Becoming Children of Christ
Mosiah 5:7–8
7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.
8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
President Joseph Fielding Smith said:
“If we speak of Jesus Christ as being our Father, we are not making any mistake because, spiritually, He begot us. No question about it—He united spirit and body, providing a resurrection for every living thing. We do not make any mistake in speaking of the Savior as our God, as our Father, and also as the Son of God because He received all authority. Jesus declared the Father conferred all authority upon Him, and so He becomes to us a Father. Moreover, He begot us spiritually in the Resurrection. . . .
“. . . We are His sons and daughters. He is a Father to us because He begot us and saved us from death, uniting spirit and body. What is a father but one who gives life?”
(“The Fatherhood of Christ” [unpublished address to seminary and institute of religion personnel, Brigham Young University, July 17, 1962], 5–6.)
