In His Father's Image

Synopsis

"For unto which of the angels said he at any time, thou are my sone. This day have I begotten thee?

"And again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son?

"And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of god worship him."

Hebrews 1:5-6

In this enlightening book, Clay McConkie discusses the eternal nature of the relationship between our Heavenly Father and his Beloved Son. There is a unity and spiritual uniqueness in this father/son relationship that has provided direction and inspiration for all mankind down through the ages.

This in-depth study begins in the primordial times and moves through the Savior's foreordination, the divine mortal ministry, and his work among the children of men after his resurrection. It brings a deeper understanding of the members of the Godhead and their eternal love and desire to bring man back to his heavenly home.

Summary of Main Ideas

In the very beginning of a person's lifetime, long before that which pertains to earth, there was a type of existence called intelligence.
This did not refer to mental ability or intellect but rather to a type of substance or matter, a spirit element that has always existed in the universe.
Even before the intelligence state, there was a still more rudimentary kind of existence, yet it was as intelligence that man or mankind first acquired independence and the ability to act for itself
After eons of time and progression, entities of intelligence advanced to the point where they could attain to a more advanced level of being, one where they acquired a body, not a body of flesh and bones but one composed of spirit.
The parent of such a body was the one known as God the Father, ruler of the galaxy or universe, along with one who can only be referred to as a Mother in Heaven. All spirit offspring who came about in this way were begotten children of heavenly parents.
Biblical scripture makes it clear that the first individual to be born into this level of existence as a spirit being was the one that came to be known as Jehovah who had excelled above all others in a previous progression.
It was Jehovah while still possessing a spirit body who was eventually granted a position in the Godhead beside his Father.
During that spirit existence, however, a tragedy occurred in which a third part of heaven rebelled and was cast out. The other two parts, whoever they might have been, remained faithful and later gained the right to be born on earth by way of earthly parents and receive a body of flesh and bones.
Earthly existence consists of people being tested under the direction of God the Father and Jehovah, with Jehovah himself coming to earth at one time to preach the gospel and serve as the redeemer of mankind.
Everything within the galaxy or universe revolves around the idea of a father and son relationship, with God the Father presiding and Jehovah being the primary figure acting under his direction.
This means that it was Jehovah who was in the beginning with God and who created the earth, all things being "made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made."
He was the God of the Old Testament, the one who gave Moses the Ten Commandments, and the one also who has done a host of many other things all down through history.
No one except the Father can compare with the person known as Jehovah, who among all of God's creations is the epitome of one who has excelled and reached the zenith of accomplishment.

Chapter 1 - A Primordial Beginning

It is true that mankind, in one sense, has always existed, without any beginning or end. There was never a time, in other words, when the original substance making up body and spirit did not exist somewhere in the universe.

And yet there was definitely a time far back in the past when the primeval substance, by whatever method and circumstance, was organized into a body and came into existence, a body of spirit at first and later one of flesh and bones.

Before any of this happened, however, there was still a more distant time period, one about which little , is known but where many significant things took place. It was a time when early forms of life that would eventually become human progressed and developed, as well as one where a specific relationship was established between the God of the Universe and the one who someday would become Jehovah. Indeed, it was during this primeval era that the concept and principle of the Father and the Son had its beginning.

Again there is only brief information about such an early existence, the time before anyone came into the world as spirit offspring of God or human beings. Scriptural evidence, in fact, is almost non-existent. Yet there is enough to give a considerable amount of knowledge along with valuable clues and implications.

"Man was also in the beginning with God," the scripture says. "Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be." Certainly the word "intelligence" would normally suggest intellect and mental ability, but in this particular scripture it means much more than that. Rather than anything pertaining to learning and understanding, the word refers instead to a substance or form of matter, something that cannot be created or made but potentially is independent and self-existent. The same can be said for the word "truth" which also has an additional meaning.

"All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence." Truth and intelligence, and particularly the latter, both refer to a spirit element or substance that has extraordinary capabilities. When the substance becomes self-existent, or in other words independent, it is able to do a variety of things, the most important of which is "to act for itself." In the beginning, therefore, man existed in the presence of God. He did not as yet have a spirit body, but in his intelligence state he eventually did acquire the ability to act independently. This in turn implies decision making and the exercise of agency.

"Behold, here is the agency of man," states the scripture, "and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation." Man did not have to wait for a spirit body in order to think and exercise agency. Neither did he have to wait in order to progress or retrogress, as the circumstances might have been. As it would be in the future, he could now make decisions according to the light and knowledge given him. In the intelligence state, there was an opportunity to succeed and to prepare for what lay ahead. Each identity was in charge of its own destiny.

Although it is unknown to what extent man was actually a conscious identity at this point of progression, an entity that was aware of an individual personality, the scripture does say that God placed him in a sphere where he could act for himself, responding either positively or negatively to light and knowledge. It was definitely an opportunity for him to act or to be acted upon at this particular time, and not just one reserved for the future.

Unfortunately, from the beginning there were those who misused their agency at times and did not accept or receive the light. Yet there were many others who did. The most notable among these, of course, was Jehovah!

Down through the ages of time, God was well aware of what was taking place among those who were in a spirit state and regarded as intelligence. Well did he know when someone had advanced to a point where he could be given special consideration and be conformed to the image of his Son. Among the billions coming up through the ranks, so to speak, there were many who were competent and worthy, but only one that was eventually to be selected. He would be the first to enter the new world of spirits as a spirit being, the one who later would be known as Jehovah and who together with God himself would be the Father and the Son!

"For whom he did foreknow," the scripture says, "he also did predestinate (foreordain) to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." 3 Undoubtedly there was a multitude of "brethren" who had qualified for the opportunity of joining Jehovah in becoming the first begotten spirits of the Father. He was the first, but others were close behind.

People with the potential of Peter and John the Baptist, as well as outstanding women such as the Virgin Mary, might certainly be considered as being in this group. A list of such individuals, including prophets and patriarchs, would necessarily be very long. But the important thing is that the process had begun.

A new phase of existence and progression was now in operation. Finally, after ages of trial and testing, identities of intelligence that had long waited for a spirit body were now making the transition to a new world. The foremost among them was the Firstborn, but following him came a host of others who were also foreordained and called to be the first begotten sons and daughters of the Father!