Powerful Bible quotes, etc., that will help you know that you are a beloved Child of God.

Do we live as Spiritual Children of God before coming to our earthly school and probationary period?

I believe three of the most important questions each of us should study, reflect on, and pray about are:

Where did I come from – – – before coming to earth?

Why am I here on earth?

Where do I go after this learning experience and earthly school?

The answer to those three important questions will help you see that God is incredibly loving, just, and generous to each of us, God’s children, in the way He designed His Plan of Salvation/Happiness for His children’s eternal future. It will also greatly motivate you to continue improving and progressing toward becoming a more devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

The following Bible passages are some of the many scriptures that help make it clear that we lived as spirit children of our Heavenly Father before coming to earth. This truth is very important because when you understand that you are a child of God, it changes everything—about how you feel about yourself and about other children of God as our eternal brothers and sisters; and about our incredible potential. And it helps us understand how much God truly loves each of us. 

Job 32:7-8: “But there is a spirit in man, and inspiration from the Almighty gives them understanding.”

Numbers 16:22: “And they fell on their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh.”

Ecclesiastes 12:7: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” (Clearly the spirit part of us could not “return” to God after death unless we had previously been there with God before we were born.)

Jesus taught this same principle in John 3:13: “And no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

Genesis 1:26-28: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and increase in number, and replenish the earth.”

The prophet Jeremiah was called to be a prophet at a very young age and was concerned about whether he was ready for that calling. God assured him in Jeremiah 1:5 that, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born from the womb I sanctified you and appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (God knew the prophet Jeremiah as a courageous and faithful individual in his premortal life. And long before he was formed in his mother’s womb, God even ordained him to become a prophet, because he was clearly a courageous and faithful spirit son of God in his premortal existence. Doesn’t this verse make it abundantly clear that Jeremiah and the rest of us spirit children of God lived there with God before we came to earth?)

Hebrews 12:9: “Moreover, we had fathers of the flesh which disciplined us, and we reverenced them: shall we not rather be subject unto the Father of spirits, and live?”

Romans 8:29: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” 

Romans 8:16-17: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are 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 also be glorified with him.” (Clearly, there is a spiritual part of us and a physical part. The unique and eternal spiritual part of us was with our Heavenly Father before we came to earth.)

John 9:1-3 teaches, “Now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be displayed in him.” (Obviously, Jesus’ close disciples at that time clearly understood that each of us lived as spirit children of God in a pre-mortal life, and that we had freedom to choose both good and evil there, just as we do here. – – so they were simply asking Jesus if that man had sinned in his pre-mortal life, and if that was why he was born blind. Jesus made it clear that this man before coming to earth did not sin in order to be born blind. Obviously, if Jesus’ disciples were wrong in assuming that this blind man lived as a spirit child of God before coming to earth, then Jesus would have made that doctrine clear to them at that time, right?)

What does it mean that each of us is a child of God, as so many Bible verses teach, and how does that change your life and your perspective in a powerful way? 

Powerful Quote: “An important part of this life is understanding one’s relationship with God and with others. When you truly understand this, you will act differently and treat others differently.” Bradley D. Foster

“And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O Lord my God, have You brought evil also upon the widow with whom I dwell, by slaying her son? And he fell upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O Lord my God, please let this child’s soul return to him.” 1 Kings 17:20-21

“And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and when he had said this, he gave up his spirit.” Luke 23:46 (We also have a spiritual part of us, which is our eternal being, which lived with God before coming to earth.)

“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.’ John 20:17

“And while they were thus speaking, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and thought they had seen a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Handle me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Luke 24:36-39

“And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” Exodus 33:11 (So clearly God has a face and a body).

Genesis 1:26-27: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Considering that you and I were made in the image of God, doesn’t that say a lot about our divine potential?

“If in this life we ​​have hope only in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, and is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through man. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:19-22

“You are children of the Lord your God” Deuteronomy 14:1

“Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us?” Malachi 2:10

“One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.” Ephesians 4:6

“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:59

“Therefore be followers of God, as beloved children.” Ephesians 5:1

“Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation.” Numbers 27:16

“For in him we live and move and have our being, as some of your own poets have said, ‘We are also his descendants.’” Acts 17:28

“Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.” Ephesians 1:4

Bible: Revelation 12:7-9: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought, and they did not prevail; neither was a place found for them anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (This quote above is referring to the war that was waged in Heaven before we all came to earth. The devil and his followers were cast out of Heaven and will never have the opportunity to receive physical bodies. Their desire is to tempt us to sin and become as miserable as they are.)

In the Bible in Job 38:1, 4-7: “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, . . . Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if you have understanding. Who laid its measurements, if you know? Or who stretched out the line for it? On what is its foundation laid? Or who laid the cornerstone thereof; When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job and all of us here on earth, are the sons and daughters of the Spirit of God, who shouted for joy when we were told of God’s plan for our eternal future as His children of the Spirit, which included us coming to our earth. -the school and testing period, and obtaining a physical body, that would help us learn many useful lessons we needed to learn in order to progress and become more like our Heavenly Father.

Hosea 1:10 teaches, “You are children of the living God.” Isn’t it wonderful to know that you are sons and daughters of the living God? When my wife learned from the missionaries this important truth that she is truly a beloved daughter of God when she was 14, her life was transformed tremendously in joyful and powerful ways.

Acts 17:28 and 29: teaches, “…For we also are his offspring. For we are the offspring of God.” 

In Matthew 6:9, Jesus taught, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” Jesus is calling God, our Heavenly Father, and teaching us to do the same. If we are supposed to address God as our Heavenly Father, doesn’t that help make it clear that we are children of His Spirit from our pre-mortal existence?

Doctrine and Covenants Section 130:18-20, which is a Revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, teaches that: “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain in this life will be resurrected with us in the resurrection. And if one person acquires more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have a great advantage in the world to come. There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of this world, upon which all blessings are based. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is based.” Clearly, the knowledge and progress we make in every area of ​​this life continues with us after we complete our earthly school and probationary period. And obviously, any knowledge and progress that we made in our pre-mortal existence as spirit children of God, through our personal diligence and wise choices, also comes with us when we come to earth, which is why God knew that the young prophet Jeremiah was a great and mighty soul before he was formed in his mother’s womb——–way back in his pre-mortal life as a spirit child of God. For example, if someone becomes a great musician during their time on earth by diligently working on that skill every day; then that talent goes with them after they leave their bodies, and they don’t lose that talent that they’ve worked hard to develop just because they die, right? And there are clearly super-talented musicians like Mozart and Beethoven, who I’m sure were incredibly talented and skilled musicians in their pre-mortal life as spirit children of God before they were born on earth.

Furthermore, obviously, two identical twins who have all the same chromosomes and were raised the same way, in the same family; they are still very different from each other, and unique souls, because as spirit children of God, they were very different spirit children of God long before they were sent to this earthly school and probationary period.

What is “the spiritual part within me, or my Spirit”? – – – the part of me that is me, that makes choices of right and wrong, good and evil, following God or following the temptations of the devil and his team? Clearly, the spiritual part within each of us lived as spirit children of God before coming to earth, and continues to live after being temporarily separated from the body at death, and reunited with a glorified body at the resurrection.

I’m not talking about reincarnation, because that’s not a true principle and doesn’t match God’s Word in the Bible. We weren’t a different person or creature before coming to earth. You were always you, and you always will be you. However, every child of God is incredibly capable of making changes and improvements for the better, if they so choose, so they can learn to enjoy more real love, joy, and inner peace. No one can feel better without becoming better and more Christlike. The devil, who was a liar from the beginning, offered God his plan in our premortal life, which was that he would compel everyone to do everything right and good, so that not a single soul would be lost, and he wanted everyone to give glory and honor to come to him. God’s plan was the truth, that there could be no progress or joy for anyone without the God-given gift of free will: the freedom for each soul to choose right over wrong, good over evil, kindness over meanness. No one could have ever found true joy, love, inner peace, and progress without the freedom to choose. How could anyone qualify for an earthly or heavenly reward of greater inner peace, true love, joy, and loving relationships, etc., if they didn’t have the freedom to choose good over evil? They would be mere puppets. If you were forced to do everything good and severely abused if you ever decided to go against that force, would you learn to truly develop the capacity for love, forgiveness, compassion, empathy, and inner motivation to improve and do better in a forceful environment without the freedom to choose?

In short, are you a child of God, who knows you and loves you with a perfect parental love as his spiritual child of infinite worth and potential?

You might be thinking, “That sounds great, Charles, but is it true?” And yes, it is absolutely true, and if you read, reflect, and pray about these Bible verses in this chapter and the other points in this chapter, I think you will feel it is true.

Remember how Jesus taught that we are to forgive others up to seventy times seven: “Then Peter came to him and said, ‘Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times.’ Matthew 18:21-22

Questions to reflect and pray:

If we are all spirit children of God, why do so many of us choose to be selfish, rude, and mean to one another? In short, because of the God-given gift of free will (see the article on this website titled “How Important in God’s Plan of Happiness Is the God-Given Gift of Free Will”). We must be free to choose both good and evil, or we will be unable to grow, progress, and become more like our loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Below are some additional scriptures on this topic regarding where we lived before coming to earth and God’s plan for us, which I believe come from the biblical prophets: Moses and Abraham from our biblical record called “The Pearl of Great Price,” and from the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi, and the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C, which are revelations from the Prophet Joseph Smith). I believe understanding that we lived as spirit children of God before coming to our mortal school and probationary period helps us love God much more. Many true principles and understandings fall into place and make much more sense when you realize that we lived as spirit children of our Heavenly Father before coming to earth.

2 Nephi 2: verses 11-28:

“For it is necessary that there should be opposition in all things. If it were not so, . . . Neither righteousness, nor wickedness, nor holiness, nor misery, neither good nor evil, could be realized. … And if you say there is no law, you will also say there is no sin. If you say there is no sin, you will also say there is no righteousness. And if there is no justice, there is no happiness. And if there is no justice nor happiness, there will be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not, there is no God. And if there is no God, there is no us, nor the earth; for there could be no creation of things, either to act or to be acted upon; therefore all things must have passed away. And now, my children, I speak these things unto you for your profit and learning; for there is one God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, both things to act upon, and things that are acted upon. And to accomplish his eternal purposes at the end of the Man, after having created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, and in short, all created things, it is necessary that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; one is sweet and the other bitter. Therefore, the Lord God gave to man to act for himself. Therefore, man could not act for himself unless he was seduced by one or the other. And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, I must suppose that an angel of God, according to what is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore he became a devil, seeking evil in the sight of God. And since he had fallen from heaven and had become miserable forever, he also sought misery for all mankind. Therefore, he said to Eve, yes, that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

And after Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they were expelled from the garden of Eden to till the ground. And they have brought forth children; yes, even the family of the whole earth. And the days of the sons of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave to the sons of men. For he gave the commandment that all men should repent; for he showed all men that they were lost because of the transgression of their fathers. And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would not have fallen, but would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things that were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have continued forever, and there was no end to them. And they would have had no children; whereby they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, because they knew no misery; they did no good, because they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done by the wisdom of Him who knows all things. Adam fell that men might exist; and men exist that they might have joy. And Messiah will come in the fulness of time, to redeem the children of men from the fall. And because they were redeemed from the fall, they were forever free, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God has given. . . . And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeks that all men might be miserable like himself. And now, my children, I would that you look to the great Mediator and listen to his great commandments; and be faithful to his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit.

From Pearl of Great Price (P of GP): Abraham 3:22-26: “Now the Lord had shown me, Abraham, the minds that were organized before the world was; and among all these were many of the noble and great ones. And God saw these souls that they were good, and stood in the midst of them, and said, These will I appoint as my rulers; for he stood among those who were spirits, and saw that they were good; and he said to me, Abraham, you are one of them; you were chosen before you were born. And one who was like God (Jesus Christ) stood among them, and he said to those who were with him, We will go down, for there is room there, and we will take of these materials, and make an earth in which these may dwell; and we will test them hereby, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. And those who keep their first estate will be added; and those who do not keep their first estate will not have glory in the same kingdom as those who keep their first estate; and those who keep their second estate will have added glory upon their heads forever and ever.”

GP P: Moses 4:1-4: “And I, the Lord God, spoke to Moses, saying: That Satan, whom you have sent in the name of my Only Begotten, is the same who was from the beginning, and came before me, saying, Behold, here I am, send me, I will be your son and I will redeem all mankind, so that not one soul will be lost (for his plan was to take away our agency and force everyone to do what he wanted), and surely I will do it; why give me your honor. But behold, my Beloved Son, who was my Beloved and Chosen One from the beginning, said to me, Father, your will be done, and the glory be yours forever. Therefore, because Satan rebelled against me and sought to destroy the agency of man that I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, to give him my own power; by the power of my Only Begotten I caused him to be cast down; And he became Satan, Yes, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and blind men, and to take captive to do his will, even those who would not listen to my voice.”

You might be thinking, “But Charles, some of your last quotes above aren’t from the Bible, so how do you know if they’re true and inspired by God or not?” I encourage you to reflect and pray about these quotes and see if they ring true for you or not. If you don’t want to accept these last teachings above, there’s more than enough clear evidence in the Bible alone that we lived as spirit children of God before coming to earth. 

A wise prophet of our church, Spencer W. Kimball, taught: “If we regarded mortality as the totality of existence, then pain, sadness, failure, and short life would be a calamity. But if we regard life as eternal, stretching into the premortal past and the eternal postmortal future, then all events can be put into proper perspective. Is there no wisdom in giving us trials so we can overcome, responsibilities we can attain, work to toughen our muscles, pains to test our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to try our strength, to sickness so we can learn patience, to death so we can be immortalized and glorified?”

If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected, and the wicked destroyed, the Father’s entire program would be nullified, and the basic principle of the gospel—free will—would end. No one would have to live by faith.

If the doer of good were instantly given joy, peace, and rewards, there could be no evil; everyone would do good, but not because it was right to do good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free will—only Satanic controls.

If all prayers were answered immediately according to our selfish desires and limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sadness, disappointment, or even death, and if this were not the case, there would be no joy, success, resurrection, or eternal life.

((Maybe I’ll insert some quotes from the play “My Turn on Earth”).

True story: My Grandpa Hunt was visited in the hospital by one of his granddaughters (my cousin) the night she graduated from her Earth school/died, and that’s how he knew that she passed away in the hospital that night, and that she was at peace and happy, and didn’t want him or others to worry about her. 

Every person who comes to earth has a spiritual part and a physical part (physical body while on earth and after the resurrection).

Important questions to reflect on: 

What happens to the physical body after our spirit leaves it?

How long does it take for the physical body to begin to decompose after the spiritual part leaves the body? – – Not long, right?

Why can you feel when the Spirit leaves the body of a loved one?

Why do many people, just before leaving their physical bodies, seem to be seeing and talking to their spouse, or their beloved mother, or other loving family members, who have already graduated from their earthly school?

How important are family and other relationships during my Earth school and beyond?

Your Spirit is the inner part of you—that is, “You”—always has been, and always will be. It is the inner part of you that makes all your important decisions and choices, that analyzes, observes, and tries to progress and become more like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ so that we can experience more real joy, peace, and loving relationships. Your inner Spirit seeks to understand what is truly important and what is not, and it tries to figure out the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, truth and error—things that will bring you closer to God and His light and goodness, and the opposite—things of the devil and his crew, which feel like darkness and bad, wrong choices. Even an amputee who has lost an arm or a leg can still feel that, somehow, their leg or arm is still there. This is because our Spirit, or inner spiritual part of us, also has a spiritual body, but it is made of finer stuff and normally cannot be discerned with our mortal, physical sight.

“But Charles, with all the dozens of Bible quotes, makes it abundantly clear that we lived as spirit children of God before we came to earth. Why doesn’t any other Christian church teach this, other than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? As I understand it, it was at least a couple of hundred years after Jesus and his apostles were killed that it became common in Christianity to begin teaching that we did not have a premortal existence. I see no evidence that Jesus or any of his prophets and apostles ever taught that in the Bible. And there were no living prophets or apostles of Jesus Christ on earth to restore that beautiful and important truth until the Prophet Joseph Smith presented it, along with God’s Plan of Salvation/Happiness for the eternal future of His children, and so many other beautiful truths that were restored through the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.”