THE PLAN OF SALVATION
WHERE WERE WE BEFORE WE WERE
BORN?
We all lived in a premortal existence, as spirits,
with our Father in Heaven before birth.
God lives, Jesus is the Christ, and the Kingdom of God is on the earth.
Much of the information given
to mankind in the history of this earth, is through a past and living Prophet.
Knowledge, or Faith, in this concept is very important. Understanding that
the Lord loves his people today, by giving us a voice from God, as much
as in Old and New Testament days, can give us many answers to our questions,
such as "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" or "Where am I going
after this life is over?"
Because of revelations received
by a modern Prophet, Joseph Smith, many of these questions can be answered.
Before we were born into
this life, we lived in what is known as the "pre-existence" or the
"premortal existence"(1) with our Father in Heaven.(2)
Every person ever to be born on this earth lived in this premortal existence.
We did not have physical bodies of flesh and bones as we now have.
We lived as spirits, children of our Heavenly Father.(3) A
spirit,
is a personage, and has the same form as a person. As spirits we
were able to communicate, move about, make decisions and choices, and recognize
the difference between good and evil. How exciting is it to know
that God is the father of our spirits? Have we all wished to be born
in some Royal Family at some time in our life?
We are all of Royal
Birth! (4)
A modern Prophet, Joseph
Smith, learned for himself that God is not merely a spirit, but has a body
that is tangible, like man’s, though it is glorified and perfected.
When praying for an answer to a question about which church he should join,
Joseph Smith was visited by God the Father, and his Son, Jesus Christ.(5)
When Joseph saw and talked with them, he learned that the Father and Son,
Jesus Christ, are separate and distinct individuals(6) and not just
manifestations of the same person.(7) He learned that they
each have a body of flesh and bones.(8) Their bodies are much like
ours, but are glorified and perfected, and they can’t die.
As his spirit children, we
could see in our premortal existence that our Heavenly Father had a glorified
body of flesh and bones, which was necessary to progress eternally. We
really wanted to be like our Father in Heaven.(9) Because of
his great love for us, he prepared a way for us to obtain physical bodies
like his.(10) This plan(11) required that we obtain these
physical bodies by coming to this earth to live. This earth life
is one of the first steps toward reaching eternal perfection.(12)
Just as our earthly mothers and fathers want us to experience and learn
life’s lessons as we grow older, our Heavenly Father wants us to become
more like him. An interesting scripture: Jeremiah 1:5 (Old Testament)
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;
and before thou camest forth out of the womb
I sanctified thee a prophet unto the nations.
I am a child of God,
And He has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear. |
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday. (13) |
Next
Concept
(1) Job 38:4-7
(2) John 1:2,14
(3) Ecclesiastes 12:7
(4) Acts 17:26-29 |
(5) John 17:3-5
(6) Acts 7:55-56
(7) John 16:27-28
(8) Luke 24:36-40 |
(9) Hebrews 12:9
(10) Genesis 1:26-27; 5:1-3
(11) Revelations 12:7-9
(12) Romans 8:16 |
(13) I Am a Child of God, 1st verse, by N. W. Randall
& M. T. Pettit - (Hear
the piano music to this song)
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