Consider the importance of having true knowledge of God:
Our Saviour taught, "And this is Life Eternal, that they might know Thee the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). Doesn’t this mean that our very salvation depends upon having an accurate understanding about the Father and the Son?
But the Bible teaches some things about them that traditional Christians ignore and few people ever consider or understand. Consider for example the words of Christ to the Jews on a certain occasion when they wanted to kill him for claiming equality 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. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.” (John 5:19-20)
It is clear to me that the Saviour is saying here, that everything that He has done on earth was previously done by His Father, who is our Father in Heaven, and was shown to him. And that means that his Father (our Heavenly Father) once lived on some world as a mortal man, in the same way that our Saviour was now doing on earth, and that God had previously done all the things and even had to suffer and die like our Saviour would soon do, because Christ said He didn't do anything and couldn’t do anything that His Father had not already done.
We also need to realize that, as Paul taught, the Saviour was once an unperfected man, and had to go through suffering to learn obedience (just like any mortal man). "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;" (Hebrews 5:8)
In conclusion, the Bible teaches that if we are to have ‘life eternal’ we must arrive at an accurate understanding that God (the Father), even as His Son (our Saviour) was once a man and in many ways he was like other men. This also means that if Christ has a father (God), then God must have a father as well (a higher God). These things might seem shocking to those of traditional Christian beliefs, but though we may only worship one God, the universe contains billions of galaxies and there is room for many more gods. If you take into consideration the concepts taught in many other biblical scriptures, you will see that these concepts are perfectly consistent with the overall themes found in the Bible
For example you might ask yourself, “If God the Father and God the Son both began as mortal men, what does that say about other mortal men? Can we become gods also?” The following scriptures show us that the Bible teaches in many places that we can become Gods, like our Heavenly Father and our Saviour:
1] The Saviour Himself commands us to become perfect, as our Father in Heaven is perfect “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
(Matt. 5:48).
2] We are promised in the Bible that we can become filled with "all the fullness of God" through the grace of Christ. . “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19).
3] Christ said that we can become one with Him, as He is one with the Father. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 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. And the glory whic.h thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one 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.” (John 17:20-23).
4] Paul taught that all of mankind are the literal offspring of God, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.” (Acts 17:28-29).
5] Paul also said that the Spirit testifies that we are children of God and we can become "joint heirs with Christ" and be glorified with Him. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:14-17).
6] Paul challenged us to think in the same way as Christ who thought it was correct to want to be equal with God. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God (Philippian 2:5,6).
7] Peter also taught that through Christ, we can become godly and receive great and precious promises by which we can put on the divine nature. “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4).
8] John said those who follow Christ can become like Him. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2),
9] John writes that God said we can inherit all the things of God – “He that overcometh shall inhert all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (Rev. 21:7)
10] He also says we will become kings and priests to God “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev. 1:6)
11] And he writes that Christ says we can sit in the very throne of Christ as he sits in the throne of God. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Rev. 3:21).
So how does modern Christianity explain away such scriptures? They mainly do so by relying on their traditional beliefs and by ignoring the message conveyed by taking all the scriptures into consideration together. But if they are to have a hope for ‘life etetnal’ they must come to know the true God, and they cannot afford to ignore any of the scriptures.
These scriptures disclose an important aspect of the very beliefs also held by early Christianity, the doctrine of "theosis," holding that man can become like God
The Early Christians also understood that men were to become Gods:
1] Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, (bet.115 and 200 AD) wrote, "Do we cast blame on him [God] because we were not made gods from the beginning, but were at first created merely as men, and then later as gods? Although God has adopted this course out of his pure benevolence, that no one may charge him with discrimination or stinginess, he declares, "I have said, ye are gods; and all of you are sons of the Most High." ... For it was necessary at first that nature be exhibited, then after that what was mortal would be conquered and swallowed up in immortality." Irenaeus, Against Heresies,4.38. Cp. 4.11 (2): "But man receives progression and increase towards God. For God is always the same, so also man, when found in God, shall always progress toward God."
2] Saint Clement of Alexandria (bet. 115 -215 AD) wrote, "Yea, I say, the Word of God became a man so that you might learn from a man how to become a god." [Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Greeks, 1.] and also;
"if one knows himself, he will know God, and knowing God will become like God.... His is beauty, true beauty, for it is God, and that man becomes a god, since God wills it. So Heraclitus was right when he said, 'Men are gods, and gods are men.'" [Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, 3.1 See also Clement, Stromateis, 23.]
3] Saint Justin Martyr (about 100-165 AD) insisted that in the beginning men were 'made like God, free from suffering and ," and that they are thus deemed worthy of becoming gods and of having power to become sons of the highest." [Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 124.]
The Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith also taught that God, our Heavenly Father, was once a mortal man [and our Heavenly Mother was once a mortal woman]. But this teaching of the Restored Gospel is now apparently being minimized by the current Church leaders, perhaps in order to gain greater acceptance among traditional Christians!
Compare:
Original Teaching -
1] Joseph Smith ("King Follett Discourse," Journal of Discourses 6:3-4, also in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 342-345): "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret... It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know...that he was once a man like us.... Here, then, is eternal life - to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves,... the same as all Gods have done before you..."
2] Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses 7:333): "He [God] is our Father - the Father of our spirits, and was once a man in mortal flesh as we are, and is now an exalted being."
3] Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses 3:93): "The Lord created you and me for the purpose of becoming Gods like himself."
4] Milton R. Hunter (The Gospel Through the Ages, p 104): "Mormon prophets have continuously taught the sublime truth that God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man who passed through a school of earth life similar that through which we are now passing. He became God - an exalted being - through obedience to the same eternal Gospel truths that we are given opportunity today to obey."
5] Bruce R. McConkie (Mormon Doctrine, 1966 ed p 250): "...God...is a personal Being, a holy and exalted man..."
6] Joseph Fielding Smith (Doctrines of Salvation 1:10, 1954, cited from 21st printing 1975): "God is an exalted man. Some people are trouble over the statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith ... that our Father in heaven at one time passed through a life and and is an exalted man..."
7] Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young (published by the church as an official lesson manual 1997 [text "approved 10/95"], p. 29): "President Brigham Young taught ... that God the Father was once a man on another planet who 'passed the ordeals we are now passing through...'"
Current Teaching -
1] Gordon B. Hinckley being interviewed by Don Lattin (religion editor, San Francisco Chronicle, April 13, 1997, p 3/Z1)
Q: There are some significant differences in your beliefs [and other Christian churches]. For instance, don't Mormons believe that God was once a man?
Hinckley: I wouldn't say that. There was a little couplet coined, "As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become." Now that's more of a couplet than anything else. That gets into some pretty deep theology that we don't know very much about. [emphasis added]
Q: So you're saying the church is still struggling to understand this?
Hinckley: Well, as God is, man may become. We believe in eternal progression. Very strongly. We believe that the glory of God is intelligence and whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the Resurrection. ...that's one thing that's different. Modern revelation. We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, we believe he has yet to reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
2] Gordon B. Hinckley, as quoted in Time Magazine, Aug 4, 1997:
"On whether his church still holds that God the Father was once a man, [Hinckley] sounded uncertain, `I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it... I understand the philosophical background behind it, but I don't know a lot about it, and I don't think others know a lot about it.'" [emphasis added]
3] A spokesman for Hinckley, when questioned about the accuracy of the Time quotation, asserted that Hinckley's words were taken out of context, and that Hinckley was thus misquoted. The Time reporter, however, has made available the pertinent part of the transcript of his interview with Hinckley. Here is the relevant excerpt from President Hinckley's interview with Time:
Q: Just another related question that comes up is the statements in the King Follett discourse by the Prophet.
Hinckley: Yeah
Q: ... about that, God the Father was once a man as we were. This is something that Christian writers are always addressing. Is this the teaching of the church today, that God the Father was once a man like we are?
Hinckley: I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it. I haven't heard it discussed for a long time in public discourse. I don't know. I don't know all the circumstances under which that statement was made. I understand the philosophical background behind it. But I don't know a lot about it and I don't know that others know a lot about it. [emphasis added]
In consideration of the words of our Saviour, "And this is Life Eternal, that they might know Thee the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). there seems to be serious inconsistencies in a religion where the founding prophet, JOSEPH SMITH, JR. taught: "It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know... that he was once a man like us..." and the current leader ‘prophet’, GORDON B. HINCKLEY teaches: [Q. Was God once a man?] "I don't know. ... I wouldn't say that... I don't know that we teach it... We don't know very much about [that]... I don't know a lot about it"
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