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| − | {{Resource Title|Is the Latter-day Saint doctrine of "premortal existence" unbiblical?}}
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| − | {{EarlyChristianityPortal}}
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| − | == ==
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| − | {{QA label}} | + | |L=Plan of salvation/Pre-mortal existence |
| − | | + | |H=The Mormon doctrine of "premortal existence" |
| − | {{:Question: Is the Mormon doctrine of a "premortal existence" pagan, unchristian, or unbiblical, and therefore false?}}
| + | |S= |
| − | {{:Question: Are Mormons the only ones who believe in the concept of a life before this one?}}
| + | |L1=Non-Mormon belief in a pre-mortal existence |
| − | {{:Question: Did the early Christian fathers express a belief in a pre-mortal life?}}
| + | |L2=Modern revelation regarding a pre-mortal existence|Modern revelation regarding a pre-mortal existence |
| − | | + | |L3=Biblical support for a pre-mortal existence |
| − | {{:Questions: What biblical evidence is there for a pre-mortal existence?}}
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| − | ===Did Jesus and the Apostles Believe in Premortal Life?=== | |
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| − | Having already addressed the few scriptures that critics cite in their chapter criticizing the Saints on this matter, there are others—equally telling—that they ignore. These scriptures, when taken in conjunction with those already discussed, present an even stronger case for the concept of a premortal life. Perhaps the most salient to consider at this point is the exchange between Jesus and his disciples recorded in {{b||John|9|1–2}}:
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| − | :"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
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| − | :"And his disciples asked him, saying Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"
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| − | Was this a rhetorical question on the part of the disciples? No, the question indicated that the disciples thought one possible answer to the blindness of the man was that he had sinned. Since he was born blind—a fact the record indicates that both Jesus and His disciples knew—then the wording of the question indicates that the sinning must have taken place before the birth of the man, by the man himself. How could the man have sinned, resulting in a punishment of being blind at birth, unless he had lived before he was born?
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| − | If the concept of a premortal life was in error, then the Master Teacher had a perfect opportunity to correct His students. His answer is recorded in {{b||John|9|3}}:
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| − | :"Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."
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| − | Jesus then proceeded to heal the man, foregoing any opportunity to correct the concept of the man having lived before birth. Instead, He acknowledged the concept by saying that the man had not sinned.<ref>This position is supported by other scriptures in which the apostles reference sinning in a period before birth. In 2 Peter 2:4, Peter references "angels that sinned," and Jude alluded to the same even in Jude 6. Both have reference to the concept of the first estate—or premortal existence—as understood in LDS doctrine.</ref> In the words of one non-LDS scholar:
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| − | :"The question posed by the disciples explicitly presupposed prenatal existence. It will be also noted that Christ says nothing to dispel or correct the presupposition. Here is incontrovertible support for a doctrine of human preexistence.
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| − | :"It is perfectly reasonable to surmise on the basis of this episode that Jesus and his followers accepted preexistence and thought so little of it that the question of prenatal sin did not even call for an answer."<ref>Quincy Howe, Jr., ''Reincarnation for the Christian'' (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1974), 92–93, as quoted by {{Book:Top:Life Before|pages=30}}</ref>
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| − | There are other scriptures in the Bible that can be used to support the concept of a premortal life. Suffice it to say that for the time being, however, the words of God and Jesus may be sufficient to the task at hand. The critics' charges of taking scripture out of context notwithstanding, there is a reasonable basis for at least recognizing a biblical basis for the doctrine of a preexistence.<ref>It should also be obvious to the astute reader that critics set themselves up to speak for all of Christendom in their exposition of doctrine. This position, in light of the analysis presented in this document from other Christian scholars (both ancient and modern), may be presumptive on their part. If there are other Christian thinkers who disagree with the critics concerning at least the possibility of premortal life, then how is it possible for the authors to speak for Christians as a whole and set those Christians at odds with the LDS position?</ref>
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| − | ==Latter-day Revelation==
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| − | While the biblical record is extensive for at least acknowledging the possibility of life before life, those who believe in continuing revelation are left with no doubt as to the veracity of premortal life. The critics may question why the doctrine of premortal life wasn't taught from the very beginnings of the restoration (in the very first years of the LDS Church), but such is the nature of continuing revelation—it allows the mysteries of the Lord to be revealed as the people are ready to hear, understand, and accept the concepts being taught by the Lord.
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| − | In their treatment of the topic at hand, the critics already made reference to some of the scriptural references that support the doctrine. In {{s||Abraham|3|22–23}} the Lord is speaking to Abraham and revealing His plan for His children:<ref>[https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/abr?lang=eng Abraham] is a book within the ''[https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp?lang=eng Pearl of Great Price]'', one of the revealed works accepted as official canon by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.</ref>
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| − | :"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;
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| − | :"And 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 thou wast born."
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| − | Can there be any doubt that Abraham understood who he was, as one of God's children, and that God had a plan for him? In fact, it is interesting to note that this scripture is consistent with the earlier discussion of {{b||Jeremiah|1|5}}. God, in consistent manner, revealed to two prophets that they had been with God before they were born and they were there chosen to fulfill their prophetic missions on an earth that had yet to be created.
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| − | Perhaps the most telling scriptural statement is made by the Lord Himself in {{s||Moses|3|5}}, where the Lord is recounting the story of the creation to Moses:<ref>[https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses?lang=eng Moses] is another book within the ''[https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp?lang=eng Pearl of Great Price]'', accepted and regarded as scripture by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.</ref>
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| − | :"And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air;"
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| − | Here, again, there is little doubt as to where man fits into the overall economy of God's plan. God created His children before sending them to earth; they were with Him in the preexistence.<ref>The book of Moses was translated by Joseph Smith beginning in June 1830, shortly after the Book of Mormon was published. Any argument that the doctrine of premortal life was not taught in the early years of the LDS Church would seem to be called into question by this fact. While the doctrine may not have been stressed, the clear scriptural basis for the doctrine was already available within the Church within a few months of its organization.</ref>
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| − | References to premortal life are not limited to the teachings of the ancient prophets among those in the Middle East, as recorded in the Pearl of Great Price. Indeed, ancient prophets in the Americas also understood and taught the concept. One such prophet was Alma,<ref>Alma was a prophet who lived and taught among Book of Mormon peoples shortly before the birth of the Savior.</ref> who recorded these words in {{s||Alma|13|3–7}}:
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| − | :"And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
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| − | :"And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
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| − | :"Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared—
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| − | :"And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest—
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| − | :"This high priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things—"
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| − | Here we learn several things. First, that priesthood power is eternal, being an order that "was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years." We also learn that certain men—priesthood holders—were "called and prepared from the foundation of the world." In other words, these people existed with God in the premortal life and were prepared to come to earth, bear the priesthood, and teach God's children. Why? Because God's foreknowledge allowed Him to understand the need for such preparation and such priesthood holders.
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| − | These verses also make reference to "the first place." In our modern-day vernacular, we often use the phrase "in the first place" when we are about to list off items in some manner. This common usage often blinds us to the fact that "the first place" is primarily just that—a place first among several. Alma refers to the priesthood holders being "in the first place" and left to choose good and evil. They chose good over evil, showed "exceedingly great faith," and were prepared for missions here on earth. Others present at that first place, given the same opportunities, did not respond in kind and so were not given the same preparation and calling.
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| − | Such a scenario is reminiscent of the account in Abraham, where he was informed that the Lord stood among leaders prepared before the foundation of the world, and that Abraham was one of those leaders.
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| − | Finally, the prophet Joseph Smith taught that man lived before coming to earth. {{s||D&C|49|17}} records a revelation<ref>Many of the revelations given to Joseph Smith, as well as some other latter-day prophets, are recorded in the ''[https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament?lang=eng Doctrine and Covenants]'' (often abbreviated D&C). This book constitutes one of the official canons of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.</ref> of the Savior in which it is stated that man was created "before the world was made."<ref>This revelation was received March 1831 in Kirtland, Ohio, less than one year after the official organization of the Church.</ref> Later, in {{s||D&C|93|29}}, the Lord revealed "man was also in the beginning with God."<ref>This revelation was received May 6, 1833 in Kirtland, Ohio.</ref>
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| − | Prophets today continue to teach the glorious truth that we are children of loving heavenly parents. We lived before we came to this world, we can know God while in this life, and we have the opportunity to be with God after we leave this mortal sphere. In late 1995, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve<ref>The [https://www.lds.org/church/leaders/first-presidency?lang=eng First Presidency] and [https://www.lds.org/church/leaders/quorum-of-the-twelve-apostles?lang=eng Quorum of the Twelve Apostles] are two organizational structures within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each group is composed of men called as Apostles, with the same calling issued by the Savior to his own Apostles. They are [https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/what-are-prophets-testimonies?lang=eng special witnesses] of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the Apostles is called by the Lord (typically the Apostle with the most seniority) to preside as President of the Church. Two additional Apostles serve as his counselors and assist him. These three comprise the First Presidency. Members of both the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve are accepted and sustained by members of the Church as [http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/special-witnesses.html prophets, seers, and revelators].</ref> unitedly stated:
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| − | :"All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
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| − | :"In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life."<ref>{{Book:Church:Family Proclamation:1995/Full title}}</ref>
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| − | == ==
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| − | {{further information label}}
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| − | <onlyinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryHeader
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| − | |link=Plan of salvation/Pre-mortal existence
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| − | |subject=Pre-mortal existence | |
| − | |summary=Some Christians claim that the LDS doctrine of a "premortal existence" is pagan, unchristian, or unbiblical, and therefore false. | |
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| | + | {{:Plan of salvation/Non-Mormon belief in a pre-mortal existence}} |
| | + | {{:Plan of salvation/Modern revelation regarding a pre-mortal existence}} |
| | + | {{:Plan of salvation/Biblical support for a pre-mortal existence}} |
| | + | </onlyinclude> |
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| − | </onlyinclude>
| + | {{Critical sources box:Plan of salvation/Pre-mortal existence/CriticalSources}} |
| − | {{CriticalSources}} | |
| | {{endnotes sources}} | | {{endnotes sources}} |
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