Author's Note: Use of male gender terms in modern day writing tends to exclude or diminish the female role. For this reason the doctrines and principles in this book have been stated to avoid, where possible, the use of the word "man" and the pronoun "he." I have also tried to replace the word "mankind" in many instances with "all people." However, for the purposes of this topic, the words "man" and "mankind" best fit the scriptures and are hence retained in the topic title.
429. We are in the physical image of God.
430. The spirit and body combined constitute our souls.
432. As a child of God, each of us is of infinite worth.
433. Men and women may, at some time in the future, become gods.
428. We have an immortal identity: there never will be a time when we will cease to exist as individuals.
In considering ourselves and how we have been organized and what we are doing, we discover that there is immortality connected with us. We are immortal beings. That which dwells in this body of ours is immortal, and will always exist. Our individuality will always continue. Eternities may begin, eternities may end, and still we shall have our individuality. Our identity is insured. We will be ourselves, and nobody else. Whatever changes may arise, whatever worlds may be made or pass away, our identity will always remain the same; and we will continue on improving, advancing and increasing in wisdom, intelligence, power and dominion, worlds without end. Our present advancement is simply a starting out, as it were, on this path of immortality. Whatever may have been our past, how long we may have existed before this, or whether there ever was a time when we did not exist, there is one thing sure—our being in the future will never be annihilated, never destroyed. . . . But there is no such thing as our passing out of existence. CR1901Apr:2
We are eternal beings. We have no way of comprehending how long we dwelt in the presence of God as his spirit children. We are here in mortality for a moment of testing and trial. Then we will come forth in the resurrection, receive an inheritance in whatever kingdom we deserve, and go on living the commandments to all eternity. . . . [T]he life that is to be is forever. It will have no end. Men will rise from the grave and not die after. Life is eternal, unending; never after the resurrection will the children of our Father taste death. CR1978Oct:71
I refer to our identity, our indestructible, immortal identity. . . .
We will meet the same identical being that we associated with here in the flesh—not some other soul, some other being, or the same being in some other form—but the same identity and the same form and likeness, the same person we knew and were associated with in our mortal existence, even to the wounds in the flesh. Not that a person will always be marred by scars, wounds, deformities, defects or infirmities, for these will be removed in their course. . . . (At funeral of Rachel Grant, mother of President Heber J. Grant, IE1909Jun:591) MPSG1970-71:41-42
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Intelligence is eternal and exists upon a self-existent principle. It is a spirit from age to age and there is no creation about it. All the minds and spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement. The first principles of man are self-existent with God. God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with Himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits.
This is good doctrine. It tastes good. I can taste the principles of eternal life, and so can you. They are given to me by the revelations of Jesus Christ; and I know that when I tell you these words of eternal life as they are given to me, you taste them, and I know that you believe them. You say honey is sweet, and so do I. I can also taste the spirit of eternal life. I know that it is good; and when I tell you of these things which were given me by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, you are bound to receive them as sweet, and rejoice more and more. (To the Church in general conference—to a congregation of 20,000—,"King Follett Sermon," April 7, 1844) (See HC6:302-17, also see The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 340-62) HC6:311-12; TPJS:354
Related Witnesses:
We believe in the pre-existence of man as a spirit, and in the future state of individual existence, in which every soul shall find its place, as determined by justice and mercy, with opportunities of endless progression, in varied conditions of eternity. (Address from the First Presidency of the Church to the world, delivered to and accepted by vote of the Church in general conference, April 1907) CR1907Apr(Appendix)4
Gods, angels and men are all of one species, one race, one great family, widely diffused among the planetary systems, as colonies, kingdoms, nations, etc.
The great distinguishing difference between one portion of this race and another consists in the varied grades of intelligence and purity, and also in the variety of spheres occupied by each, in the series of progressive being.
An immortal man, possessing a perfect organization of spirit, flesh, and bones, and perfected in his attributes in all the fulness of celestial glory is called a god. (Key to the Science of Theology, pp. 40-41) TLDP:374
429. We are in the physical image of God.
President Heber J. Grant, Anthony W. Ivins, Charles W. Nibley
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Revelation to Moses regarding the creation of man) Genesis 1:26-27
We hold that man is verily the child of God, formed in His image, endowed with divine attributes, and possessing power to rise from the gross desires of earth to the ennobling aspirations of heaven. (Address from the First Presidency of the Church to the world, delivered to and accepted by vote of the Church in general conference, April 1907) CR1907Apr(Appendix)4
translating the Book of Moses
And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. And I, God, said: Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27. And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them. (The record of Moses : God makes man and gives him dominion over all) Moses 2:26-27
Man is made in the image of his Maker, and . . . he is His exact image, having eye for eye, forehead for forehead, eyebrows for eyebrows, nose for nose, cheekbones for cheekbones, mouth for mouth, chin for chin, ears for ears, precisely like our Father in heaven. (In new Tabernacle, July 11, 1869, JD13:146) TLDP:171
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
I now see before me beings who are in the image of those heavenly personages who are enthroned in glory and crowned with eternal lives in the very image of those beings who organized the earth and its fulness, and who constitute the Godhead. (In Tabernacle, March 23, 1862, JD9:246) DBY:25
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
When we look upon the human face we look upon the image of our Father and God; there is a divinity in each person, male and female; there is the heavenly, there is the divine and with this is amalgamated the human, the earthly, the weaker portions of our nature, and it is the human that shrinks in the presence of the divine, and this accounts for our man-fearing spirit, and it is all there is of it. (In Tabernacle, April 27, 1862, JD9:291) DBY:51;
quoted by Mormon
Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true; (Ammon responds to King Lamoni, about 90 B.C.) Alma 18:34
(First Presidency)
Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so that undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God. ("'Mormon' View of Evolution," IE1925Sep:1090-91) MOFP5:244
And a prophet of the Lord have they slain; yea, a chosen man of God, who told them of their wickedness and abominations, and prophesied of many things which are to come, yea, even the coming of Christ. 27. And because he said unto them that Christ was the God, the Father of all things, and said that he should take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was created in the beginning; or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of God, and that God should come down among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth—
28. And now, because he said this, they did put him to death; (King Limhi recounts the history of his people to Ammon and the throng assembled; he says a prophet [Abinadi] was slain because he testified that Christ was the God and Father of all things) Mosiah 7:26-28
When we realize that we have actually been made in the image of God, all things are possible. John Mott, a recipient of the Nobel Prize, indicated that this particular knowledge, a knowledge that we have been created in the image of God, is the single greatest segment of knowledge that can come to man in mortality. Mr. Mott, who is not a member of our church, indicated that that knowledge would give man a profound new sense of power and strength.
We know that such is the case. We know that in and of ourselves we can do but little, but motivated with the spirit and knowledge that we have been created in the image of God, we can accomplish great things. ACR(Helsinki)1976:7
All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. (CR 2004Apr; Fatherhood, an Eternal Calling, Ensign, May 2004, p.69)
Our bodies are sacred. They were created in the image of God. They are marvelous, the crowning creation of Deity. No camera has ever matched the wonder of the human eye. No pump was ever built that could run so long and carry such heavy duty as the human heart. The ear and the brain constitute a miracle. (CR 1996Apr; “Be Ye Clean”, Ensign, May 1996, p.46)
All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. (CR 1995Oct; Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World, Ensign, November 1995, p.98)
430. The spirit and body combined constitute our souls.
And the spirit and the body are the soul of man. (Revelation received Dec. 27/28, 1832) D&C 88:15
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
God made a tabernacle and put a spirit into it, and it became a living soul. . . . How does [the Bible] read in the Hebrew? It does not say in the Hebrew that God created the spirit of man. It says, "God made man out of the earth and put into him Adam's spirit, and so became a living body." (To the Church in general conference—to a congregation of 20,000—,"King Follett Sermon," April 7, 1844) (See HC6:302-17, also see The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 340-62.) HC6:310; TPJS:354
It is peculiar to the theology of the Latter-day Saints that we regard the body as an essential part of the soul. Read your dictionaries, the lexicons, and encyclopedias, and you will find that nowhere, outside of the Church of Jesus Christ, is the solemn and eternal truth taught that the soul of man is the body and the spirit combined. It is quite the rule to regard the soul as that incorporeal part of men, that immortal part which existed before the body was framed and which shall continue to exist after that body has gone to decay; nevertheless, that is not the soul; that is only a part of the soul; that is the spirit-man, the form in which every individual of us, and every individual human being, existed before called to take a tabernacle in the flesh. It has been declared in the solemn word of revelation, that the spirit and the body constitute the soul of man; and therefore, we should look upon this body as something that shall endure in the resurrected state, beyond the grave, something to be kept pure and holy. CR1913Oct:117
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Revelation to Moses with respect to the Creation) Genesis 2:7
[Christ's] real mission was to redeem man from the Fall of Adam by the atonement He made. We declare this is the greatest gift that ever came to man, for without it there would be no immortality of the soul, which is "the spirit and the body of man." ("I Am the Resurrection and the Life," IE1943Jan:63) TLDP:38
quoted by Nephi
O how great the plan of our God For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect. (Jacob recounts to the people of Nephi the covenants of the Lord made to the house of Israel, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 9:13
The word immortal means not mortal; that is, not subject to the power of death. I would define immortality as being that state to which we attain in the progress of life when we have passed through death and the resurrection, the spirit and body being reunited and inseparably connected, constituting the soul of man prepared to receive a fulness of the glory of God. CR1916Apr:52
All spirits came from God, and they came pure from his presence, and were put into earthly tabernacles, which were organized for that express purpose; and so the spirit and the body became a living soul. If these souls should live, according to the law of heaven, God ordained that they should become temples prepared to inherit all things. (In Tabernacle, Aug. 15, 1852, JD6:291) TLDP:426
Related Witnesses:
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
After the body and spirit are separated by death, what, pertaining to this earth, shall we receive first? The body; that is the first object of a divine affection beyond the grave. We first come in possession of the body. The spirit has overcome the body, and the body is made subject in every respect to that divine principle God has planted in the person. The spirit within is pure and holy, and goes back pure and holy to God, dwells in the spirit world pure and holy, and, by and by, will have the privilege of coming and taking the body again. Some person holding the keys of the resurrection, having previously passed through that ordeal, will be delegated to resurrect our bodies, and our spirits will be there and prepared to enter into their bodies. Then, when we are prepared to receive our bodies, they are the first earthly objects that bear divinity personified in the capacity of the man. Only the body dies; the spirit is looking forth. (In Bowery, July 28, 1861, JD9:139) DBY:373
Man is a dual being, possessed of body and spirit, made in the image of God, and connected with him and with eternity. He is a God in embryo and will live and progress throughout the eternal ages, if obedient to the laws of the Godhead, as the Gods progress throughout the eternal ages. (General conference, April 1882, JD23:65) TLDP:374
Man is immortal. The physical elements of earth cannot be destroyed, but only changed in their combinations; neither can the element of elements, the dominating element, the personality of man, be destroyed; but only changed as from an earthly to a spiritual condition. Man came on earth to win a body; only in association with the body, resurrected and purified, can he approach the heights of salvation. The power to secure again the body buried in the grave comes from the vicarious sacrifice of our elder brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. He died that our journey on earth might not be in vain. (Man and the Dragon, p. 174) TLDP:375
431. We will continue to exist forever with our own individual identity; a soul can never be annihilated.
That which dwells in this body of ours is immortal, and will always exist. Our individuality will always continue. Eternities may begin, eternities may end, and still we shall have our individuality. Our identity is insured. We will be ourselves, and nobody else. Whatever changes may arise, whatever worlds may be made or pass away, our identity will always remain the same; and we will continue on improving, advancing and increasing in wisdom, intelligence, power and dominion, worlds without end. Our present advancement is simply a starting out, as it were, on this path of immortality. Whatever may have been our past, how long we may have existed before this, or whether there ever was a time when we did not exist, there is one thing sure—our being in the future will never be annihilated, never destroyed. CR1901Apr:2
A soul cannot be destroyed.
Every soul born into this world shall receive the resurrection and immortality and shall endure forever. Destruction does not mean, then, annihilation. When the Lord says they shall be destroyed, he means that they shall be banished from his presence, that they shall be cut off from the presence of light and truth, and shall not have the privilege of gaining this exaltation; and that is destruction. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:227-28) DCSM:19
I refer to our identity, our indestructible, immortal identity. . . . (Funeral of Rachel Grant, mother of President Heber J. Grant, IE1909Jun:591) MPSG1970-71:41
Man is immortal. The physical elements of earth cannot be destroyed, but only changed in their combinations; neither can the element of elements, the dominating element, the personality of man, be destroyed; but only changed as from an earthly to a spiritual condition. (Man and the Dragon, p. 174) TLDP:375
quoted by Mormon
And now behold, I say unto you then cometh a death, even a second death, which is a spiritual death; then is a time that whosoever dieth in his sins, as to a temporal death, shall also die a spiritual death; yea, he shall die as to things pertaining unto righteousness. (Alma contends with the lawyer Zeezrom, about 82 B.C.) Alma 12:16
Related Witnesses:
quoted by Mormon
Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness. (Samuel preaches to the Nephites, about 6 B.C.) Helaman 14:18
Their sleeping dust was to be restored unto its perfect frame bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they might receive a fulness of joy. (Vision regarding the Savior's visit to the spirits of the dead, Oct. 3, 1918) D&C 138:17
432. As a child of God, each of us is of infinite worth.
Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; . . . (Revelation received June 1829) D&C 18:10
God in His infinite mercy has revealed to us a great truth. It is a truth that, when understood by us, gives a new light to our existence, and inspires us with the most exalted hopes. That truth is that God is our Father, and we are His children. What a tender relationship What a feeling of nearness it creates within us What? God my Father? Am I indeed His son? Am I indeed His daughter? Do I belong to the family of God? Is this literally true? The answer is, Yes. God has revealed it, that we are literally His children, His offspring; that we are just as much His children as our offspring are our children; that He begot us; and that we existed with Him in the family relationship as His children. What an immensity of vision is given to us in this truth What a field for reflection And how our hearts should be inspired with great hopes and anticipations to think that the Being under whose direction this earth was organized, who governs the planets and controls the universe, who causes the rotation of the seasons and makes this earth so beautiful and such a delightful place of habitation, is our Father, and that we are His children, descended from Him What illimitable hopes the knowledge of this inspires us with
Now, this is the truth. We humble people; we who feel ourselves sometimes so worthless, so good-for-nothing; we are not so worthless as we think. There is not one of us but what God's love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels—invisible beings of power and might—charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping. ("Our Pre-existence and Present Probation," Contributor, Oct. 1890, p. 476) TLDP:376
We know of no one in life who isn't an Important Person. We know of no man on the street (or in the gutter, for that matter) who isn't a child of God with the same rights and with the same relationship to his Father in heaven as all the rest of us have.
We know of no one, young or old, from infants to elderly individuals, whose past or whose potential we would want to appraise as being unimportant. We know of no one we might see in any public place—on subways or busses, or walking in shabby shoes—or any boy selling papers, or any abandoned urchin, who doesn't have an inestimable, unknown potential here and hereafter. (Richard L. Evans: The Man and the Message, p. 304) TLDP:375-76
I am certain our Heavenly Father is displeased when we refer to ourselves as "nobody". How fair are we when we classify ourselves a "nobody"? How fair are we to our families? How fair are we to our God?
We do ourselves a great injustice when we allow ourselves, through tragedy, misfortune, challenge, discouragement, or whatever the earthly situation, to so identify ourselves. No matter how or where we find ourselves, we cannot with any justification, label ourselves "nobody".
As children of God we are somebody. He will build us, mold us, and magnify us if we will but hold our heads up, our arms out, and walk with him. What a great blessing to be created in his image and know of our true potential in and through him What a great blessing to know that in his strength we can do all things CR1973Apr:21
Many sorrows of man are due to a false conception of man's relationship to the Lord and his fellowman. There can be little respect for human welfare of life, if man is but a higher animal, an accidental intruder on earth, or a creature of God, made at his pleasure, as children make mud pies. Man is a very son of God, begotten of God; he was the Father in the beginning. Since he is of a divine pedigree, with a spark of divinity within him, he rises immeasurably in the world of things.
Then, the brotherhood of man, spoken of so lightly, often with a sneer, acquires a profound meaning. All men are children of God; brothers in fact; of the same divine pedigree; with the same high destiny; under the same loving guidance of the Father of the spirits of men. Then, every man must assume some of God's own responsibility in caring for the children of men. A person cannot let his very brothers go hungry, unclothed, shelterless or bowed down in sorrow. He cannot be cruel to them, and be true to his royal descent. CR1939Oct:98-99
The truth I desire to emphasize today is that we mortals are in very deed the literal offspring of God. If men understood, believed, and accepted this truth and lived by it, our sick and dying society would be reformed and redeemed, and men would have peace here and now and eternal joy in the hereafter.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accept this concept as a basic doctrine of their theology. The lives of those who have given it thought enough to realize its implications are controlled by it; it gives meaning and direction to all their thoughts and deeds. This is so because they know that it is the universal law of nature in the plant, animal, and human worlds for reproducing offspring to reach in final maturity the likeness of their parents.
They reason that the same law is in force with respect to the offspring of God. Their objective is, therefore, to someday be like their heavenly parents.
They not only so reason; they know they may so become because God has revealed the fact that it is his work and glory to bring to pass their eternal life (Moses 1:39), which is the life God lives. CR1973Apr:133
433. Men and women may, at some time in the future, become gods.
receiving the Word of the Lord
And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
20. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. (Revelation relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternal nature of the marriage covenant, July 12, 1843, [1831]) D&C 132:19-20
To enter the highest of these degrees in the celestial kingdom is to be exalted in the kingdom of God. Such exaltation comes to those who receive the higher ordinances of the Church, such as the temple endowment, and afterwards are sealed in marriage for time and eternity, whether on earth or in the hereafter. Those who are so sealed continue the family relationship eternally. Spiritual children are begotten by them. They carry on the work of salvation for the hosts of waiting spirits. They who are so exalted become even as the gods. They will be "from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue." [D&C 132:20] (Evidences and Reconciliations, pp. 200-01) TLDP:163-64
There are a few individuals in this dispensation who will inherit celestial glory, and a few in other dispensations; but before they receive their exaltation they will have to pass through and submit to whatever dispensation God may decree. But for all this they will receive their reward—they will become Gods, they will inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities and powers through the endless ages of eternity, and to their increase there will be no end, and the heart of man has never conceived of the glory that is in store for the sons and daughters of God who keep the celestial law. (At funeral services of two small children who had been burned to death, June 24, 1875, JD18:39) TLDP:130
[T]he Church proclaims the eternal truth: 'As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be.' With such a future, well may man open his heart to the stream of revelation, past, present, and to come; . . . AF:390
Each one of you has it within the realm of his possibility to develop a kingdom over which you will preside as its king and God. You will need to develop yourself and grow in ability and power and worthiness, to govern such a world with all of its people. You are sent to this earth not merely to have a good time or to satisfy urges or passions or desires. You are sent to this earth, not to ride merry-go-rounds, airplanes, automobiles, and have what the world calls "fun."
You are sent to this world with a very serious purpose. You are sent to school, for that matter, to begin as a human infant and grow to unbelievable proportions in wisdom, judgment, knowledge, and power. That is why you and I cannot be satisfied with saying merely "I like that or want that." That is why in our childhood and our youth and our young adulthood we must stretch and grow and remember and prepare for the later life when limitations will terminate so that we can go on and on and on. (To young men and young women at University of Utah institute, Oct. 1976) DGSM:29
Through a continual course of progression, our heavenly Father has received exaltation and glory, and he points us out the same path; and inasmuch as he is clothed with power, authority, and glory, he says, 'Walk ye up and come in possession of the same glory and happiness that I possess.' (Sermon to a male and female audience in Tabernacle, Oct. 1857, JD5:313) DGSM:92
Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. (To the Church in general conference—to a congregation of 20,000—,"King Follett Sermon," April 7, 1844) (See HC6:302-17, also see The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 340-62.) HC6:306
Related Witnesses:
Now, this plan [plan of salvation] was to enable his spirit children to grow from their primeval spirit state to a state of glory and dignity and exaltation so that they would be like him—like the Father. The name of the kind of life that God the Father lives is eternal life. This name describes wholly and completely the nature and kind of life he possesses; his life includes having power and dominion, might and glory and omnipotence, and also it includes living in the family relationship. In God's instance, we were among his spirit offspring. (Making Our Calling and Election Sure, pp. 5-6, in Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1969) MPSG1974/75:8-9
But we do know that our Eternal Father . . . lives in the family unit. We do know that we are his children, created in his image, endowed with power and ability to become like him. CR1974Apr:103
[S]alvation consists in the glory, authority, majesty, power and dominion which Jehovah possesses and in nothing else; and no being can possess it but himself or one like him. (Lectures on Faith delivered to the School of the Prophets, 1834-35) LOF7:9
This fills up the measure of information on this subject, and shows most clearly that the Savior wished his disciples to understand that they were to be partakers with him in all things, not even his glory excepted. (Lectures on Faith delivered to the School of the Prophets, 1834-35) LOF7:14
receiving the Word of the Lord
I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one. (Revelation to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, Dec. 1830) D&C 35:2
That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power; . . .
54. They are they who are the church of the Firstborn.
55. They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—
56. They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory;
57. And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son.
58. Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God. . . .
62. These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever. . . .
70. These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical. (Vision to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, Feb. 16, 1832) D&C 76:52,54-58,62,70
Now, the sealing for eternity gives to you eternal leadership. The man will have the authority of the priesthood, and if he keeps his life in order he will become a god. . . . The Lord created this earth for us and made it a beautiful place to live. He promised us that if we would live the right way we could come back to him and be like him. ACR(Sao Paulo)1975:43; DGSM:71
