God Never Sinned – He Never Was A Wretch Like Me

By Aaron Shafovaloff

There is absolutely nothing about our God’s past that isn’t worthy of our uttermost worship. There is nothing about our God’s past to be ashamed of. There are no Church Archives or First Presidency Vaults or Correlation Committees in heaven that hide away the embarrassing records of God’s past sins.

He has always been pure, and holy, and admirable, and awesome, and utterly worthy of our enjoyment and worship. You can confidently worship God for all who he has been, is, and will be, and all he has ever done.

"Why should I believe that God never sinned?"

Because he testifies of himself, "Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me." (Isaiah 43:10). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, David testifies of him, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." (Psalm 90:2) It is also testified of God in worship, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" (Revelation 4:8)

Also, because of logic.

Syllogism 1

Major premise: A true God properly boasts in himself.

Minor premise: A sinner saved by grace cannot properly boast in himself (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Conclusion: Sinners saved by grace cannot become true Gods.

Syllogism 2

Major premise: Our God is a true God.

Minor premise: Sinners saved by grace cannot become true Gods.

Conclusion: Our God was never a sinner saved by grace.

"What if I don't care?"

“If the great things of religion are rightly understood, they will affect the heart. The reason why men are not affected by such infinitely great, important, glorious, and wonderful things, as they often hear and read of, in the word of God, is undoubtedly because they are blind; if they were not so, it would be impossible, and utterly inconsistent with human nature, that their hearts should be otherwise than strongly impressed, and greatly moved by such things.” - Jonathan Edwards

"But our church doesn't have an official position on whether God the Father was a sinner."

That is part of the very problem. Mormonism claims to be the most clear and bright beacon of doctrinal clarity, particularly on things that matter. Yet Mormonism's traditional worldview has fostered confusion on the most important thing in all of reality. Mormonism has historically taught, "As man is God once was, as God is man may be." The traditional and majority Mormon view is that while Jesus is unique and special for obtaining godhood in pre-mortality and for living a mortal life sinlessly, Heavenly Father obtained godhood more like we can: he experienced a mortality replete with sin, yet still progressed unto exaltation and godhood. Some Mormon authors essentially appeal to this "one eternal round" as a point of comfort for members. Whether or not the Mormon institution has an official position on the issue, it still bears responsibility for letting such blasphemy persist among members. Individual Mormons still bear responsibility for acquiescing to the institution's lack of repentance over the issue.

"I have never heard a Mormon Church leader teach that God was once a sinner."

They don't have to. What we are talking about here is a natural extension of the traditional Mormon worldview, a worldview that Mormon leaders are responsible for fostering and acquiescing to.

"This doesn't really matter."

Jesus Christ prayed to the Father, "this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:3). Eternal life is to know God. Do you want to know God? Then it matters.

"This doesn't concern my salvation."

Unrepentant idolaters go to hell. We learn in Revelation 21:8 that the "cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death." In the larger context, this is speaking of post-resurrection eternal hell (not the temporary spirit prison of the intermediate state).

"But idolatry only has to do with worshiping statues or pictures, etc."

Idolatry is fundamentally exchanging "the truth about God for a lie" (Romans 1:25). Whether you are worshiping a golden calf, Baal, Zeus, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or a god who was perhaps once a sinner, you are an idolater, because the god you worship is not the God of the Bible.

"Since the sinful New Testament saints are called holy, why can't a God who once sinned be called holy?"

The holiness of Christians is far different than God's holiness. God is the Holy of Holies. His holiness is eternal and inherent and intrinsic. It is fundamental to his very existence, and always has been. The holiness of Christians (who still sin) is a redeemed holiness---Christians have been justified and definitively sanctified, set apart for service to God, forgiven, washed, given eternal life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the call to holiness is a call to fight sin and be morally pure. Christians are called to be holy because God is holy. "You shall be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 19:2)

"Shouldn't we respect the power of the atonement by overlooking God's past sins?"

An atonement from a God who never sinned is more powerful than an atonement that covered the past indiscretions of a God who did sin. The whole beauty and power and value of the atonement is based on the fact that it was accomplished by a God who never, ever sinned. The eternally sinless Father sent his eternally sinless Son to be a spotless sacrifice.

An atonement that covered our God's supposed past sins would have to come from another Savior than Jesus Christ. If there was another Savior who atoned for the sins of our Heavenly Father, then he should make himself known so that we can worship him. He is far more worthy of worship than any God who once sinned.

"If sinners cannot become gods worshiped by other spirit children, what then is the purpose of life?"

The purpose of life is embedded in the greatest of all commandments: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30) All things considered, the purpose of life is to enjoy and fear and worship and love and delight in God, ultimately in the God-given context of human community and creation.

"If believing that God the Father could have been a sinner is itself such a great sin, can it still be forgiven?"

Yes. John testifies by the Holy Spirit, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Start singing "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me" in your heart with Christians, and repent of believing in a god who could himself be singing it. God was never a wretch like us, but he loves to save wretches like us.

"I believe that the Father achieved full godhood in pre-mortality and was a sinless savior for another world---he was not a sinner like us."

This is the theory that both God the Father and Jesus Christ belong in a special strain of savior gods. There are multiple problems with holding this view: 1) It has the non-biblical assumption that God the Father had to progress over time unto full godhood. 2) It is a private interpretation that your Church has not endorsed. 3) You are (presumably) still unrepentantly committed to a religion which acqueisces to millions of its members believing that God the Father could have been a sinner. 4) If you still hold to the traditional Mormon view that we can become gods over our own worlds and spirit children, then it follows that your own spirit children would be worshiping you, a being who is not in the special strain of savior gods. So the problem is simply moved from one planet to another. Also of note is Bruce McConkie's thoughts on the issue (as reported by his son):

"KFD 5:1 Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down my life as my Father did. Joseph Smith's purpose is to show that the Bible teaches that our Father in Heaven was once mortal, as we are. To do so he takes John 5:19 as a text. Here the Savior said, 'The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.' The Prophet then reasons that it is Christ's purpose to lay down his life and take it up again. Thus, if Christ can do only that which his father did, his father must also have been subject to death, he must have died and then taken up his life again as a resurrected being. From this statement of the Prophet, many have attempted to reason that he was saying that his father was also a savior for those of another world and thus that all worlds require their own saviors. The Prophet never taught such a thing and was not alluding to it here. His remarks centered on the doctrine of resurrection, not the salvation of God's endless creations. The Prophet had already clearly taught that the atonement of Christ---which was infinite---embraced all that he had created under the direction of the Father (see commentary on D&C 76:23-24). Responding to those who wanted to argue that there is a special strain of savior gods, Elder Bruce R. McConkie often asked, 'What earthly good could possibly come from teaching such a thing?' " - Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration: A Commentary on the Doctrine & Covenants & Other Modern Revelations

Brigham Young taught,

"How many earths are there? I observed this morning that you may take the particles of matter composing this earth, and if they could be enumerated they would only be a beginning to the number of the creations of God; and they are continually coming into existence, and undergoing changes and passing through the same experience that we are passing through. Sin is upon every earth that ever was created, and if it was not so, I would like some philosophers to let us know how people can be exalted to become sons of God, and enjoy a fulness of glory with the Redeemer. Consequently every earth has its redeemer, and every earth has its tempter; and every earth, and the people thereof, in their turn and time, receive all that we receive, and pass through all the ordeals that we are passing through." - Brigham Young, "Sin—The Atonement, Etc.", Journal of Discourses, vol. 14, pp. 70-73, July 10, 1870.

Evangelical Clint Roberts asks,

"If only a few rare beings in the infinite family tree are part of this unique royal succession who lived sinlessly on earth in order to be redeemers, then it still remains that sinners become gods just as great & powerful as ours (in fact it’s the norm). So big deal if WE just so happen to be offspring in that rare line of succession in which one son (always the eldest, I guess?) in every ‘litter’ carries the sinless-while-on-earth gene. Right?"

"You act as though the idea of a special strain of savior gods is a minority view among Mormons, when in fact it is the majority view."

That is certainly not the observation I have made after decade of actively interacting with Mormons, nor is it the collective observation of evangelicals who do ministry to Mormons. The above video I have done is at the cultural epicenter of Mormonism, Temple Square. I have non-selectively included every video interview clip that I can. Also, consider that you might be falsely assuming something about the beliefs of fellow Mormons that you have never sufficiently tested. Most Mormons never think to probe fellow members on such an issue in a thoughtful way.

"Why don't you ask more positive questions to present a more charitable view of Mormonism?"

Some Mormons insist that the video should at least pad the main question in the video interviews with questions that yield more positive-sounding, less embarrassing statements from Mormons, and that this would make the video more "charitable". That it somehow isn't fair that I single out the issue of whether Mormons believe God was perhaps a sinner. The simple answer to that is that I do not work for the LDS Church's public relations department, and that exposure of the main issue is the main goal of the video. If Mormonism really does tolerate and even foster the belief that God was perhaps once a sinner, then people need to know about it and consequently abandon Mormonism for Biblical Christianity. If you are really insisting that I put the main issue in a bouquet of rhetorical flowers so as to somehow be grateful for the overall sweet smell, then I would plead with you to reconsider whether or not you are right with God, and whether or not you really know God in Spirit and in truth. Do you care more about the image of Mormonism, or more about true worship of the Almighty God of the universe?

"I have a question or comment. How can I contact you?"

Please e-mail me at aaron[at]mrm[dot]org

"I want to learn more about the difference between Mormonism and Christianity. What sites do you recommend?"

I recommend utlm.org, irr.org, mrm.org, mormoninfo.org, and carm.org.

Questions for Mormons

If God once sinned, who forgave his sins?
Did your Heavenly Mother perhaps sin in the past?
Since Mormonism holds that people who are demon-possessed can be cleansed, forgiven, and exalted unto full godhood, do you believe that God was once perhaps demon-possessed?

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