While waiting for his missionary companions to join him in Athens, the Apostle Paul was deeply concerned that the people of Athens were idolatrous and didn’t understand the true nature of God. To help the Athenians understand and draw closer to God, Paul taught the gospel of Jesus Christ in the synagogues and marketplaces. Philosophers then invited Paul to explain “this new doctrine” (Acts 17:19) at a place called Mars’ Hill. Paul taught the philosophers the true nature of God and testified of their divine relationship to Him. This lesson can help you feel the importance of your identity as a child of God.
I am a child of God
Listen to the hymn “I Am a Child of God” (Hymns, no. 301) on the Gospel Library app or on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Or watch the video “Child of God” (2:54), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. As you listen or sing along, ponder the significance of the message of this hymn.
What words or phrases from this hymn do you find to be significant? Why?
Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Seventy invited us to ponder the message of “I Am a Child of God”:
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Official Portrait of Elder Donald L. Hallstrom. Photographed March 2017.
This beloved hymn is one of the most often sung in this Church. But the critical question is, do we really know it? Do we know it in our mind and in our heart and in our soul? Is our heavenly parentage our first and most profound identity?
(Donald L. Hallstrom, “I Am a Child of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 26)
The following questions are adapted from Elder Hallstrom’s statement and can be answered with a “yes” or “no” response. As you answer these questions, explain why you answered each question the way you did.
1. Answer the following questions in your study journal:
Do you really know that you are a child of God?
Do you know it in your mind, heart, and soul?
Do you see yourself as a child of God before you identify yourself as anything else?
Throughout this lesson, consider your responses to the previous questions and what your responses indicate about your feelings toward Heavenly Father. Seek inspiration from your Heavenly Father, through the Holy Ghost, to help you better understand your divine identity as a child of God and feel the deep love He has for you.
Paul preaches in Athens
The Apostle Paul preached in Athens during his second missionary journey. The people in Athens had many different opinions, philosophies, and beliefs. Paul saw that the people were “wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16), meaning they worshipped things other than God. So Paul preached daily about Jesus Christ and His Resurrection. Paul was then brought to Mars’ Hill, where he was invited to preach in front of a group of philosophers (see Acts 17:17–21).
Read Acts 17:22–23, looking for how Paul introduced his message. You could also watch the video “We Are the Offspring of God” (4:26) from time code 0:00 to 1:54, available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
What could the inscription on the altar that Paul referred to suggest about the Athenians’ belief about God?
How does this inscription compare to what the scriptures teach about God?
The ancient Athenians believed in many false gods and built statues and temples to honor them. The altar built “to the unknown god” (Acts 17:23) may have been the Athenians’ attempt to appease an unknowable god or any god who was not known by name.
What are some common misunderstandings that you have noticed in the world today about God and our relationship with Him?
If you had the opportunity to teach someone who did not know much about Heavenly Father, what would you want them to know about Him?
2. Complete the following in your study journal:
Read Acts 17:24–31 and make a list of truths taught by the Apostle Paul about the true nature of God and your relationship with Him. Consider naming your list “The True and Living God and My Relationship with Him.” Note that there is a Joseph Smith Translation for verse 27 (see Acts 17:27, footnote b). After making your list, answer the following question:
What is the truth from your list that is most meaningful to you, and why?
We are the offspring of God
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photo of seminary on Mars Hill
One of the truths you may have identified from Paul’s teachings is that “we are the offspring of God” (verse 29).
How is being a child of God different from being just one of His creations?
President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified of the significance of the truth that “we are the offspring of God.”
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Official portrait of President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 2004.
The foundational fact of heavenly parentage is not just my truth or your truth. It is eternal truth. It is written in big, bold, capital letters. Understanding this truth—really understanding it and embracing it—is life changing. It gives you an extraordinary identity that no one can ever take away from you. But more than that, it should give you an enormous feeling of value and a sense of your infinite worth. Finally, it provides you a divine, noble, and worthy purpose in life.
(M. Russell Ballard, “Children of Heavenly Father” [Brigham Young University devotional, Mar. 3, 2020], 2, speeches.byu.edu)
What difference can it make in your life and in the decisions you make to know that you are literally “the offspring of God”?
What experiences have you had that have helped you better understand your divine identity as a child of God?
To see an example of how understanding her divine identity impacted one woman, watch the video “Am I a Child of God?” (10:24), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 3:24 to 5:23.
3. Answer at least one of the following questions in your study journal:
What did you learn or feel today about your divine identity that you want to remember?
What actions do you feel impressed to take based on what you have learned?
What could you do to find answers to questions you still have about your relationship with God?
Optional: Want to Learn More?
How can the Book of Mormon strengthen my relationship with God?
President Russell M. Nelson declared:
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Official portrait of President Russell M. Nelson taken January 2018
Something powerful happens when a child of God seeks to know more about Him and His Beloved Son. Nowhere are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon.
Why is it so important to understand my true identity as a child of God?
Elder Brian K. Taylor of the Seventy taught the following:
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Official Portrait of Elder Brian K. Taylor. Photographed in March 2017.
Moses learned of his divine heritage talking with the Lord face-to-face. Following that experience, “Satan came tempting” with subtle yet vicious intent to distort Moses’s identity, “saying: Moses, son of man, worship me. And … Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God” [Moses 1:12–13; emphasis added].
This great war over divine identity rages fiercely as Satan’s proliferating arsenal aims to destroy our belief in and knowledge of our relationship with God. Thankfully, we have been blessed with clear vision and understanding of our true identity from the beginning. …
Coming to know our Father changes everything, especially our hearts, as His gentle Spirit confirms our true identity and great worth in His sight. God walks with us along the covenant path as we seek Him through prayerful pleadings, scriptural searchings, and obedient strivings.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency testified of our true identity as daughters and sons of God in the video “Our True Identity” (3:38), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.