto his disciples that they may more fully believe in His heavenly mission. One cannot argue with a miracle of such magnitude, for Lazarus had been in the grave four days. In fact, the leaders of the Jews sought to kill Lazarus to eliminate the living proof of Christ’s great power.
The main point of my talk was that in order to have this great faith, we need to elevate Christ in our thinking, WE NEED TO SEE HIM AS GOD, NOT AS OUR ELDER BROTHER. How many times have you heard him characterized as our elder brother in the Mormon Church? I believe this characterization tends to downgrade him to a demigod who is somewhere between God the Father and us mortals. Instead we need to think of Him as the physical embodiment of God the Father. I know this sounds trinitarian, but it fully supported by the very scriptures we claim to believe.
Take, for example, Abinadi’s teachings in Mosiah 15, where he explains that “God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.” This is powerful and bold doctrine. Christ is God, who deigned to lower himself to come to this earth. The angel who was teaching Nephi asked the pointed questions: “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” (1 Nephi 11:16, 26)
Websters 1828 dictionary defines “condescension” as “voluntary descent from rank,” pointing to the fact that God voluntarily chose to come down among us to atone for our sins.
Abinadi goes on to explain why Christ is called the Son of God:
And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and earth. (Mosiah 15:2-4)
In other words, Jesus Christ is only called the Son of God because he took upon himself a body and came to this earth. In all other respects we should think of Him as God, completely one with the Father, for they are ONE GOD, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.
In the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, Philip implores the Lord to show unto the disciples the Father. Jesus’ reply is very telling when he says:
“Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”
The Father dwelleth in the Son—they are one and the same. Few people are aware of the subtle, but significant change that Joseph Smith made to Luke 10:22 in his New Translation of the Bible (also known as the Joseph Smith Translation). Joseph’s version reads:
“All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth that the Son is the Father, and the Father is the Son, but him to whom the Son will reveal it.”
Whoa! I can tell you that the Son has not revealed this great mystery to me personally, but I do know what the definition of “is” is. This is an incredible testimony of oneness of the Father and the Son. We need to think of them that way. It will energize our faith in Christ as we do so.
I believe we tend to focus on the Father, to the downgrading and exclusion of Christ in our worship. We should elevate Christ. He is God. The Book of Mormon teaches that we must worship Christ:
“And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and you whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.” (2 Nephi 25:29)
Unfortunately, we hear too much of the philosophies of men in the Mormon Church. The new curriculum for this year focuses on teachings of the leadership of the Church, not on Christ or the scriptures. This is a tragedy. We should hear much more of Christ every week. Go upstream people! Go to the pure source which is unfiltered through men who claim prophetic mantle.
We can’t cast off the curse until we “begin to believe in Christ.” (2 Nephi 30:7)
Knowing that He is God who came down among us in the flesh is a necessary first step.
Keep Searching.
P.S. The Lectures on Faith also teach this trinitarian notion of the Godhead in which there are two personages, God the Father as a personage of spirit, and Jesus Christ as a personage of tabernacle. The Holy Ghost is the mind of God. See Lecture 5.
One Who Is Searching 
You said that “the Son has not revealed this great mystery unto me personally”, yet you quoted the verse that said, “no man knoweth that the Son is the Father, and the Father is the Son, but him to whom the Son will reveal it.” How then did you come to your current understanding, unless you meant to say “in person” instead of personally? Even Jesus told Peter he could not know the identity of Christ unless it had been revealed by his Father. (Matt. 16:17), but no one takes that to mean that Peter had a personal visitation from the Father.
My understanding of the relationship between the Father and Son is similar to what you have described. When this first occurred to me, I was filled with such a tremendous sense of LOVE from God that I was overwhelmed. Our current teachings about the separation of the Father and Son keeps the Father at a distance, kind of as an administrative figurehead, and the Son is an older brother who was sent to chase after the little kids because Dad has other things to do, even if it means the “older brother” will be killed and persecuted for his trouble. The new understanding leaves me with a depth of awe and devotion I could not comprehend previously.
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Ranae,
I agree with what you said about the downgrading of the Father’s role. The whole “Divine Investiture of Authority” explanation the church has taught regulates the Father to only introducing his Son and taking the backseat.
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In person would have been more precise. As you rightly observed, there is great power in understanding the true nature of the Godhead.
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Years ago, when I was an active and seminar-graduated member of the Church, who never missed General Conference, there were many things that didn’t make any sense. The Priesthood, the Godhead, the Plan of Salvation, Church’s affairs, etc. Now that I have tracked the original teachings given through Joseph, even when I can not say I understand every revealed truth, I sincerely recognize that a lot of things make sense.
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It’s been a LONG time. Glad you decided to share with us. It’s always good reading your blog. I’m still waiting for the release of your book. 😉
I also like how modern revelation supposrts this as well.
D&C 93:3-4, 17, 19
3 And that I am IN the Father, and the Father IN me, and the Father and I are ONE—
4 The Father because he gave me of his fulness, and the Son because I was in the world and made FLESH my tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men.
17 And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt IN him.
19 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.
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I praise God that in the 50 years that I participated in the precepts of men, that I never allowed the false doctrine that that institution preaches to infect my soul as to the truth that God is Christ.
The very fact that the Lectures on Faith define that God is a spirit personage of glory and power and that Jesus Christ has a tabernacle of flesh and that the mind of God is the Holy Ghost, has been transformed by the precepts of men into the false doctrine that they preach declaring that God the father has a Body of flesh and blood like the Savior, and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit.
This one change alone by the precepts of men, the brethren who profess this false doctrine and abomination before and to God himself, should cause one great alarm and thus greater focus on why and how it has happened and how and why the brethren have advocated all of the false doctrine that eminates from this first and greatest blasphemy.
The red flag of where this institution is adrift, is the changing who God is with their darkened minds. This alone changes everything! Even if the remaining doctrines that Joseph brought forth were not adulterated(which they are) the modern corporate church is still completely apostate because they profess that God is not what He Himself has said that He is!!!
The absolute most important knowledge, understanding and wisdom we must seek first is to know who God is, His character and His attributes, His being one with His/our Christ. Without this confirmation of truth revealed by the mind of God, the Holy Spirit, one is adrift and is left to deceive oneself further thinking that the rest of the precepts of the brethren are correct? The first commandment is to “know” who and what constitutes our living God! It is the only way to obtain the faith necessary to establish the foundation of all truth and light that will lead one to the greater mysteries of His glorious kingdom.
The brethren have relegated Jesus Christ to be our brother? By doing so, they have elevated themselves and their precepts of following the arm of flesh and believing their version instead of believing and following God, who is Jesus Christ, just as His word so clearly discerns.
Elevating Christ in our own spiritual discernment by searching out His words and believing what He has counseled us as to who He is, and then enquiring with the mind of God to receive verification and validation of God, will anchor our souls unto all truth, revealed by elevating our spiritual discernment, and therefore increased light to shine further upon the darkness that persists in the world, the minds of the brethren and most importantly ourselves. Our salvation is dependent first and foremost in knowing God, and that God is, by, of and through Jesus Christ, in “all things” which equates to “ the power of His word.”
Thank you Searcher for your work in elevating Christ.
In truth and peace,
David.
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The Brethren have elevated themselves by relegating Jesus Christ to be our brother.
Brilliant insight.
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I look at it from a simplistic point of view. We are all part of the whole. Meaning that everything is from our Heavenly Father. Everything is a part of his work and glory. So the Savior is the Great Jehovah. I still like the separate God concept into two beings. There are several scripture concepts that can support both points of view. From what you quoted and then there are other scriptures and visions that support separate Godly personages. As for me I am beginning to understand to a small degree of when the Savior said that the Father is in me. For I am a wondrous part of Gods creation, with that comes a greater understanding. I have a better understanding of the Savior when he said “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Never a dull moment reading other peoples views and ideas. It is always good to go to the source of all things and ask. (Christ and Heavenly Father) That is always more clearer for a person to know for themselves.
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I have read the few comment here and have thought what is so hard to comprehend, that Jesus Christ is God in the O/T? Isaiah 9v6 explains it all to a certain point. Jesus in the flesh gives greater detail, when he says that The Father Almighty God [not him or himself] has sent him and THEN he explains this in John 17.
THEN genesis 1 and 2 says God is but 2 personages speaking together about Adam
” But in actuality {God} is but family” .. As for the mind of God [holy ghost/spirit] Nephi explains it as thus >> And I said unto him: To know the interpretation thereof—for I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another. Never occurred to me [ pun ] the mind had separated from the body to be independent of it?
The brethren [ GA’s ] have relegated Jesus Christ to be our brother? I am amazed at this comment to be derogatory towards these leaders,as if they are cheapening Christ and implying his work is nothing or not as valued as it should be amoungst them or us and that they have lowered him to their level and status? ” ” seriously brethren ” ?
[ though many things can be said about them which I will not write for now ]
Jesus himself has designated himself as our Elder brother >>Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
We are BLESSED thru the Prophet Joseph Smith Jnr whom God chose to restore
[ that’s IF YOU believe his vision ] his kingdom here upon the earth for the last time?
We have an actual account beside the last testimony of Stephen in Acts 7 that he saw God and Christ on the right hand of God, which by the way Christendom actually ” believed to one personage and spirit and essence” for and still does for over 2,000 years
I can separate the two but I acknowledge God the Father in all things and Christ for being our Saviour and Redeemer and Advocate with him. Yes, I can also, see your point of view in distinguishing between the two and it is a fine line and for some it is too much to contemplate? The “spirit of the Lord clarifies the difference” and it is by this the difference can be settled and comprehended more fully…
Whatever does not enlighten comes not from God? But from the dark side or the precepts of men.
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Love it! Right on.
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When reading D&C 109, the Kirtland temple dedicatory prayer, I was always perplexed by Joseph praying to Heavenly Father, whose Son is Jesus (vs. 4) and then later calling that same Holy Father “Jehovah” (vs. 42). Not realizing that Jehovah is the name of the Most High God (El Elyon) and that the oneness of the Father and the Son means the name applies to them both, I tried to do some research into the apparent discrepancy because I was always taught that Jesus is Jehovah and that we do not pray to Jesus (even though the 12 in 3 Nephi pray to Jesus when he is with them, and Alma the Younger calls on Jesus to save him). Since I was only searching through “approved sources”, I never got a good answer. I think I mentioned it to one of my BYU religion professors, or a priesthood leader, and all he could say was essentially that “Joseph’s views of the Godhead were still changing in 1836, and Jehovah was what they used to (mistakenly) think was an appropriate title for the Father, but we know better now.”
Yet another relic of the “modern revelation trumps former revelation” misinformation campaign.
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