Mormonism Minute: Mormonism: Pre-Existence

Mormonism and Our Pre-Existent Life

I'm not sure how many religions teach about a pre-existent life; however, in Mormonism, pre-existence is part of God's plan of salvation for us. Mormonism, using scriptural references, teaches that we all lived before we were born; we are all spirit children of a heavenly father and mother. In order to become like our heavenly, or spiritual, parents we need to leave Their presence, come to earth, and live by faith.

In the book of Abraham, in the Pearl of Great Price, it states, "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers: for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thous wast born."

Job 38:7 refers to the sons of God shouting for joy when the foundation of the earth was being laid.

Revelations 12:7 refers to the war in heaven between good and evil.

We, as spirit children, were able to learn, progress, and make choices in our pre-earth life. Each of us born on this earth chose to follow Christ; those who chose to follow satan never received their mortal bodies and work to tempt and try us to keep us from returning to God and eternal happiness. So, this life on earth is difficult many times; we are truly at war for our eternal progression, but God has given us the Savior, Jesus Christ and His teachings to help us make our eternal goal.