Latter-Day Saints believe the ancient church recognized the Holy Trinity as three separate beings, each having the form of a man.
Scholars now believe that the use of the singular "he" with the plural "Elohim" all over the Bible is actually a corruption of the Hebrew Massorah or Masoretic text by the "Deuteronomists" of Jeremiah's time - a tradition that influenced our earliest copies of the New Testament. This was meant to super-impose a strict Deuteronomistic monotheism over what evidently was a more polytheistic approach to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in ancient Israel, specifically the first temple period. (see Margaret Barker's "Great Angel", Jeremiah 23:30-32) This monotheistic tradition has continued among the Jews since that time. Evidently, second-century Christians sought to incorporate Jesus into a monotheistic conception of God at the behest of the Jews, thus emulating this monotheistic tradition and importing it into Christianity. Without doubt, this tradition later shaped the translation of the Bible.
And yet, all over scripture, we see the prophets tell us that Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one God:
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1 John 5:7, compare D&C 50:43, 2 Nephi 31:21, 3 Nephi 11:35-36)
Some verses of the New Testament even refer to the fullness of the Godhead in Christ:
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9)
Preparatory to His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, the Savior prayed that those whom the Father had given Him out of the world would be one with Him in the same sense that He is one with the Father, that they would be one in Him as he his in the Father and the Father in Him. (John 17:20-23) We know that the mortal members of His church are many, that they cannot bodily be one. Later in that same chapter we see that He meant for his saints to be one in love, in perfection, in unity, in mission, in purpose. (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 3:28) It naturally follows that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost are also one in love, in perfection, in unity, in mission, and in purpose - not necessarily in body. We furthermore take the verse about the "fullness of the Godhead bodily" to be a reference to the fact that, by way of resurrection of His body, Jesus Christ became "co-equal" with His Father.
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love." (John 15:10)
The Son abides in the Father and in His love in the same way He asks us to abide in Him and His.
In short, we believe three beings, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, comprise and operate together as one God as shown in the account of the creation: "And God [hebrew: Elohim] said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26, emphasis added)
The Holy Bible contains a handful of examples of situations where either the Son spoke to or interacted with the Father as a separate being, or someone saw in vision both the Father, and the Son standing at His right hand. As we'll see later in this article, Jesus taught that He and the Father are one only in the same sense that He and His people are one.
Scholars now believe that the use of the singular "he" with the plural "Elohim" all over the Bible is actually a corruption of the Hebrew Massorah or Masoretic text by the "Deuteronomists" of Jeremiah's time - a tradition that influenced our earliest copies of the New Testament. This was meant to super-impose a strict Deuteronomistic monotheism over what evidently was a more polytheistic approach to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in ancient Israel, specifically the first temple period. (see Margaret Barker's "Great Angel", Jeremiah 23:30-32) This monotheistic tradition has continued among the Jews since that time. Evidently, second-century Christians sought to incorporate Jesus into a monotheistic conception of God at the behest of the Jews, thus emulating this monotheistic tradition and importing it into Christianity. Without doubt, this tradition later shaped the translation of the Bible.
The
scriptures tell us Jesus Christ is one God (1
Timothy 2:5), that the Father of Jesus Christ is one God (Romans
15:5-6, 1
Corinthians 8:6), that the Holy Ghost bears witness of the Father
and the Son (Acts
5:29-32, D&C
42:17). For Latter-Day Saints, there are very clearly three
separate beings at work here.
And yet, all over scripture, we see the prophets tell us that Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one God:
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1 John 5:7, compare D&C 50:43, 2 Nephi 31:21, 3 Nephi 11:35-36)
Some verses of the New Testament even refer to the fullness of the Godhead in Christ:
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9)
So
how exactly can "three" be "one"?
Preparatory to His suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, the Savior prayed that those whom the Father had given Him out of the world would be one with Him in the same sense that He is one with the Father, that they would be one in Him as he his in the Father and the Father in Him. (John 17:20-23) We know that the mortal members of His church are many, that they cannot bodily be one. Later in that same chapter we see that He meant for his saints to be one in love, in perfection, in unity, in mission, in purpose. (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 3:28) It naturally follows that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost are also one in love, in perfection, in unity, in mission, and in purpose - not necessarily in body. We furthermore take the verse about the "fullness of the Godhead bodily" to be a reference to the fact that, by way of resurrection of His body, Jesus Christ became "co-equal" with His Father.
When
Christ talks about "dwelling in the Father", or the Father
dwelling in Him or us dwelling in Him and Him in us, he's talking
about the importance of benefiting from the many forms of His saving
grace. In preparing His disciples for His imminent death, the Savior
taught:
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love." (John 15:10)
The Son abides in the Father and in His love in the same way He asks us to abide in Him and His.
In short, we believe three beings, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, comprise and operate together as one God as shown in the account of the creation: "And God [hebrew: Elohim] said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26, emphasis added)
The Holy Bible contains a handful of examples of situations where either the Son spoke to or interacted with the Father as a separate being, or someone saw in vision both the Father, and the Son standing at His right hand. As we'll see later in this article, Jesus taught that He and the Father are one only in the same sense that He and His people are one.
God Made Us in His Image
In
the account of the Creation, we read: “And God said, Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness... So God [Hebrew: Elohim] created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he
them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
Hebrew4Christians: "Elohim": the plural form of "Eloi"
If this statement from Genesis is to be logically consistent, taking into account the plural form "Elohim", it should be rendered: "And the Gods said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness... So the Gods created man in their own image, in the image of the Gods created them him; male and female created they them."
Jesus Christ looked like His Father during His mortal ministry, and He is the God of the Old Testament, even the Great I AM, the same God yesterday, today and forever. (see John 14:9, John 5:39, Exodus 3:14-15, Hebrews 13:8) For this reason, among others, Latter-Day Saints believe the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost had the form of a man since the very beginning, that they created man in their own image, just as we are told in the book of Genesis. (see also Exodus 24:10, Exodus 33:11, Exodus 34:5, Ezekiel 43:7, Isaiah 6:1)
The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost at Jesus' Baptism
Hebrew4Christians: "Elohim": the plural form of "Eloi"
If this statement from Genesis is to be logically consistent, taking into account the plural form "Elohim", it should be rendered: "And the Gods said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness... So the Gods created man in their own image, in the image of the Gods created them him; male and female created they them."
Jesus Christ looked like His Father during His mortal ministry, and He is the God of the Old Testament, even the Great I AM, the same God yesterday, today and forever. (see John 14:9, John 5:39, Exodus 3:14-15, Hebrews 13:8) For this reason, among others, Latter-Day Saints believe the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost had the form of a man since the very beginning, that they created man in their own image, just as we are told in the book of Genesis. (see also Exodus 24:10, Exodus 33:11, Exodus 34:5, Ezekiel 43:7, Isaiah 6:1)
The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost at Jesus' Baptism
Jesus
went to His cousin, John the Baptist, to be baptized. Following the
baptism, they saw the Savior come up out of the water, they heard the
voice of the Father out of heaven, and they saw the Holy Ghost
descend from the Father to the Son in the form of a dove.
“And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:
and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of
God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice
from heaven, saying This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)
We believe Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct beings: the Father being able to introduce His Son, The Son able to be baptized in mortal flesh, the Holy Ghost bearing witness of it.
We believe Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three distinct beings: the Father being able to introduce His Son, The Son able to be baptized in mortal flesh, the Holy Ghost bearing witness of it.
"At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. (Matthew 11:25-27)
We believe the Father and Son are two distinct beings, each knowing the other and each able to reveal and testify of the other.
Jesus
Asked, and The Father Glorified His Name From Heaven
Jesus,
in teaching his disciples about his impending death, told them that,
not only would he not ask the Father to save Him from it, but that He
himself had come to die for us and to glorify the Father's name. He
then said, “Father, glorify thy name.” Then came there a voice
from heaven saying “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it
again.” The people that were with him thought it was an angel who
had spoken to them. (John 12:28)
The people heard Jesus address the Father, and they heard the voice of the Father speak out of heaven.
The people heard Jesus address the Father, and they heard the voice of the Father speak out of heaven.
The Father Gave the Son a Life of His Own
Near the end of His life, the Savior was teaching the people prophesying that at His death, He would go and bring the gospel to the spirits of the dead, and many would be resurrected. During that sermon, he said this:
"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself..." (John 5:26)
"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." (Psalms 2:6-7)
I leave this verse to speak for itself.
The Father Sent the Son
I leave this verse to speak for itself.
The Father Sent the Son
"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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." ( John 3:16-17)
"...if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me." (John 8:16-18)
"Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." (John 8:28-29)
"I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." (John 8:42)
"If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God" (John 8:54)
The Son: The Gateway to the Father
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)
Jesus: Our Advocate With the Father
"...if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous..." (1 John 2:1)
The Father Ordained His Son to Be a High Priest
Paul taught the Hebrews that Christ did not take upon himself His priesthood authority, that it was given to Him by His Father:
"So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee... Thou art [called] a [high] priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec..." (Hebrews 5:5-6,10)
Pray to the Father, Worship the Savior
I recently had a good Christian woman ask me, "Do you worship Jesus Christ?" In the context of the discussion we were having about one being as opposed to three, I assume she meant do we worship both the Father and the Son separately. My knee-jerk reaction to this was, "Yes". But I feel the need to clarify my response for any who may have this same question.
In Matthew 6, we see the Savior instruct us to "pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly..." (Matthew 6:6)
However, in Matthew 11, we see Him instruct us, saying "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
When Latter-Day Saints formally pray, we address the Father in the name of Christ as directed in scripture. However, when I personally address God and plead unto Him for counsel and for power to do what He asks of me, I find it easier to relate to that God who came down and dwelt among us in the flesh. In other words, I make my petition before the throne of the Father, but I lay my burdens at the feet of Christ.
For more about when to pray to the Father and when to pray to the Savior, see my article, "Jesus of Nazareth: Our Savior and Friend!".
Jesus Speaks of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as Separate Beings
"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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16 -17)
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.... These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:16-27, 25-26)
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:13-14)
The Early Apostles Speak of the Father and Son as Separate Beings
"...God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:26)
"...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.: (Philippians 2:9-11)
The Early Apostles Speak of the Father and Son as Separate Beings
"...God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:26)
"...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.: (Philippians 2:9-11)
Jesus
Teaches About the Unity of the Father, the Son and the Members of the
Church
In
trying to comfort his disciples in the weeks leading up to His death,
the Savior promised them that the day was very near when they would
be given the Comforter, even the gift of the Holy Ghost. He said to
them, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in
me, and I in you.” (John 14:20)
In
offering His intercessory prayer, preparatory to His great sacrifice,
the Lord prayed to the Father, saying “and [my disciples] have
known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that
thou didst send me... Holy Father, keep through thine own name those
whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:8,11)
In
my research on the subject, I found a website where they talk about the real meanings behind some of the Hebrew words that were originally
used in the ancient Bible text. One of the words they studied was
“unity”, or the notion of being “one”.
In
the ancient Hebrew mind, the notion of “one” does not carry the
individualistic connotation that our English word “one” has. To
them, there is nothing that is one unto itself, but rather everything
is dependent on something else. In other words, a thing that is “one” is also
made up of its constituent parts.
So,
when Christ says “we are one” in reference to the Godhead, He is not necessarily saying we are one being; rather he's saying we
are “united”; we are a threesome called "God", made up of our constituent parts,
namely: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. For more detail, look
at the last paragraph of that article.
There are verses all over the scriptures where the Lord or the prophets speak of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost and followers of Christ as being one. This same sense applies. It should also be noted that the terms "father" and "God" are both used loosely as references to both the Father and the Son, God being the Father of our spirits and Christ being the Father of the heavens, the earth, of all things that in them are, and of our salvation.
As
the final hours of the Savior's suffering drew to a close, He felt
the absence of His Father and “cried with a loud voice, saying, My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”. (Matthew 27:46, Mark
15:34)
Additionally,
when He died, the Savior spoke again to His Father, saying “into
thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46)
Latter-Day Saints believe the Father and Son are two distinct beings. The Father "forsook" the Son briefly in order to enable Him to complete the atoning sacrifice on His own. The Son commended His spirit to the Father.
Following His resurrection from the dead, the Savior appeared to his apostles and said:
Despite the abundant confusion on this matter, it is clear from the Bible and from these eyewitnesses that the resurrected Lord regained his body, leaving behind an empty tomb. (see John 20:1-9, Matthew 28:1-6) To prove it to them, the Savior allowed them to touch him, and he ate before them.
Stephen
Sees Both the Father and the Son
Immediately
before being stoned to death for his faith, Stephen saw God the
Father and the Son, and was filled with the power of the Holy Ghost:
“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, and said, behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man
standing on the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56)
Paul taught the Hebrews that the the Son was in the express image of the Father, that the Son sat down at the right hand of the father, that the Father honored His Son above the angels and called Him a god because He had served righteousness and because He had created the earth and the heavens:
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 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. 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? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands..." (Hebrews 1:1-10)
It should also be noted here that the Father and the Son look the same - they have the same "image of person".
Through John the Revelator, the Savior taught us of the importance of overcoming, so that we could sit with Him in His throne, even as He sits with the Father in His:
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Revelations 3:21)
Paul to the Romans on The Family of God
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together... [the Father] also did predestinate [us] to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:16-17, 29)
God is the Father of our spirits, and the physical father of his Only Begotten in the flesh who is Jesus, the firstborn among many brethren. Jesus is our Brother! For Latter-Day Saints, this notion is not troublesome in the least, because to us, the Father and Son are two distinct, separate beings, the one having "begotten" the other.
About the Holy Ghost
Form
and Substance
Much of what may seem mysterious, strange, and even confusing about God actually derives from scriptural descriptions of the Holy Ghost. Take for example these passages about the giving and receiving of the Holy Ghost:
"...when [Peter and John] were come down, [they] prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost..." (Acts 8:15-17)
"...[the father [of John the Baptist] Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied..." (Luke 1:67)
"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?" (1 Corinthians 6:19)
The Holy Ghost is able to do such things as "fill" us or "fall upon us" or "dwell within" us because he is a Personage of Spirit and not of flesh. We believe the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are "co-equal to themselves" in every respect except the physical, that the Personage of the Holy Ghost is of the substance of spirit only.
Joseph Smith said:
"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. A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22-23)
The Holy Ghost was integrally involved in the Creation. The creation account in the book of Genesis tells us: "...the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:2) That same account tells us that God - or the members of the Godhead - counseled together, saying: "Let us make man in our image." (Genesis 1:26, emphasis added) We believe the Holy Ghost has the image and form of man, as much so as the Father and the Son.
The Holy Ghost: The "Voice" of the Lord
We believe the Spirit of God does indeed "proceed" from the Father and the Son. A perfect example of this would be the Savior's promise that He would "send [us] another Comforter". This promise was later fulfilled in power and great glory! (see John 14:16-17,26, Acts 2:1-4)
The scriptures call the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God, or sometimes just "The Spirit". In various places the scriptures refer to the working of the Holy Ghost in our hearts and minds as the "voice" of the Lord. The Lord revealed Himself to Elijah by way of a “still small voice”:
"...Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." (1 Kings 19:11-12)
The prophet Samuel had to learn as a child to recognize the voice of the Lord. (see 1 Samuel 3:3-10)
The Savior called them His "sheep" who hear and recognize His "voice": "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)
The Bible offers a few descriptions of what the witness of the Holy Ghost or the "voice" of the Lord feels like when we experience it.
Note the experience of the men on the road to Emmaus:
"And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:30-32)
The witness of the Spirit causes us to feel warm inside, as though our spirits are coming out of darkness into light. Paul taught the Galatians:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galatians 5:22-25)
Not only does the Spirit feel like these things, but feeling the influence of the Spirit causes us to want to do and to become these things, to "crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts".
For this reason, when we hear of people warning others not let the Mormons get you "feeling that spirit", we have to scratch our heads a little bit. Why make a "law" or even just a recommendation against feeling the Spirit of God at work within you? To put it in the words of Stephen, why "resist the Holy Ghost?" (Acts 7:51)
We believe the primary function of the Holy Ghost is to reveal truth to those who seek it. When Peter affirmed his faith that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, Jesus responded: “Blessed art thou, Simon bar-Jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, by my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:15-17) This revelation proceeded forth from the Father by the witness and power of the Holy Ghost and not merely by the convincing or reasoning powers of "flesh and blood".
We are never to adopt newly learned spiritual truth in our lives without taking it to the Lord in prayer, to have Him confirm it by the power of the Holy Ghost. The apostle James taught that revelation of this kind was available to everyone:
“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.” (James 1:5)
We are never to teach by way of contention, but rather by the power of the Holy Ghost, just as the Savior did:
“And [Jesus] came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.” (Luke 4:31-32)
To learn how to discover spiritual truth by letting the Holy Ghost be your “spiritual microscope”, see my articles:
Harden Not Your Hearts Any Longer; Believe in Christ
How to pray and ask God
How to obtain a spiritual witness
Who is God? What is God?
The world has long asked these questions, but the answers have always been available. Latter-Day Saints believe the scriptures reveal three separate and distinct Personages, even God the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, each in the image of the Father after which they created us. All three are beings of spirit - as are we, but the Father and the Son each have resurrected bodies of "flesh and bones", while the Holy Ghost has none.
