MY
FATHER AND I ARE ONE
NOTE: An understanding of the information in
the document "Knowing God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ" is
necessary for comprehension of this document. That article can be found under
Doctrinal Documents at AMK.COM.
It is hoped that the following comments and
quotations will help those struggling with issues related to divine
identity.
Increased perspective is given by careful
consideration of Old Testament references to deity, preceded by some
explanations concerning how these references are translated in the King James
Version (KJV). In the KJV Bible the Hebrew "El" is generally
translated as "God", and "Elohim" as "God" or
"Gods". The tetragrammaton YHWH (Jehovah/Yahweh) is usually rendered
as "LORD" or "GOD" (all caps), and "Adonai" is
denoted by "Lord". In the three quotations given below the Hebrew
names of deity are transliterated from the Masoretic (Hebrew) text and given in
brackets previous to the English translation. Translation can be verified by
referring to the applicable references in The Interlinear Bible and Strong's
Concordance. (Both sources use Strong's word numbers, some of which are as
follows: El=410; Elohim=430; Jehovah=3068; Adon(ai)=113.) As illustrated by the
following verses, the names of Elohim and Jehovah are sometimes used
interchangeably.
"17 For the [Jehovah] LORD your
[Elohim] God is [Elohim] God of [Elohim] gods, and [Adonai] Lord of [Adonai]
Lords, the great [El] God, a mighty and terrible ... " (Deut. 10:17)
"13 And, behold, the [Jehovah] LORD
stood above it, and said, I am the [Jehovah] LORD [Elohim] God of Abraham thy
father, and the [Elohim] God of Isaac: The land where on thou liest, to thee
will I give it, and to thy seed." (Gen. 28:13)
"14 And [Elohim] God said unto Moses, I
AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I
AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And [Elohim] God said moreover unto Moses, Thus
shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The [Jehovah] LORD [Elohim] God of
your fathers, the [Elohim] God of Abraham, the [Elohim] God of Isaac, and the
[Elohim] God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and
this is my memorial unto all generations." (Exodus 3:14-15) Note: the word
translated as "memorial" in the KJV is translated as "title"
in the The Interlinear Bible.
Since language usage and translation
relating to deity can be confusing, the following quotation from the Old
Testament institute manual is very helpful.
The word
Elohim is a plural form of the Hebrew word for God, although modern scholars
agree that it should be taken as a singular noun even though the im ending is a
plural form. Joseph Smith, however, indicated the significance of the plural
form:
"If we
pursue the Hebrew text further, it reads, …`The head one of the Gods said, Let
us make a man in our own image' … The heads of the Gods appointed one God for
us; and when you take [that] view of the subject, it sets one free to see all
the beauty, holiness and perfection of the Gods." (Teachings, p. 372.)
Elder James E.
Talmage explained the special significance Elohim has for Latter-day Saints:
"The name
Elohim … is expressive of supreme or absolute exaltation and power. Elohim, as
understood and used in the restored Church of Jesus Christ, is the name-title
of God the Eternal Father, whose first- born Son in the spirit is Jehovah -the
Only Begotten in the flesh, Jesus Christ." (Jesus the Christ, p. 38.)
It is vital to
remember the place of God the Father: He is the Father of our spirits (see
Hebrews 12:9) and is our God. The existence of other Gods cannot alter that
fact. He is the author and sponsor of the eternal plan of salvation. It is
equally essential to note, how-ever, that the agent by whom he administers his
affairs on this earth is his Firstborn Son, known as Jehovah in the Old
Testament. He gave Jesus the full "Fatherly" authority to organize
and govern the earth, then through the Atonement Jesus became the Father of the
faithful. The Savior thus became the chief advocate of the Father's plan.
Because Jesus
is one with God and is also God, the Old Testament prophets sometimes referred
to him as "Jehovah Elohim," which the King James translators rendered
"LORD God." This construction in Hebrew, "Jehovah Elohim,"
is not used very often after Genesis 2 and 3, although the phrase "Lord
God" is found in the English. To avoid awkward repetition, "Lord
GOD" was used to translate the Hebrew phrase "Adonai Jehovah,"
which literally translates as "Lord Lord" (see Genesis 15:2, 8; Deuteronomy
3:24). Thus, in the King James Version of the Old Testament, the Hebrew word
for Jehovah is almost always translated just this way: LORD or GOD. (Entire italicized quotation is from the Old
Testament Institute Manual, pgs. 45-46)
Moving beyond the Old Testament, the
following quotations should give additional insight.
"20 Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all
may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory
which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and
that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou
hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be
with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." (John 17:20-24)
"35 Verily, verily, I say unto you,
that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso
believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear
record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost. 36 And
thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record
unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are
one." (3 Nephi 11:35-36; See also 3 Nephi 19:23, 29; D&C 35:2; D&C
50:43; D&C 93:3-28)
The following quote is part of a Doctrinal
Exposition by the First Presidency and The Twelve.
"Jesus Christ the 'Father' By Divine
Investiture of Authority - A fourth reason for applying the title 'Father' to
Jesus Christ is found in the fact that in all His dealings with the human
family Jesus the Son has represented and yet represents Elohim His Father in
power and authority ... Thus the Father placed His name upon the Son; and Jesus
Christ spoke and ministered in and through the Father's name; and so far as
power, authority and Godship are concerned His words and acts were and are
those of the Father ... The ancient apostle, John, was visited by an angel who
ministered and spoke in the name of Jesus Christ. As we read: 'The Revelation
of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things
which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto
his servant John.' (Rev. 1:1) John was about to worship the angelic being who
spoke in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but was forbidden: 'And I John saw
these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to
worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith
he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren
the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.'
(Rev. 22:8,9) And then the angel continued to speak as though he were the Lord
Himself: 'And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every
man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end, the first and the last.' (verses 12,13) The resurrected Lord, Jesus
Christ, who had been exalted to the right hand of God His Father, had placed
His name upon the angel sent to John, and the angel spoke in the first person,
saying 'I come quickly, I am Alpha and Omega,' though he meant that Jesus
Christ would come, and that Jesus Christ was Alpha and Omega." (Messages
of the First Presidency, Vol. 5, pgs. 31-32, The Father and The Son - A
Doctrinal Exposition by The First Presidency and The Twelve [1916]. Entire
exposition reprinted in April 2002 Ensign, The Father and the Son, pgs.
12-18.)
The following quotes should give additional
clarity and understanding.
"Class members should understand that
Jehovah, not Heavenly Father, appeared to Moses in this vision [Moses 1:1-11].
Jehovah was the premortal Jesus Christ and the God of the Old Testament. He is
one with his Father in purpose and represents him in power and authority. His words
are those of the Father and sometimes, as in Moses 1:6, he speaks in the first
person for the Father. (See James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, 12th ed.
[1924], 470-471)" (Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher Manual [2002],
pg. 1)
"There are some important things
concerning the office of the Messiah in the organization of the world, which I
will speak of hereafter." (Teachings Of The Prophet Joseph Smith,
pg. 341)
"28 A time to come in the which nothing
shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be
manifest. 29 All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be
revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of
Jesus Christ ... 32 According to that which was ordained in the midst of the
Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was, that should
be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter
into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest." (D&C
121:28-29,32)
Concerning exaltation and patriarchal
succession, the prophet Joseph Smith taught, "... they shall be heirs of
God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? To inherit the same power,
the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a
God, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone
before. What did Jesus do? Why; I do the things I saw my Father do when worlds
came rolling into existence. My Father worked out his kingdom with fear and
trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present
it to my Father, so that he may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt
him in glory. He will then take a higher exaltation, and I will take his place,
and thereby become exalted myself. So that Jesus treads in the tracks of his
Father, and inherits what God did before; and God is thus glorified and exalted
in the salvation and exaltation of all his children. It is plain beyond
disputation, and you thus learn some of the first principles of the Gospel, about
which so much hath been said. When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the
bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with
the principles of the Gospel-you must begin with the first, and go on until you
learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you
have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all
to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our
salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave." (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith pgs. 347-348)
CONCLUSION
We have learned that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and some
angels, at times speak and act in the first person for each other. Therefore,
it is often unnecessary, and even impossible, to determine individual identity.
Since various divine names or titles may be applied to those who have received
divine investiture of authority, or who have become one with God, the following
counsel by President Wilford Woodruff is a practical necessity.
"Then why trouble yourselves about these things? God is God. Christ is
Christ. The Holy Ghost is the Holy Ghost. That should be enough for you and me
to know." (Millennial Star, vol. 57, pgs.355-356. This statement was made
in the context of resolving controversy related to the Adam-God theory.)
Since very little has been revealed
concerning such things as divine investiture or patriarchal succession, we
should transcend doubts and disputations by exercising faith in what has been
revealed.
Knowledge of spiritual realities requires
more obedience than research. We must always remember that the greatest
knowledge comes to those who purify themselves. (1 John 3:1-3; 3 Nephi 19:29;
Moroni 7:48)
© 2001-2004 Ancient Message Keeper™ All
rights reserved. This document is the result of personal scholarship and does
not represent the official position of any church.