A Correct Idea of God’s Character
READ LoF 3:2-5
What
is necessary for any rational and intelligent being to exercise faith in God
unto salvation?
The idea that He actually exists; which
you get from someone else – either another mortal, an angel or God Himself.
A correct idea of His character,
perfections and attributes.
An actual knowledge that the course of
life which one is pursuing is according to His will – this can only come from
God, otherwise it’s not an “actual” knowledge.
Why
is it important to have a correct idea of God’s character, perfections and
attributes?
You can’t believe in a being that doesn’t
exist.
If you don’t know God’s true character,
you’re making things up; you’re worshipping a god of your own creation or
imagination, or of someone else’s; you are engaging in idol worship.
His actual character traits are such that
we can have faith in Him, when we understand what they are – they generate
faith in us.
But if you don’t understand the correct
idea of God, you are missing something and this prevents you from being able to
exercise true faith unto salvation, regardless of your good intentions or
positive self-talk.
How
does one gain an actual knowledge regarding one’s life course and standing
before the Lord?
Directly from the Lord, as a result of
having sacrificed all that He required of you (see LoF 6).
Actual knowledge implies that your
understanding does not come from conjecture (I.e. the promises made to others
in scripture based on criteria that you think you have met but it has not been
actually confirmed to you by God), or from the pronouncement of a man (again,
as men make mistakes, who is to say whether he is giving you an accurate
assessment), or even from inspiration via the Holy Spirit (as again, while God
might be trying to communicate with you in clarity, the possibility of your own
human error – either from sin or blinding emotional desires – means that doubt
has been introduced into the situation and your faith will suffer as a result).
What
is the difference between “perfect and fruitful” faith and “imperfect and
non-productive” faith – isn’t it better to have faith of any kind than no faith
at all?
Perfect and fruitful faith achieves the
desired result of the individual acting in faith in God, while anything less
(imperfect faith) yields non-productive results.
Fruitful faith means to experience the
glorious discovery and receive the eternal certainty discussed in the last
section – it means to know God with a surety (see 3 Nephi 11:14-15) and to
receive a promise or hope of eternal life (see D&C 88:75) – which is the
fullness of the Gospel and the desire of God for each of us (see Moses 1:39).
Anything less than this outcome is the
definition of “non-productive” faith.
So, if one desires to be redeemed (see
Ether 3:13) and receive an actual knowledge of their salvation, anything less
than that is non-productive or a failure; that being said, for every eternal
law that is lived, one receives a portion of glory or light which is to their
advantage in the world to come (see D&C 130:18-21).
READ LoF 3:6-7
Why
can no one find out God by searching for Him; why must He reveal Himself?
God reveals Himself or He is forever
unknown by mankind; our imagination cannot conceive of the true reality of God
– what He is really like; we are limited to our experience and if that never
included Him, our conception of what He might be like would be absolutely off
the mark as our frame of reference is mankind and this world; we will be off
fundamentally, not just by orders of magnitude (see Job 11:7-9; 1 Corinthians
2:9-11).
This is why the “eye of faith” (our
imagination) must be informed by God Himself and His revelations to be
effective (otherwise it will only make God over in mankind’s image – thus
destroying faith because we will have invented a god of our own making, one
that is not living and so, it will fail us in the end because it has no power
to save us), and why it is a tool to build requisite faith to experience the
true and living God (in the same way an ordinance points to a real event but is
only a rite) but is ONLY a tool, and we must be careful that it does not
constrain the reality of who and what God is, when He finally reveals Himself to
us; we must have a “soft” or open heart to the truth, as foreign to our
experience on earth it may be; and we must continually and patiently watch for
God to appear in reality and not settle for the “manufactured” experiences
available through our imagination (as in a visualization or guided meditation)
or an ordinance.
READ LoF 3:8-11
What
are God’s primary character traits and why do they enable our faith?
That He was God before the world was
created, and is the same God that He was after it was created (there is no
“bigger” god that can come in and supplant Him and His plan, see v 13).
That He is merciful, and gracious, slow
to anger, abundant in goodness, and that He was so from everlasting, and will
be to everlasting. (we all sin, see v 14).
That He changes not, neither is there
variableness with Him; but that He is the same from everlasting to everlasting,
being the same yesterday to-day and forever; and that His course is one eternal
round, without variation. (the plan is the plan, see v 15).
That He is a God of truth and cannot
lie (and we can have confidence in His word, see v 16).
That He is no respecter of persons; but
in every nation he that fears God and works righteousness is accepted of Him.
(He is fair - whoever may come, may come - ALL may come, from the least to the
greatest if they will abide by the requirements, see v 17).
That He is love (which is why He
sacrifices for us, see v 18).
READ LoF 3:19
Why
is the fact that there is no God greater than the Father essential to faith
unto salvation?
If another God existed who was wiser than
the Father, then the possibility that there could be a better way or that the
way might change, could be introduced into our thinking, causing doubt.
If another God existed that was more
powerful than the Father, the possibility that the Father could be defeated by
that God, who if They sought to defeat the Father would show themselves to not
have our best interest in mind; this would introduce doubt into God’s ability
to fulfill the promises He has made to us.
How
can God be over all, from everlasting to everlasting and that there is none
greater than He who could disrupt His plans, if Jesus saw the Father perform an
atonement on another world where He was acting the role of Savior – implying
that He had a Father who is greater?
By
implication, God the Father is not the only supreme being but none is greater;
however, that does not mean that none are equal to Him.
To become a God is to become one with all
other Gods – to share the same mind and will or Holy Spirit, as we will discuss
in Lectures on Faith 5; so to disrupt the plans of another God that you are one
with is to disrupt your own plans – it is especially unlikely since becoming a
God requires you to become precisely as Christ is, with all of the attributes
and characteristics we are discussing in the LoF – it requires you to love and
sacrifice all things for those who will reject you – it is to abide precisely
by the eternal law of light.
So, for a God to separate Him or Herself
from the other Gods (violating these attributes and characteristics) to disrupt
the plans of another God means that individual would cease to be God and would
lose the light, glory and power they had gained; and in losing that power,
would not be able to disrupt the plans of the Gods who retain that power and
glory.
READ LoF 3:20
Whose
goodness or righteousness is our salvation dependent upon and what is implied?
It is dependent upon God’s righteousness,
and God’s alone; our salvation depends completely on His merits and mercy.
Our job is to exercise sufficient faith
in His ability and in His desire to save us - that we come unto Him and offer
our whole souls, which is not the same as offering Him a perfect life (i.e.
being 100% compliant with the fullness of eternal law…at least not at this
stage of our development).
When we come unto Him with a repentant or
broken heart and contrite spirit, He is quick to forgive – He is a “first watch
God” in this area (see Matthew 14:24-25).
The paradox about this argument for God’s
mercy is that those who are more spiritually attuned to Him are the ones most
in danger of losing their faith, if God was not merciful and salvation not
based on His merits – because they are the ones who see more fully the chasm
between their current state and the requirements of salvation.
READ LoF 3:21
If
God is absolutely unchangeable, why has the gospel changed over time?
It hasn’t!
The gospel revealed to Adam and Eve (the
“Ancient Order of Things” to quote Joseph Smith) is the Fullness of the Gospel
and the only one which can save us in Celestial glory.
Changes to what has been revealed to
mankind as “the gospel” have either come as a result of mankind’s rejection of
the fullness of the gospel and God’s mercy in giving them a lesser law (see
D&C 84:19-27) or the changes are the result of evil and conspiring men who,
in the name of God, have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, and
broken the covenant (see Isaiah 24:5).
READ LoF 3:22
Although
God cannot lie, He seems to have a history of withholding truth from mankind in
a way that could be construed as deceptive; is this the case and does it
undermine faith?
The fact that God cannot lie or He would
cease to be god is a trait that we can rely on 100%; if He tells you your
standing before Him, you can believe it.
Man’s thoughts and ability to comprehend
the fullness of the reality that God deals with is so low that God is
constrained by our cognitive ability with regards to some information – we
wouldn’t understand it even if He revealed it; also, some things can only be
understood if they are experienced and we lack the ability to experience many
of the requisite challenges required to understand the full truth, at this
level of our development (i.e. we would not survive an atonement, for
instance).
In addition, the true magnitude of what
is required to become like God is so daunting that understanding it now might
cause many of us to forgo it and choose either a path that will not maximize
our happiness in the long term (remaining how we are with the level of light we
have already accumulated but not venturing beyond – I.e. damnation) or cause us
to embrace an easier path (as Lucifer and his followers have done) – which in
reality is a path to a different destination all together.
God does not lie but He cannot tell us
all the truth and have us remain in the flesh, nor would it be merciful to do
so (see Moses 1:5); so knowing that, we must trust Him to reveal to us what is
needful at any given time.
Having said all of this, God does not lie
or ask us to lie (as the liar is trust down to hell), He is just merciful
regarding how and when He reveals the truth to us.
READ LoF 3:23
If
God is no respecter of persons, why does He have “chosen people”?
God honors the actions of His children in
whatever sphere they are living in; to the degree we align our behavior with
eternal law, we will receive more light (see D&C 130:18-21).
If we received enough light and
covenanted to be God’s seed in the “first place”, we may be rewarded in this
life by being “chosen” and given easier access to the true gospel (see D&C
50:42; Matthew 17:6-16) – as the knowledge gained in a first place or a place
one resided before this world, should give us an “advantage” in this world or
life; however, this assumes that chosen status is always a sign of former
righteousness, but this may not be the case – there are so many things we do
not understand about why certain people are born into the circumstances they
are born into here.
However, just because someone has been
born into a “chosen” status in this life, based on the actions of a former life
(see Alma 13:3-9), doesn’t mean that they will live up to the added
responsibilities placed on them (see D&C 82:3).
Regardless, everyone who is born into
this world is given the light of Christ (to be able to choose between good and
evil, see John 1:9; D&C 93:2; D&C 88:7-12), all have full access to
agency (see 2 Nephi 2:16), all are being enticed by both evil and good (see
Moroni 7:12-13), and God wants all of His children to gain light from their
experiences here and come unto Him to be saved (see D&C 130:18-21; 2 Nephi
26:33).
So, there is no real advantage of being a
“chosen one”, hence the truth that God is no respecter of persons; if you love
Him and come unto Him, He will make you His – and He is bound by His word to do
that.
This same logic also applies to callings
in the Church, although it is further muddied by the fact that those who call
people to leadership callings may not be inspired (and they may make their
decisions based on worldly criteria, like leadership ability), so they may not
even discern light within a person; in addition, unlike many of us, the Lord
doesn’t value Church leadership or callings as important for salvation.
Chosen people are “chosen” to share the
light they have been given with others – to minister to them and bless
them. They are called and chosen to be
servants. But as Christ was the servant
of all, being chosen to serve is actually an important rung on the ladder to
salvation – if we must become precisely like Christ, we must be chosen to
serve.
READ LoF 3:24
Why
is understanding God’s love for us absolutely essential for our faith?
In this life and at our current stage of
development, we will never understand enough about what we are getting
ourselves into here to make an educated decision regarding whether to proceed
or not.
So, we must trust that God loves us above
anything else – even His own love for Himself, because if He does not, we might
be pawns in a much bigger game and we will never figure out that we’ve been
played until the end; if we didn’t trust His love enough, we would not have
chosen to come to this earth – the risk would have been too great.
The proof of God’s love is that He loves
us enough to let us go – He is saying “I love you so much that I am willing to
let you choose whether to have this relationship with me”; He allows us to be
alienated from Him and to risk the heartbreak that might happen (to Him) if we
choose not to reciprocate His love; He made us this offer to see if we would
choose to come back to Him, when we don’t think we need to (and we don’t
realize how bad things will be if we don’t – so we’re not compelled at all); we
chose to leave God’s presence precisely so that we could grow in our
relationship with Him; the only way for us to become as the gods is to freely
choose to return God’s love with our own, to give ourselves freely to Him in
the same way He freely gives Himself to us; He loves us enough to lose us, so
that we might make that choice and become gods like He is. And He then loves us enough to sacrifice
Himself (or His Son) to save us from our own poor decisions and behavior – from
rejecting Him and His way.
READ LoF 3:25-26
How
do we best learn about God’s characteristics?
Primarily, or most importantly and
effectively, through our own first-hand experiences with Him over time – we
must walk the path that He walked, and pray that He walks it with us. We must learn to be like Him by trying to be
like Him, failing, repenting, and trying again and again. It is in this cycle that He truly reveals
Himself (and His character) to us.
And secondarily, through the experiences
that others have had with Him and in the revelations He gives to mortals that
we can learn about from them.
A Correct Idea of God’s Attributes
READ LoF 4:2-10, 17
What
are God’s faith promoting attributes?
Knowledge (all things are before His
face); He can reveal the path to salvation.
Faith or power (He has power over all
things); He can deliver mankind from their enemies, including death and hell.
Justice (He doesn’t play favorites but
plays by the rules); His rewards and punishments are fair.
Judgement (He intervenes in the lives of
mankind); He will keep His promises and deliver His people.
Mercy (He may not give us what we’ve got
coming to us, the just that we deserve); He will comfort His people in their
extremities and has provided a way to pay what we owe so that justice is still served.
Truth (Is spirit, is intelligence, is
light - D&C 93:36 and D&C 84:45); the truth He possess is to be given
as an inheritance to all those who come unto Him.
READ LoF 4:11
What
aspect of knowledge enables us to have faith in God?
It is not His foreknowledge; that would
be great for those that He knows will be saved but bad for the rest of us; the
future which He sees “is what it is” – it is not “future” to Him as all things
are before His face in the “present”.
The knowledge that is valuable to us is His
(Christ’s) knowledge of how to overcome the sins and pain that afflict us in
this world that we might be able to stand reconciled with God again.
READ LoF 4:12
Why
is the attribute of power even important to discuss, as this is God we are
talking about?
He is not the only God.
Satan and others like him also have power.
If there was a doubt about God's fail
safe ability to perform any work He chose to, it would destroy our faith - we
could follow His instructions but He might not be able to fulfill His
obligations to us if His power wasn’t absolute.
READ LoF 4:13
Why
do we need a just God to have faith in, while hoping that we do not receive
justice from His hand for our sins?
We need Him to be a just God so that we
have an absolute guarantee that He honors His promises and that His promises
are supremely just or “right”; for the same reason, all the elements and energy
in the cosmos also require this of Him.
Ironically, all who have come unto Christ
(or are seeking so to do) are depending upon God’s just nature – that He will
honor the promise of mercy, which by definition is not only undeserved but
unjust, which He has offered those who are willing to covenant with Him.
READ LoF 4:14
How
is the attribute of “judgement” different from “justice”?
Judgement is God’s requirement to hold
all things accountable for the actions, thoughts and feelings they use their
agency to produce. Judgement is ensuring
consequences exist and are carried out, for actions taken.
Justice is ensuring that the judgement is
precisely aligned with the expectations set up front – which are dictated by
eternal law, and reiterated by God in the form of commandments; for example, an
unjust judge can pronounce an unfair judgement but if he has authority, his judgement
will be executed.
READ LoF 4:15
What
two aspects of the mercy of God is Joseph Smith highlighting here?
Mercy that we will be spared afflictions;
that we won’t suffer above that which we can bear and eternally profit from.
Mercy that we will be spared the
consequences of our actions; that we won’t get what’s coming to us – what we
deserve (i.e. justice).
READ LoF 4:16
How
is God a god of truth?
All things are before His face – as the
definition of truth is things as they really were, are and will be; He knows
the truth of all things and stands as God to ensure that they are upheld.
In addition, God’s glory is light or
truth or intelligence or consciousness; the light or truth which proceeds from
God and fills the immensity of space IS God; so it is correct to say that God
IS truth.
READ LoF 4:18-19
What
gives the Latter-day Saints the same power and authority to exercise faith in
God that any of the former-day saints had?
The revelations of God given through
Joseph Smith, who knew Him.
A sure witness of the existence of God (via
Joseph Smith) and a correct idea of His character, perfections and attributes
(via the Lectures on Faith and scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon, the
D&C, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible), which should enable
each person with this knowledge to do what Joseph Smith did and know God for
themselves – and then receive the power and authority from God to do His work
and glory, which is their salvation and eternal life.
What
would cause the Latter-day Saints to lose the power and authority to exercise
faith in God unto salvation?
Changing or ignoring the doctrine and
ordinances restored by the God through Joseph Smith – which was the fullness of
the gospel (see 3 Nephi 16:10); this generation, or the generation to whom the
Book of Mormon was given (until a time that more is given – see D&C 5:9 and
2 Nephi 32:6-7), is to receive the word of God through Joseph Smith (see
D&C 5:10); as no more has been given (sealed portion of the Book of Mormon,
etc.), we are still living in the “generation” of Joseph Smith.
