Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-08-24
! 4 THE


orable occasion of the baptism of Je-
srs in the river Jordan. You remem-
Der how the scriptures. according to
Matthew, tell us that as Jesus came
M out Of the water from his baptism,
the heavens were opened, and the Spirit
OF God descended like a dove upon Him,
and at the same moment out of the
grand stiffness came the voice OF God
saying, This Is my beloved son, IN
whom | am well pleased" On another
occasion the Father acknowledges the
relationshlp-at the TRANSPORTATION OF
Jesus in the mount, In the presence OF
three Of his Apostles, Peter and James
and John, and the angels Moses ana
Elias. The company was oVershadowed
by a glorious light, and the voice OF
God was heard TO say of Jesus, This
Is my beloved Son; hear Him." OF
this the Apostles in subsequent years
testified. and we have on record thelI
testimony. SO that the existence OF
God the Father and the relationship
of Jesus to Him is most clearly shown
in these scriptures. Put Jesus Himself
claimed to be the Son Of God, and III
this connection there Is clearly claimed
for Him misunderstanding Let me-
read to you a direct passage upon that
subject: II Is TO be found In the testi-
mony according to ST. John and stands
as follows:
'AND THE WORD WAS GOD"
"In the beginning was the Word and
the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
"And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, land we beheld his
glory, the glory as Of the only be
gotten Of the Father, full Of grace and
truth.
The Identity between Jesus of Naza-
reth--"the Word made flesh"-and the
Word" that was with God in the be-
ginning" and that was God" Is SC
clear that it cannot possibly be doubt
ed. So that the Son is God, as well as
the Father is God Other evidences
go to establish the fact that Jesus had
the Godlike power Of creation. In this
very passage / have just read 1t is
said:
"All things were made by Him" that
Is, by the Word" "and without Hin
was not anything made that was made
I'm Him was life; and the life was the
light Of men,"
One other scripture OF like import
but perhaps even more emphatic than
that, Is that saying Of Paul's In the
Eplstle to the Hebrews:
God, who at sundry times and In
divers manners spake I'm time past unto
the fathers by the prophets.
Hath in these last days spoken unto
us by His Son, whom He hath appointed
heir Of all things, by whom also He
made the worlds"
Not only one world. but many worlds,
for the word Is used in the plural. Sc
that we find that God the Son was God
the Fathers agent In the work OF crea.
tion, and that under the Fathers direc.
ton He created many worlds. There
can be no question then as to the d.
yinity, the Godship, Of Jesus OF Naza'
reth, since He Is not only God the Sor
but God the Creator also.
Again. the Holy Ghost is spoken Of II
the scriptures as God think, per
chance the clearest notification Of thai
statement Is TO be found I'm connection
with the circumstance OF Ananias anC
his wife attempting to deceive tn,
Apostles with y,terence TO the price fol-
which they had sold certain parcel OF
land they owned. which price they pro
posed putting into the common funf
of the Church; but selhshness asserted
Itself, and they concluded TO lie as Z
the price OF the land and only con
secrate n part TO the common fund
When Ananias stood in the presenc,
of the Apostles, Peter put this very
pointed question to him: "Why haiti
Satan filled thine heart to lie to tn,
Holy Ghost?" Thou hast no
lied unto men. but unto God" TO III
TO the Holy Ghost is TO lie to God, be
cause the Holy Ghost is God. An(
frequently in the scriptures the Holy
Spirit is spoken Of as God.
THE HOLY, TRINITY.
These three, the Father. Son. and Holy
Ghost, II is true. are spoken o
in the most definite manner as be
ing God; but the distinction Of on,
from the other is also clearly
marked In the scriptures. TAX
that circumstance TO which have al
ready alluded-the baptism OF Jesus
There we may see the three distinc
personalities most clearly. The Soi
coming up out OF the water from HI!
baptism; the heavens opening and thu
Holy Spirit descending upon Him
while out Of heaven the voice OF Goo
is heard saying. This Is my beloved
Son, In whom | am well pleased" Her,
three Gods are distinctly apparent
They are seen 10 be dis hnct from eacl
other. They appear simultaneously
not as one, but as three: and however
completely they be one In spirit. In pur'
pose. In will, they are clearly distinc
as persons-as individuals.
THREE DISTINCT PERSONAL
tiles.
In several instances In the scriptures
/! these three personages are accorded
equal dignity In the Godhead. Al
| example Is found In the commission
which Jesus gave 70 His disciples aftel
| His resurrection when He sent then
out into the world to preach the Cos
| pei to all nations. He stood In the pres
ence OF the eleven, and said;
"All power is given unto me in heav
en- and In earth.
Go ye. therefore. and teach all ma
lions, baptlzlng them in the name o.
the Father, and Of the Son. and Of tn,
| Holy Ghost"
Each Of the three Is here given equa
dignity in the Godhead.
Again, In the Apostolic Benediction
MAY the grace Of our Lord Jesu
] Christ, the love OF God. and the com
munlon OF the Holy Ghost be With yo'
ALL"
on one occasion Jesus. In one particu
lar az least. came very nearly exaltlni
the Holy Ghost to a seeming superior
ity over the other personages In tn
Godhead, for lie said
"All manner OF sin and blasphs M
shall be forgiven unto men; but tn
| blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shal
not be forgiven unto men.
And whosoever speaketh a wort
against the Son OF Man. u shall be for
| given him: but whatsoever spenkeu
against the Holy Ghost. II shall n ot b.
forgiven him. neither In this world
neither in the world TO come"
! take II. however. that this seeminI
superior dignity accorded 20 the Hol.
Ghost 10y the Son OF Cod. Ia o@ieg 4
| the nature Of the third persona ge II