In the scriptures we read that "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3) Joseph Smith declared the first principle of the gospel to be "to know for a certainty the character of God." (History of the Church 6:305.) Man's eternal progress clearly depends on his coming to a knowledge of his Divine Father; we must know God if we are to become like him. God the Father is a compilation of some of the clearest and most authoritative statements ever delivered on the nature and personality of God. These statements clarify and explain the unique conception of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that God is an anthropomorphic being, the literal Father of our spirits, and one of three separate and distinct personages comprising the Godhead. Included here are the thoughts of General Authorities and past presidents of the Church, as well as the testimonies of prominent scientists and philosophers, as to the reality of our Heavenly Father. God's relationship with man, the nature of his oneness with the other members of the Godhead, his divine power and goodness, and his eternal plan of salvation are all discussed in this powerful work. One of the joyous messages of the restoration of Christ's true gospel is that man can truly come to know God. In searching out this knowledge we gain great happiness, for, as compiler Gordon Allred says, "One cannot ponder the true personality and purposes of our Heavenly Father without being warmed in the glow of his own great love."