Virtually all non-Christian cults reduce Jesus Christ to a mere created being. Christian Science teaches Jesus was just a man that merely had attained a “Christ mind,” hence Jesus was not the Christ who was to come, the Savior of the world. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is Michael the archangel, “a god” with a little “g” the first of Jehovah’s creations.
And the Mormons teaches that Jesus is Satan’s literal brother- a created spirit child. In Mormon theology, we all pre-existed in Heaven, procreated by the God the Father and one of His wives. However as the Mormons do teach, we just do not remember our pre-existent life. Jesus was the first spirit child of Elohim (God the Father) and one of His wives. LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie explains:
Christ is the Firstborn, meaning that he was the first Spirit Child born to God the Father (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 281).
The official LDS publication: Gospel Principles, declares:
The first spirit born of our heavenly parents was Jesus Christ ( 9).
Lucifer was also a literal son of God the Father. That is the Mormons tell us that Jesus, Lucifer, and all men and women, are literal brothers and sisters. In fact, there is no quality difference between humans, Jesus, and Lucifer, only that Jesus became exalted (i.e., became a God by obedience to the law) first.
So, how did Jesus’ brother who started out as a good angel, end up to be Satan. Well, we would have to start from the beginning, back, before the world was populated by all of the spirit children. LDS General Authority, Milton R. Hunter supplies the some details:
our Heavenly Father proposed as the center of the plan of salvation that one of His sons be appointed to be the Savior of the world. At the great council in heaven, God stood in the midst of His spirit -children and appointed the “noble and great ones” to future positions of leadership after they should become mortals [Abraham, 3:22-24] (Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Throughout the Ages, 14-15).
Mormons teach that “the council of the Gods” presented a plan to redeem the earth.1 Jesus wanted to give man free choice, but Lucifer contest that plan. LDS scholar Bruce R. McConkie tells us:
When the plan of salvation presented . . . and when the need for a Redeemer was explained, Satan offered to come into the world as the Son of God and be the Redeemer. “Behold here am I, send me,” he said. . . . But then, as always, he was in opposition to the full plan of the Father, and so he sought to amend and change the terms of salvation; he sought to deny men their agency and to dethrone God (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 193).
Therefore the Gods rejected Lucifer’s plan whereby expelling him from heaven. And there was a war between the good spirit children and the children that sided with Lucifer. But there was a group of spirits that were less valiant in this war. Hence, Mormons are taught that God was very displeased with them so God turned their skin black.2
Biblical Teaching
First, is true that Lucifer is a created angel (cf. Isa. 14:11-20; Ezek. 28:13-19). However, Jesus Christ is the Eternal God that created the angels:3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was nothing made that was made (John 1:1-3; emphasis added; cf. Heb. 1:2).
The text reads “all things” (panta) were made by Christ.
For by him [Jesus] were all things [ panta] created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things [panta] were created by him and for him: And he is before all things [panta], and by him all things [panta] consist (Col. 1:16, 17; emphasis added).
The terms: “principalities,” (as in Col. 1:16) “powers” and “authorities” are descriptions of angels. In Ephesians 6:12 we read: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. . . .” (cf. Rom. 8:38). Jesus is the Agent of creation.
Jesus is the Eternal God
Jesus is Creator, He created all things and that includes angels, therefore, Jesus created Lucifer. Jesus was always the eternal God. He did nor have to become “a God” as Mormons teach.
The Bible teaches that Jesus is God: John 8:24; 20:28; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1 (see my article: The Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Deity of Christ).
John 1:1 Jesus is eternal: The word “was” (ēn) is an imperfect tense hence indicating that Jesus is eternal.
Philippians 2:6 reads, “Who being in very nature God.” The word “being” ( huparchōn) is a present tense participle that carries the meaning of continued existence (as with Col. 1:16, 17; see also John 1:3, 1 Cor. 8:6; Heb. 1:2, 10 where Jesus is presented as CREATOR of ALL THINGS.
Notes
1, Cf. Joseph Smith, Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 349.
2, Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 10th printing, 109, 527-528, 616; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:61, 66.
3, At John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16 the author’s chose to employ the Greek word: panta which was, no doubt, the strongest word in the Greek to denote: all things in totality, rather then the weaker or less expressive words: pan or pas. Hence, Jesus was not merely a part of creation but rather ALL THINGS were created by Him and for Him.