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ZHED - If we become god , it is possible that we can be equal to god? or what? some people don't believe this because they say we can't be equal to God! Someone said to me.
"You are right about Satan. He can use truths to lead into a lie. Here in the Genesis 3 he is telling half-truths. Satan told Adam and Eve they would not die on the day they ate, and he was right, they didn’t die physically. However, they died spiritually and were separated in their relationship with God. Romans 6:23 explains, “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.” Death here is contrasted with eternal life. We earn death and separation from God due to sin. Physical death is part of the package but is not an immediate consequence of sin. All who believe in Jesus Christ will have eternal life; we will be with God for all eternity. In contrast Romans 6:23 says all who sin with receive death, eternal separation from God when they die. The point is, sin gives us eternal death and the gift from God gives us eternal life. Adam and Eve sinned earning them eternal death.
As far as being “like God” they were given knowledge that only God possessed. They became “like God” in only this one way. However, they only gained a limited knowledge of good and evil, not equal to God. The Biblical God is omniscient, all-knowing. They gained limited knowledge of good and evil. What Satan didn’t tell them was by eating they would be separated from God forever for their disobedience; they would also gain feelings of isolation, guilt, embarrassment, and fear. As was Satan’s plan, the cost far outweighed the benefit of gaining some knowledge. Where in this passage do we learn that we can progress to become a God? Are you saying we have to sin to be like God?
There is only 1 God. God proclaims over and over again there is only 1 God; no god formed before Him or after. Here are two examples of many:
Isaiah 43:10,11 — Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior.
Isaiah 44:6,8 — Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Fear ye not, neither be afraid; have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
The Biblical God disagrees with Joseph Smith. You cannot become a god! Who are you going to believe?
JOEL - We can never become equal to God. He will always be ahead of us in terms of glory. God said:
"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)
The more of His children that achieve immortality and eternal life, the more glory is added upon Him. When we bring more glory to God we bring glory upon ourselves as well:
"And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." (Abraham 3:25-26)
In the King Follett discourse Joseph Smith referred to the concept of the eternal progression of both man and God. He said:
"My Father worked out His kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present it to My Father, so that He may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt Him in glory. He will then take a higher exaltation, and I will take His place, and thereby become exalted myself.
So that Jesus treads in the tracks of His Father, and inherits what God did before; and God is thus glorified and exalted in the salvation and exaltation of all His children." (King Follett discourse)
God is all-knowing and all-powerful and does not progress in these attributes. But as we obey God and progress into the eternities this will cause God to progress in glory and thereby achieve a higher exaltation, which in turn causes us to advance in glory as well, but He will always be our God and always above us.
With reference to the Isaiah 43 scriptures, when they are not read out of context you get a slightly different understanding of it. In verse 1 of Isaiah 43 the Lord identifies who he is talking to:
"BUT now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called [thee] by thy name; thou [art] mine."
Here God is not talking to or about people of other universes that have or will exist. He is talking to those whom He created. He is ours, we are His. His authority is over us and no one else.
Then if you look at verse 11 God says, "I, [even] I, [am] the LORD; and beside me [there is] no saviour."
Each universe that has existed or will exist will have its own Savior. God is saying that He is the only God and only savior that we will need. Only He will save us and redeem us from death. Everything God said in the Bible is for us and only us, existing at this time in this universe. The same is true for the Isaiah 44 scriptures. For us in this universe there is no other God.
Therefore when He says, "there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me" Christ is declaring that He is the only one the Father exalted to authority over His fellow brothers and sisters, not that His brothers and sisters cannot become like Him and His Father (Matt 5:48).
The understanding of all this does require one to understand and interpret the scriptures as our latter-day prophets have done for us. Which means the person you are talking to about this, who only bases his understanding of the gospel according to only the Bible and his interpretation of the Bible, will not agree with it.
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