On being Children of God

This past Sunday I went to the gospel principles class for Sunday school. We talked about the Family Proclamation. It started with a brief discussion about how we are children of God. The teacher has a read a couple of scriptures. We read Romans 8:16-17 and something struck me that hadn't before. I know that we frequently use that scripture to teach that we are children of God, but there is a phrase in vs. 17 that says "if so be that we suffer with him". I asked if that conditional phrase was applied to us being children of God or heirs with Christ. Someone said it must be conditional upon being heirs with Christ, but when I asked why there wasn't any scriptural reference that we talked about. So for the next part of the class I wasn't paying any attention at all because I was thinking about the doctrinal base for us being children of God. I wondered if it was in the bible or just modern scriptures, especially since it is a doctrine very unique to Mormon theology.

My preliminary search of the canon unique to Mormon theology left me surprised. Not only did I not find any scriptural references to us being literal children of God, there were many others that suggested we actually become children of God (Matt 5:9; 3Ne 12:9; Matt 5:44-45; 3Ne 12:44-45; Moroni 7:19; D&C 11:30; D&C 25:1; D&C 34:3; D&C 35:2; D&C 39:4; D&C 42:52; D&C 45:8; D&C 76:23-24; D&C 76:58- the context of this one is talking about those who inherit a celestial glory). How can we become what we already are?  I think this is another example of a divine paradox, the paradox of our potential. Each of us has the same spiritual father, but before we get high and mighty about that, it is important to remember that Satan's spiritual father is one and the same. He is made from the same divine stuff. Does that make him a Child of God? (Moses 5:13) In one sense yes but in another sense no. And what does he inherit? nothing.

Being a literal spirit child of God the Father is an amazing and wonderful blessing and gift, but I think we miss the mark when we leave it to that. I think Heavenly Father wants us to see each other as His children so that we treat each other better. But there is something more to be had. We are in our natural man state, very fallen and to be honest we don't act like God, we don't act like His children most of the time. Without His son, without His light, without making covenants with Him, we don't really get to be treated like children of a King because we don't get to be with Him, we don't get to enjoy what He does. We are kind of like Satan without the Savior. We are "children of God", but not really. From what I read, it seems we aren't really children of God unless we act like it. And yet, the potential is there for every single person on this planet because they are made from the same spiritual matter that God is. Hence the paradox of our potential. 

Frequently people in the church pull out Psalms 82:2, or Romans 8:16-17. We did in the Sunday school class. But a careful reading of these scriptures in context yields to the fact that through Christ, covenants, and actions we become sons and daughters of God. It isn't something we already are (and yet it is). Cross reference the scripture in Psalms with D&C 76:50-58, and read the context of the scripture in Romans (specifically vs. 14-15... we are adopted through Christ). It seems that our literal kinship with God isn't scripturally based. What is scripturally based is a literal kinship with God through the Savior (Mosiah 5:7). I wonder where it came from? Maybe it was just revelation to Joseph Smith? I don't know. If you find any scriptures supporting the doctrine, I'd love to know them. I also looked up scriptures relating to inheritance/heir. Mosiah 15:11, 4 Ne 1:17, and D&C 52:2 were interesting. They tie into the same theme though. As do Mosiah 27:26; Alma 5:51, 58; Alma 9:12; Alma 39:9; 3 Ne 11:38; Alma 40:26; Alma 41:4; 3 Ne 11:33; Ether 12:34; D&C 6:37; D&C 10:55;; D&C 50:5; D&C 63:20; D&C 51:19; D&C 78:22; D&C 59:1-2; D&C 63:49; D&C 72:4; D&C 85:9, 11; D&C 88:17, 26, 107 (107 is really interesting to me); D&C 132:19; Moses 6:57. Into to be an heir and inherit all that the father has we have to be changed from this fallen state we are in. We have to overcome the natural man. For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever (Mosiah 3:19). The enemy of God is not his Child. That is very interesting to me. We have this dual nature... the natural man side which is the enemy of God, and this spiritual man side, that is to inherit kingdoms, thrones, principalities, and essentially everything (D&C 88:107; Romans 8:17). We are and we aren't, all at the same time. It is the paradox of our potential.

I read a talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson called, "We are children of God" and it gave me an idea. One of the footnotes stated "Looking up scriptural references that refer to create or form (or their derivatives), with either man, men, male, or female in the same verse, I found 55 instances that attest to our divine creation. One may represent the many that convey the same message: “The Gods took counsel among themselves and said: Let us go down and form man in our image, after our likeness. … So the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them” (Abr. 4:26–27)." Maybe I should look up those references to see what I can find about our relationship to our divine creator. I don't think it will say Son or Child or Daughter. But I do know that God made us. He is the creator of our spirits and he wants us to call him Father.