God
What does the Bible teach about God?
The Bible teaches there is only one God — not just of this earth, but anywhere — yet he reveals himself as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Christian church uses “triune” (three in one) to describe this mystery.
I and the Father are one.
John 10:30
Furthermore, God is not merely different in degree from us. He is in a class all his own, entirely different in his very essence. God’s power is unlimited; he is beyond human understanding. He created the universe from nothing and is present everywhere. Moreover, God is unchanging, without beginning or end. There was never a time he did not exist as God.
Stop talking past each other. Gain a better understanding of the words that are unique to Mormonism and the differences of shared terms between Mormonism and Christianity.
What does Mormonism teach about God?
Mormonism teaches that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings who are perfectly united in purpose, rather than one triune God. Heavenly Father has a glorified body of flesh and bones, as does Jesus Christ, while the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit.
Mormonism also teaches that Heavenly Father is the literal father of our spirits and that we lived with him before coming to earth. As his spirit children, humans have the potential to become like him through Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation. This includes the possibility of exaltation and ultimately becoming gods.
Historically, Mormonism taught that God was once a man who progressed to godhood and that faithful humans could likewise become gods. Today's LDS Church places much less emphasis on God's origins, acknowledging that little has been revealed about them. However, the teaching that humans can progress toward exaltation and become like Heavenly Father remains part of Mormon doctrine.
Mormonism also differs from biblical Christianity in its understanding of creation. Rather than teaching that God created everything from nothing, it teaches that matter is eternal and that God organized the world from existing materials.
Why would I want to live with someone who is always sizing up my worth? It's too much pressure!
Stephanie
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 130:22
Why this Matters
Both Christianity and Mormonism speak of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Both describe God as loving, perfect, and powerful. But these familiar words can conceal profoundly different understandings of who God is and how we relate to him.
The Bible reveals one eternal God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three distinct persons, yet one God, not merely united in purpose but one in divine being (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19). He didn't become God through effort or progression. He has always been God, the holy, infinite, perfect I AM. He created everything and depends on nothing outside himself (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 44:24).
This distinction matters because God is not simply a greater version of ourselves or someone we can eventually become. He is our Creator, and we are his creatures. The distance between us is not something we can overcome through spiritual progression.
And when we lose sight of God's true nature, we lose sight of our true need. Our greatest problem is not that we have yet to reach our divine potential. It is that we are sinners who cannot make ourselves holy or restore our relationship with God. We need more than someone to show us what we can become. We need someone to save us.
That is why the gospel is such good news.
The eternal Son of God did not wait for us to climb toward him. He came down to us. Jesus became human, lived the perfect life we could not live, and died to reconcile us to God (John 1:14; Romans 5:8–10).
Our hope is not that we can become like God. Our hope is that God himself has come to save us.
When we talk with Latter-day Saints about God, we have an opportunity to share something greater than the promise of eternal progression: the promise of eternal life with God, secured by Jesus Christ and received through faith in him.
Scripture References
Deuteronomy 6:4
Matthew 28:19
Isaiah 45:22
John 4:24
Psalm 90:2
Jeremiah 23:24
Genesis 17:1
Psalm 139:1-4
Isaiah 55:9
Summary
Christianity
There is one, all-powerful, triune God who created the universe from nothing.
Mormonism
God was once a man who worked his way to godhood. Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are three separate gods who make up one godhead.