Pre-Earth Life God’s Purpose and Plan For Us
Gospel Basics Series: The Plan of Salvation
Jesus Christ is the center of God’s plan, and without Christ and His atonement the plan could not work. Agency is a central aspect of the plan, which requires a Savior and Redeemer. Because of Jesus Christ we can get back on the path when we walk off. Opposition is a vital element of the plan. God allows Satan to tempt us, so we can exercise our agency and choose God over Satan.
Among the many visitors Joseph Smith received in restoring the gospel and the church, one was a prophet from the Book of Mormon. His name was Moroni. Moroni told Joseph Smith about gold plates that Moroni and others wrote in ancient times. Moroni informed Joseph Smith where the gold plates were hidden since ancient times.
The plan of salvation answers the three main core questions;
• Where did we come from?
• Why are we here?
• Where are we going?
Where Did We Come From?
All of us are Heavenly Father’s literal children. We are the children of God. He and Heavenly Mother raised us as spirit infants, and we spent a very long time with them before being born to this earth. Life before this earth life is known as the pre-existence. Life with our Heavenly Parents was also one of learning at His knee. He gave us the freedom to disobey Him, but we received the consequences. He deals with us in earth the same way He did in Heaven. Because of our agency in the pre-existence each of us progressed to different levels of faith and spirituality. We all had different interests there. We brought with us to this earth what we became in pre-existence.
Why Are We Here?
Our greatest desire was to be like Heavenly Father was. Becoming like God was impossible without an earth life. Earth was to be a testing period to see if we would choose Him. A veil of forgetfulness was intentionally placed over us so we would forget what it was like before. If we remembered what it was like in pre-existence it would not be a valid test. The big test is to walk by faith not sight.
We saw in the pre-existence that God had a physical body. We also wanted a physical body, which is another reason why we earnestly wanted to be born to earth.
We are separated from God here. He profoundly wants us to return to Him but He will not force us. If we do not choose Him we will come home.
Where Are We Going?
That completely depends on you and I. I will talk about this in more detail later on. Everyone will receive a Kingdom of Glory based on how we lived here and how we kept His laws and commandments. He gives us commandments to help us achieve our greatest potential and to become like He is.
Chapel Address and contact information: 1928 E. South Campus Drive, Salt Lake City; 801-562-8089. You can also call 801-259-6709 for the mission home in Midvale if you want to talk to someone.
