The Everlasting Father

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we very commonly speak of Jesus Christ as our Brother. We love to know that we, like him, are each a child of our Heavenly Father. But in all of our excitement to acknowledge that he is our Brother, many of us may have become uncomfortable with the idea of calling Christ our Father. 

In one of the most well-known scriptures of the Bible (as heard in Handel's Messiah!) we learn the doctrine that Christ is our Everlasting Father. 

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." -Isaiah 9:6

The doctrine that Christ must become our Everlasting Father is taught in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants.

John 5:43 (Bible)

1 Corinthians 4:15 (Bible)

Mosiah 7:27 (Book of Mormon)

Mosiah 15:3

Mosiah 15:11

Mosiah 16:15

Helaman 14:12 (Book of Mormon)

Ether 3:14 (Book of Mormon)

Doctrine and Covenants 11:30

Doctrine and Covenants 50:41

Doctrine and Covenants 76:24

Christ is our Father in three ways:

1. He is the Father of the heavens and earth because He created them!

2. He is the Father in the fact that He comes representing His Father and speaking in His Father's words.

3. He becomes our Father when we are baptized in His name. 

We have three Fathers, and each one offers us a new life. 

1. Our Heavenly Father: the Father of our spirits. He offered us life as He created our spirits!

2. Our mortal fathers: the father of our physical body. He offers us mortal life with a physical body for our spirit.

3. Jesus Christ: the Father who offers us eternal life! He offers us spiritual rebirth!

We cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless Christ becomes our Father. I know that He truly is (or must become) our personal Everlasting Father. We must become His sons and daughters through our baptism. This is a rebirth, becoming His child. 

At first it was a little hard for me to think of my Brother also being my Father....but then it struck me: My mortal father, for me: Jon, was also my brother before he participated in offering me new life. Jon is a spiritual son of our Heavenly Father. He and I are and were spiritual brother and sister. We have the same Father of our spirits. But when Jon offered me the opportunity to come into this mortal life and gain a physical body, he forever became my father! My mortal father. 

Jesus Christ can be thought of in a similar way. He lived with us before this life in the presence of our Heavenly Parents. The Father of His spirit is also the Father of our spirits. (The difference being that our Heavenly Father is also Christ's mortal Father! Christ was physically begotten by our Heavenly Father.) But when Christ participated in offering us new life (when He came to earth as our Savior, and performed the Atonement in our behalf) He became our Father. If we accept Him as our Father, He will help prepare us for life in our Heavenly Father's presence.

I know these things are true. I am eternally grateful for each of my Fathers. I am eternally indebted to my Savior- who is also my Brother, but who saves me as my Everlasting Father.

"...but his hand is stretched out still."

I was reflecting recently on how we can increase our sense of hope in the future.

I was studying in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi chapters 19 and 20. These chapters quote Isaiah 9 and 10. At first glance, the last message they seem to give is that there is hope. These chapters are filled with prophecies of how wicked the people will become and how they will turn away from the Lord over and over again.

But as I was reading, I began to focus on one phrase that I noticed was reoccurring:

"...but his hand is stretched out still."

This is the message of hope! No matter how bad the world becomes, no matter how wicked society becomes, or how many trials we go through, the Lord will always stretch His hand out to us. We simply need to accept that hand- to reach out and grab hold of Him.

There is incredible hope in the consistency of the Savior. I know He lives, and that He is our source of hope. As long as He lives, there will always be hope. And He will always live!