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Sunday, July 1, 2018

What is God Like?

We all wonder what God is like. Some think He is a spirit who dwells in our hearts. Some view Him as a great Santa who grants all their wishes, but what is He really like? One of the best ways to know, of course, is through people who have actually seen God. 




The scriptures are a record of the witness of people who have known God. When John the Baptist baptized the Savior, he heard the voice of God the Father:

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightwayout of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.   Matthew 3

The Savior took three of his apostles, Peter, James, and John, up into a high mountain and was transfigured, or allowed them to see as He is, a being of great power. The scriptures say that Jesus:

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

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.  Matthew 17
Stephen, the apostle of Jesus Christ who was stoned to death, saw: 
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,    Acts 7


When Jesus Christ appeared to the Nephites on what in now called the American continent, the voice of God the Father was heard saying: 

Behold my Beloved Sonin whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.  3 Nephi 11


In the spring of 1820 a young man prayed and saw God. Here is his first hand account:


"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.
". . .When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"  (Joseph Smith—History 1:16–17)
Another modern revelation from God states:
22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.  Doctrine and Covenants 130
So what does God look like? Just look in the mirror. 

26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:  Genesis 1

Though we are His children and look like our Heavenly Father, He is a being of great power and love far beyond our comprehension.

16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3

God the Father, his son  Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost all work together to help us learn, grow and become like them. They care for us, love us, listen to us, teach us, and help us, so that we can be happy now and forever, and that is what God is like. 







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