"Who am I?" or "Where did I come from?"
These are questions that I think come to burn in the minds and hearts of most of us at some point in our lives. Obviously, these are questions the answers to which cannot be found at the Social Security Administration, or on your driver license, or even in your DNA. These are questions that plead for a kind of cosmic identity, a meaningful connection with something bigger than ourselves.
These are questions that I think come to burn in the minds and hearts of most of us at some point in our lives. Obviously, these are questions the answers to which cannot be found at the Social Security Administration, or on your driver license, or even in your DNA. These are questions that plead for a kind of cosmic identity, a meaningful connection with something bigger than ourselves.
Where Did I Come From?
Where was your eternal soul ten minutes before you were born? Part of knowing who we are involves knowing where we came from.
Abraham and Moses both taught that God created the heavens and the earth and all things - including man - spiritually before he created them temporally:
The Lord taught Moses how He created all things, including man, in heaven before He created them on earth:
"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" (Moses 3:5)
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness... so God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created He them... These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew..." (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:4-5, see also Abraham 4:4-5, 26)
Notice how both teach that "God created all things... before [they] were, or before [they] grew". In other words, there was a time when all things - including you and me - existed spiritually in the presence of God before we came to live on the earth, in the flesh. When we were born, we departed the presence of God and became mortals, having bodies of flesh and blood, to begin our sojourn here on the earth.
The prophet Abraham was given a vision, in which he saw all of us, before we came to this earth:
"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; 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." (Abraham 3:22-23)
In calling Jeremiah to serve as a prophet and a missionary, the Lord told him of his divine origin:
"Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5)
Paul taught the saints in Ephesus: "...[God] hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world..." (Ephesians 1:4)
Abraham, Jeremiah, and Paul all existed and dwelt in the presence of God before they were born, and so did you and I!
Who Am I?
Where was your eternal soul ten minutes before you were born? Part of knowing who we are involves knowing where we came from.
Abraham and Moses both taught that God created the heavens and the earth and all things - including man - spiritually before he created them temporally:
The Lord taught Moses how He created all things, including man, in heaven before He created them on earth:
"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" (Moses 3:5)
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness... so God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created He them... These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew..." (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:4-5, see also Abraham 4:4-5, 26)
Notice how both teach that "God created all things... before [they] were, or before [they] grew". In other words, there was a time when all things - including you and me - existed spiritually in the presence of God before we came to live on the earth, in the flesh. When we were born, we departed the presence of God and became mortals, having bodies of flesh and blood, to begin our sojourn here on the earth.
The prophet Abraham was given a vision, in which he saw all of us, before we came to this earth:
"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; 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." (Abraham 3:22-23)
In calling Jeremiah to serve as a prophet and a missionary, the Lord told him of his divine origin:
"Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5)
Paul taught the saints in Ephesus: "...[God] hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world..." (Ephesians 1:4)
Abraham, Jeremiah, and Paul all existed and dwelt in the presence of God before they were born, and so did you and I!
Who Am I?
The prophets have long taught that we are the children of God:
Moses - "Ye are the children of the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 14:1)
Hosea - "Ye are the sons of the living God." (Hosea 1:10)
Malachi - "Have we not all one father?" (Malachi 2:10)
Jesus - "Our Father which art in heaven..." (Matthew 6:9)
Paul - "shall we not... be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" "We are the offspring of God" (Hebrews 12:9, Acts 17:29)
A major part of the answer to the question of "who am I" is this: you are a spirit child of a loving Heavenly Father, who is God. Much more than just creatures of the flesh, born to exist at random, we, all the members of the human race, are the spiritual descendants of the royalty of heaven!
Moses - "Ye are the children of the Lord your God." (Deuteronomy 14:1)
Hosea - "Ye are the sons of the living God." (Hosea 1:10)
Malachi - "Have we not all one father?" (Malachi 2:10)
Jesus - "Our Father which art in heaven..." (Matthew 6:9)
Paul - "shall we not... be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" "We are the offspring of God" (Hebrews 12:9, Acts 17:29)
A major part of the answer to the question of "who am I" is this: you are a spirit child of a loving Heavenly Father, who is God. Much more than just creatures of the flesh, born to exist at random, we, all the members of the human race, are the spiritual descendants of the royalty of heaven!
Divine Potential
Another part of the answer to the question of who we are is who we can become. The Lord and His prophets have long taught that, by virtue of our divine ancestry, we inherit much of what God himself has and is.
Paul taught the Hebrews that the Father honored His Son and caused him to inherit the following (see Hebrews 1):
In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul wrote about his reasons for being willing to suffer persecution and the challenges inherent in missionary work:
"Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him..." (2 Timothy 2:10-12)
To the Romans, Paul wrote:
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:16-18)
Ye Are Gods, Children of the Most High
Through Joseph Smith, the Savior taught the Latter-Day Saints, saying:
"...he that receiveth me receiveth my Father; And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him." (Doctrine and Covenants 84:37-38)
What things does the Father have? To name a few: immortality, eternal life, all power, all wisdom, worlds without number, omniscience, infinite love for mankind. Are not these the very things that make Him God? If we inherit these things in the next life, are we not then gods like unto Him?
While it is unclear whether it was written by David or by the temple musician, Asaph, the Old Testament tells us:
"Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." (Psalms 82:6)
He That Overcometh
The Lord holds our divine potential in reserve for those are willing to work hard to obtain it. During His mortal ministry, the Lord taught his disciples:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
The Lord told John the Revelator:
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne...He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Revelation 3:21, 21:7)
Also of Interest:
Another part of the answer to the question of who we are is who we can become. The Lord and His prophets have long taught that, by virtue of our divine ancestry, we inherit much of what God himself has and is.
Paul taught the Hebrews that the Father honored His Son and caused him to inherit the following (see Hebrews 1):
- He is an heir to all things
- Sit down on the right hand of the Majesty on high
- A throne that is forever
- A sceptre of righteousness
In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul wrote about his reasons for being willing to suffer persecution and the challenges inherent in missionary work:
"Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him..." (2 Timothy 2:10-12)
To the Romans, Paul wrote:
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:16-18)
Ye Are Gods, Children of the Most High
Through Joseph Smith, the Savior taught the Latter-Day Saints, saying:
"...he that receiveth me receiveth my Father; And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him." (Doctrine and Covenants 84:37-38)
What things does the Father have? To name a few: immortality, eternal life, all power, all wisdom, worlds without number, omniscience, infinite love for mankind. Are not these the very things that make Him God? If we inherit these things in the next life, are we not then gods like unto Him?
While it is unclear whether it was written by David or by the temple musician, Asaph, the Old Testament tells us:
"Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." (Psalms 82:6)
He That Overcometh
The Lord holds our divine potential in reserve for those are willing to work hard to obtain it. During His mortal ministry, the Lord taught his disciples:
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
The Lord told John the Revelator:
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne...He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Revelation 3:21, 21:7)
Also of Interest:
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