Sons and Daughters of God

Before the world was created, everyone was a child of God. However, in the fullest sense of the term, the real gospel objective is to elect whether or not one will become sons and daughters of God. This new acknowledged status means being accepted by God into His family.¹ Christ said of Himself in Ether 1:13: Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life; and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name. And they shall become my sons and my daughters. This is the way men and women may become sons of God. The One who redeems them becomes their Father, and therefore, He who is the Only Begotten of the Father in turn begets many sons and daughters (see T&C 69:5).² “The Father declares what is right and true, and His Son obeys. Thus, the Son became the Word of God because He did what the Father asked Him. Do you want to be a son or daughter of God? Do what He asks. This is what we must do to worship Him.”³ Abinadi declared Christ would be called the Son of God (Mosiah 8:6). He explained He was “called” because He subjected the flesh to the will of the Father. “We cannot be the Son of God the Father unless we subject our will to Him. We are His ‘Son’ when we are like Him because we obey Him. This was how Christ defined Himself.”⁴ Abinadi understood God. And now I say unto you, who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you that when his soul has been made an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed? Behold, I say unto you that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord, I say unto you that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you that these are his seed, or they are heirs of the kingdom of God. For these are they whose sins he hath borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed? Yea, and are not the prophets, every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy that has not fallen into transgression? (I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began.) I say unto you that they are his seed (Mosiah 8:8).⁵ The Holy Order after the Order of the Son of God makes those who inherit it, by definition, the sons of God. Therefore, in a way, calling it the Holy Order after the Order of the Son of God is a way of identifying the recipient as someone who has become one of God’s sons.⁶ Even though a couple may be mortals in the flesh, they are by definition “sons of God” if they belong to the Order. It is the nature of this Holy Order that it is conferred upon the man and woman jointly (see 1 Corinthians 1:44).⁷