Theseedsofhumandivinity

Title: ​ The Seeds of Human Divinity Kicker:​ By comprehending the nature of God, we recognize all humankind as literal children of heavenly parents who have given us divine potential. Humans are not depraved, but are rather imbued with the seeds of divinity which, when nurtured through the atonement, can lead us to exaltation.

“Billions pray to God as their parent, invoke the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people to promote peace, and reach out to the weary and troubled out of deep conviction that each of God’s children has great worth.” But how many people actually believe we have literal heavenly parents?

In “​ Becoming Like God​ ” on Gospel Topics, the Church points out that though many religions view God as a metaphorical father, Latter-day Saints view all people as literal descendants of God with the potential to become divine. These beliefs have biblical origin and can be traced back to the first centuries following Christ’s death. For example, “The Apostle Paul taught that we are “​ the offspring of God​ ” and emphasized that as such “​ we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ​ .”

Whereas most of Christianity has since chosen metaphorical interpretation, Latter-day Saints maintain belief in deification because of the “clarifying lens” that Joseph Smith received in latter-day revelations. One such revelation was that the human soul “​ was not created or made, neither indeed can be​ .” Even so, God is our parent because he prepared a plan of happiness for us because “​ spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy​ .”

But, with such unique doctrine in place, one may wonder how we as human beings progress to divinity. Joseph Smith once said, “What kind of a being is God?” Human beings needed to know, he 36 argued, because “if men do not comprehend the character of God they do not comprehend themselves.”​ As we learn of God, we see that we must simply live in harmony with Him, for the seeds of divinity are already within us.

Our divine progression is a process that is “ongoing and [will] require patience, faith, continuing repentance, obedience to the commandments of the gospel, and reliance on Christ.” It is like ascending a ladder, climbing from principle to principle until we become like God. As we climb, we will begin to recognize exalted experiences in our everyday existence. One rung may be the joy of raising children.

Another, our impulse of empathy and desire to help others. We may climb a rung when we stop in awe at the sublimity of the universe or when we make and keep commitments to God. But, perhaps most importantly in our climb to divinity, is recognizing our continuous need for the atonement. By using Christ’s atonement, we humble ourselves and unify our purpose with His, thereby not only being saved from sin and depravity, but also recognizing “the vast human potential [the atonement] makes possible.”

Because of our heavenly parents’ “infinite love,” we are invited to “cultivate [our] eternal potential by the grace of God.” And as we see the strains of divinity permeate our mortal existence, we will recognize our potential because “human nature is at its core divine.”

Read Gospel Topics’ full article “Becoming Like God” ​ here​ .

—Natalie Cherie Campbell