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Do Mormons Believe God Was Once a Man?
The Lorenzo Snow couplet says, “As man now is, God once was.” The King Follett sermon says God was once as we are now, and is an exalted man. Isaiah 43:10 says no God was formed before or after the LORD.
On This Page
Latter-day Saints have a couplet from Lorenzo Snow, a later president of the church: as man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be. The King Follett sermon, as the church prints it, says God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man. Isaiah 43:10Isaiah 43:10 · King James VersionYe are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isaiah 43:10 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says that before the LORD there was no God formed, neither shall there be after him. Jesus is God. The first half of the couplet is the claim on this page.
Key Points
- Becoming Like GodBecoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Lorenzo Snow, the Church’s fifth President, coined a well-known couplet: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.” Little has been revealed about the first half of this couplet, and consequently little is taught.
Becoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (1) quotes Lorenzo Snow: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.” It says little has been revealed about the first half, and little is taught. - The King Follett SermonThe King Follett Sermon · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret.
The King Follett Sermon · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (2) says, “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!” - Gospel Principles, chapter 47Gospel Principles, Chapter 47, Exaltation · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives. He lives in great glory. He is perfect. He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom. He is the Father of spirit children. He is a creator. We can become like our Heavenly Father. This is exaltation.
Gospel Principles, Chapter 47, Exaltation · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (3) says exaltation is the kind of life God lives, and that we can become like our Heavenly Father. - Isaiah 43:10Isaiah 43:10 · King James Version
Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isaiah 43:10 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says, “before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” Isaiah 44:6Isaiah 44:6 · King James VersionThus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Isaiah 44:6 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says, “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” - Psalm 90:2Psalms 90:2 · King James Version
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Psalms 90:2 · King James VersionOpen source (5) says, “from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Malachi 3:6Malachi 3:6 · King James VersionFor I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Malachi 3:6 · King James VersionOpen source (6) says, “I am the LORD, I change not.” Numbers 23:19Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionOpen source (8) says God is not a man, that he should lie. - John 4:24John 4:24 · King James Version
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24 · King James VersionOpen source (7) says God is a Spirit. The Nicene confession is one God, not a man who became God. The Trinity
The Lorenzo Snow Couplet
Becoming Like GodBecoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsLorenzo Snow, the Church’s fifth President, coined a well-known couplet: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.” Little has been revealed about the first half of this couplet, and consequently little is taught.
Becoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (1) is the church’s essay on exaltation. It prints the couplet and then limits what the church says about its first line:
Lorenzo Snow, the Church’s fifth President, coined a well-known couplet: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.” Little has been revealed about the first half of this couplet, and consequently little is taught.
Becoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The second half is the hope that the faithful may become as God now is. Do Mormons Believe They Will Become Gods? is that half, including a Heavenly Mother and the church’s rejection of the cartoon that each family receives its own planet. This page stays on the first half: God once was as man now is.
The essay’s concession is in the sentence it prints. Little has been revealed, and little is taught. The couplet is still the church’s sentence. It says God was once as man now is. That is a history for God, with a before.
The King Follett Sermon
The King Follett SermonThe King Follett Sermon · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsGod himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret.
The King Follett Sermon · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (2) is Joseph Smith’s sermon of April 7, 1844, as the Ensign printed it in April 1971. The line the couplet restates is this:
God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret.
The King Follett Sermon · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
“Once as we are now” is a past. “An exalted man” is what the sermon says God is. The throne is in “yonder heavens,” not a sentence about which planet he used to live on. The Godhead in Latter-day Saint Teaching is the church’s teaching that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three beings united in purpose. The Nicene confession is one God, one being, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is God. An exalted man on a throne is a different claim about what God is.
What Isaiah Says About God
Isaiah 43:10Isaiah 43:10 · King James VersionYe are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isaiah 43:10 · King James VersionOpen source (4) is the LORD’s word to Israel: “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” No God formed before him. No God formed after him. A God who was once a man and then became God is a God who was formed.
Isaiah 44:6Isaiah 44:6 · King James VersionThus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Isaiah 44:6 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says, “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” Isaiah 44:24Isaiah 44:24 · King James VersionThus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
Isaiah 44:24 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says he makes all things, and stretches forth the heavens alone. Psalm 90:2Psalms 90:2 · King James VersionBefore the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Psalms 90:2 · King James VersionOpen source (5) says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Malachi 3:6Malachi 3:6 · King James VersionFor I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Malachi 3:6 · King James VersionOpen source (6) says, “For I am the LORD, I change not.”
Numbers 23:19Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionGod is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionOpen source (8) says God is not a man, that he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent. The line is about God’s truth, not a biology lesson. It still refuses the comparison. God is not a man. John 4:24John 4:24 · King James VersionGod is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24 · King James VersionOpen source (7) says God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 1:1John 1:1 · King James VersionIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 · King James VersionOpen source (7) says the Word was God. The Son became flesh. The Father was not a man who progressed to godhood.
Was God a Man on Another Planet?
The question usually adds a planet. The King Follett line above says God was once as we are now, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. It does not name a former home world. Becoming Like GodBecoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsLorenzo Snow, the Church’s fifth President, coined a well-known couplet: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.” Little has been revealed about the first half of this couplet, and consequently little is taught.
Becoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (1) says little has been revealed about that first half, and little is taught. Do Mormons Believe They Will Become Gods? quotes the essay’s warning against turning exaltation into a cartoon of people receiving their own planets. The couplet’s first half is still a past for God. Isaiah 43:10 does not leave room for a God who was formed, on this world or another.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Was God Created?
The couplet and the King Follett sermon give God a past “as we are now.” They do not narrate a birth or a maker over him. Isaiah 43:10Isaiah 43:10 · King James VersionYe are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isaiah 43:10 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says no God was formed before the LORD, and none shall be after him. Psalm 90:2Psalms 90:2 · King James VersionBefore the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Psalms 90:2 · King James VersionOpen source (5) says from everlasting to everlasting he is God.
How Is This Different From Christianity?
The Nicene confession is one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, without a time when God was a man. The Trinity states that confession. The Snow couplet says God once was as man now is. Those are different accounts of who God is.
Do Mormons Believe They Get Their Own Planet?
The second half of the couplet is exaltation, the kind of life God lives, in Gospel Principles, chapter 47Gospel Principles, Chapter 47, Exaltation · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsExaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives. He lives in great glory. He is perfect. He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom. He is the Father of spirit children. He is a creator. We can become like our Heavenly Father. This is exaltation.
Gospel Principles, Chapter 47, Exaltation · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (3). The planet cartoon is answered on Do Mormons Believe They Will Become Gods?. This page’s claim is the first half: God was once as man now is.
Keep Reading
References
- Becoming Like God, Gospel Topics EssayBecoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Lorenzo Snow, the Church’s fifth President, coined a well-known couplet: “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.” Little has been revealed about the first half of this couplet, and consequently little is taught.
Becoming Like God · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lorenzo Snow couplet, and the note that little has been revealed about its first half.) - The King Follett Sermon, Ensign, April 1971The King Follett Sermon · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret.
The King Follett Sermon · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (Joseph Smith’s April 7, 1844, sermon, as the church prints it.) - Gospel Principles, Chapter 47, ExaltationGospel Principles, Chapter 47, Exaltation · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives. He lives in great glory. He is perfect. He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom. He is the Father of spirit children. He is a creator. We can become like our Heavenly Father. This is exaltation.
Gospel Principles, Chapter 47, Exaltation · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen source (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Exaltation is the kind of life God lives.) - Book of Isaiah, 43:10; 44:6Isaiah 43:10 · King James Version
Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
Isaiah 43:10 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Book of Psalms, 90:2Psalms 90:2 · King James Version
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Psalms 90:2 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Book of Malachi, 3:6Malachi 3:6 · King James Version
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Malachi 3:6 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Gospel of John, 4:24John 4:24 · King James Version
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Book of Numbers, 23:19Numbers 23:19 · King James Version
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Numbers 23:19 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version
See Also
- Do Mormons Believe They Will Become Gods? — Gospel Principles says exaltation is the kind of life God lives. The King Follett sermon says God was once as we are now, and that the faithful must learn to be gods. Isaiah 43:10 says no God was formed after the LORD.
- Do Mormons Believe in the Trinity? — No. Latter-day Saints teach that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings, one in purpose. That is not the Nicene confession of one God in three persons.
- Is Mormonism a Cult? — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a large public church, and its style guide rejects the word Mormonism. The doctrinal disagreement is three beings, Joseph Smith’s revelations, and exaltation, not a slur.
- What Do Mormons Believe? — Latter-day Saints believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as three beings, and they receive the Book of Mormon beside the Bible. Nicene Christians confess one God.
- Are Mormons Christians? — Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ and use his name. Their teaching of God, of Jesus, and of salvation is not the Nicene confession, so they are not a denomination inside Trinitarian Christianity.