The Premortal Existence

by Robert Rosskopf

According to Mormon doctrine, the spirits of all men existed before birth in a pre-mortal existence. This is often challenged by other Christian churches, as no other church has this teaching. The Bible, for its part, has several verses which strongly suggest that God is the father of the spirits of men and that they existed before they were born.

"We have had fathers of the flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of spirits and live?" - Hebrews 12:9

In Ecclesiastes, the body is described as returning to the dust, but the spirit goes back to God.

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

- Eccleasiastes 12:7

God explained to Jeremiah,

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I santified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

In Job, the angels in the presence of God are called the sons of God, and Satan is among them.

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them." - Job 1:6

Later the Lord asks Job where he was during the creation of the earth,

"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" - Job 38:7

Paul tells us more about Jesus' relationship to these angels and to his father in Hebrews, chapter One.

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs."

After his mortal life, Jesus became superior to these other angels or spiritual sons of God. During his mortal life, Jesus chided someone with the gentle reproach

"And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God."

God the Father is the father of the whole human family, both the angels in heaven, and the mortals on earth.

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named..." - Ephesians 3:14,15

Jesus was given the title firstbegotten before he was born, because he was the first of the spirit children of the family of God.

"And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." - Hebrews 1:6

Paul taught the Romans that God knew us before we were born, and that Jesus is our brother.

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." - Romans 8:29

Clement was a 2nd century Christian author. In his 2nd epistle to the Corinthians he talked about the pre-mortal existence of man, and the pre-mortal church of God.

Wherefore, brethren, if we do the will of God our Father, we shall be of the first Church, which is spiritual, which was created before the sun and the moon; but if we do not the will of the Lord, we shall be of the scripture that saith, My house was made a den of robbers. So therefore let us choose rather to be of the Church of life, that we may be saved. - 2nd Clement 14:1

He goes on to say

"And the Books and the Apostles plainly declare that the Church existeth not now for the first time, but hath been from the beginning..."