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There is a God
Q How do you know there is a God? What are some things that
testify to you that there is a God?
1. "Alma, a Book of
Mormon prophet, wrote, “All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth,
and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also
all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a
Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44). We can look up at the sky at night and have an
idea of what Alma meant. There are millions of stars and planets, all in
perfect order. They did not get there by chance. We can see the work of God in
the heavens and on the earth. The many beautiful plants, the many kinds of
animals, the mountains, the rivers, the clouds that bring us rain and snow—all
these testify to us that there is a God.
"The prophets
have taught us that God is the Almighty Ruler of the universe. God dwells in
heaven (see D&C 20:17). Through His Son, Jesus Christ, He created the
heavens and the earth and all things that are in them (see 3 Nephi 9:15; Moses
2:1). He made the moon, the stars, and the sun. He organized this world and gave
it form, motion, and life. He filled the air and the water with living things.
He covered the hills and plains with all kinds of animal life. He gave us day
and night, summer and winter, seedtime and harvest. He made man in His own
image to be a ruler over His other creations (see Genesis 1:26–27).
"God is the
Supreme and Absolute Being in whom we believe and whom we worship. He is “the
Great Parent of the universe,” and He “looks upon the whole of the human family
with a fatherly care and paternal regard” (Teachings of Presidents of the
Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 39)" (Gospel Principles, Our Heavenly
Father).
2. "And by the
power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. And ye may
know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you
that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the
faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever"
(Moroni 10:5, 7).
The Nature of God
Q What are some of God's attributes?
3. "God is our
Heavenly Father. We are His children.... He loves us. He weeps with us when we
suffer and rejoices when we do what is right. He wants to communicate with us,
and we can communicate with Him through sincere prayer" (Preach My
Gospel).
4. "Because we are
made in His image (see Moses 2:26; 6:9), we know that our bodies are like His
body. His eternal spirit is housed in a tangible body of flesh and bones (see
D&C 130:22). God’s body, however, is perfected and glorified, with a glory
beyond all description.
"God is perfect.
He is a God of righteousness, with attributes such as love, mercy, charity,
truth, power, faith, knowledge, and judgment. He has all power. He knows all
things. He is full of goodness.
"All good things
come from God. Everything that He does is to help His children become like Him.
He has said, “Behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the
immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39)" (Gospel Principles, Our
Heavenly Father).
5. "For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
6. "For behold, I
am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am
the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of
men save it be according to their faith" (2 Nephi 27:23).
Q How have you experienced God's attributes in your life? What
difference has His love made in your life?
Q Why is it important for us to understand the nature of God?
7. "Oh, it is
wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws!
His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will. We
see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in
terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for
He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming" (Joseph B.
Wirthlin, October 2007 General Conference).
God Has a Plan for Us
Q What blessings does God want you and all of His children to
have?
·
Exaltation, also
called Eternal Life (the kind of life God lives).
o
To know Him, become
like Him, and have every blessing He has: joy, love, peace, overcome all
weakness, perfect in character, sinless and pure, power, knowledge, glory, having
an eternal family and eternal increase.
o
See D&C 14:7; D&C
76:59-70; D&C 132:3-4,16-26,37; D&C 131:1-4
To receive these blessings God asks us
to Come unto Jesus Christ by consistently living the principles of His Gospel:
·
Faith- believe in, trust
in , and commitment to obey Christ
·
Repentance- change
behavior to follow Christ, seek forgiveness and a change of heart
·
Make
and keep covenants by the authority
of the Priesthood, such as baptism and temple covenants- commit to follow the
example of Jesus Christ
·
Receive
the Holy Ghost- receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost, invite and follow His guidance
Q Think of a time when you felt close to God. What were you
doing that allowed you to feel closer to Him?
Q What are things you do that help you feel closer to God?
What are tools He has given us to live the Gospel?
8. "And hereby we
do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3).
9. "And he that
keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we
know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 John
3:24).
10. "Beloved, let us
love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God,
and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love" (1
John 4:7-8).
11. "Whereby are
given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith
virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance
patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and
to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they
make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:4-8).
12. "For how knoweth
a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is
far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" (Mosiah 5:13).
Conclusion
13. "The Prophet
Joseph Smith taught: “When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom,
and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the
principles of the gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you
learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you
have passed through the veil [died] before you will have learned them. It is
not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our
salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave” (Teachings of Presidents of the
Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 268)" (Gospel Principles, Exaltation).
14. "Everyone
in the Church who is on the straight and narrow path, who is striving and
struggling and desiring to do what is right, though is far from perfect in this
life; if he passes out of this life while he's on the straight and narrow, he's
going to go on to eternal reward in his Father's kingdom. We don't need to get a complex or get a
feeling that you have to be perfect to be saved. You don't. There's only been
one perfect person, and that's the Lord Jesus, but in order to be saved in the
Kingdom of God and in order to pass the test of mortality, what you have to do
is get on the straight and narrow path—thus charting a course leading to
eternal life—and then, being on that path, pass out of this life in full
fellowship. I'm not saying that you don't have to keep the commandments. I'm
saying you don't have to be perfect to be saved. If you did, no one would be
saved.
"The way
it operates is this: You get on that path that's named the "straight and
narrow." You do it by entering at the gate of repentance and baptism. The
straight and narrow path leads from the gate of repentance and baptism, a very
great distance, to a reward that is called eternal life. If you're on that path
and pressing forward, and you die, you'll never get off the path. There is no
such thing as falling off the straight and narrow path in the life to come, and
the reason is that this life is the time that is given to men to prepare for
eternity" (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Probationary Test of Mortality,”
address delivered at Institute of Religion, SLC, Utah, 10 Jan. 1982).
Key talks about the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be found
at
Key talks about Becoming Christlike can be found at
Key talks about the Plan of Salvation can be found at
Key talks about Adversity can be found at
Please share your testimony of the principles covered in this lesson or share a favorite scripture or quote that wasn't included.
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