The Father, Son, and Holy GhostPresident Gordon B. Hinckley

Ensign, Mar. 1998, pp. 2-7

HE first article of faith is familiar to allmembers of the Church. It is the pivotalposition of our religion. It is significant thatin setting forth the primary elements of ourdoctrine, the Prophet Joseph put thisnumber one:

“We believe in God, the Eternal Father,and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the

Holy Ghost” (A of F 1:1).The preeminence given that declaration is in accord

with another statement the Prophet made. Said he: “It isthe first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty thecharacter of God” (History of the Church, 6:305).

These tremendously significant and overarchingdeclarations are in harmony with the words of the Lord inHis great intercessory prayer: “And this is life eternal,that they might know thee the only true God, and JesusChrist, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

I would like to discuss this most important of alltheological subjects, that which is the subject of the firstarticle of faith.

I believe without equivocation or reservation in God,the Eternal Father. He is my Father, the Father of myspirit, and the Father of the spirits of all men. He is thegreat Creator, the Ruler of the Universe. He directed thecreation of this earth on which we live. In His image manwas created. He is personal. He is real. He is individual.He has “a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s”(D&C 130:22).

In the account of thecreation of the earth,“God said, Let us makeman in our image, afterour likeness” (Gen.1:26).

Could any languagebe more explicit? Doesit demean God, as somewould have us believe,that man was created inHis express image?Rather, it should stirwithin the heart ofevery man and woman

a greater appreciation for himself or herself as a son ordaughter of God. Paul’s words to the Corinthian Saintsare as applicable to us today as they were to those towhom he wrote. Said he:

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spiritof God dwelleth in you?

If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy;for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Cor.3:16–17).

God Has a Body

I remember the occasion of more than 50 years agowhen, as a missionary, I was speaking in an open-airmeeting in Hyde Park, London. As I was presenting mymessage, a heckler interrupted to say, “Why don’t youstay with the doctrine of the Bible which says in John[4:24], ‘God is a Spirit’?”

I opened my Bible to the verse he had quoted and readto him the entire verse: “God is a Spirit: and they thatworship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

I said, “Of course God is a spirit, and so are you, in thecombination of spirit and body that makes of you a livingbeing, and so am I.”

Each of us is a dual being of spiritual entity andphysical entity. All know of the reality of death when thebody dies, and each of us also knows that the spirit liveson as an individual entity and that at some time, under thedivine plan made possible by the sacrifice of the Son ofGod, there will be a reunion of spirit and body. Jesus’declaration that God is a spirit no more denies that he has

a body than does thestatement that I am aspirit while also havinga body.

I do not equate mybody with His in itsrefinement, in itscapacity, in its beautyand radiance. His iseternal. Mine is mortal.But that only increasesmy reverence for Him.I worship Him “in spiritand in truth.” I look toHim as my strength. I

pray to Him for wisdombeyond my own. I seekto love Him with all myheart, might, mind, andstrength. His wisdom isgreater than the wisdomof all men. His power isgreater than the power ofnature, for He is theCreator Omnipotent. Hislove is greater than thelove of any other, forHis love encompasses allof His children, and it isHis work and His gloryto bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of Hissons and daughters of all generations (see Moses 1:39).

He “so loved the world, that he gave his only begottenSon, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

This is the Almighty of whom I stand in awe andreverence. It is He to whom I look in fear and trembling.It is He whom I worship and unto whom I give honor andpraise and glory. He is my Heavenly Father, who hasinvited me to come unto Him in prayer, to speak withHim, with the promised assurance that He will hear andrespond.

Thanks Be to God

I thank Him for the light and knowledge andunderstanding He has bestowed upon His children. Ithank Him for His voice, which has spoken eternal truthwith power and promise. I thank Him for His revelationof Himself as set forth in the Old Testament, for Hisdeclaration, as set forth in the New Testament, at thebaptism of His Beloved Son in the waters of Jordan whenHis voice was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, inwhom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17).

I thank Him for His similar declaration on the Mountof Transfiguration when He spoke again to Jesus and HisApostles, and angels also, when “after six days Jesustaketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeththem up into an high mountain apart,

And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine asthe sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Eliastalking with him.

Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good forus to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles;one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowedthem: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This ismy beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.(Matt. 17:1–5)

I thank Him for thatvoice again heard whenthe risen Lord wasintroduced to the peopleo f t h e W e s t e r nHemisphere with thevoice of God declaring,“Behold my BelovedSon, in whom I am wellpleased, in whom I haveglorified my name” (3Ne. 11:7).

I stand in awe andreverence and gratitudefor His appearance in

this dispensation when, as He introduced the risen Lordto one who had sought Him in prayer, the Fatherdeclared, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H1:17).

Testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of theeternal, living God. I believe in Him as the Firstborn ofthe Father and the Only Begotten of the Father in theflesh. I believe in Him as an individual, separate anddistinct from His Father. I believe in the declaration ofJohn, who opened his gospel with this majestic utterance:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God. …

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and webeheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth. (John 1:1–2, 14)

I believe that He was born of Mary of the lineage ofDavid as the promised Messiah, that He was in very deedbegotten of the Father, and that in His birth was thefulfillment of the great prophetic declaration of Isaiah:

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and thegovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall becalled Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlastingFather, The Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6)

I believe that in His mortal life He was the one perfectman to walk the earth. I believe that in His words are tobe found that light and truth which, if observed, wouldsave the world and bring exaltation to mankind. I believethat in His priesthood rests divine authority—the powerto bless, the power to heal, the power to govern in theearthly affairs of God, the power to bind in the heavensthat which is bound upon the earth.

Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice

I believe that through His atoning sacrifice, theoffering of His life on Calvary’s hill, He expiated the sins

of mankind, relieving us from the burden of sin if we willforsake evil and follow Him. I believe in the reality andthe power of His Resurrection which we commemorate atthis Easter season. I believe in the grace of God mademanifest through His sacrifice and redemption, and Ibelieve that through His Atonement, without any price onour part, each of us is offered the gift of resurrection fromthe dead. I believe further that through that sacrifice thereis extended to every man and woman, every son anddaughter of God, the opportunity for eternal life andexaltation in our Father’s kingdom, as we hearken andobey His commandments.

None so great has ever walked the earth. None otherh a s m a d e acomparable sacrificeo r g r a n t e d acomparable blessing.He is the Savior andthe Redeemer of theworld. I believe inHim. I declare Hisd ivin i ty wi thoute q u i vo c a t i on o rcompromise. I loveHim. I speak Hisname in reverence andwonder. I worshipHim as I worship HisFather, in spirit and intruth. I thank Him andkneel before His wounded feet and hands and side,amazed at the love He offers me.

God be thanked for His Beloved Son, who reached outlong ago and said to each of us:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and Iwill give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek andlowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28–30)

Christ Is the Living, Resurrected Son of God

He lives, the firstfruits of the Resurrection. I know Helives today as really, as certainly, as individually, as Helived when, as the risen Lord, He beckoned Hisdiscouraged disciples to “come and dine. … And [He]taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise” (John21:12–13).

Scripture tells of others to whom He showed Himselfand with whom He spoke as the living, resurrected Son ofGod. Likewise in this dispensation He has appeared, andthose who saw Him declared:

“And now, after the many testimonies which have been givenof him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him:

That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and weheard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten ofthe Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds areand were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sonsand daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

This is the Christ in whom I believe and of whom Itestify.

The Holy Ghost Is the Third Member of the Godhead

That knowledge comes from the word of scripture, andthat testimony comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. It

is a gift, sacred andwonderful, borne byrevelation from thethird member of theGodhead. I believe inthe Holy Ghost as apersonage of spiritwho occupies a placewith the Father andthe Son, these threecomposing the divineGodhead.

The importance ofthat place is madeclear from the wordsof the Lord, who said:

“All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven untomen: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not beforgiven unto men.

“And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, itshall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the HolyGhost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neitherin the world to come” (Matt. 12:31–32).

That the Holy Ghost was recognized in ancient timesas a member of the Godhead is evident from theconversation between Peter and Ananias when the latterheld back a part of the price received from the sale of apiece of land.

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart tolie to the Holy Ghost … ?

… Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. (Acts 5:3–4)

The Holy Ghost stands as the third member of theGodhead, the Comforter promised by the Savior whowould teach His followers all things and bring all thingsto their remembrance, whatsoever He had said unto them(see John 14:26).

The Holy Ghost is the Testifier of Truth, who canteach men things they cannot teach one another. In thosegreat and challenging words of Moroni, a knowledge of

the truth of the Book of Mormon is promised “by thepower of the Holy Ghost.” Moroni then declares, “Andby the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth ofall things” (Moro. 10:4–5).

I believe this power, this gift, is available to us today.

Members of the Godhead Are Real and Individual

And so, my beloved brethren and sisters, I believe inGod, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, andin the Holy Ghost.

I was baptized in the name of these three. I wasmarried in the name of these three. I have no questionconcerning their reality and their individuality. Thatindividuality was made apparent when Jesus was baptizedby John in Jordan. There in the water stood the Son ofGod. His Father’s voice was heard declaring His divinesonship, and the Holy Ghost was manifest in the form ofa dove (see Matt. 3:16–17).

I am aware that Jesus said that they who had seen Himhad seen the Father (see John 14:9). Could not the samebe said by many a son who resembles his parent?

When Jesus prayed to the Father, certainly He was notpraying to Himself!

Members of the Godhead Are Perfectly United

They are distinct beings, but they are one in purposeand effort. They are united as one in bringing to pass thegrand, divine plan for the salvation and exaltation of thechildren of God.

In His great, moving prayer in the garden before Hisbetrayal, Christ pleaded with His Father concerning theApostles, whom He loved, saying:

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shallbelieve on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I inthee, that they also may be one in us. (John 17:20–21)

It is that perfect unity between the Father, the Son, andthe Holy Ghost that binds these three into the oneness ofthe divine Godhead.

Miracle of miracles and wonder of wonders, they areinterested in us, and we are the substance of their greatconcern. They are available to each of us. We approachthe Father through the Son. He is our intercessor at thethrone of God. How marvelous it is that we may so speakto the Father in the name of the Son.

I bear witness of these great, transcendent truths. AndI do so by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost.