Contradictions in the text are not contradictions in the nature of God Himself, and readers must spiritually discern for themselves the reason for the inconsistencies. As Joseph Smith said, “many things in the scriptures . . . do not, as they now stand, accord with the revelation of the Holy Ghost to me.”17 Specifically, that revelation included a clearer picture of the true nature of God, which early Church leaders called absolutely “necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation.”
