Posted by Chucke Chuckle on May 04, 2008 at 14:28:50:
In Reply to: Can you explain this one to me? posted by Ifopo on May 04, 2008 at 03:43:41:
I love that verse. I don't know how Christians can reject such a book that testifies of Christ. Does it not support the Bible?
Anyway, to answer your question, Christ is not saying that He is God the Father. He is the literal son of God. However, He has the title "father" for many different reasons.
1. A father is one that creates. Christ created the Earth as directed by the Father. Paul said in Hebrews 1:2 that God spoke to prophets through His Son, "by whom also he made the worlds." Again in Eph 3:9, the teaching is reaffirmed that God "created all things by Jesus Christ."
2. He is the Father of all who accept His atoning sacrifice and covenent with Him to obey His everlasting gospel.
3. He is the Father by divine investiture of authority, meaning that Christ speaks for His Father. It might be similar to Moses' situation. Exodus 7, the Lord speaks to Moses saying that Moses will be a "God to pharoah; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." Moses was not made a God per se, but he was God's commissioned rep and can therefore speak and act as and on behalf of God.
4. A father is one who gives life. Jesus Christ gives all immortality beyond the grave because of the resurrection. Because He gives men life, He becomes a Father or The Father as indicated in your verse provided above. Through His atonement, we can become "born again," once again implying giving life, or giving birth to.
I hope that makes sense. But that verse found in Ether, do Christians not agree with that? It's everything they believe, but then again, do they really know what they believe? MSNBC featured in article which said, "Mormon youths were the most engaged in practicing their fath." I think that's a testiment of the Mormon youths' knowledge. John 7:17, "if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." Knowledge and FAITH comes by doing, not just professing. And that's just another verse supporting that God the Father and Christ are seperate. He distincly makes reference to God and then himself as a seperate entity.