We talked about the creation of man today. It’s funny, because when I came back to BYU after a 5 year break, my first semester included Biology. My teacher was a little apprehensive when we got to the evolution section of the class, mostly because it was his first time teaching to a Mormon college class. He read to us from the 1909 Official Declaration, The Origin of Man, but tonight I really understood what he was hinting at for the first time, that we are literally descendents from Heavenly Father. Christ is the Only Begotten of the Flesh, meaning that He was born in mortality, but Adam and Eve, also begotten physically, were born in immortality. I had this strange feeling of relief, almost, at the clarity of the concept. For years I have believed strongly that man did not evolve from another species, but even here at BYU I’ve encountered opposing views, but this teaching is what validates my feelings for all these years. It’s so nice to finally have official doctrine to turn to, even though I’ve believed it all this time.
Something that Brother Line said in class is sticking in my mind, “Heavenly Father hasn’t finished creating us.” I had a discussion with my roommate about creation v. organization. Her friend went into some of the particulars about how God didn’t create us, He organized us. I told her that the words are interchangeable, that while the matter that consists of our spirits and bodies has always existed, our selves as spirits were brought into being by God. To think that Heavenly Father created me, this flawed creature, then left me to my own devices sometimes seems unfair and un-God-like, but that phrase rejects such notions. God knows that we are still imperfect, but He isn’t done creating us. He is still forming us, as far as we allow Him to do that, to become the perfect and fully created child that He filled with potential at our initial creation.
Great thoughts, Sarah. It is amazing how the answers to so many questions are so simple once you find the answer. I love the idea that God is not done creating us. We talk about reaching our full potential and becoming perfect - but it sounds so far away and impossible. But if you think about it as a godly process, the key word being process, it somehow seems so much more likely that we could ever reach that state. I feel pretty good about progressing!
ReplyDeleteAgreed! In church on Sunday one of the speakers talked about the Greek origins of the word perfection. He said becoming perfect isn't about being as perfect as God is, it boils down to reaching our own, personal potential everyday. Which is interesting, because I've often prayed to reach my full potential for the day when I say my morning prayers. It's not about becoming exactly like Christ in a day, but doing everything that my spirit and body are capable of doing that day, with the help of God. When you think of it that way, every day we will become a little more like God and eventually become as He is, but it's a little less intimidating to think, "All I have to do today is stretch myself to MY capacity." Then the stretching increases with time, you know?
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