Eternal Marriage vs Eternal Unions

Today we are faced with the issue of civil unions vs. traditional marriage. For the most part, while most Christians do not approve of homosexual behavior or same-sex unions, we do love them as our brothers and sisters and agree that these couples who desire to live together should be afforded most all the same benefits as a married couple.

But you can't give all the benefits of traditional marriage to a civil union, or then it would be traditional marriage just called by a different name. So, then what is the one thing that differentiates traditional marriage from a civil union. I believe that one thing that differentiates civil unions from traditional marriage is the primary right to bare, adopt, and raise children. Again, I would define traditional marriage as being between a man and a women for the purposes of creating a family unit prepared to receive children if they do come along either biologically, by adoption, through familial and neighborly influence, or in expectation and hope of eternal parenting and nurturing future souls in the next life.

While the issue of same-sex marriage is considered the civil rights issue of our generation, I think the rights that are not being considered here are the rights of child to be raised by both a mother and a father. I believe it to be the right of all children to be raised in a home with both a father and a mother. Since, Civil unions do not provide this right, therefore, I think that they are different and should be regulated different from traditional marriage.

Now, it is true that there are many children in need of adoption. Especially in Haiti. Therefore, just because a child cannot have the ideal situation, we don't need to throw out the next best thing or even the 5th best just because it is not the ideal. So, it may be better that a child be adopted by a same-sex couple then not have any parents. That said, I do not support same sex couples using sperm donors and surrogates. Purposefully creating a child in this way to be raised by a same-sex couple is a clear violation of that child's right. However, if a child has already been born and has no caregivers, a same-sex home may be a satisfactory alternative.

Understanding the difference between Civil Unions and Traditional Marriage really helped me understand the purpose of Eternal Marriage in the LDS Church. The LDS church has always believed that all those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior will be saved. The only caveat to this is that while many will be saved, not everyone will receive the same rewards or gifts. And while all rewards or gifts are freely offered, they must be accepted. And it is the LDS view that those Christians who reject the LDS gospel and LDS temple marriage, are not rejecting heaven, but just rejecting a specific crown/reward/seat/kingdom/glory/gift/reward in heaven. We call this gift exaltation.

But Christians and LDS know that if both they and their spouse are believers and truly born again, then they will both be in heaven. And being in heaven will not dilute that relationship. We will still know as we are known,, and know as we know now. Joseph Smith taught that the same sociality that exists here will exist there except it will be coupled with eternal glory. Therefore, our love for Christ and others will not dilute our love for our family and our spouse, but it will magnify that love forever. So, naturally we can expect that families will voluntarily choose to remain together even without LDS eternal marriage. So what is difference with LDS eternal marriage?

The blessing of LDS eternal marriage is found in its purpose. Remember the primary purpose of marriage is to raise children up unto the Lord biologically or by adoption or by influence. Therefore, I believe the blessing of Eternal marriage involves being blessed to participate with God in His work of eternal parenting . The most sacred work of God and His most sacred title is that of Father. Eternal Life is the promise of coming to know God. I'm not sure how one could come to know God unless they were blessed to serve God in the kind of work that God does. Therefore, I believe that while all Christians may enjoy a form of eternal union with their spouse, and family, only those who are willing to receive the gift of LDS eternal marriage will be blessed with the opportunity to adopt self-existent spirits and nurture them and prepare them prior to being born into an Earth-like experience.

While many critics of the LDS church make LDS eternal life and exaltation sound strange, I think when it is understood that the spirits of all man are eternal and self-existent and have no beginning and no end, it is more understandable that each of us as a self-existent and co-eternal intelligence were adopted spirit children of God and nurtured by eternal parents before coming to Earth and being born to and nurtured by earthly parents. In the next life, those who receive it, will be blessed to continue to work of creation, and eternal parenting with our Heavenly Father through the blessing of LDS Eternal Marriage.

Christ was asked on one occasion by a Jewish Man if a Jewish Woman married 7 brothers according to the law of Levarite Marriage, in the resurrection, whose would she be. Jesus responded that the man denied the power, and that those worthy to obtain that world would be as the angels and not married nor given in marriage. Many see this as saying there is no marriage in heaven. But this is forgetting who Christ is talking to and about. The Jews were were offered but rejected the higher covenant. The Jews turned down eternal marriage. Consequently, those worthy to receive this lesser world/crown/seat/glory/reward/kingdom/seat/mansion would be like the angels and not married but maybe just enjoy a eternal union.

However, Heb 1 says that Christians through the sealing keys given to Peter that whatsoever is bound on Earth is bound in heaven are promised to be glorified together with Christ who was made higher than the angels and given a more excellent name than they. Therefore, Christs answer to the Jew about the Jew doesn't apply to Christians who do not deny the power of Christ, and who are willing to receive the blessing of LDS Eternal Marriage. According to Gal 4, Some who are saved will be considered children of the bondwoman Hagar, while others are called children of the promise. Again, Jews didn't have eternal marriage so as Christ said, the Jewish woman in question would not be married to any of the 7 brothers in the next life. But the important point here is that this restriction in Luke 20:35 doesn't apply to Christians because Christians are promised to be made higher than the angels and will receive a far better world/reward/gift/kingdom/crown than the Jewish woman because of Christ.

Heb 1: 5 , 13-14 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?. . . But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. . . Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. . . Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Does the LDS Church teach that Jesus and Satan are brothers?

The Church of Jesus Christ does not make Jesus equal to Lucifer. Jesus is God. Lucifer was an archangel equal in stature to Michael. Lucifer (son of the morning) fell and became Satan. The Church of Jesus Christ understands that the intelligence and spirits of Christ, and Lucifer, and all men are eternal and self-existence and co-eternal.

John 1: 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (suggests somethings didn't require making and are self-existent)

Why is this important? Because the will of Lucifer is his own and the Father did not created the will and intelligence of Lucifer or give Lucifer his will. Our will or mind is self-existant and didn't need making. God did not create evil and did not create Satan. God accepted Lucifer as a son and gave him every opportunity (agency) to do good, but Lucifer used his own self-existent will to reject God and became Satan, the Father of lies. Father allows Satan to operate for a little season for His purposes. But, the Father is not the father of lies, Satan is. Our will is our own and is why the Bible says we are purchased possessions.

Jesus Christ is not a creature in that He was created from the Father but was generated from the Father and is the Only Begotten Son according to the flesh. Christ was the firstborn of the Father. This not only means pre-emminant, but also first. The only reason firstborn wasn't the firstborn to the Jews is because of sin and the birthright needing to go to another child other than the first. But we cannot use the reasoning of sin to seperate the meaning of firstborn from the word.

The spirits of men are also generated from the Father who is the Father of Spriits. We are the Offspring or same kind or species as God. But we fall when we come to Earth. If we fall, then we must have fallen from somewhere higher then we are now. We become children of the devil. And Christ came to save us and turn us to Him. He makes the first move. Christ comes to our door and knocks. And if we accept Christ, we then become adopted sons and daughters of Christ who becomes the author, Father, and source of our eternal life.

So, while there are many in the world who are not my brother and sister in faith. All mankind are by spritual brothers and sisters of the same Heavenly Father. And all mankind have the seeds within them to become like our Heavenly Father and gain eternal life and be exalted and glorified through Christ to be worthy to be "called gods." Therefore, you don't have to be Christian for me to consider you my brother.

Eph 3:14-15 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

Pre-Mortal Existence

Rob Lundberg posted a video on Godtube and Youtube which discusses several disagreements he has with doctrine from the Church of Jesus Christ. I am happy with Rob that he confesses that there is considerable debate and another side to all the points he makes. And while he only gives his side of the story, it gives me the opportunity to talk about the other side.

The Church of Jesus Christ interprets the Bible to teach about a pre-mortal existence. That is, the LDS Church interprets the Bible to teach that the spirit within man is immortal and existed with God before it was put into the body. Rob gives appropriate attention to Jer. 1: 5 because here God is talking to Jeremiah and making reference to the time before Jeremiah was born.

Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

According to this, God knew, sanctified, and ordained Jeremiah as a prophet before he was formed or conceived in his mothers womb. What does God mean “I knew thee?” Does that mean God knew Jeremiah as one person knows another person? Or does "knowing" mean that God only conceived Jeremiah's life and mission in his mind before he was born? This is an important distinction because this verse and our understanding of the word "know" relates to what Eternal Life is and what it means to "know God." Is our hope in Eternal Life only to finally mentally conceive the Trinity doctrine and how 3 persons can be 1 being? Or does Eternal Life mean that we will be enabled to know and love God the Father as one person knows and loves another.

John 17: 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

LDS understand this verse to teach that the spirit is immortal and Jeremiah's spirit which God placed in the body existed before Jeremiah was conceived or “formed in the belly.” And that God both knew Jeremiah in a literal sense as well as a figurative sense.

We also know that the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ existed before he came to Earth. So, members of the Church of Jesus Christ believe that the immortal spirits of man also existed before coming to Earth. And in reference to Jer 1:5, just as God says he ordained Jeremiah as a prophet before coming to Earth, Jesus is said to have been anointed in the pre-mortal realms as the Savior and Redeemer. Jesus Christ is called by John, "the lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Jeremiah and many others were similarly called and ordained before coming to Earth. The title "Messiah" means "the anointed one."

The Bible teaches about the pre-mortal existence in a different way. There is a period of innocence of Adam and Eve while they lived in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. Here in this state of innocence, they walked and communed with God. Similarly, LDS understand this period to be representative of the pre-mortal and innocent state of the soul before coming to Earth. In this pre-mortal state our spirits existed with God. That we lived with God before coming to Earth is important because if man was to return to God as spirits in the same state we were before, then what was gained by coming to Earth and accepting Christ here and passing the test? Therefore, the understanding of Eternal Life to LDS members is much more than just returning to God's presence.

The Apostle John in the Book of Revelations talks about the War in Heaven that Michael the Archangel fought against the dragon. Isaiah tells us that the dragon was Lucifer who was cast out of heaven for rebellion with the angels that followed him. LDS understand that we were all a part of that war. And everyone here on Earth who was born in mortality choose God and fought on the side of Michael.

Jude 1: 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Jude, the bother of James who was the brother of Jesus talks about those angels who chose Satan as not having kept their "first-estate." That means that everyone else who has been born and received a body has kept their "first-estate." John the Revelator talks about how we overcame Satan in the pre-existence.

Rev. 12: 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

According to John, those of us who chose Christ were victorious over Satan by the power of Christs' atonement, and by the word of our testimony or faith in Christ, and by the sacrifice and consecration of our whole soul, mind, and will to God. This is how we can overcome Satan here as the War in Heaven continues on Earth. This is also a great example of how the power of Christ's atonement worked even before the atonement was complete. At the moment Christ was chosen and accepted as the Savior, the atonement was as good as done. Therefore we could exercize faith in it and be blessed from it as if it has already happened. And this is how prophet like Enoch and Elijah were taken up to heaven without tasting death.

John 9: 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

John 9:2 is another Bible scripture that suggests a pre-mortal existence. Here the disciples of Christ ask Jesus who is responsible for a blind man being born blind. They asked Him who sinned, the man or the parents. If you think about it, for the man to have sinned before being born would require his spirit to have existed before birth. So, while Christ taught them that illness is not always a consequence of sin, this verse suggests the disciples understood the spirit within the body was immortal and has no beginning just as it will have no end.

Eternal God and Eternal Covenants

The spirit and intelligence of God the Father is self-existent and has always existed as has the spriit and intelligence of man as has the spriit and intelligence of all spiritual beings. They are co-eternal and self-existent. This intelligence can be organized by some unknown mechanism. And by this mechanism we became the spirit children of the Father of Spirits who Paul says we are His Offspring or "genus" which means species or kind.When we were organized in the Beginning in the grand heavenly council as spirit children of God by acceptance and adoption we entered into a covenant with God.

All covenant run eternally forwards and backwards from eternity to eternity. When LDS get sealed and married in temples, this is an example of covenant marriage. In the sealing rooms in LDS temples there are large mirrors on either side of the room that reflect eternally forwards and backwards. This is to represent the eternal nature of the covenant. So, how does this apply? This is how God is our God from eternity to eternity even though there was a specific moment in time when the covenant and adoption actually occured. But knowing this, how does this hellp us?

An easy example is pre-marital relations. Some people think that pre-marital relations is okay because you havent made a promise yet to your future spouse that you will be faithful to her. But see, marriage isnt a contract or a promise. Marriage is to be a covenant that extends from eternity to eternity. So, what does that mean? That means, that a person should expect that they will one day be married and that they should be faithfull to their future spouse knowing that they will one day make the covenant. People who expect to enter into a covenant marriage should live as if they were already in the covenant even before they make it.

This principle also applies to the atonement of Jesus Christ who is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Prophets like Enoch and Elijah walked and talked with God and were translated and taken up to Heaven only because they could apply the atoning blood of Christ even before the covenant had occured. This was only possible because they could have faith in Christ's that He would fullfill his word and be saved as if the atonement had already happened.

Clarification on the Self-Existent Intelligence

Today, I was visiting my wife's parent's ward in Atlanta, GA. During Elders Quorum, we studied lesson 17 from the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith Manual on the "The Great Plan of Salvation." The lesson quoted extensively from the King Follett Discourse and stressed the eternal nature of the "soul", "intelligence", or "mind of man."

In several previous posts I was thinking about the concept of the self-existent, co-eternal "spirit of man," "mind of man," or "intelligence of man." This concept comes from the Book of Abraham, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Book of Mormon as well as the King Follett Discourse by the prophet Joseph Smith.

D&C 93: 29 Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.

Abr. 3:22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

Ether 3: 15-16 And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image. Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.

During our lesson the teacher brought in several quotes from B.H. Roberts who was an member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, wrote the volume "History of the Church" among other works and was the editor for the "Millennial Star." B.H. Roberts was very educated and a wonderful debater. His teachings were somewhat controversial and sparked some debate within the church. B.H. Roberts was known from writing extensively on the immortality of the soul. And our Elder's Quorum teacher brought in several of his quotes from, "The Seventy's Course in Theology." In one section, B.H. Roberts commented that the King Follett Discourse and Abraham used the words "mind of man," "intelligence," and "the spirit of man" interchangeably, but that despite this it was his opinion that there is a difference. "

I do agree that there is likely some differentiation between the self-existing, co-eternal intelligence and the point at which we became spirit sons and daughters of the Eternal Father. If you go to LDS.org and search using the terms [intelligence AND spirit] you will see other quotes from modern Apostles and Prophets that seem to make this differentiation talking about clothing of our intelligence in a spirit body. But there is no clear mention of mechanism that I have found other than the Brigham Young quote which I quoted in my other post.

Another friend of mine brought out another B.H. Roberts quote concerning the mechanism of creation of the spirit body from intelligence:

"Will the resurrection return you a mere female acquaintance that is not to be the wife of your bosom in eternity? No; God forbid; but it will restore you the wife of your bosom, immortalized, who shall bear children from your own loins in all the worlds to come, and that without pain or sorrow in travail. This, sir, was couched in the promise of Abraham; this makes the promise great." (Defense of the Faith and the Saints, Vol.2, p.276)

It seems from this quote that B.H. Roberts believed in what he calls a "manual theory" as the mechanism by which intelligence is generated (not just formed) by God into spirit. The question and point of this post is; what should we do with this quote? It seems that Elder Roberts is referring to a physical mechanism. I don't have a problem with that. God is the Living God and has the power to both literally physically reproduce (Jesus as the Only Begotten) as well as spiritually pro-create. I am just not sure of the mechanism. And I don't think it matters.

And after looking around, I found a paper by Elder Roberts on "The Immortality of Man" which was published in the "Improvement Era" where he answers a series of questions his so-called "Manual Theory." B.H. Roberts in the article acknowledges his views are only a theory, and the fact that the theory is being debated and explained in the publication clearly suggests that not everything it claims are necessarily core doctrine of the LDS Church. But much of it is.

So, what are the essential truths on this subject? I will try and point out a few things that in my opinion are certain and why, and list what things have not been clarified yet and consequently, I have more of an open-mind regarding.

There exists something within man that is self-existent and co-eternal with God. Scriptures uses words interchangeably to describe what this is. They use "intelligence," "spirit," mind of man," and "light of truth." B.H. Roberts does not comment on the nature or mode or manner of subsistence of this form of existence. But Elder Roberts does talk about the necessary qualities of existence including self-awareness (sentience), ability to recognize self vs. other (individuality), and ability to recognized, judge, and desire light over darkness (will), and self-determination to a limited extent (agency).

Again, much of this is Elder Roberts opinion at the time. But the important concept here is that some element of our existence that is uncreated, self-existent. The reason that the eternal nature of man is important is that God can not be the author and creator of evil. If God made Lucifer who became Satan, then 1. He messed up, 2. He is guilty of giving Satan his will, knowing what he would do with it. 3. Or God rolls the dice and didn't know. God didn't create evil. Satan himself is called the Father of lies.

Because the intelligence, will, or mind of man is self-existent and co-eternal with God, the mind of Satan has always existed and was not created. Therefore, God is not responsible for Satan's rebellion and God is not responsible for our rebellion. God did not give Satan will. Satan possessed will as an inherent characteristic of self-existence. God did know exactly what Satan would do, but gave Lucifer free agency and every opportunity to choose rightly. Satan did not, and only Satan is to blame.

The Bible says that God is said to have made everything "that was made" both visible and invisible. But this suggests that not all things required making. It is also important that if man can truly realize immortality and eternal life then that life would have to exist infinitely forwards and backwards and have no beginning or end.

Another important point is the transition from intelligence to spirit. A few comments from current and past prophets and apostles have spoken of intelligence being clothed with a spirit body. There are even less comments on the mechanism. But the important point the Elder Roberts makes is that whatever the mechanism, the act in making us spirit children of God was an act of generation and not just organization or creation. Generation specifically implies that the very nature of the parent is imbued, endowed, and instilled in the offspring. Whether this occurs through a physical process or the mechanism of divine parenting or both, it doesn't matter. What matters is that God is the literal Father of Spirits, and we are His Spirit Offspring who are composed of the same essence and substance as God Himself and therefore can be endowed with all of our Father's characteristics, powers, and abilities. This power of pro-creation as well as reproduction is what makes God the Only True and Living God and not just the existing God.

Intelligence and Spirit

I have increasing been confronted with an unfortunate misunderstanding of LDS Doctrine that has been propagated on the Internet recently. Some antagonists to the LDS church have been spreading a misunderstood description of LDS eternal life using imagery that makes it sound like the final destiny of LDS woman are that they are to become eternal, spirit-baby-making factories. Our opponents try to equate our doctrine with God telling Eve, " I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception." Whatever the mechanism involved with clothing self-existent intelligence with a spirit body, I am positive it is associated with a "fullness of joy" and not a "multiplicity of sorrow." I had always considered the LDS doctrine on women in eternity to honor women with an equal position together with their husbands. If that is so, where does this misunderstanding come from?

"God has made His children like Himself to stand erect, and has endowed them with intelligence and power and dominion over all His works, and given them the same attributes which He himself possesses. He created man, as we create our children; for there is no other process of creation in heaven, on the earth, in the earth, or under the earth, or in all the eternities, that is, that were, or that ever will be." (Journal of Discourses 11:122-123).

I think this process of creation that Brigham Young is more referring to is the process of parenting and nurture of a child by a loving father and a mother. In context, this is how God endows His children with intelligence, power and dominion by nurture and not just nature. Physical mechanisms don't pass on intelligence, power and dominion alone. Therefore, the mechanism of pro-creation or creation here is not necessarily speaking of a physical mechanism, sexual reproduction, uterine gestation, or pregnancy but of parenting, love, and nurturing. This important distinction differentiates pro-creation from reproduction. Pro-creation refers to the spiritual process of parenting while reproduction infers physical mechanisms.

Parenting is the process of creation in the heavens, on earth, and in all the eternities. Remember it takes more than just making a baby to raise a child and this is what Brigham Young was teaching. The eternal role and destiny for men and women is to be spiritual parents who are given spiritual stewardship over spirits who will pass through morality as we have. But these spirits according to Joseph Smith have always existed and are co-eternal with God and us. Therefore, a physical, tangible, resurrected, glorified, spirit parent doesn't necessarily need to gestate an intangible spirit in a uterus, but to nurture them as God nurtures and loves us. The important issue here is that whatever process was involved in the organization of the spirits of man; it was an act of generation and not just creation.

Also, the fact that our spirits are co-eternal with God is how the Bible can say that Christ purchased us, and how we are expected to give our whole souls to God. How can we give what is not ours? Why would God buy what is already His? Also, the fact or our self-existent nature and will is why God is not responsible for the evil of Satan. God did not create a defective spirit.

Joseph Smith clearly taught that the spirits of man were not created but are self-existent and co-eternal with God in the King Follett Discourse:

"We say that God himself is a self-existing God. Who told you so? It is correct enough, but how did it get into your heads? Who told you that man did not exist in like manner upon the same principles? (Refers to the old Bible.) How does it read in the Hebrew? It doesn't say so in the Hebrew; it says God made man out of the earth and put into him Adam's spirit, and so he became a living body. The mind of man is as immortal as God himself. I know that my testimony is true; hence, when I talk to these mourners, what have they lost? Their friends and relatives are separated from their bodies for only a short season; their spirits existed coequal with God, and they now exist in a place where they converse together, the same as we do on the earth. Is it logic to say that a spirit is immortal and yet has a beginning? Because if a spirit has a beginning, it will have an end. That is good logic. I want to reason further on the spirit of man, for I am dwelling on the spirit and body of man--on the subject of the dead. I take my ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man, the immortal spirit, because it has no beginning. Suppose I cut it in two; as the Lord lives, because it has a beginning, it would have an end. All the fools and learned and wise men from the beginning of creation who say that man had a beginning prove that he must have an end. If that were so, the doctrine of annihilation would be true. But if I am right, I might with boldness proclaim from the house tops that God never did have power to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create himself. Intelligence exists upon a self-existent principle; it is a spirit from age to age, and there is no creation about it. Moreover, all the spirits that God ever sent into the world are susceptible to enlargement. The first principles of man are self-existent with God."

The Biblical says that God created everything visible and invisible. However John 1:3 says "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." The last part "that was made" suggests that not everything was made. Everything was made by God which was made. But somethings were not made but eternal, and self-existent and didn't require making. Either that, or the Bible is being terribly redundant.

Okay. So, where did this idea come from? This is really our own fault. This misunderstanding comes from a mistaken differentiation between intelligences and spirits. Abraham says in the Pearl of Great Price: " Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;" (Abr 3:22). Now some have taken this concept of intelligences and made a distinction between intelligence and spirit where no distinction is made. Some interpreted intelligence as some sort of eternal building block by which Eternal Parents reproduced and spirit-children were made using the same mechanisms as physical reproduction.
However, In my opinion, Abraham doesn't differentiate between spirit and intelligence and neither does Joseph Smith in the King Follett Discourse. Intelligence = Spirit, Spirit = Intelligence, and Spirit and Intelligence are co-eternal and co-existent with God. While God and exalted beings retain powers of literal physical reproduction, Christ is the only begotten of the Father and spirit children of God become like our Heavenly Father through the nurturing mechanism of eternal parenting.

While I am of the opinion that the scriptures do not differentiate between intelligence and spirit, however, there are some LDS quotes on this issue, there is an semi-authoritative quote which does make a distinction. Melvin J. Ballard is quoted as saying "In due time that intelligence was given a spirit body, becoming the spirit child of God the Eternal Father and his beloved companion, the Mother in Heaven. This spirit, inhabited by the eternal intelligence, took the form of its creators and is in their image" (Ballard, Melvin J. Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, comp. Bryant S. Hinckley, p. 140. Salt Lake City, 1949). So, it seems clear that Elder Ballard did make a distinction however there is no specific mention of mechanism by which raw intelligence was given a spirit body only that both the Eternal Father and the Mother in Heaven were involved. However, I am not sure where this quote comes from and when it was said, I am not aware of other recent quotes by the General Authorities on this issue.

Again, I object to is how some equate our doctrine with God telling Eve, " I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception." Whatever the mechanism involved with clothing self-existent intelligence with a spirit body, I am positive it is associated with a "fullness of joy" and not a "multiplicity of sorrow." I believe that the organization of the spirits of man was an act of generation and not just plain creation. I believe the process necessary for the organization of the spirits of man involved an act of generation and not just creation. Also, I do believe that Our Eternal Father is the Living God and the God of the Living and along with other resurrected, celestial beings, by definition, retains the sacred powers and abilities of both literal physical reproduction and literal spiritual pro-creation.

Satisfying the Intelligences: A False Doctrine

Several of my recent posts have sought to resolve the grace/works debate by approaching the issue in terms of free will and moral agency (Rom. 6,Mark 11: 24, Col. 1: 9). That is, that the souls of man possessed will, but were made free and purchased by the grace and atonement of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2: 5-8, Rom. 3: 24). Without Christ, man could no good on his own and cannot alone, contribute one iota to his own salvation (Eph. 2: 8-9, Rom. 3: 23). However, now by the grace of Christ, men are free and made agents to choose good and evil despite the weaknesses of the flesh and temptations of Satan (John 8: 32-36, Gal. 5: 1, Rom. 8: 2). The results of the Fall are overcome by receiving the Holy Ghost, choosing to receive sanctifying ordinances and covenants with God (1 Cor. 6: 11, 2 Thes. 2: 13, 1 Pet. 1: 2). Through the process of sanctification, the soul of man is filled with a greater degree of the light, grace, spirit, and love of Christ which transforms mankind into a new creature in this world (2 Cor. 5: 17, 1 Jn. 4: 17). Since God has purchased man by the atonement of Christ (Eph. 1: 14, 1 Cor. 6: 20). God expects man to deliver the goods, that is, man is expected to give his whole soul to God and keep nothing back (Matt. 16: 26, Rom. 2: 29, Ezek. 11: 19, Ps. 51: 10, 17, Acts 5: 1-5).

Some Christians believe that matter is corrupt. Therefore, man can only desire evil in his heart and mind. That is why they believe their God is immaterial, without form or body, and completely other. That is also why some Christians reject a literal resurrection. If our spirits became flesh again, then we would also be corrupt.

However, when God created the bodies for Adam and Even and put into them their spirits, God did not make them corrupt. God made them free in the garden to choose between good and evil. However, Adam and Eve harkened unto Satan and partook of the fruit. The consequence of this decision was that they and all their offspring would be cursed, fallen and corrupt. God did not make our bodies corruptible; that was the result of the Fall. But, by the grace and mercy of God, all mankind are redeemed by the atonement of Christ. Without Christ all men would be doomed and consigned to die and become miserable with Satan forever. However, through Christ, we are made free from sin, and are able by the reception of the Holy Ghost through repentance and covenants to sanctify and purify our souls as we surrender our entire wills to God.

When I say, free from sin, I mean, we are now free and empowered by grace alone to choose righteously and be obedient. God does not coerce, force, extort, or manipulate but empowers, entices, and persuades. By the grace of Christ, man is now enabled to serve God and choose obedience; the reward of which is Eternal Life and Exaltation. At some point, heirs of Exaltation will become perfected such that they will no longer have disposition to do evil but do good continually. This is what it means when Christ says He will save us from our sins and not just in our sins. It may take another 1000 years to arrive at perfection, but we are commanded to start on the path of grace and sanctification now and not procrastinate the day of our repentance. Through repentance, receiving ordinances and covenants, and choosing the right, we become witnesses of the grace, power, and love of Christ which empowers every decision. But the decisions are ours to make.

Now, there have been those who have thought along these same lines and asked, "why was the suffering necessary?" I remember hearing this lesson taught twice while growing up in the church and distinctly receiving the impression that what was taught was not correct. On one particular occasion the Sunday School teacher wrote the words "Meat" and "Milk" on the chalkboard and then proceeded to cross out "Milk" and circle "Meat." That was the first clue that I was in for an hour of false doctrine. This teacher then proceeded to paraphrase a talk presented a fireside in Safford, Arizona in April 1977 entitled "the Real Meaning of the Atonement.” by Cleon Skousen. Now, I respect Mr. Skousen and the many inspired books he has written. But just because many things someone has written are inspired, that doesn't mean everything that person has said or done is inspired. And so it is with this particular talk that, while not taught over the pulpit, has been widely distributed in the church.

So, what is the gist of this talk? Skousen asks if Christ paid the price of sin and death, who did he pay? Skousen then says that Christ paid the intelligences that make up nature. That if justice wasn't served that all the intelligences that make up all the atoms of the universe would cry "foul" if one sinner were permitted into heaven and God would cease to be God. My teacher then proceeded to speculate that the atonement was not quantitative but qualitative. That even though Christ did not quantitatively pay for all sins, no entity in the universe was treated more unfairly so if Christ said that His sacrifice satisfied the demands of justice then who were the intelligences of the universe to balk.

Obviously, there are many problems with this theory, many of which are detailed in a link above. And I don't pretend to understand all the ins-and-outs of the atonement myself. The atonement remains very "marvelous" in my eyes. However, an important principle that is missed in this theory is that God is not subservient to nature and justice is not monster that God has to pacify. Perfect justice and mercy reside within God Himself. Justice is God doing exactly what He has said, and mercy is God doing exactly what He has said and what we agreed to in the Heavenly Council before we came to Earth.

Men possess will. Men have given themselves away to sin for nothing. Christ has redeemed us and bought us with a price. So, who is Christ paying? Christ is paying God who is the source of perfect justice and perfect mercy. Also, Christ is paying for each one of us. The scriptures say that each one of us will stand before God and be judged according to our works. In a way we judge ourselves. At the time of the resurrection, the scriptures say we either will have a perfect recollection of all our righteousness or a bright recollection of all our guilt. We will have righteousness restored unto us or wickedness restored unto us again. Our confidence will either wax strong in the presence of God and we will love His appearing, or we will shrink before His majesty and power and fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence (Alma 12: 14). Those of us who accept payment on our behalf and have demonstrated, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, that we have given our whole souls to God will be washed clean and pure in the blood of Christ.

Co-Eternal Spirit and Purchased Possession

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught in the King Follett Discourse that our spirits have always existed. Our spirits together with their inherent characteristic of will are co-existent with God and are without beginning or end. Will is essential characteristic of existence. While we possessed will, we were not free. There is a difference between will (the ability to choose) and agency or freedom (choices). While we possess will, without Christ, we would have had no choice but death and hell. Through Christ we can choose righteousness and eternal life.

D&C 93:29-30 Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.

Abr. 3: 22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized (not created ex nihilo) before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

That the spirits and will of man are co-existent with God and therefore have always existed is why the only sacrifice acceptable to God is of a broken heart and contrite spirit or a willing heart and a willing mind. That is the only thing that God did not own and why the scriptures say that God bought or purchased us. Christ in the garden demonstrated the complete surrender of His will to the Father " nevertheless not my will but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39)

God has created all things both in heaven and earth. But creation means organized or formed like a builder builds a house or a potter molds clay. In this way we were created/organized children of God but not created from nothing (ex nihilo). God made us free but did not give us will. With Gods infinite foreknowledge, had God given us will that would be like giving a gun to to a known mass murderer. Instead, He gave us freedom and opportunity to exercise our will to choose righteousness.

God did not create Satan from nothing (ex nihilo) either, because then God would be responsible for creating a defective creation. But God calls us purchased possessions. In fact Paul warned that false teachers would enter in the church and deny that God purchased us. Some are confused about what was purchased or bought and what was the price and how was payment made (Acts 20:28, Eph. 1:14, 1 Cor. 6:20, 1 Cor. 7:23)

2 Pet. 2: 1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Our souls including our will are the purchased possession. This is the only thing that God did not own and why God says the worth of souls is great (D&C 18:10). God did not buy sin; that was the price. The price of our souls is the consequences of sin or death and hell. What need would God have with sin, death or hell. Sin has no current or future value. Instead, we are God's purchased possessions. And while worthless in our current state, through Christ, we can be adopted children of God and can be made like God, making the potential worth of man infinite. The payment was done by the blood and body of Christs atonement (Acts 20:28).

God is eternal and has no beginning and no end. God created all things and organized the spirits of man as His children. But if man was created from nothing (ex nihilo) because the opposite of created is eternal, then man, a created being, could never become eternal and receive eternal life.

We own our own souls which are self-existent and co-eternal with God. Therefore we can sin and lose ourselves to the penalties of death and hell (Mark 8:36–37). We can hire ourselves out, receiving the wages from that spirit we listeth to obey (Alma 3:27, Mosiah 2:33), and sell ourselves for naught (1 Ne. 21:4). But God has said, in his mercy and by His grace He has redeemed and purchased us by paying us the price of sin by Christ's blood therefore we are no longer our own but are purchased possessions. The purchased price goes to us in exchange for our souls. This is a free gift.

We are the ones who will judge ourselves and send ourselves to hell. Justice is our own perfect recollection of all our guilt and our uncleanliness before God, and our broken promises to God. Justice will exists in our minds and will demand payment when the veil is lifted from our minds at the final judgement. God pays the demands of justice which we will exact upon ourselves. God is merciful and will be our advocate and not mention our sins to us. But we will. {Secret: we grade our own exams}

We then are expected to surrender our entire will to God in this world and hold nothing back. We do this by repentance and entering into the process of sanctification in Christ who will save us from our sins and not in our sins. Because no unclean thing can enter into the presence of God. The process of sanctification will continue in the Millennium.

We are promised to be glorified with Christ, become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ and receive all things. These are the sheep who will be with Christ on the right hand of God. These are they who will be considered children of God who will go on to exaltation to sit with Christ in His thrown.

On the other hand, those who accept the the blood of Christ but are not sanctified and purified because although they accept payment they do not fully give their whole souls to God but retain some back. They do not sell all they have, or like Ananias and Sapphira who "kept back a part of the price." These are the goats who will be on the left hand of God. They will be saved from hell but will be ministering servants (angels) and circle the throne of God but will not sit in Christ's throne with Him. They will not be heirs of exaltation. There will be saved beings who do not go to Hell but are damned and cannot enjoy eternal progression and exaltation. Angels will forever be with God, but will not be like God.

Gal. 4: 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Heb 1:3-4 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

So, while all mankind has been purchased, the question remains; will we give God everything that He is due. Will we come unto God with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, a willing heart and willing mind and our whole souls for which He has already bought and paid for with the body and blood of His Son.

Omni 1:26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

Mosiah 2:21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

"I have another subject to dwell upon, which is calculated to exalt man; but it is impossible for me to say much on this subject. I shall therefore just touch upon it, for time will not permit me to say all. It is associated with the subject of the resurrection of the dead—namely, the soul—the mind of man —the immortal spirit. Where did it come from? All learned men and doctors of divinity say that God created it in the beginning; but it is not so: the very idea lessens man in my estimation. I do not believe the doctrine; I know better. Hear it, all ye ends of the world; for God has told me so; and if you don’t believe me, it will not make the truth without effect. I will make a man appear a fool before I get through; if he does not believe it. I am going to tell of things more noble.

We say that God Himself is a self-existing being. Who told you so? It is correct enough; but how did it get into your heads? Who told you that man did not exist in like manner upon the same principles? Man does exist upon the same principles. God made a tabernacle and put a spirit into it, and it became a living soul. (Refers to the Bible.) How does it 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.”

The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is co-equal [co-eternal] with God himself. I know that my testimony is true; hence, when I talk to these mourners, what have they lost? Their relatives and friends are only separated from their bodies for a short season: their spirits which existed with God have left the tabernacle of clay only for a little moment, as it were; and they now exist in a place where they converse together the same as we do on the earth. I am dwelling on the immortality of the spirit of man. Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and yet that it has a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic. That which has a beginning may have an end. There never was a time when there were not spirits; for they are co-equal [co-eternal] with our Father in heaven."
[The King Follett Sermon By Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805–1844)]

These temples are sacred structures in which eternal questions are answered, truths are taught, and ordinances performed so that we can live with an understanding of our divine inheritance as children of God and with an awareness of our potential as eternal beings. The house of the Lord helps you to see the end from the beginning. Just as the temples of God are sacred, so are your temporal bodies. The Apostle Paul said: “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19–20).
[Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “See the End from the Beginning,” Ensign, May 2006, 42–45]

I am indebted to President Boyd K. Packer, who made us aware of the fact that the term free agency appears nowhere in holy writ. Instead, the scriptures generally speak of agency or free will (Mosiah 18:28, D&C 58: 27), but when agency is modified, it is referred to as “moral agency” (D&C 101:78). . . . This wonderful plan of happiness was provided at a very high price. As the Apostle Paul taught the Corinthians: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19–20). That price, of course, was the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, (D&C 19:16–19).
[Spencer J. Condie, “Agency: The Gift of Choices,” Ensign, Sep 1995, 16]

You have agency, and you are free to choose. But there is actually no free agency. Agency has its price. You have to pay the consequences of your choices. Human agency was purchased with the price of Christ’s suffering. The power of Christ’s Atonement overcomes the effect of sin on the condition of wholehearted repentance. Through and by the Savior’s universal and infinite Atonement, all have been redeemed from the Fall and have become free forever to act for themselves (2 Ne. 2:26).
[Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “On the Wings of Eagles,” Ensign, Jul 2006, 10–15]

My beloved brothers and sisters, I invite you to join with me in a prayer that we may enjoy the Spirit of the Lord while I attempt to say a few things about the worth of a soul (D&C 18:10–11) . . . . In origin, man is a son of God. The spirits of men “are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:24). Through that birth process, self-existing intelligence was organized into individual spirit beings. . . . It is in the attainment of eternal life, which man must earn in mortality, that he reaches his full potentiality. Man, being a child of God—who himself is a glorified, resurrected, immortal soul, enjoying eternal life—has, in harmony with the universal law of nature, the potentiality to reach, in full maturity, the high status of his Heavenly Father. John was alluding to this truth when he wrote, “We [are] 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” (1 Jn. 3:2). . . . In comparison to eternal life, all else sinks into insignificance. For, as Jesus said: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36–37.)
[Marion G. Romney, “The Worth of Souls,” Ensign, Nov 1978, 13]

Purchased Possession

Someone asked me on what basis God deserves submission, obedience, worship and love if LDS Doctrine teaches that men have divine and infinite potential to become like Our Eternal Father, are "gods in embryo," or have had spirits/intelligence/will/essence that is co-existent with God and therefore are considered gods then and now. Gods cannot be created, they ARE or ARE NOT. Christ says that He is I AM THAT I AM.

Ps. 82: 6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

God deserves submission, obedience, worship, and love because he purchased us with the body and blood of His Son Jesus Christ. The concept that God purchased us is a HUGE concept. It has so many incredible and divine implications.

1 Cor. 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Cor. 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
2 Pet. 2: 1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Eph. 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

All these verses suggest that our essence and will is our own and always existed as "gods in embryo" (John 10:34, Ps. 82:6) and while it is true that without God we are doomed to damnation, death, and outer darkness, God has purchased us by the flesh and blood of His Son. Had God created us "ex nihlo" or "from nothing" he would already own us and there would be no need to purchase us.

But this is why God is not responsible for the evil of Satan. Satan always existed as Lucifer. He was created a son of God, but rebelled (Eph. 3:15, Isa. 14:12, Rev. 12:7). Lucifer was not created "ex nihlo" or "from nothing" but the essence, spirit, intelligence, or will of Lucifer is co-existence with God and purchased by God. If God created Lucifer "from nothing" then He created a defective product and already owed Him from the start and is responsible for evil. But God is said to create as a builder builds a house, and a potter forms a pot from pre-existing materials.

Heb. 3:4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
Isa. 64: 8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Rom. 9: 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Man was not created gods, but were created sons and will be created into fathers like Our Eternal Father by the grace of Christ. That is why the worth of souls is so great in the eyes of God (D&C 18:10). Despite our nothingness without Him. Without God we are nothing, but with God and the grace of Christ we have the seeds of divinity within us.

Yes, Isaiah is correct. I context there are no other gods that will save Israel, or who reveals the end from the beginning. Only God the Father and Jesus Christ can save us. And there are not other gods formed before Our God because Our God has always existed and the spirits of men have always existed and are c0-existent with Our God. So, the souls of man were not created gods, but we were created sons of God. And though Christ we will be created fathers and join with God in the work of creation. But Our Eternal Father will always remain Our God, the Most High God (El Elyon).

Again, there is no other God who saves, but all men are considered gods. Christ verified the correct interpretation of Psalms 82:6 in John 10: 34 when he called himself the Son of God.

Psalms 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Here, God is telling the judges the worth of souls is great and God. But that without God we will die like men. But Our God, who is the Great Judge of judges considers even the afflicted and needy are of infinite worth in the eyes of God who the Great God of gods; the Most High God (El Elyon).

And God did not create "ex nihlo." If you believe that you believe in a being that is not taught in the Bible who built or organized both things visible and invisible (physical law) for operation in this universe like a man builds a house or a potter sculpts a pot. God organized all things from materials that have always existed and are co-existent with Him. If the opposite of created was eternal, or if created things could not become eternal things, than man who is created never could receive Eternal Life

Many Evangelicals want to believe that God is other. That He is not material or physical or tangible. That is exactly why we want to become more like God and came to Earth to get a body because by being tangible, we could interact and have power over the elements. God has all power and complete mastery over all the elements and laws of the universe. The laws of the universe mean death to us without Christ, but they mean Eternal Life with Christ and through Christ. God can manifest in time and space but is not confined by time or space. God is empowered by time and space. This has application in our personal life. Remember that commandments are directions and not limitations. But we need Christ to change our sin-nature and be empowered to keep the commandments.

Some Evangelicals want to believe in a God the created everything from nothing and is greater than everything. They don't like the idea that Our God could have a God and so forth. If that were so, they say, how could Our One God be Master over His God. That is applying human frailty to the equation. Our One God and His God are one in purpose as all Gods are. And Our God is co-eternal with Him. It is not a matter of who is on top. We are all trying to reach the same point of perfection. We need to stop thinking of perfection as a competition. This is not "King of the Mountain."

The truth that the the essense and will of man is his own and was co-existent with God but purchased by the blood and body of Christ is best illustrated in the Garden of Gethsemane at the point when Christ took upon Himself the sins of His people by the shedding of His blood. At that moment when Christ knew the infinite spiritual, emotional, and physical pain was upon Him, He demonstrates complete submission of His separate yet co-existent and co-eternal will to the will of the Eternal Father.

Matt. 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

In conclusion, I must emphasize. Even with this belief that all men are "gods in embryo" and have divine potential. Our God will always be my God. Christ will always be my Savior. Although, the Bible says there is no such thing as becoming a god becasue all mankind even the poor and afflicted are gods in embryo and all are children of the Most High (Ps. 82: 6); without God who is Our Only Savior (Isaiah 44:10-11), we will die like men and fall like princes. But, through Christ, when God sanctify, perfects, and creates me like Himself --a spiritual father; then I will be empowered to participate in the work of creation with Him.

My friend asked if Our God still serves His God? All Gods are one in purpose. They do not need to be commanded in all things. Our God will always by my God and Christ will always be my Savior. Those who are exalted and obtain Eternal Life and not just saved as angels and ministering spirits, but will also be made agents, and created to act and not acted upon. Therefore, we will also be one in purpose with the Most High God and likewise will not need to be commanded in all things. Like Christ, Our God see a need and fulfill it before needing to be commanded.

D&C 58:26-28 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. 27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; 28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.

John 5: 19-20 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.

Our Eternal Family

Eph 3: 14-15 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

I am suprised when some Christians insist that all mankind are not brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of Our Eternal Father. Some insist that only those who accept Christ can be considered sons of God. LDS understand that God is the Spirit Father of all mankind and all spirits. That includes Satan. Those who accept Christ then become sons and daughters of Christ and Christ becomes the Father, author, and source of our eternal life. But all mankind, regardless of belief, are one eternal family.

And yes, Lucifer was our spirit brother who tragically fell from heaven and drew a third-part of the heavenly host with him. The spirit of Christ existed before Christ was born and encarnate. Christ is considered not only the first-born son of Mary, but also the first-born spirit son of the Father and the only begotten Son of God in the flesh. Christ is God and a member of the God Head, but Christ is also the Son of God.

Lucifer is also a spirit son of God like man, and was prominent in the Heavenly Council, but Lucifer was never God. Lucifer had the status of an archangel like Michael, and that is why Revelations says that Michael gathered his angels and Lucifer his angels and there was a war in heaven and Lucifer was cast out. And Revelations tells how we overcame Lucifer then to keep our first estate.

Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

And that is how true believers will overcome Satan here in this world, by the word of our testimony and by the Blood of the Lamb. Christ and Lucifer and all the heavens and earth are considered family and spirit brethern only according to Eph 3. Lucifer was never of the same glory or stature as Christ.

Many say that Christ and lucifer cannot be considered spirit brothers in this sense because Christ is God and wasn't created. That is true, Christ wasn't created ex-nihlo, and man wasnt created ex-nihlo either. That is becasue creation is not done ex-nihlo (from nothing). Men were created sons but not created gods because the spirits of men have always been considered gods in embryo. Gods is our species. And only an abortionist would fail to see the value of that embryo which is in its eternal potential. Again, creation is not ex-nihlo. God is he that buildeth all things. God is the potter and we are the clay. God formed us from pre-existing materials just as these example illustrate.

Christ has always exsisted as God. The spirit of man has always existed as god "I said, ye are gods, and sons of the Most High." The spirits of men never had a beginning and never will have an end. Therefore, man is rightly called "gods" by Christ himself. Our critics are correct, Gods and gods are not created or destroyed, Gods ARE or ARE NOT. CHRIST is the GREAT I AM THAT I AM.

The process of becoming a son of God could have been as simple as accepting and covenanting with God that He be our Eternal Father. That Covenant being eternally enforced forwards and backwards (retroactive); God can be considered the Our Only and True God from Eternity to Eternity. God doesnt differentiate Himself from man based on His Godhood, but rather His Eternal Fatherhood. I agree it is less correct to say that men can become gods. It is more correct to say "Men are gods (en embryo), and can be made fathers like our Eternal Father"