 God our Father
Biblical Framework
Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent
God the Father has all power over heaven and earth and all things in
them (Matthew 19:26). God the Father’s dominion is incomprehensible
to man (2 Corinthians 2:14 and Matthew 6:8).
Father of All
Every mortal human being has a biological father and mother, and
through them acquires a body of flesh and bones. As the sons (and
daughters) of God (Hosea 1:10) the spirits of men and women were
created by God the Father in heaven through a process that is
unknown (Hebrews 12:9). This intimate relationship with God the
Father is illuminated in the Bible through references to him as
“Abba,” Aramaic for “father” (Romans 8:15-16 and Galatians 4:6-7).
Body and Spirit
Man was created in the image of God both spiritually and physically
(Genesis 1:26-27). God’s body is physical (Genesis 9:6), although
perfected and glorified beyond all human comprehension (Hebrews
1:1-3). God the Father has substance and shape (John 5:37). Jesus
proclaimed God the Father as one of the two witnesses (men)
testifying that Jesus was the Christ (John 8:17-18). God the Father
has a spirit, just as the men and women whom he created in his image
have spirits (John 4:24).
God the Son, Jesus, was born in the flesh to Mary and lived among
the men and women of his time. The form and appearance of Jesus was
in the “express image of his [God the Father’s] person” (Hebrews
1:1-3). Some men have seen God the Father (Acts 7:55-56). The
physical nature of the Godhead has been revealed to mankind. (Exodus
24:10-11, 31:18, and 33:11, 23; Numbers 22:9-12, 20 and 23:4, 16;
Deuteronomy 23:14, and 1 Kings 9:2-3).
Adversity, Suffering, and Death
God the Father, working through his son Jesus Christ (the God of the
Old Testament) brought adversity to the Israelites as instruction,
chastisement, and punishment (Exodus 32:14, Judges 9:23, Judges
10:7, and 1 Chronicles 21:14-15). David spoke of the trials that
will come as a result of the Lord’s ministry to man (Psalm 78:49-50
and Psalm 119:75), while Job experienced firsthand how the Lord
allows certain afflictions to come upon mankind for what might
appear at the time to be no reason at all (Job 12:14-25). God knows
what is best for his children and will never give them more than
they are capable of managing through reliance on him (1 Corinthians
10:13).
Because God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, he can cause
or prevent all adversity, suffering, and death. He cares for all of
his children individually in ways that are inexplicable, and he
causes or allows adversity, suffering, and death according to his
infinite wisdom. God provides for his children the experiences
needed to reach their full potential as his sons and daughters, and
in this he preserves their free will.
Incomprehensible God
God the Father fulfills his purposes in ways that are frequently
incomprehensible to man. God’s wisdom and understanding are
infinite. His goals and purposes are infinite in scope. Those of
mankind are pitifully limited. For example, Samson pursued women who
were not of his faith, vexing his mother and father and violating
the Mosaic law. Nevertheless, what Samson was doing “was of the
Lord” (Judges 14:3-4). God does not fail in his purposes, however
incomprehensible his methods and however distant from human
understanding his goals. Whether it be allowing the transgression of
Adam and Eve to commence the plan of salvation in the Garden of Eden
or using the sinful nature of man to carry out judgments against an
offending nation, God’s purposes will be satisfied.
The Family of God
The family is ordained of God both in heaven and on earth (Ephesians
3:14-15). Mankind is taught to pray that God’s will “be done in
earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). According to
conventions of the period, women are referred to directly in the
scriptures much less frequently than men. Yet no one supposes that
women did not play a vital role in the family, or that family did
not play a vital role in the culture (1 Samuel 8:1-2). There may
come a time for some in mortality when one’s earthly family is an
obstacle to embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ—in those instances
the savior made clear the choice that should be made and the angst
that may follow (Matthew 10:34-37).
Mormon Doctrinal Clarification
Unity and Supremacy
God the Father (God, Heavenly Father, the Father) is the supreme
member of the Godhead. The Godhead consists of three personages:
God the Father, who is a divine personage with a glorified body of
flesh and bones;
Jesus Christ, who is a divine personage with a glorified body of
flesh and bones, the first-born spirit son of God the Father, and
the only begotten (mortal) son of God the Father; and
The Holy Ghost, who is a personage of spirit in the form of a man.
These three personages are in such perfect harmony and are so
divinely unified in purpose and divine love that they are correctly
referred to as one God. While the tangible bodies of God the Father
and his son Jesus Christ resemble those of men, they are glorified
and perfected beyond human comprehension. God the Father is the
creator of all things, the father of Jesus Christ (in human flesh as
well fullness the characteristics of love, mercy, charity, truth,
power, faith, knowledge, and judgment, having all power, all
knowledge, and from whom all good things come (Gospel Principles
[Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 2009], 6). All men and women,
whether in the premortal, mortal, or post-mortal realms, are the
spiritual sons and daughters of God the Father.
Free Will
God the Father knows intimately each one of his spirit children. He
gave to each of them moral agency (free will), the most precious of
all spiritual capacities. Exercising this capacity, all men and
women choose for themselves in their premortal, mortal, and eternal
states. God the Father knows, loves, and teaches each of his spirit
children; however, he does not compel them.
Eternal Progression
Some of Heavenly Father’s spirit children choose to enter mortality,
the state through which all who seek eternal progression and
increase must pass. Adversity, joy, suffering, and death are
encountered in mortality. Heavenly Father causes or allows these and
other conditions of mortality to befall his spirit children. His
purpose is for men and women, by their own choice, to progress
toward perfection. His methods of instruction are often
incomprehensible to man.
Eternal Increase
God the Father is the father of all, and, like a righteous and
loving father on earth, he is willing to bequeath the power of
eternal increase (eternal procreation) to those of his children who
are willing to pass through the trials necessary to be become worthy
of this power.
See chapter4 in The Biblical Roots of Mormonism for a more
comprehensive explanation, scriptural references and commentary on God
our Father
See the Sword SeriesTM paper God Our Father for a summary |
