“God the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's (D&C 130:22). As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become.”

The 30-second answer

Biblical God is eternal, spirit, uncreated, and not an exalted mortal man from another planetary system.

💡 Ask them back“If God was once a mortal man who progressed to godhood, who was His God? And who was that God's God? Does the Bible teach multiple generations of gods, or that the LORD has been God from all eternity?”

⚠️ What not to sayDon't be sarcastic about their temple rituals or garments. Stay laser-focused on the nature of God and the gospel of grace.

📖 The full defense

God is Eternal and Unchanging:
Psalm 90:2 says: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." God never "became" God; He has always been God.

No Other Gods Ever Existed:
Isaiah 43:10: "Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me."
Isaiah 44:6, 8: "I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God... Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one."
If God knows all things and He doesn't know of another God, then no other gods exist!

God is Spirit, Not Flesh and Bone:
John 4:24: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Numbers 23:19: "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent."

✝️ Scripture anchors (NKJV)

Isaiah 43:10

“Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.”

Psalm 90:2

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

John 4:24

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

🔁 If they push back…

The comeback you are most likely to hear next — and a reply that keeps the conversation moving toward Jesus.

They say“Genesis 1:26-27 says we are made in God's image, and Exodus 33:11 says Moses spoke with God "face to face." So God must have a body like ours.”

You can sayThe "image" refers to our nature—reason, morality, relationship—not a physical shape; Colossians 3:10 says the image is renewed "in knowledge." "Face to face" is an idiom for intimacy: in the same chapter God says, "You cannot see My face" (Exodus 33:20). And Jesus said plainly, "God is Spirit" (John 4:24), and "a spirit does not have flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39).

They say“Psalm 82:6 says "You are gods," and Jesus quoted it in John 10:34. The Bible teaches that we can become gods.”

You can sayRead Psalm 82 in full: God is rebuking unjust judges, called "gods" because they judged on His behalf—and verse 7 says, "you shall die like men." Jesus used it to answer His accusers from their own Scripture, not to teach that humans become exalted Gods. Isaiah 43:10 still stands: no God was formed before Him, and none will be after Him.

🕊️ Pentecostal key — the Spirit on the streetLatter-day Saints are taught to seek a "burning in the bosom" (D&C 9:8) as confirmation of truth. Gently guide them from subjective feelings (Jeremiah 17:9) to the objective, unshakeable Word of God.