Jesus' Godhood

[JessicaHarper]

In LDS teaching, at what point did Jesus become "a" God? Was He God before He came to earth? At some point during His time on earth? At His resurrection? Thoughts?

[Faded]

He was God well before coming to earth. I believe the scriptures said he had attained that status "from the beginning."

Jesus Christ = Jehovah in our understanding of things. Under the direction of God the Father, Jehovah created the Earth and all life on it. He also created worlds without number before creating this one. So yes, he was God well before he was born.

[Traveler]

In LDS teaching, at what point did Jesus become "a" God? Was He God before He came to earth? At some point during His time on earth? At His resurrection? Thoughts?

Jesus always has been a g-d but he did not become our one and only G-d until man fell and was removed as a citizen from the Kingdom of G-d where G-d the Father is G-d. As the mediator with G-d the Father, Jesus is the only G-d that can overcome the fall and return us to the Father and his Kingdom.

The Traveler

[JessicaHarper]

Did Jesus progress to Godhood the same way Heavenly Father did?

[Just_A_Guy]

Officially, we have no idea how Heavenly Father progressed to Godhood; we just teach that somehow He did.

[Traveler]

Did Jesus progress to Godhood the same way Heavenly Father did?

Because of the fall we are cut off from the Father - including any knowledge of him other than that he is the G-d of Heaven. All that we know of The Father and of anything G-dly comes through the example of Jesus Christ.

The Traveler

[marts1]

Christ was the God of the Old Testament.

[JessicaHarper]

I thought that God progressed to Godhood and was once a man? A little confused.

[JessicaHarper]

Christ was the God of the Old Testament.

Can you elaborate a bit? In the OT, when referring to God they were referring to Christ, not Heavenly Father?

[marts1]

Jehova was the name used in the O.T. in reference to Christ. I'm sure they prayed to the Father and I think the name Elohim is mentioned in the O.T. referring to the Father. The Father and the Son have the exact same purpose which maybe is why it can be confusing, as well as missing scripture and errors in translation and such.

[Islander]

In LDS teaching, at what point did Jesus become "a" God? Was He God before He came to earth? At some point during His time on earth? At His resurrection? Thoughts?

Oh, that is a fairly easy one!

"In the beginning [of eternity] was the Word [Christ] , and the Word [Christ] was with God, and the Word [Christ] was God.

The same was in the beginning [of eternity] with God.

All things were made by him [the Word-Christ]; and without him [the Word-Christ] was not any thing made that was made.

In him [the Word-Christ] was alife; and the life was the light of men.

And the alight shineth in bdarkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

John 1:1-6

English lacks the ability to express time in such magnitude. Christ was and is from eternity to eternity

[JessicaHarper]

Oh, that is a fairly easy one!

"In the beginning [of eternity] was the Word [Christ] , and the Word [Christ] was with God, and the Word [Christ] was God.

The same was in the beginning [of eternity] with God.

All things were made by him [the Word-Christ]; and without him [the Word-Christ] was not any thing made that was made.

In him [the Word-Christ] was alife; and the life was the light of men.

And the alight shineth in bdarkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

John 1:1-6

English lacks the ability to express time in such magnitude. Christ was and is from eternity to eternity

My question partly stems from this.

When Christ was born as a spirit child, was He God?

[Islander]

My question partly stems from this.

When Christ was born as a spirit child, was He God?

Whenever that was in the eternities! Infinity plus or minus one = infinity!

He was the First, the ONLY Begotten of the Father and was with HIM from the beginning. He was is and forever will be God. You are NOT reading the scriptures. ALL things were made by Him.

One second after or a million years it makes no real different when infinity is involved.

Edited March 4, 2010 by Islander

[BenRaines]

I think in John, first chapter, is where it discusses The Word, was with God and The Word was God. The Word being Christ.

Ben Raines

[Faded]

I thought that God progressed to Godhood and was once a man? A little confused.

As Doctor Brown said to Marty on "Back to the Future":

You're not thinking 4th dimensionally.

If we can conceive of a dimension where time is not only linear, but infinite in all directions ... yeah okay, it's hard to explain it. But suffice it to say that in that dimension, if you were to become something -- say a frog -- then that change makes it so you always were a frog and always will be a frog. Essentially, what you are reaches every part of linear time simultaneously.

So whenever Jesus progressed to Godhood, he became a being that always was God and always will be God. In order to conceive of a being for which time has no direct relevance -- which we understand God and Christ to be from scripture -- we must assume that he exists at at least that dimensional level.

Yeah I'm sure I've confused everyone, but I tried.

This is not official doctrine, but it is how I view it because it makes sense when compared to scripture.

[marts1]

The information you will recieve from the Bible alone will be mostly, if not totally concerning this world or this creation only. Such words as eternity, eternal etc. are used with different meanings in several instances. What your asking is something beyond what you can find in the bible and don't need to know, but ya its fun to dream about or speculate.

[bytebear]

Jesus is the great "I AM". Not the "I WAS" or "I WILL BECOME" He just is. There is nothing else.

[Vanhin]

I worship God the Father and His Son, Jesus the Christ, in Spirit and truth.

Nephi taught that we should "believe in Christ, and worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and clean hands" (2 Ne. 25:16), and in the same chapter he taught:

And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out. (2 Ne. 25:29)

Our scriptures teach that "in the beginning" Christ was with God and he was God. The title page of the Book of Mormon, declares that "Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God" (Title Page), and there is rarely a reference to Christ in any of our scriptures that does not affirm his divinity. Abinadi, taught that "God himself" would come down and "redeem his people" (Mosiah 15:1).

Jesus is not the God of just one world. Under the direction of the Father, He is the Creator and Redeemer of worlds without number, of which ours is just one (Moses 1:33) - and that "by him [Christ], and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. (D&C 76:24).

Though opinions have been made by members of this and other churches in the past, I see no equivocation in the scriptures of Christ's divinity. They are right there before us. He is the Great I AM, the Alpha and the Omega, the Eternal God.

Glory to God on high!

Let heav’n and earth reply.

Praise ye his name.

His love and grace adore,

Who all our sorrows bore.

Sing aloud evermore:

Worthy the Lamb!

Jesus, our Lord and God,

Bore sin’s tremendous load.

Praise ye his name.

Tell what his arm has done,

What spoils from death he won.

Sing his great name alone:

Worthy the Lamb!

Let all the hosts above

Join in one song of love,

Praising his name.

To him ascribed be

Honor and majesty

Thru all eternity:

Worthy the Lamb!

Glory to God on High - Text: James Allen, 1734–1804, alt.

Regards,

Vanhin

Edited March 4, 2010 by Vanhin

[marts1]

Jesus is the great "I AM". Not the "I WAS" or "I WILL BECOME" He just is. There is nothing else.

If this were true then what are we doing here.

[Vanhin]

If this were true then what are we doing here.

Well it is true.

LISTEN to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins; (D&C 29:1)

I am not aware of any names of Christ that are "I Was" or "I Will Become", but I AM is one of his names.

Why would that have any bearing on us being here?

Regards,

Vanhin

[Blackmarch]

In LDS teaching, at what point did Jesus become "a" God? Was He God before He came to earth? At some point during His time on earth? At His resurrection? Thoughts?

According to Christ we are gods. If you mean as when did he have power and authority? From the beginning. When was the beginning? we don't know.

Was Christ fully God? I don't know, however during his time in mortality he did say that he did not know exactly when the second coming would occur but only the Father did. I think it would probably be a safe bet to say that he did after in his time in mortality if he wasn't before.

Did God progress from a man to a God? We don't know.

However between the two options I"d vote yes because it is more logical and there is some support for it where Christ says he does all that he's seen his Father do.

In all this pondering I think it is also vital to ask what is man?

[mikbone]

In LDS teaching, at what point did Jesus become "a" God? Was He God before He came to earth? At some point during His time on earth? At His resurrection? Thoughts?

Great question.

Abraham 3:24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

D&C 93:21 And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn;

These two scriptures are pretty straight forward. In the pre-mortal existence, Jehovah was like unto God (enough to differentiate himself from the rest of us), and he was the Firstborn. The title Firstborn could mean many things... But my final conclusion is that before any of the rest of our brethren were organized as spirit children, Jehovah was there with the Father and He (Jehovah the pre-mortal Christ) had already obtained a station of god.

How did He get there???

Best answer -- We don't know.

But this answer is not very satisfying. Objectively, I only recognize 2 realistic options.

1) Jehovah was created differently then the rest of us which imbued his spirit with special qualities.

or

2) Jehovah had experiences, prior to our organization as spirit children of Elohim, that allowed him to progress much further than where we currently reside within the plan of salvation.

I thought that God progressed to Godhood and was once a man? A little confused.

You are referring to the Lorenzo Snow Couplet - "As man is God once was, as God is man may be."

It is generally thought that the couplet is stating that God the Father (Elohim) was once a man. Most people don't try to make room for Jehovah in the couplet...

Did Jesus progress to Godhood the same way Heavenly Father did?

This is a profound question. I think that most LDS members would say either they don't know or don't care or that it does not matter. Of those that would stick their neck out and try to make a statement most would probably answer no.

My personal answer? Yes.

Edited March 4, 2010 by mikbone

[marts1]

According to Christ we are gods. If you mean as when did he have power and authority? From the beginning. When was the beginning? we don't know.

Was Christ fully God? I don't know, however during his time in mortality he did say that he did not know exactly when the second coming would occur but only the Father did. I think it would probably be a safe bet to say that he did after in his time in mortality if he wasn't before.

Did God progress from a man to a God? We don't know.

However between the two options I"d vote yes because it is more logical and there is some support for it where Christ says he does all that he's seen his Father do.

In all this pondering I think it is also vital to ask what is man?

This is what I was getting at, only in a snail like manner.:)

[JessicaHarper]

Wow, y'all, my head is spinning now!

I am going to read through all of these and respond. Thank you all so much. This question seemed to come to be out of the blue yesterday.

[marts1]

You may or may not realise this subject was touched upon just a few days ago.:)