Through this short thought, I am going to ‘try’ to see us, (people), the way that God sees us. God could have adopted any title that He would like but His primary choice was ‘Father,’ God, the Father. Why would He choose that title unless He were, in some way, our actual Father. We often read of famous persons who have passed on, that they were the father of some important movement, etc. I really don’t think that is why God the Father is called the father. We know that He is called God, because He is ‘all powerful.’ How did He become ‘all powerful’? He can command and whatever He commands will be obeyed. What is it that makes all the elements in the universe, great and small, want to obey Him when He commands? A scripture seldom referred to states that if ‘He (God) ceased to be ‘Just’ that, He would cease to be God.’ That has to mean that, somehow, His Godhood is related to His being just (fair). We are also given to understand that He is the most intelligent being in the universe. Without latter-day scriptures it would be very difficult to understand how justice or fairness plays such an important role in His being and remaining the God of this universe. We know that He created this earth, for us. The scriptures tell us that it was created as a place, “Wherein these may dwell.” Why did He create it for us? That starts a whole new discussion, why are we that important to Him, God? In the scriptures we are referred to as His children. Are we actually His children, and if so, in what way are we His children? There are several ways that people are referred to as children. By actually being born to a couple, or an orphanage may refer to the children housed there as, ‘our children,’ or children who are adopted are referred to as the children of those who adopted them. At this point in the history of this earth and our life on it, a few things are still a little hazy. Modern day scriptures, scriptures either discovered in these latter days or scriptures that were given through a modern day prophet, tell us that everything, all matter, is intelligent. That is how there is order in the universe.
The smallest particles have order or intelligence, a molecule has a nucleus with both positive and negative elements, too small to see with the naked eye, spinning around the nucleus in perfect order. It has intelligence to maintain its order and it’s place in the universe. God is God because all these various and sundry intelligences obey Him, recognizing Him as the most intelligent and fair to all. They have the assurance that He will always be fair and the same. There are millions of different levels of intelligence, God is the most intelligent of them ‘all.’ We, His children, were a much higher order of intelligence and therefore we were fairly given an opportunity to grow—we were potentially ‘god’ material. He first created spirits wherein our intelligent matter was placed. Exactly how and how long that process took, no-one knows, but the Father. Our spirit bodies were created in His image, meaning we look and have our being, somewhat like His. Probably as a child on earth will appear like his parents. If you have ever wondered what God, or Heavenly Father looks like, well, look in the mirror and imagine that you were glorified. Remember when the chief apostles were taken to the Mount of Transfiguration and their clothing and appearance had a brightness, splendor, and majesty of outward appearance. While praying, Jesus personal appearance was changed into a glorified form, and His clothing became dazzling white.
We lived in that pre-existent state, progressing as His spirit children, until we matured and came to a point that we were ready to move on. The scriptures only tell us the earth was created, “Where-in these may dwell…” As we are born to earth our spiritual bodies take on material or physical bodies patterned after and in the exact image of our spiritual bodies. When Job questioned his purposes, God’s response was a challenge: “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that dark- eneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?”
My role as a father to my children is patterned after His example. He loved us so He prepared a place for us to grow just as I loved my children and prepared a place for them to live and to grow and be protected from the elements.
He loves us as an earthly father loves his children. He watches over us and sometimes intercedes in our behalf when the cause is just and the cry of faith is strong. When our earthly learning and our trial is over with all the mistakes that we made and were expected to make we wanted a way back to the Father. He wanted us to return to Him but to justify that in the eyes of all the other intelligences in the universe—He had to somehow satisfy justice. Mercy was the only way that He had to trump justice. He had to prove how important it was for Him to have us back. His first born, recognized by all the intelligences as next only to the Father in ‘intelligence and fairness’ and who was to live a perfect life when it was his turn on earth, agreed to give His life to satisfy justice.
The Father, too, was willing to allow His only begotten and perfect son, to die a terrible death, to show how much He loved us all and wanted us back. The intelligences of the universe did have mercy and God remains God our Father because of that great love that He has for us. Our indebtedness is and always will be to our older brother Jesus Christ for giving His all and suffering beyond belief to make it happen. God is our Father, probably in more ways than we know.
Too, if siblings on earth had the kind of compassion and love for their earthly kin as Jesus ‘The Son of Man’ had for his siblings, can you imagine what a wonderful world we would have?