According to the Book of Mormon, as well as the Bible, there are three glorious, exalted, sovereign persons in the Godhead: The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. (See COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, Vol.. I, p. 93)
Originally the term God included the entire plurality of divine personages, and even archangels and angels. The divine name, Elohim (the plural form) proves the plurality, but gradually that form of the word became the name of the supreme Ruler of the universe. He is the Elohim, the mighty One, also called the Father, and the plural form of the name is retained to denote the greatness of His majesty, power, and glory. Generally, when the name is used without any qualification, it stands for the first Person in the Godhead. (See COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, Vol.. I, p. 199)
The Father. Christ taught the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man. That is the conception of the relationship between God and man in which we find comfort. It is as old as mankind. Christ revived it. His disciples proclaimed it, and endeavored to put it into practice. It was almost lost sight of, as it was beforetime to the Jews, until the Reformation when it was brought to the attention of those who yearned for human liberty, and it contributed greatly to the success of the world struggles which culminated in the form of government upon which our republic rests. For this government recognizes human rights as between man and man, rulers and ruled, and it has become clear that God, Himself, who raised up men to institute this government, surely respects the rights and privileges He had given His children, which are the very foundation of their responsibility as free agents.
With the attention thus turned to the doctrine of the Fatherhood of God, the life of Christ has been studied more closely than ever, since it is in Christ, that God, the Father, is most clearly revealed.
In the Book of Mormon, God is revealed as the Eternal Father, the Creator, Omnipotent, Infinite in Perfection, in wisdom, goodness, in love and mercy, as well as justice. He reigns supreme and He proclaims His Son to the children of men: “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name-hear ye him.” ( 12:48.3
It is perfectly clear that God, in the Book of Mormon, is revealed as a sovereign, but who rules as a wise, good, loving and just Father in the midst of His family; not as an Eastern despot in the midst of slaves and sycophants. He is the supreme Ruler of beings to whom He has given free agency, and He rules under the Celestial Law of Equality, or equal rights to all. In His sovereignty He controls even that which seems accidental. Even seemingly trifling means, and sometimes the wicked, serve, unknown to themselves, His purposes. He forgives the repentant sinner. He hears and answers prayer, and He takes care of those who put their trust in Him, as loving, obedient children.22; 3 Ne. 17:15-21.4
The Son. There is a tendency among modern professors of Christianity to accept the doctrine of the Divinity of Jesus, on the slippery ground that every human is divine. This, they argue, follows from the fact that all nature is permeated by the divine, supreme essence. In one sense, they say, all men are divine, and Christ is no more divine than we all are, or that all existing creatures are, for that matter. The only difference between Him and us, in their view, is this, that He realized that He was Divine, while we hope to be able to realize our divinity-some day.
It is not denied that there is some truth in the conception of a universal divinity. We are all God’s children. But Christ is much more than a child among children. He is the Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer, the Captain of our Salvation, the Mediator between the Father and the rest of God’s children. And that is a great difference.
The Book of Mormon is a mighty witness for the divine character and mission of our Lord. (See COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, Vol.. I, p. 93)
The Sacred Record states expressly that He is God: “There is a God, and He is Christ.”
He is the “Eternal God,” (Inspired Preface to Book of Mormon by Mormon) and “Lord God Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:8) He is “the Father,” “Eternal Father,”
the “Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
He is so intimately associated with God, the Father, that, in His relation to the children of men, He is both the Father and the Son. He stands in God’s stead. God has delegated to Him all power in heaven and on earth; He is One Member of the great, divine, presiding, and governing Council of Three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, to whose communion, baptism in His name and by His authority admits the redeemed child of God. He is, furthermore, “without beginning of days or end of years.”23; 11:7; 26:12; 5:15; 15:2; Ether 3:14.5
But although He is, in this sense, God, the Father; God, clothed in majesty and power and glory, He is also the Son of God. He is the “Beloved Son,” in whom the Father has glorified His name; He is the “Only Begotten Son,” and also the “Redeemer” and the “Lamb of God,” and the only “Savior” of mankind.24; 11:17; Ether 3:14.6
It may be seen from these references that in the Book of Mormon, Christ is, as already stated, revealed as “being the Father and the Son.” This is explained thus: “Because he dwelleth in the flesh, he shall be called the Son of God,” and the Father “because he was conceived by the power of God,” thus becoming the Father and the Son.
The Holy Ghost. The third person in the great, divine Council of Three is the Holy Ghost, also called the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of the Lord. (See COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF MORMON, Vol.. I, p. 93) In 19:7.7
It is the Holy Ghost that “bears record,” or testifies, of the Father and the Son. He manifests, or expounds, the word of God. It is, therefore, a great sin to deny him, or to contend against him.26; Moro. 8:9.8
The Three are One, but not one individual person. They are Three Persons, in one great Divine Council."
The Godhead is a type of unity in the attributes, powers, and purposes of its members. Jesus, while on earth, and in manifesting Himself to His Nephite .servants:repeatedly testified of the unity existing between Himself and the Father, and between Them both and the Holy Ghost. This cannot rationally be construed to mean that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one in person, nor that the names represent the same individual under different aspects... Immediately before His betrayal, Christ prayed for His disciples, the Twelve, and other converts, that they should be preserved in unity, that they all may be one’ as the Father and the Son are one. We cannot assume that Christ prayed that His followers lose their individuality and become one person, even if a change so directly opposed to nature were possible." (Dr. James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 40.)
The doctrine of some modern philosophers that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are merely terms expressing three modes in which the all-permeating divine essence relates itself to the experience of man, finds no support in the Book of Mormon. Nor does this Book teach that in the Father we see “the Absolute in its original oneness”; in the Son, its “self objectification,” and in the Spirit “the reunion of the two,” a set of phrases, the uselessness of which is their most conspicuous feature. On the contrary, the Book of Mormon, as the Bible, teaches, we repeat, that there are three distinct persons, perfectly united in their divine council, in their plans and purposes; united into one in the same sense, as Dr. Talmage reminds us, that Jesus, our Lord, was, and is, one with the Twelve.
The doctrine is exceedingly clear in the Book of Mormon:
"And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God without end. (2 Ne. 31:21)
Again:
“Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God.” (Alma 11:44)
The Holy Spirit. But, according to the Book of Mormon, as well as other Scripture, there is also a Holy Spirit, sometimes called the Holy Ghost, which is not a person, but rather a divine essence, a force, or fluid-for want of a better term-which permeates all that exists. It is the medium through which God communicates with the world, and especially with His children. It is through the presence of this holy, divine spirit that order is preserved in the universe. Were this mighty force withdrawn, the world would return to chaos. The planets would stop revolving in their wonted courses. The fountains of the great deep would again break its fetters and overflow; and even human society would fall into ruins. It is that Spirit, in whom “we live, and move, and have our being.” It is through His Spirit that Christ gives light to all things. It “proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space; it is the light which is in all things; which giveth life to all things; which is the law by which all things are governed; even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.” (D&C 88:41)
It is this Spirit that is imparted to the repentant believer who receives baptism and the laying on of hands by an authorized servant of the Lord. And it is through this Spirit that the spiritual gifts are distributed.27; 13:12; Moro. 10:8-9.9
The Spirit of the Lord. “For I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet, nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord.” (1 Ne. 11:11) How can the Spirit of the Lord be in the form of a man and yet be imparted by the laying on of hands? The late President Joseph F. Smith says:
"The terms The Holy Ghost and The Spirit of God are frequently used synonymously. We often say The Spirit of God when we mean The Holy Ghost; we likewise say The Holy Ghost when we mean The Spirit of God. The Holy Ghost is a personage in the Godhead, and is not that which lighteth every man that comes into the world. (Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Vol.. 1, p. 240)
It is not the third person of the Godhead that is imparted by the laying on of hands, but the Spirit that fills the universe. Speaking of The Holy Ghost, the divine person, President Heber C. Kimball says:
"Let me tell you, The Holy Ghost is a man; he is one of the sons of the Father and our God; and, he is that man that stood next to Jesus Christ, just as I stand by Brother Brigham. (Jour. of Dis., Vol.. 5, p. 179; also compare Alma 7:10 and 9:44)
It is necessary to have clearly before our minds the difference between the Holy Ghost as a divine person, one with the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost or Spirit, which is the medium of communication between God and His creation, His children, as previously explained. The Prophet Joseph says, “There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was baptized which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the Gospel; but he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was baptized. Had he not taken this sign, or ordinance, upon him, the Holy Ghost, which convinced him of the truth of God, would have left him.” (History of the Church, Vol.. IV, p. 555)
The Holy Ghost opened personally, as it were, the door of the Gospel to the Gentile world, by pouring out upon those in the house of Cornelius the power and influence which enabled them to accept truth, speak with tongues, and magnify God. But the full measure of this divine gift came after baptism and the laying on of hands; otherwise, baptism in water would have been superfluous, as many in our day regard it. Until Cornelius observed the ordinances and received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, he could not have healed the sick or commanded an evil spirit in the name of the Lord. The distinction has been made between the Holy Ghost as a person and a divine element: “The term Holy Ghost and its common synonyms, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, or simply Spirit, Comforter, and Spirit of Truth, occur in the Scriptures with plainly different meanings, referring in some cases to the person of God, the Holy Ghost, and in other instances to the power or authority of this great being.” (Dr. James E. Talmage)
In the Book of Mormon the distinction as we have seen, is made between the Holy Ghost, the person, and “Fire and the Holy Ghost,” the divine element or essence. This is a significant distinction.
Human language is but imperfect, and it is doubtful whether there is a word fully expressive of the true nature of this divine person and the medium through which God operates. In the Doctrine and Covenants, the divine element is called “the light which now shineth.” (D&C 88:11-33) Orson Pratt calls it a “substance?” We may, with Dr. Talmage refer to it as a “power,” or an influence, or couple it with the term “fire.” And it is all that. But it is more. It is “Holy Spirit,”-a substance, an influence, a power, a light, a fire that proceeds from the Father and the Son and permeates everything. It is the Glory of God, the manifestation of the divine presence; the fire and smoke, which made Sinai tremble; the glory which rested on the Mercy Seat in the tabernacle and the temple; the wind which filled the house on the Day of Pentecost. It is divine intelligence, since “the glory of God is intelligence.” It is the force before which mountains flee and worlds perish, for “the presence of the Lord shall be as a fire that burneth, and as a fire which causes water to boil.” (Doctrine and Covenants 133:41)