“Chapter 6: Divine Identity,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson (2023)

“Chapter 6,” Teachings: Russell M. Nelson

Chapter 6

Divine Identity

First and foremost, you are a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. As you embrace these truths, our Heavenly Father will help you reach your ultimate goal of living eternally in His holy presence.

From the Life of Russell M. Nelson

On May 20, 2018, President Russell M. Nelson and Sister Wendy Nelson came unannounced to a stake conference in Syracuse, Utah, USA. When President Nelson stood to speak, he gave a few introductory remarks. Then he invited all the Primary children to stand. “I still can’t see the ones in the back,” he said, “so raise your hands and wave them so I can really see you.”

After thanking the children, he spoke to their parents. “Please help them understand what it really means when they sing ‘I Am a Child of God,’” he said. “Most people in the world haven’t a clue what that really means.”

A month earlier, in Harare, Zimbabwe, President Nelson made a similar plea: “You parents and teachers have a precious responsibility to teach these children. I could have no fonder wish than that you would teach them what it really means when they say and sing ‘I Am a Child of God.’”

In 2018 and 2019, he shared this specific message with Latter-day Saints all over the world—in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Bengaluru, India; Hong Kong, China; Laie, Hawaii, USA; Toronto, Canada; Vancouver, Canada; Lima, Peru; Auckland, New Zealand; Tahiti, French Polynesia; Orlando, Florida, USA; and São Paulo, Brazil. He spoke of the need to “understand who we really are.” He testified, “There is something of divinity in each one of us.”

Teachings of Russell M. Nelson

Know the truth about who you are

Know the truth about who you are. I believe that if the Lord were speaking to you directly … , the first thing He would make sure you understand is your true identity. My dear friends, you are literally spirit children of God. You have sung this truth since you learned the words to “I Am a Child of God” [Hymns, no. 301]. But is that eternal truth imprinted upon your heart? Has this truth rescued you when confronted with temptation?

I fear that you may have heard this truth so often that it sounds more like a slogan than divine truth. And yet, the way you think about who you really are affects almost every decision you will ever make. …

… If any label replaces your most important identifiers, the results can be spiritually suffocating.

For example, if I were to rank in order of importance the designations that could be applied to me, I would say: First, I am a child of God—a son of God—then a son of the covenant, then a disciple of Jesus Christ and a devoted member of His restored Church.

Next would come my honored titles as a husband and father, then Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

All other labels that have applied to me … would fall somewhere down the list.

Now, let us turn the question to you. Who are you?

First and foremost, you are a child of God.

Second, as a member of the Church, you are a child of the covenant. And third, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. …

There are various labels that may be very important to you, of course. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that other designations and identifiers are not significant. I am simply saying that no identifier should displace, replace, or take priority over these three enduring designations: “child of God,” “child of the covenant,” and “disciple of Jesus Christ.”

Any identifier that is not compatible with these three basic designations will ultimately let you down. Other labels will disappoint you in time because they do not have the power to lead you toward eternal life in the celestial kingdom of God.

Worldly identifiers will never give you a vision of who you can ultimately become. They will never affirm your divine DNA or your unlimited, divine potential.

Because there is a grand plan of salvation authored by Heavenly Father, does it not stand to reason that you also have a divine destiny?

Make no mistake about it: Your potential is divine. With your diligent seeking, God will give you glimpses of who you may become.

So who are you? First and foremost, you are a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. As you embrace these truths, our Heavenly Father will help you reach your ultimate goal of living eternally in His holy presence.

The people in 4 Nephi exhibited a sign of unity that deserves our attention: “There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Nephi 1:17).

The labels that had divided the people for hundreds of years receded before a more enduring and ennobling identity. They viewed themselves—and everyone else—according to their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Diversity and differences can be good and significant to us. But our most important identities are those related to our divine origin and purpose.

Study Question

Think of some of the labels that you use to identify yourself. How compatible are they with the “three basic designations” President Nelson identifies?

You are a son or daughter of God with unlimited, divine potential

With all you are doing now, never forget who you are. You are a son or daughter of God with unlimited, divine potential. Your spirit came to earth in a physical body. Together, your spirit and body are a living soul capable of experiencing mortality in ways that would not be possible otherwise (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:15). Your task is to let your true identity as a child of God shape the decisions you make now and for eternity.

“The spirit of man [is] in the likeness of his person” [Doctrine and Covenants 77:2]. Jesus so explained, as the brother of Jared viewed the Lord’s premortal body:

“Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.

“… This body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh” [Ether 3:15–16]. …

Spirit and body, when joined together, become a living soul of supernal worth. Indeed, we are children of God—physically and spiritually. …

Who are we? We are children of God. Our potential is unlimited. Our inheritance is sacred.

14:25

Your spirit is an eternal entity. The Lord said to His prophet Abraham: “Thou wast chosen before thou wast born” [Abraham 3:23]. The Lord said something similar about Jeremiah and many others. He even said it about you [see Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56].

Your Heavenly Father has known you for a very long time. You, as His son or daughter, were chosen by Him to come to earth at this precise time, to be a leader in His great work on earth [see Alma 13:2–3]. You were chosen not for your bodily characteristics but for your spiritual attributes, such as bravery, courage, integrity of heart, a thirst for truth, a hunger for wisdom, and a desire to serve others.

Study Questions

Which of the spiritual attributes mentioned by President Nelson do you see in yourself? Why are these attributes valuable in God’s “great work on the earth”?

You are a child of the covenant

If the Lord were speaking to you tonight, He would urge you to understand your identity—to know who you really are. He did so when He spoke to the people of ancient America. After identifying Himself, He informed His listeners of their identity:

“And behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed” [3 Nephi 20:25; emphasis added].

We [should] understand the expression “children of the covenant.” To what covenant did the Savior refer? “The covenant which he made with Abraham” [3 Nephi 20:27]. The Lord added, “I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time” [3 Nephi 20:29; emphasis added]. …

We are also children of the covenant. We have received, as did they of old, the holy priesthood and the everlasting gospel. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are our ancestors. We are of Israel. We have the right to receive the gospel, blessings of the priesthood, and eternal life. Nations of the earth will be blessed by our efforts and by the labors of our posterity.

You are one of God’s noble and great spirits, held in reserve to come to earth at this time. In your premortal life you were appointed to help prepare the world for the great gathering of souls that will precede the Lord’s second coming. You are one of a covenant people. You are an heir to the promise that all the earth will be blessed by the seed of Abraham and that God’s covenant with Abraham will be fulfilled through his lineage in these latter days [see 1 Nephi 15:18; 3 Nephi 20:25].

Children of the covenant have the right to receive His doctrine and to know the plan of salvation. They claim it by making covenants of sacred significance. … They keep the covenant by obedience to [God’s] commandments.

Study Questions

What blessings are available to you as a child of the covenant? What can you do to share these blessings?

You are a disciple of Jesus Christ

As sons and daughters of God, we are endowed with a divine, royal birthright. We have the potential of inheriting all the Father has. I find it difficult to comprehend what this transcendent promise really means. But I do know that the gift of eternal life is well worth the price of devoting our mortal lives to following Jesus Christ.

With this in mind, I would like to offer six steps to help us progress from being members of the Lord’s Church to becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ.

First, increase your capacity to receive revelation. … Heavenly Father is so very generous. He wants to help you with everything—your families, callings, work, heartaches, and concerns. So, ask, and then live to receive revelation. …

Second, to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ, fill your life with truth. … Seek truth by learning the laws of God. He is the source of all truth. Your study of the gospel will help you discern truth from error.

A third way to increase your discipleship is to refuse to let opposition to truth weaken your testimony. Opposition to what you believe can be disconcerting. But it does not have to be. Opposition can actually strengthen your testimony. … Our Father and His Beloved Son would not have sent you to earth now if They had not known you had the strength, wisdom, and insight to be able to discern what is right and what is not. …

A fourth way to become a more diligent disciple is to serve and worship in the temple as much as you can. … In this day of intense deception and evil, there is nothing that will protect you more than regular time in the temple. It will fill you with peace and help you receive more personal revelation.

A fifth way to increase your devotion to Jesus Christ and to Heavenly Father is to realize just how vital you are to the gathering of Israel. … Will you pray about the simple things you can do to help gather scattered Israel? Any time you do anything to help someone find or stay on the covenant path, you are helping to gather Israel.

My sixth recommendation for dedicated discipleship is to expect joy! Our Father in heaven designed this mortal probation so that, despite the challenges we face, we can experience joy. …

I testify to you today that joy comes from following Jesus Christ. Only He can lead us back to the presence of the Father, where we will experience a fulness of never-ending joy.

Study Question

As you look at President Nelson’s six recommendations, which ones do you feel inspired to focus on to deepen your discipleship?

Our potential as children of God is to become like Him

The scriptures … hold the promise that we shall, if faithful in all things, become like Deity. John the beloved Apostle wrote:

“We should be called the sons [and daughters] of God. …

“… When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” [1 John 3:1–3]. …

… As begotten children of heavenly parents, we are endowed with the potential to become like them, just as mortal children may become like their mortal parents.

Know the truth about what God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, have offered you. In short, They have offered you everything!

Heavenly Father’s plan for His children allows us to live where and how He lives and ultimately to become more and more like Him. His plan literally makes the richest blessings of all eternity available to us, including the potential for us to become “joint-heirs with Christ” [Romans 8:17].

Study Questions

What does it mean to you to be an heir of God and a “joint heir with Christ”? How does this truth affect the way you treat other children of God?

Invitations and Promises

Never forget who you are and what God has offered you

With all you are doing now, never forget who you are. You are a son or daughter of God with unlimited, divine potential. Your spirit came to earth in a physical body. Together, your spirit and body are a living soul capable of experiencing mortality in ways that would not be possible otherwise (see Doctrine and Covenants 18:15). Your task is to let your true identity as a child of God shape the decisions you make now and for eternity.

Know the truth about what God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, have offered you. In short, They have offered you everything!

Progress from being a member of the Church to becoming a disciple of Christ

With this in mind, I would like to offer six steps to help us progress from being members of the Lord’s Church to becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ.

First, increase your capacity to receive revelation. …

Second, to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ, fill your life with truth. …

A third way to increase your discipleship is to refuse to let opposition to truth weaken your testimony. …

A fourth way to become a more diligent disciple is to serve and worship in the temple as much as you can. …

A fifth way to increase your devotion to Jesus Christ and to Heavenly Father is to realize just how vital you are to the gathering of Israel. …

My sixth recommendation for dedicated discipleship is to expect joy! Our Father in heaven designed this mortal probation so that, despite the challenges we face, we can experience joy.

Videos

Related Talks

“The Everlasting Covenant” (Liahona, October 2022; text of a talk President Nelson gave in March 2022)

“The Love and Laws of God”(Brigham Young University devotional, September 17, 2019)

“Identity, Priority, and Blessings” (Brigham Young University fireside, September 10, 2000)

“Combatting Spiritual Drift—Our Global Pandemic” (Ensign, November 1993; text of a talk President Nelson gave at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, Illinois, September 2, 1993)

“The Magnificence of Man” (Brigham Young University devotional, March 29, 1987)