The belief in and love of God is the central message of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith, the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ, taught:

It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God. … I want you all to know Him … and to be familiar with Him (History of the Church, 6:305).

The Prophet Joseph was echoing the teachings of the Savior, who said,

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God (John 17:3).

Who is God? And why is it so important for us to know Him? We need to understand the answer to the first question in order to answer the second.

Who is God?

God is our Heavenly Father, the literal Father of our spirits. President Gordon B. Hinckley said,

I believe without equivocation or reservation in God, the Eternal Father. He is my Father, the Father of my spirit, and the Father of the spirits of all men. He is the great Creator, the Ruler of the universe. He directed the Creation of this earth on which we live. In His image man was created. He is personal. He is real. He is individual. He “has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s” (Doctrine & Covenants 130:22).

 

In the account of the Creation of the earth, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

 

Could any language be more explicit? Does it demean God, as some would have us believe, that man was created in His express image? Rather, it should stir within the heart of every man and woman a greater appreciation for himself or herself as a son or daughter of God.

The Church of Jesus Christ teaches:

Even though God is the Creator of all things, we enjoy a relationship with Him that is unique from all of His other creations. We are all His spirit children, literally the sons and daughters of God, and He has created us in His image.

The knowledge that God is our Father, and we are literally the spirit offspring of deity, is one of the supernal truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder David A. Bednar taught,

We are agents blessed with moral agency and are defined by our divine heritage as children of God.

And one of my favorite quotes about Heavenly Father is from President Boyd K. Packer, who said:

Of all the other titles that [God] could have used, He chose to be called “Father.” The Savior commanded, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven” (3 Nephi 13:9; see also Matthew 6:9). His use of the name “Father” is a lesson for all as we come to understand what it is that matters most in this life.

And we can comprehend why Heavenly Father said:

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39).

Because Heavenly Father is the father of our spirits, we have a divine heritage—and He has a plan for His children.

What is God’s Plan for Us?

God, our Heavenly Father, loves us and wants us to become like Him. Mortality, or life on earth, is part of that plan. Life did not begin with birth, nor does it end with death. Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught,

Our understanding of life begins with a council in heaven. There the spirit children of God were taught his eternal plan for their destiny. We had progressed as far as we could without a physical body and an experience in mortality. To realize a fulness of joy, we had to prove our willingness to keep the commandments of God in a circumstance where we had no memory of what preceded our mortal birth.

 

In the course of mortality, we would become subject to death, and we would be soiled by sin. To reclaim us from death and sin, our Heavenly Father’s plan provided us a Savior, whose atonement would redeem all from death and pay the price necessary for all to be cleansed from sin on the conditions he prescribed (see 2 Nephi 9:19–24).

Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy. To this end, He has given us commandments that show us how to do this. Elder Marcus B. said,

… A basic purpose of your life, as Lehi taught, is “[to] have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). In order to have joy, you need to understand that, as a child of your Heavenly Father, you inherited divine traits and spiritual needs—and just like a fish needs water, you need the gospel and the companionship of the Holy Ghost to be truly, deeply happy. Because you are the offspring of God (see Acts 17:28), it is incompatible with your eternal nature to do wrong and feel right. It cannot be done. It is part of your spiritual DNA, as it were, that peace, joy, and happiness will be yours only to the degree you live the gospel.

 

In contrast, to the degree that you choose not to live the gospel, you will be as miserable as a fish out of water (see Mosiah 4:30).

Our Heavenly Father has not only given us commandments but living prophets and apostles as well as our families to help us along this journey of life. The more we learn of Him and His plan for us, the greater our ability will be to follow along the path toward eternal life. Elder Nash continued,

Note that to be without God in the world—in other words, to refuse to live His gospel and therefore lack the companionship of the Spirit—is to be in a state contrary to the nature of happiness. The gospel of Jesus Christ is, in fact, the—note that this is singular, meaning it is the only—“great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8). If you opt for any other way of life or try to live only the parts of the gospel that seem convenient, such a choice will cheat you of the full, resplendent joy and happiness for which you were designed by our loving Father in Heaven and His Son.

God’s plan for us is to live in such a way that we can return to live with Him forever. That is His work and His glory—His plan for His children. The Church of Jesus Christ teaches:

Latter-day Saints see all people as children of God in a full and complete sense; they consider every person divine in origin, nature, and potential. Each has an eternal core and is “a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents.” Each possesses seeds of divinity and must choose whether to live in harmony or tension with that divinity. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all people may “progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny.” Just as a child can develop the attributes of his or her parents over time, the divine nature that humans inherit can be developed to become like their Heavenly Father’s.

Why is it Important to Know God?

Mormons believe that God is our Heavenly Father and knows each one of us—each human being who has ever lived or will ever live on the earth—by name, individually. It is important to know God so that we can understand how much He loves each one of us. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught,

God does not look on the outward appearance.  I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.

 

He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

 

What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.

Elder Dale G. Renlund, a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and transplantation, shared an experience that illustrated the love that Heavenly Father has for His children. As a result of his profession, he had developed what he described as a kind of emotional distance when things went poorly. But then he worked with a young man named Chad, who was in and out of the hospital for the last few years of his life until he finally came in to the hospital in full cardiac arrest and could not be revived. Elder Renlund said,

Although sad and disappointed, I maintained a professional attitude. I thought to myself, “Chad has had good care. He has had many more years of life than he otherwise would have had.” That emotional distance soon shattered as his parents came into the emergency room bay and saw their deceased son lying on a stretcher. In that moment, I saw Chad through his mother’s and father’s eyes. I saw the great hopes and expectations they had had for him, the desire they had had that he would live just a little bit longer and a little bit better. With this realization, I began to weep. In an ironic reversal of roles and in an act of kindness I will never forget, Chad’s parents comforted me.

 

I now realize that in the Church, to effectively serve others we must see them through a parent’s eyes, through Heavenly Father’s eyes. Only then can we begin to comprehend the true worth of a soul. Only then can we sense the love that Heavenly Father has for all of His children. Only then can we sense the Savior’s caring concern for them.

Elder Renlund understood in that moment how the Savior sees each one of us: full of divine potential. God loves us because we are His children. When we understand this, it changes how we see ourselves. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught,

… All of us need to know God more fully in order to love Him more deeply and obey Him more completely.

How Can We Come to Know God?

The question for us, then, is this: How can we come to know God? Elder Holland said,

Of the many magnificent purposes served in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, one great aspect of that mission often goes uncelebrated. His followers did not understand it fully at the time, and many in modern Christianity do not grasp it now, but the Savior Himself spoke of it repeatedly and emphatically. It is the grand truth that in all that Jesus came to say and do, including and especially in His atoning suffering and sacrifice, He was showing us who and what God our Eternal Father is like, how completely devoted He is to His children in every age and nation. In word and in deed Jesus was trying to reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in Heaven.

Thus, if we want to know more about the love of God, our Heavenly Father, we need to learn of His Son, Jesus Christ. Elder Holland said,

After generations of prophets had tried to teach the family of man the will and the way of the Father, usually with little success, God in His ultimate effort to have us know Him, sent to earth His Only Begotten and perfect Son, created in His very likeness and image, to live and serve among mortals in the everyday rigors of life. …

 

I make my own heartfelt declaration of God our Eternal Father this morning because some in the contemporary world suffer from a distressing misconception of Him. Among these there is a tendency to feel distant from the Father, even estranged from Him, if they believe in Him at all. And if they do believe, many moderns say they might feel comfortable in the arms of Jesus, but they are uneasy contemplating the stern encounter of God.

In all that He did, Jesus Christ gave the honor and glory to His Father, showing the world the true nature and character of God. Elder Holland continued,

… Jesus did not come to improve God’s view of man nearly so much as He came to improve man’s view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children, they still did not fully know—until Christ came.

 

So feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith—this was Christ showing us the way of the Father, He who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness.” In His life and especially in His death, Christ was declaring, “This is God’s compassion I am showing you, as well as that of my own.” In the perfect Son’s manifestation of the perfect Father’s care, in Their mutual suffering and shared sorrow for the sins and heartaches of the rest of us, we see ultimate meaning in the declaration: “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

As we come to know God as a personal, loving Father in Heaven, we seek to become more like Him. President Uchtdorf said,

We increase our love for our Heavenly Father and demonstrate that love by aligning our thoughts and actions with God’s word. His pure love directs and encourages us to become more pure and holy. It inspires us to walk in righteousness—not out of fear or obligation but out of an earnest desire to become even more like Him because we love Him.

Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called the Mormon Church) will recognize this as an object lesson on the resurrection. Every human being is comprised of a physical body (the glove) and a spirit (the hand). When we die, the spirit leaves the body (remove the glove), which causes the body (the glove) to lose its source of life: the spirit (the hand). Through resurrection, body and spirit are reunited to live forever in perfected form, never to die again.

Jesus Christ, the First to Be Resurrected

The resurrection of all God’s children—every person who has lived, is living, or will yet live—is made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In our premortal life with our Heavenly Father, Jesus was designated as the Savior who would redeem us from the effects of the fall of Adam—which brought mortality, sin, and death into the world. Jesus declared that He would lay down His life and take it up again. (See John 10:15–18.)

The New Testament records several accounts of those who saw the resurrected Lord; for instance:

• Mary Magdalene (John 20:16–17)

• Other women (Mark 16:1)

• His apostles (Matthew 28:16–19; Luke 24:42–43; John 20:26–28; John 21:1–24)

• Peter (1 Corinthians 15:5)

• Five hundred men (1 Corinthians 15:6)

• James (1 Corinthians 15:7)

• Paul (1 Corinthians 15:8)

• Stephen (Acts 7:55)

Christ also visited the Nephites (3 Nephi 11 through 26) in the New World. Joseph Smith, the first president of The Church of Jesus Christ, saw Him many times. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:17, for example.) Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (an early Church leader) recorded one of the more descriptive accounts of Jesus Christ:

We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.

His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father (Doctrine and Covenants 110:1–4).

What Happens to Spirits after Death?

The Book of Mormon teaches that there is “a space betwixt the time of death and time of the resurrection” (Alma 40:6):

Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part or portion of the Spirit of the Lord . . . and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection. . . .

There is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.  (Alma 40:6, 11–14, 21)

During this time, all beings will be given the chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and to accept Him as their Savior. (See Doctrine and Covenants 138:19–37.) Mormons believe this is a time for preparing God’s children for judgment and resurrection.  Spirits of men and women in the spirit world awaiting resurrection have just as much freedom of choice as they did on earth, and thus, they can repent after learning the doctrines of Christ.  Since Christ’s atonement and visit to the spirit world, spirits in spirit prison who repent, move to spirit paradise to await resurrection.

The Beginning of the Resurrection of Mankind

Latter-day revelation teaches that the first resurrection began immediately after Jesus Christ was resurrected, when the righteous dead who had lived from the day of Adam to the time of Christ arose with him. (See Doctrine and Covenants 133: 54–55.) The New Testament bears the same testimony:

“And, behold the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection” (Matthew 27:51–53).

The Righteous Resurrected at the Second Coming of Christ

This first resurrection will continue at the time of Christ’s second coming to the earth:

And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.

And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—

They are Christ’s, the first fruits. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:96–98)

The Timing of the Second Resurrection

The rest of those spirits who wait for resurrection, who are part of the resurrection of the unjust (Doctrine and Covenants 76:17), or as John calls it, “the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29), shall come forth after a period of a thousand years—the millennial period of peace and righteousness when Christ will reign personally upon the earth and fully establish the kingdom of God on the earth. (See Doctrine and Covenants 88:101; 133:25).

“In My Father’s House Are Many Mansions . . .”

Joseph Smith revealed that the word mansions is better translated as kingdoms.¹ Latter-day revelation defines and describes those main kingdoms of glory as celestial, terrestrial, and telestial, with divisions within these kingdoms. (See Doctrine and Covenants 76.)

Each person is assigned a kingdom according to God’s judgment of his life, his obedience, and his desires. Each of God’s children will receive glory according to his or her ability to abide that glory, and according to the person’s comfort. (See Doctrine and Covenants 88:20–33.) “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:33).

Conclusion

Our Father in Heaven planned for our eternal fullness of joy. He intended for His children to rejoin Him in His heavenly home after their earth life to live with Him eternally. He has revealed His plan of salvation through revelation. Through His plan, He has provided comfort, direction, and blessings to help His children come home.

Note:

1. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1938), 366.

Those who are certain that God is real are they who have had direct experience with Him.  These spiritual experiences tend to imprint upon one’s soul more deeply than earthly experience.  In many ways they seem more real.

When Mormon missionaries first asked me to pray, I didn’t quite know how to go about it.  If anyone had asked me before that moment whether I believed in God, I would have answered in the affirmative, I think because I was raised in a believing society, and the idea just seemed natural.  But I had no definition of God, and could not have named His attributes, nor could I have told you how He works, or if He was a personal God, or not.  My first prayer was essentially, “Is there anybody up there”?

Something flowed through me in response.  It was comprised of love, peace, recognition, and approval.  It came from above, and when it did, I knew.  I knew not only that there was a God, but that He loved me personally and was there at the very instant I called upon Him.  He has personally been involved in my life ever since.

The Holy Ghost has spoken to me on many occasions in language I would never shape in my own conversation.  His words, conveying the message of the Father and His Beloved Son, imprint and remain to anchor one’s faith.  You feel, as much as hear, his words.  It was a warm but windy Santa Barbara night when I prayed to know whether I should “wait” for a young man leaving on a Mormon mission.  “He’s going to be the father of your children,” the Holy Ghost said with a force that nearly took away my footing.  That experience gave me strength and patience to hang in there for three years, until a relationship began to bear fruit and we were married.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church,” most worthy men hold the “priesthood.”  In the Church of Jesus Christ, “priesthood” is the power and authority to act in God’s name.  Men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood are able to give blessings of comfort and healing by the laying on of hands, and God has manifested Himself to me very personally in these blessings.  Through them, He has given me an inkling of who I was before I was born to earthly parents, and who I can be after I leave this earthly existence.  He has also told me a lot about my children and who they will be as adults.

I have learned that He knows us better than we know ourselves, better than anyone knows us, and that He want s us to allow Him to make of us what would be impossible without His full involvement.  Although He is all powerful, He is also all personal.  I have learned that He is ever more involved and quick to hear when we are the most dedicated to keeping His commandments, praying often, and studying the scriptures.  I have learned that the distractions of the world can keep us from feeling His love every minute.  Over the years, as I have turned my self about in His direction and away from the world’s, I have been aware of Him and received His guidance constantly.

I testify that God is not only our Creator, but our real Father in Heaven, who loves us so personally, He is like an affectionate, all-wise, Father to us.  The more we turn to Him and abandon our attachment to those things that are impermanent, the more He speaks to us, guides us, heals and comforts us.

I am a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  I think I did believe in God before I was introduced to Mormon missionaries, but He was not personal to me.  Since I was raised without any religion in my home, I really had no set of beliefs or doctrines, just a nebulous feeling that there must be a God.  The Mormon missionaries asked me to pray and find out for certain.  They were sure I would “get an answer,” something I had never considered.  I had always viewed prayer as a one-way communication from people to God, giving gratitude and asking that needs be fulfilled.

I suppose that my first prayer was much like anyone’s in my position.  Finding a way to be alone, I knelt and asked, “Is there anyone up there?”  Suddenly, a feeling washed over me, something I had never before experienced.  It came from above and filled me with warmth,  a solid assurance that yes, God was there, had always been, and that He was gladly manifesting Himself to me, now that I had finally asked.

I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ, and during the first few years had several personal revelations that powerfully answered my questions about some important decisions.  I asked God whether a certain man was the one I should marry.  That was important enough for the Lord to speak to me through the Holy Ghost, yes.

I had only had one “priesthood blessing,” however.  A priesthood blessing is when a man who holds the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood lays his hands upon your head and blesses you, as a conduit of revelation from God, with healing, comfort, or prophetic information.  After I was married, my husband, a worthy priesthood holder, was willing to give me priesthood blessings whenever I felt I needed one.  Over the years, I was healed many times through priesthood power, sometimes really miraculously.  Other times, I learned a great deal about myself, things I hadn’t realized, and I don’t think my parents or husband realized.

I began to learn how intimately the Lord knows us.  Even in our formative stages, He knows both our weaknesses and our potential.  In fact, He knew us for an eternity before we were born, and He knows which of our weaknesses are the temporary trappings of mortality.  Sometimes predictions received through revelation were almost unbelievable, way beyond my current ability, things I had never even considered.  But they did unfold like a perfect flower, coming to pass naturally, and yet miraculously.

God knows each one of His children this thoroughly, and He is willing to use that knowledge to guide us through our lives and our trials, if only we come to Him and ask, and then respond with action after we receive His guidance.  Once a connection is established and we learn to pray always, this guidance continuously flows on a daily basis.  In times of desperate trial, the Lord gives us more.

How would your life change, learning that God knows and loves you intimately?  Would you be more forthcoming in your communications with Him?  Would you trust His judgment more?  Would you make yourself a clean vessel in order to receive His spirit?  Would you turn your life over to Him, so He could use you in His service to touch the lives of others?

God’s love is infinite.  His central purpose is to exalt us.