"There are two personages who constitute the great matchless, governing and supreme power over all things-by whom all things were created and made that are created and made, whether visible or invisible: whether in heaven, on earth, or in the earth, under the earth, or throughout the immensity of space – They are the Father and the Son. The Father being a personage of spirit, glory and power: possessing all perfection and fullness: The Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, a personage of tabernacle…And he being the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and having overcome, received a fullness of the glory of the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit…” (1835 ed. Doctrine and Covenants, Lectures on Faith, Lecture 5, emphasis added).
“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, emphasis added).
In order to parse the scriptures in a meaningful way, we must first address what would appear to be a contradiction in doctrine. The first scripture reference comes from The Lectures on Faith which was included in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. These lectures, along with the revelations that constitute the Doctrine and Covenants, were presented by the leaders of the church and voted in by the members as scripture. The prophet Joseph Smith Jr. recorded in his own journal that he spent a considerable amount of time editing the lectures for publication so as to be included in this edition.
Throughout the history of the church many prophets and apostles have declared The Lectures on Faith to be scripture, though they are not found in the Standard Works today. Read the account of how these lectures were presented and accepted in General Assembly, 17 August 1835 which can be found in the back of the Doctrine and Covenants 1835 ed. They were considered the leading items of our religion for 80 years. You should consider whether they are still scripture today.
We now have to find a way to reconcile what appears to be a direct contradiction in scripture. Though this seems like an impossibility, both scriptures listed above are true and in reality contain no contradiction. Consider for a moment the following picture:
Understand that this simple display has infinite possibilities. This is: a line, a plane, a divisor, a shape, a depiction, a perspective, a symbol, a picture, a representation, a horizon, a focal point. It is: contrasting, layering, giving dimension, drawing attention, eliciting a mental response, triggering biological responses. In an abstract sense it could be anything such as a table, a shelf, a bed, a rope, etc. Isaiah understood the concept of depth and wrote in such a manner that people from all places and in all times could relate his writing to them. Jesus taught in parables so that those with spiritual ears would hear and understand, and those who were unprepared would “hear, and not understand” (Mark 4:12).
How can we reconcile the Father being a personage of spirit, glory, and power AND having a body of flesh and bones?
“There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; we cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter” (Doctrine and Covenants 131:7-8, emphasis added).
“All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another” (1 Corinthians 15:39-40, emphasis added).
With two quick references we see from both modern and ancient scripture that Father is a personage of spirit, which is comprised of matter, and that his celestial body is also flesh. What do we hope to obtain from this mortal probation if not eternal life and a resurrected body? What is eternal life?
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).
“It is the greatest of all the gifts of God, for it is the kind, status, type and quality of life that God himself enjoys. Thus those who gain eternal life receive exaltation; they are the sons of God, joint-heirs with Christ, members of the Church of the Firstborn; they overcome all things, have all power, and receive the fullness of the Father. They are gods” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine).
If we hope to obtain the kind, status, type and quality of life that God enjoys, then our mortal “tabernacles” are going to have to go through a spiritual change.
“Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption” (Alma 11:45, emphasis added).
The “perceived” contradiction in doctrine is that God can not be both a personage of spirit and a personage of flesh and bones. From the aforementioned scriptures I would like you to ask, why not? Just as the picture illustrates the infinite depths that exist within the mortal consciousness, the meaning of these scriptures can go far beyond what we can perceive and understand. I have only listed these references to quickly move through this first barrier and could include many more references concerning the resurrection of body and spirit. Let us agree that God, who is an exalted being, has a celestial body of flesh and bones that is of a spiritual nature.
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