Gospel Principles
Unit 1: Our Premortal Life with God
Chapter 1: Our Father In Heaven
Comments and Resources

'The Scriptures  tell us that "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).  Joseph Smith said: "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 343).

During the study of this topic, we will learn that God exists; God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfect in every way; God is just, merciful, and full of love; God has a body of flesh and bones.

Resources
Gospel Principles, chapter 1.
A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, chapters 2-3.
The Articles of Faith, Chapter 2.

Scriptures 
Mosiah 4:4-12
 4 And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you. 
  5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state 
  6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body 
  7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world. 
  8 And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you. 
  9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. 
  10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them. 
  11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. 
  12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. 

D&C 76: 1-5 
 1 Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof, for the Lord is God, and beside him there is no Savior. 
  2 Great is his wisdom, marvelous are his ways, and the extent of his doings none can find out. 
  3 His purposes fail not, neither are there any who can stay his hand. 
  4 From eternity to eternity he is the same, and his years neverfail. 
  5 For thus saith the Lord I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end. 
D&C 76: 19-21
  19 And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about. 
  20 And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness; 
  21 And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever. 

D&C 130:1-3,22
  1 When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves. 
  2 And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy. 
  3 John 14:23 (Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. ) The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man's heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false. 
     
D&C 130:22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. 


Acts 17:22-29
22  Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 
  23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 
  24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 
  25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 
  26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 
  27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 
  28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 
  29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 

Articles of Faith 1:1
  1 We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. 

Topical Guide: <http://Scriptures.lds.org/en/tg/contents> 
               God, Attributes of.
               God, Body of - Corporeal Nature
               God, Glory of
               God, Justice of
               God, Manifestations of
               God, Mercey of
               God, Omniscience of
               God, Power of
               God the Father - Elohim/Eloheim
               Man, A Spirit Child of Heavenly Father
               Man, Potential to Become Like Heavenly Father

Bible Dictionary: <http://Scriptures.lds.org/en/bd/contents>
                  God, 
                  Glory of the Lord

Chapter 1: Our Father In Heaven
Concept 1: There Is A God

'Alma, a Book of Mormon Prophet wrote: "All things denote there is a God; yea, and the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, ye and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 30:44).  We can look up a the night sky at night and have an idea of what Alma meant.  There are millions of stars and planets all in perfect order!  They did not get there by chance.  We can see the work of God in the heavens and on the earth.  The many beautiful plants, the many kinds of animals, the mountains, the rivers, the clouds that bring us rain and snow - all these testify to us that there is a god.'

Discussion

1st Article of Faith: 'We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.'
What are some of the things around us that show there is a God?


Concept 2: God Is The Ruler of Heaven and Earth

' The prophets have taught us that God is the almighty ruler of the universe.  God dwells in heaven (D&C 20:17 "By these things we know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them;").  Through his Son, Jesus Christ, he created heaven and earth and all things that are in them (Moses 2:1 "AND it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I reveal unto you concerning this heaven, and this earth; write the words which I speak.  I am the Beginning and the End, the Almighty God; by mine Only Begotten I created these things; yea, in the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest.").
He made the moon, the stars, and the sun.  He organized this world and gave it form, motion, and life.  He filled the air and the water with living things.  He covered the hills and plains with all kinds of animal life.  He gave us day and night, summer and winter, seedtime and harvest.  He made man in his own image to be a ruler over his other creations (Genesis 1:26-27,  "26: 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.").

God is the one supreme and absolute being in whom we believe and whom we worship.  He is the Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all things. (see Discourses of Brigham Young, p18-23).

Discussion

Mosiah 4:9 "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."
What things did God create?'



Concept 3: What Kind of Being Is God?

Because we are made in his image (Moses 6:9 "In the image of his own body, male and female, created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created and became living souls in the land upon the footstool of God."), we know that God has a body that looks like ours.  His eternal spirit is housed in a tangible body of flesh and bones (D&C 130:22 "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as Man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.  Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.").  God's body, however, is perfected and glorified, with a glory beyond all description.

God is perfect.  He is a God of love, mercy, charity, truth, power, faith, knowledge, and judgment. He has all power.  He knows all things.  He is full of goodness.

All good things come from God.  Everything that he does is to help his children become like him--a god.  He has said, "Behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

Discussion

Read the following scriptural references and discuss what each one teaches about our Heavenly Father: 

Abraham 3:18-19; "18. Howbeit that he made the greater star; as, also, if there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent that the other, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal.  
19. And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all."

John 3:16; "16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Mormon 9:9; " 9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?"

2 Nephi 9:17; " 17 O the greatness and the justice of our God!  For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled."

Alma 26:35; "35 Now have we not reason to rejoice?  Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name."

Doctrine and Covenants 109:77. " 77 O Lord God Almighty, hear us in these our petitions, and answer us from heaven, thy holy habitation, where thou sittest enthroned, with glory, honor, power, majesty, might, dominion, truth, justice, judgment, mercy, and an infinity of fulness, from everlasting to everlasting."



Concept 4: Why Should We Try to Know God?

Knowing God is so important that the Savior said, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).

The first and greatest commandment tells us, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" (Matthew 22:37).

The more we know God, the more we love him and keep his commandments (1 John 2:3 "3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.  5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.).  By keeping his commandments we can become like him.

Discussion

Why is it important to know God?



Concept 5: Why is it important to know God?

How Can We Know God?

We can know God if we will--

1. Believe that he exists and that he loves us (Mosiah 4:9 "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.").

2. Study the Scriptures  (2 Timothy 3:14-17 "14. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them; 
15. And that from a child thou has known the holy Scriptures , which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  
16. All scripture given by inspiration of god, is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 
17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.").

3. Pray to him (James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.").

4. Obey all his commandments as best we can (John 14:21-23 "21. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.  
22. Judah saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?  
23. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.").

As we do these things, we will come to know God and eventually have eternal life.

Discussion

What are some of the ways we can come to know God?
How can each of us do these things in our lives?

Additional Scriptures

Acts 7:55-56 (Son at the right hand of the Father)
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 

D&C 88:41-44 (qualities of God)
  41 He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever. 
  42 And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons; 
  43 And their courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets. 
  44 And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years all these are one year with God, but not with man. 

Psalm 24:1 (the earth is the Lord's)
The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Moses 1:30-39 (Creation)
 30 And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying: Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them? 
  31 And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me. 
  32 And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. 
  33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. 
  34 And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many. 
  35 But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them. 
  36 And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content. 
  37 And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. 
  38 And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. 
  39 For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. 

Alma 7:20 (God cannot do wrong)
20 I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.

Joseph Smith--History 1:17 (Father and Son are separate)
 17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! 

Alma 5:40 (good comes from God)
40 For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.

John 14:6-9 (Son and Father are alike)
 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 
  7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 
  8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 
  9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 

Mormon 9:15-20 (God of miracles)
15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. 
  16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God? 
  17 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought? 
  18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles. 
  19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. 
  20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. 



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Moroni 10:4-5
"4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 
5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

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