Christ is the Father. Why is this a mystery?

[HEthePrimate]

To me, it's more important to understand the character of God. That is, what kind of personality he has, his relationship with us, what we can expect him to do, etc. From the scriptures, we know that Jesus imitates the Father perfectly, only doing what the Father would do. So whether you're dealing with one or the other, you can expect the same sort of response to you from either one of them. Observing the relationship between the Father and the Son can teach us some very important lessons about how to be with each other, too.

So I focus more on understanding his character traits, like love, patience, benevolence, wisdom, giving us commandments only for our good (because he loves us), that he has parental feelings towards us, etc. We're supposed to be learning and practicing to be more like him, to mold our character to be more like his character. His eye color, hairstyle, or whether there's one god or three is less important than understanding what kind of character God has, and we are supposed to be trying to emulate.

That said, knowing some other facts about God can be useful. It's very helpful to me to know that God, in the person of Jesus, came down and lived among us, suffered temptations, illnesses, injury, and death so that he could understand from our point of view what it's like to be us, and succor us accordingly, and not just knowing according to the spirit. That's very comforting, and does tell me something about his character, how incredibly loving and humble he is.

Edited May 1, 2012 by HEthePrimate

[pntkl]

That said, knowing some other facts about God can be useful. It's very helpful to me to know that God, in the person of Jesus, came down and lived among us, suffered temptations, illnesses, injury, and death so that he could understand from our point of view what it's like to be us, and succor us accordingly, and not just knowing according to the spirit. That's very comforting, and does tell me something about his character, how incredibly loving and humble he is.

I would also add sneaky.

[Seminarysnoozer]

I believe Mosiah 15:1-8 is primarily about submission and becoming one. Not in any strange way, but simply that the spirit and the flesh in Christ are perfectly united. Elder Holland said, "That is the very doctrine Abinadi taught - that the Father (the spirit) in Christ gave direction and had to be obeyed, while the Son (the flesh) in Christ had to yield and obey." (Christ and the New Covenant, p. 91) Abinadi teaches this in a number of ways.

1. Christ subjected the flesh to the will of the Father. (v2) How? Because he dwelleth in the flesh.

2. Christ subjected the flesh to the Spirit. (v5) How? Because he suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation.

3. Christ subjected the flesh even unto death. (v7) How? Because he allowed himself to be led, crucified, and slain.

Thus the will of the Son (the flesh) being swallowed up in the will of the Father (the Spirit).

He is indeed then one God the spirit and the flesh united in perfect harmony.

This could also explain why He had to be the Only Begotten. The perfectly united spirit and flesh is impossible when the flesh is corrupted like the copy we have now. To fulfill that role He would need a close to perfect body to begin with or at least have been able to remove the corruptions before He started His ministry, having grown in stature before man and God.

Christ subjected the flesh even unto death while alive in some respects. Death meaning the separation of the spirit from the body. If the passions of the body are so ignored while alive, then it is as if the person is dead. We have a very hard time separating passions of the body from the spirit, which makes us not dead. But fortunately we can be alive in God, after this life, coming into His rest and not having to face these corruptions again. Christ is the Father of the uncorrupted body. By calling ourselves children of Christ we express our desire to have a body like that, to be one, united in perfect harmony.

[LinuxGal]

This particular citation from Abinadi's lecture is the one normally used when expressing confusion, but this doctrine is clearly taught all over the Book of Mormon and in other scriptures, including the Bible and Doctrine and Covenants.

Why is it so mysterious?

Because of other scripture that says:

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

[Sicily510]

■ “Christ is the Father in the sense that he is the Creator, the Maker, the Organizer of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are. . . .

“He is the Father of all those who are born again. . . .

“He is the Father by what has aptly been termed divine investiture of authority. That is, since he is one with the Father in all of the attributes of perfection, and since he exercises the power and authority of the Father, it follows that everything he says or does is and would be exactly and precisely what the Father would say and do under the same circumstances.

“Accordingly, the Father puts his own name on the Son and authorizes him to speak in the first person as though he were the Father” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 130).

Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual - Chapter 4 - Jesus Christ, the Son of God