The Antemortal Godship of Christ

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It is amazing the things that come to you when you are actively seeking answers. I mentioned last week that I wanted to study the meaning of the phrase 'I AM' because I did not know the significance, but I had heard there was more meaning behind it. 

Todays reading in Jesus the Christ was on the Antemortal Godship of Christ.  About half of that chapter, starting on page 34 discusses this very topic.  Amazing how things transpire!  I will get to that in a little bit. 

The concept of the Trinity is one that has been discussed a lot in my house this year.  My 5 year old attends a Christian based Junior Kindergarten.  It is connected with a local church.  They have weekly chapel meetings and talk a lot about the bible.  He has memorized many scriptures from the bible so far this year and talks frequently about how much God loves him. It has been a good experience for him and enlightening for us as we have taught him about the differences in religions.  We talk about allowing others to believe as they do and being respectful, but we still need to remember the things we have been taught.  

He came home from school one day telling my that God is Jesus and the holy spirit.  Specifically, meaning that they are all the exact same person in different manifestations.  I understand this is a common belief. But in our church and in our home, we believe that they are 3 distinct beings.  God the Father, His son, Jesus Christ, both of whom have bodies of flesh and bone, and the holy ghost who is a personage of spirit.  When Joseph Smith prayed to know more about which church he should join, a light appeared and two personages appeared to him, God the Father, and His son Jesus Christ, both with bodies of flesh and bones, as we all have.  So as Timothy and I discussed this, we were able to talk about a pertinent part of our faith, that of the first vision. 

That was the topic of my readings.  That Christ is the literal son of God the Father.  It is not God the Father in human, earthly form, but His son.  Throughout the scriptures, both the old and new testaments, as well as the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, Heavenly Father introduces His son when he appears.  Beyond that, it discusses the fact that Jesus Christ acted as the Creator under the direction of Heavenly Father.  There is a plurality of Diety in the scriptures.  In Jesus the Christ, Talmage references in Genesis: "And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness." It wasn't I will create man in my image, but in our image.  He was speaking to another being. In the Book of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price, it discusses the same thing, referring to Gods repeatedly.  

The chapter than goes on to discuss the name and title significance. Jesus as the individual name of the Savior.  Christ as a Sacred Title, meaning Messiah, Anointed One. Jehovah is a sacred name in the Jewish faith (at least in the time of Christ) and is "not to be uttered on pain of death." This brings in the statement I AM. 

In "Hebrew, Ehyeh, signifying I AM" which is related to Jehovah.  When the LORD speaks to Moses, He says I AM THAT I AM. "I Am or Jehovah, the two having essentially the same meaning, is that of existence or duration that shall have no end, and which, judged by all human standards of reckoning, could have no beginning; the name is related to such other titles as Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." This is why the Jews were so offended when Christ said Before Abraham, was I AM. Therein lies the significance of I AM. He wasn't just saying the words I am.  He was telling the Jews that He was Jehovah. And they did not like that. 

Something else that stood out to me was this quote: "During that Antemortal period there was essential difference between the Father and the Son, in that the former had already passed through the experience s of mortal life, including death and resurrection and was therefore a Being possessed of a perfect, immortalized body of flesh and bones, while the Son was yet embodied. Through His death  and subsequent resurrection Jesus the Christ is today a Being like unto the Father in all essential characteristics."

The last thing that it discusses is that God the Father has appeared very rarely in scriptures.  He appears usually only to introduce His son.  The phrase "This is my beloved Son" is found throughout the bible, not just the Book of Mormon and other LDS scriptures. Christ himself prays to a Father in Heaven, He talks of himself as the Son of God. So the idea that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ could appear unto man, is not a foreign concept.  They appeared, God introduced Jesus Christ: "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" It follows the same standards throughout the scriptures.  

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

Video From: https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-only-true-god-and-jesus-christ-whom-he-has-sent-1