Article of Faith 1
We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
At First Glance
If you come from a Christian background, this statement may sound completely familiar.
God the Father.
Jesus Christ.
The Holy Ghost.
Those are the same names used in the Bible.
But here is where clarity matters:
Shared words do not always mean shared beliefs.
In Mormonism, these terms carry very different meanings than they do in historic, biblical Christianity—and those differences are not small. They reshape who God is, who Jesus is, and ultimately, what salvation means.
Why This Matters
This is not a minor theological disagreement.
If God is not who the Bible reveals Him to be…
If Jesus is not the eternal Creator but a created being…
Then we are no longer talking about the same gospel.
And if the gospel is different, then the path to salvation is different.
That is why this matters.
What This Means in LDS Teaching
God the Father
In LDS theology, God the Father (often called Elohim) is not eternally God in the biblical sense.
He is believed to have once been a man who progressed to godhood.
“Because we are made in his image, we know that God has a body that looks like ours. His eternal spirit is housed in a tangible body of flesh and bones.”
(Gospel Principles, 1997, p. 9)
This teaching is summarized in a well-known LDS statement:
“As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.”
(James E. Talmage, A Study of the Articles of Faith)
Human beings, in this view, are literal spirit children of heavenly parents:
“Man, as a spirit, was begotten of heavenly parents… prior to coming upon the earth…”
(Gospel Principles, 1997, p. 11)
Jesus Christ
In Mormon theology, Jesus is not the eternal, uncreated Son.
He is the firstborn spirit child of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother—making Him the spirit brother of all humanity. This includes Lucifer.
“Our oldest brother, Jesus Christ… said, ‘Here I am, send me.’ Satan… also came saying, ‘Behold, here I am, send me…’”
(Gospel Principles, 1997, p. 19)
Jesus is also taught to have been conceived through a literal, physical relationship between God the Father and Mary:
“God the Father became the literal father of Jesus Christ… born of a mortal mother and an immortal father.”
(Gospel Principles, 1997, p. 64)
The Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost, in LDS teaching, is a separate being—distinct from the Father and the Son. He is a spirit being who does not have a physical body, but is also not omnipresent in the way the Bible describes God:
“The Holy Ghost as a personage of Spirit can no more be omnipresent than can the Father and the Son…”
(Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine)
Together, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are understood to be three separate gods—united in purpose, but not in essence.
The Critical Difference
This is the point where the two views can no longer be blended.
Mormonism teaches:
- God was once a man
- Humans can become gods
- Jesus is a created being
- The Godhead consists of separate divine beings
The Bible teaches:
- God has always been God
- There is only one God
- Jesus is eternal, not created
- The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one in essence
These are not small variations.
They are two fundamentally different views of reality.
What Scripture Reveals
God Is Eternal — Not Progressed
“Before Me there was no god formed, nor will there be one after Me.”
(Isaiah 43:10)
“I am God, and there is no other.”
(Isaiah 46:9)
God does not become God.
He is God—eternal, uncreated, and unmatched.
God Is Not a Man
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God…”
(1 Timothy 1:17)
Jesus made a clear distinction:
“A spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
(Luke 24:39)
God is not an exalted human being with a physical body.
He is Spirit—beyond physical limitation.
Jesus Is the Creator — Not a Created Being
“In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God.”
(John 1:1)
“By Him all things were created…”
(Colossians 1:16)
If Jesus created all things, He cannot be a spirit being created by a heavenly father and mother.
He is not our spirit brother.
He is our Creator.
There Is One God
The Bible does not describe three separate gods working together. It reveals one God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not three beings united in purpose—but one divine nature shared fully and eternally.
A Gentle but Important Question
When you say you believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost…
Are you using the same definitions found in Scripture? Or have the meanings quietly changed?
Final Thought
For many people, this is the moment where things begin to shift.
Not because they were trying to believe something false—
but because they were using familiar words with unfamiliar meanings.
And once you see the difference…
it’s very hard to unsee it.