Ward Mission
by Matthew Carling
The Godhead – an Overview“
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” These three beings make up the Godhead. They preside over this world and all other creations of our Father in Heaven.
We view the members of the Godhead in a manner that corresponds in a number of ways with the views of others in the Christian world, but with significant differences. Latter-day Saints pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. They acknowledge the Father as the ultimate object of their worship, the Son as Lord and Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as the messenger and revealer of the Father and the Son. But where Latter-day Saints differ from other Christian religions is in their belief that God and Jesus Christ are glorified, physical beings and that each member of the Godhead is a separate being.
The true doctrine of the Godhead was lost in the apostasy that followed the Savior’s mortal ministry and the deaths of His Apostles. This doctrine began to be restored when 14-year-old Joseph Smith received his First Vision. From the Prophet’s account of the First Vision and from his other teachings, we know that the members of the Godhead are three separate beings. The Father and the Son have tangible bodies of flesh and bones, and the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit.
Although the members of the Godhead are distinct beings with distinct roles, they are one in purpose and doctrine. They are perfectly united in bringing to pass Heavenly Father’s divine plan of salvation.
God Is Our Loving Heavenly Father
God is our Heavenly Father, and we are His children. He created us in His image. He has a glorified, perfected “body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22).
God knows us personally, and He loves us more than we can comprehend. He understands our trials, sorrows, and weaknesses, and He offers to support us through them. He rejoices in our progress and will help us make right choices. He wants to communicate with us, and we can communicate with Him through prayer.
God has given us this experience on earth so we can learn, grow, and become more like Him. With perfect love, He wants us to return to Him after we die. However, we cannot do this on our own. Because God loves us, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, … that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16–17).
God wants to bless us with peace and a fulness of joy that will last for eternity. He has provided a plan that gives us the opportunity to receive these blessings.