31110, Gospel
Principles, Unit One: Our Premortal Life with God, 1: Our Father in
Heaven, There Is a God, 8
Alma, a Book of Mormon prophet, wrote, “All things denote
there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the
face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which
move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).
We can look up at the sky at night and have an idea of what Alma meant.
There are millions of stars and planets all in perfect order. They did
not get there by chance. We can see the work of God in the heavens and
on the earth. The many beautiful plants, the many kinds of animals, the
mountains, the rivers, the clouds that bring us rain and snow—all these
testify to us that there is a God.
• What are some of
the things around us that show us there is a God?
God Is the Ruler of Heaven and Earth
The prophets have taught us that God is the almighty ruler of
the universe. God dwells in heaven (see D&C
20:17).
Through his Son, Jesus Christ, he created heaven and earth and all
things that are in them (see Moses 2:1).
He made the moon, the stars, and the sun. He organized this world and
gave it form, motion, and life. He filled the air and the water with
living things. He covered the hills and plains with all kinds of animal
life. He gave us day and night, summer and winter, seedtime and
harvest. He made man in his own image to be a ruler over his other
creations (see Genesis 1:26–27).
God is the one supreme and absolute being in whom we believe
and whom we worship. He is the Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all
things (see
Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 18–23).
Because we are made in his image (see Moses
6:9), we know that God has a body that looks like ours. His
eternal spirit is housed in a tangible body of flesh and bones (see D&C 130:22).
God’s body, however, is perfected and glorified, with a glory beyond
all description.
God is perfect. He is a God of love, mercy, charity, truth,
power, faith, knowledge, and judgment. He has all power. He knows all
things. He is full of goodness.
All good things come from God. Everything that he does is to
help his children become like him—a god. He has said, “Behold, this is
my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life
of man” (Moses 1:39).
Knowing God is so important that the Savior said, “This is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).
The first and greatest commandment tells us, “Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart” (Matthew
22:37).
The more we know God, the more we love him and keep his
commandments (see 1 John 2:3). By
keeping his commandments we can become like him.
Discussion
• Why is it important
to know God?
How Can We Know God?
We can know God if we will—
1. Believe that he exists and that he
loves us (see Mosiah 4:9).
31110, Gospel
Principles, Unit One: Our Premortal Life with God, 2: Our Heavenly
Family, We Are Children of Our Heavenly Father, 11
God is not only our ruler and creator; he is also our Heavenly
Father. “All men and women are … literally the sons and daughters of
Deity. … Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents,
and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to
coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Joseph F. Smith,
“The Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, pp. 78, 80).
Every person who was ever born on earth was our spirit brother
or sister in heaven. The first spirit born to our heavenly parents was
Jesus Christ (see D&C 93:21),
so he is literally our elder brother (see Discourses of Brigham
Young, p. 26). Because we are the spiritual children of our
heavenly parents, we have inherited the potential to develop their
divine qualities. If we choose to do so, we can become perfect, just as
they are.
Discussion
• Who is the Father
of our spirits?
• Where did we live
before we were born on earth?
• What is our
relationship to God and to each other? Read Hebrews
12:9.
• Who was the first
spirit born to our heavenly parents?
• How are we like our
heavenly parents?
We Developed Personalities and Talents While
We Lived in Heaven
The scriptures teach us that the prophets prepared themselves
to become leaders on earth while they were still spirits in heaven (see
Alma 13:1–3).
God foreordained (chose) them to be his leaders on earth before they
were born into mortal bodies. Jesus, Adam, and Abraham were some of
these leaders. (See Abraham 3:22–23.)
Joseph Smith taught that everyone who has a calling to lead people on
earth in the Church was foreordained to do so (see Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 365). However, everyone is free on earth
to accept or reject the calling.
We were not all alike in heaven. We were given different
talents and abilities, and we were called to do different things on
earth. (See
Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 51.) We can learn more about our
talents and callings when we receive our patriarchal blessings (see
Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places, p. 117).
Even though we have forgotten, our Father in Heaven remembers
who we were and what we did before we came here (see Discourses of
Brigham Young, p. 50). He has chosen the time and place for each of
us to be born so we can learn the lessons we personally need and do the
most good with our individual talents and personalities.
Discussion
• What was our
premortal life like?
Our Heavenly Parents Desired to Share Their
Joy with Us
Our heavenly parents provided us with a celestial home more
glorious and beautiful than any place on earth. We were happy there.
Yet they knew we could not progress beyond a certain point unless we
left them for a time. They wanted us to develop the godlike qualities
that they have. To do this, we needed to leave our celestial home to be
tested and to gain experience. We needed to choose good over evil. Our
spirits needed to be clothed with physical bodies. We would need to
leave our physical bodies at death and reunite with them in the
Resurrection. Then we would receive immortal bodies like those of our
heavenly parents. If we passed our tests, we would receive the fulness
of joy that our heavenly parents have received. (See D&C
93:30–34.)
Discussion
• How does earth life
help prepare us to become like our heavenly parents?
Our Heavenly Father Presented a Plan for Us
to Become like Him
Since we could not progress further in heaven, our Heavenly
Father called a Grand Council to present his plan for our progression
(see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 348, 349, 365).
We learned that if we followed his plan, we would become like him. We
would have a resurrected body; we would have all power in heaven and on
earth; we would become heavenly parents and have spirit children just
as he does (see D&C
132:19–20).
We learned that he would provide an earth for us where we
would be tested (see Abraham 3:24–26).
A veil would cover our memories, and we would forget our heavenly home.
This would be necessary so we could choose good or evil without being
influenced by the memory of living with our Heavenly Father. Thus we
could obey him because of our faith in him, not because of our
knowledge or memory of him. He would help us recognize the truth when
we heard it again on earth (see John
18:37).
At the Grand Council we also learned the purpose for our
progression: to have a fulness of joy. However, we also learned that
not all of our Father’s children would want to receive a fulness of
joy. Some of us would be deceived, choose other paths, and lose our
way. We learned that all of us would have trials in our lives:
sickness, disappointment, pain, sorrow, and death. But we understood
that these would be given to us for our experience and our good (see D&C 122:7).
If we allowed them to, these trials would purify us rather than defeat
us. They would teach us to have endurance, patience, and charity (see
Spencer W. Kimball,
Faith Precedes the Miracle, pp. 97–98).
At this council we also learned that because of our weakness,
all of us would sin. We learned that a Savior would be provided for us
so we could overcome our sins and overcome death with resurrection. We
learned that if we placed our faith in him, obeying his word and
following his example, we would be exalted and become like our heavenly
parents. We would receive a fulness of joy.
Discussion
• What plan did our
Heavenly Father present to us?
• What did we learn
would happen to us on earth?
• Why would our
Father in Heaven permit us to experience suffering and death on earth?
Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior Chapter 3
A Savior and Leader Was Needed
31110, Gospel
Principles, Unit One: Our Premortal Life with God, 3: Jesus Christ, Our
Chosen Leader and Savior, A Savior and Leader Was Needed, 17
When the plan for our salvation was presented to us in the
spirit world, we were so happy that we shouted for joy (see Job 38:7).
We understood that we would have to leave our heavenly home
for a time. We would not live in the presence of our heavenly parents.
While we were away from them, all of us would sin and some of us would
lose our way. Our Heavenly Father knew and loved each one of us. He
knew we would need help, so he planned a way to help us.
We needed a Savior to pay for our sins and teach us how to
return to our Heavenly Father. Our Father said, “Whom shall I send?” (Abraham 3:27).
Two of our brothers offered to help. Our oldest brother, Jesus Christ,
who was then called Jehovah, said, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).
Jesus was willing to come to the earth, give his life for us,
and take upon himself our sins. He, like our Heavenly Father, wanted us
to choose whether we would obey Heavenly Father’s commandments. He knew
we must be free to choose in order to prove ourselves worthy of
exaltation. Jesus said, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be
thine forever” (Moses 4:2).
Satan, who was called Lucifer, also came, saying, “Behold,
here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind,
that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore
give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1).
Satan wanted to force us all to do his will. Under his plan, we would
not be allowed to choose. He would take away the freedom of choice that
our Father had given us. Satan wanted to have all the honor for our
salvation.
Discussion
• Who is our leader
and Savior?
• Who besides Jesus
wanted to be our leader?
Jesus Christ Became Our Chosen Leader and
Savior
After hearing both sons speak, Heavenly Father said, “I will
send the first” (Abraham 3:27).
Jesus Christ was chosen and ordained to be our Savior. Many
scriptures tell about this. One scripture tells us that long before
Jesus was born, he appeared to the brother of Jared, a Book of Mormon
prophet, and said: “Behold, I am he who was prepared from the
foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ.
… In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who
shall believe on my name” (Ether 3:14).
When Jesus lived on earth, he taught: “I came down from
heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. …
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will
raise him up at the last day” (John 6:38, John 6:40).
Discussion
• Ask each person to
tell something about Jesus.
The War in Heaven
Because our Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our
Savior, Satan became angry and rebelled. There was war in heaven. Satan
and his followers fought against Jesus and his followers.
In this great rebellion, Satan and all the spirits who
followed him were sent away from the presence of God and cast down from
heaven. One-third of the spirits in heaven were punished for following
Satan: they were denied the right to receive mortal bodies.
Because we are here on earth and have mortal bodies, we know
that we chose to follow Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Satan and
his followers are also on the earth, but as spirits. They have not
forgotten who we are, and they are around us daily, tempting us and
enticing us to do things that are not pleasing to our Heavenly Father.
In our premortal life, we chose the right. We must continue to choose
the right here on earth. Only by following Jesus can we return to our
heavenly home.
Discussion
• How do we know that
we chose to follow Jesus?
We Have the Savior’s Teachings to Follow
From the beginning, Jesus Christ has revealed the gospel,
which tells us what we must do to return to our Heavenly Father. At the
appointed time he came to earth himself. He taught the plan of
salvation and exaltation by his word and by the way he lived. He
established his Church and his priesthood on the earth. He took our
sins upon himself.
By following the Lord’s teachings, we can return to live with
him and our heavenly parents in the celestial kingdom. He was chosen to
be our Savior when we all attended the great council with our heavenly
parents. When he became our Savior, he did his part to help us return
to our heavenly home. It is now up to each of us to do our part and
become worthy of exaltation.
Discussion
• What are some of
the things we must do to follow Jesus?
31110, Gospel
Principles, Unit One: Our Premortal Life with God, 4: Freedom to
Choose, 21
“Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee” (Moses 3:17).
God has told us through his prophets that we are free to
choose between good and evil. We may choose liberty and eternal life by
following Jesus Christ. We are also free to choose captivity and death
by following Satan. (See 2 Nephi 2:27.)
The right to choose between good and evil is called agency.
Agency Is an Eternal Principle
In the premortal life we were free agents. That means we had
power to act for ourselves (see D&C
93:29–30). One purpose of earth life is to show what choices
we will make (see 2 Nephi 2:15–16).
If we were forced to choose the right, we would not be able to show
what we would choose for ourselves. Also, we are happier doing things
when we have made our own choices.
Agency may have been one of the first issues to arise in the
premortal council in heaven. It was one of the main causes of the
conflict between the followers of Christ and the followers of Satan.
Satan said he would bring all of us back to our Father’s presence, but
he would have taken away our agency. When his offer was rejected, he
rebelled and was cast out of heaven with his followers (see D&C
29:36–37).
Discussion
• Ask class members
to compare the feelings the words force and choice
bring to mind.
Agency Is a Necessary Part of the Plan of
Salvation
Agency makes our life on earth a period of testing. When
planning the mortal creation of his children, God said, “We will prove
[test] them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the
Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham
3:25). Without the gift of agency, we would have been unable
to show our Heavenly Father whether we would do all that he commanded
us. Because we are able to choose, we are responsible for our actions
(see Helaman
14:30–31).
When we choose to live according to God’s plan for us, our
agency is strengthened. Right choices increase our power to make more
right choices.
As we obey each of our Father’s commandments, we grow in
wisdom and strength of character. Our faith increases. We find it
easier to make right choices.
We began to make choices as spirit children in our Heavenly
Father’s presence. Our choices there made us worthy to come to earth.
Our Heavenly Father wants us to grow in faith, power, knowledge,
wisdom, and all other good things. If we keep his commandments and make
right choices, we will learn and understand. We will become like him.
(See D&C 93:28.)
Discussion
• Read Moses 3:17
and Joshua
24:14–15. What choices have you made this week? Did these
choices bring you closer to the Lord?
• Why is agency
necessary?
• Read 2 Nephi 28:30.
How does making right choices help us make more right choices?
Agency Requires That There Be a Choice
We cannot choose unless the opposites of good and evil are
placed before us. Lehi, a great Book of Mormon prophet, told his son
that in order to bring about the eternal purposes of God, there must be
“an opposition in all things. If not so, … righteousness could not be
brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery,
neither good nor bad” (2 Nephi 2:11).
God allows Satan to oppose the good. God said of Satan:
“I caused that he should be cast down;
“And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all
lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his
will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice” (Moses 4:3–4).
Satan does all he can to destroy God’s work. He seeks “the
misery of all mankind, … for he seeketh that all men might be miserable
like unto himself” (2 Nephi 2:18,
2 Nephi 2:27).
He does not love us. He does not want any good thing for us. He does
not want us to be happy. He wants to make us his slaves. He uses many
disguises to capture us.
When we follow the temptations of Satan, we limit our choices.
The following example suggests how this works. Imagine seeing a sign on
the seashore that reads: “Danger—whirlpool. No swimming allowed here.”
We might think that is a restriction. But is it? We still have many
choices. We are free to swim somewhere else. We are free to walk along
the beach and pick up seashells. We are free to watch the sunset. We
are free to go home. We are also free to ignore the sign and swim in
the dangerous place. But once the whirlpool has us in its grasp and we
are pulled under, we have very few choices. We can try to escape, or we
can call for help, but we may drown.
Even though we are free to choose our course of action, we are
not free to choose the consequences of our actions. The consequences,
whether good or bad, follow as a natural result of any choice we make
(see Revelation 22:12).
If we touch a hot flame, for example, we are burned.
Heavenly Father has told us how to escape the captivity of
Satan. We must watch and pray always, asking God to help us withstand
the temptations of Satan (see 3 Nephi 18:15).
Our Heavenly Father will not allow us to be tempted beyond our power to
resist (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).
God’s commandments direct us away from danger and toward
eternal life. By choosing wisely, we will gain exaltation, progress
eternally, and enjoy perfect happiness (see 2
Nephi
2:27–28).
Discussion
• Place a treat
within the reach of someone. Loosely wrap a cord around him, binding
his arms to his body. Ask him if he can reach the treat. Tighten the
cord so the person is bound. Explain that sin and ignorance also
interfere with agency and prevent us from receiving blessings from God.
Discuss how repentance and righteous living free us from the bondage of
sin.
