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| Joy and the Need for a Physical Body |
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Abraham implies an event which might be termed the "beginning" of our Pre-Mortal life. When he is given a vision of the nature of the universe, part of that vision included the Pre-Mortal world. As he begins to describe it, he states: "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was..." (Abraham 3:22). These Intelligences are the eternally existent part of us, and at some point, they were subject to that marvelous work of God, the organization into a higher form. This distant point in time, when our Intelligences were organized into Spirits, is called a birth. Brigham Young taught that "Things were first created spiritually; the Father actually begat the spirits, and they were brought forth and lived with Him" (JD 4:218). The mechanism of this birth has not been revealed, but the effects of the birth have been. "We were born in the image of God our Father; he begot us like unto himself. There is the nature of deity in the composition of our spiritual organization; in our spiritual birth our Father transmitted to us the capabilities, powers and faculties which he himself possessed, as much so as the child on its mother's bosom possesses, although in an undeveloped state, the faculties, powers and susceptibilities of its parent" (Lorenzo Snow, in JD 14:302). Whenever this "birth" process began, we know that it was Jesus Christ who was the first "born". "[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature" (Colossians 1:15). This fact has become sufficiently important to become a title for Christ; "And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn; and all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the church of the Firstborn" (DC 93:21-22). Following the birth of Christ came the births of all of the spirit children of God who were destined for this earth. Paul provides the most moving statement concerning our spiritual birth. 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; 17. 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 (Romans 8:16-17). As with many passages in Paul's writing, this one deserves examination. Paul's first declaration is the glorious truth that the knowledge of our divine spiritual birth is a part of our spiritual remembrance that has been clouded by the veil. In this spot, however, the veil is thin, for our spirits leap at the understanding of our spiritual nature. We require no more proof that God is our Father than to have it spoken by the Spirit to our spirit. That true remembrance comes with us, and we instantly recognize it. When I served my mission, I was particularly excited to share the Plan of Life with the people I met. I remember walking through a park, teaching people the Plan of Salvation as we walked along. In the vast majority of the cases, I would be speaking to cultural Catholics, drenched in a long religious tradition that did not fully comprehend the Pre-Mortal life. Nevertheless, as I would explain it to these people, the most common answer I would receive was "Yes, I have always believed that". Paul doesn't stop his explanation of our divine childhood with the mere fact that God is truly our Father. He continues to explain the nature of our relationship to God. Paul says "and if children, then heirs; heirs of God..." (Romans 8:17). Paul correlates our relationship with the Father to the relationship of earthly fathers and their children. The important concept is that we are heirs. What is an heir? Someone who inherits. What do they inherit? Earthly heirs inherit to land and monies of the father. Royal heirs inherit the father's kingdom. We all inherit what our fathers have. As children of God, what may we inherit? Just in case there may be argument over this, Paul clarifies the nature of our inheritance. We are "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). We are joint-heirs with Christ because he is our brother. He may have been firstborn, but he is nevertheless our brother. What is a joint-heir? One who inherits with someone else, typically in equal portions. Why is it important that we know that we are joint-heirs with Christ? Because we know what Christ is to inherit. We rightfully worship Christ, and wonder at his divinity. We know that Christ will inherit the kingdom of his Father, but Paul tells us that we share in that promise and that same inheritance! In two short verses, Paul forcibly demonstrates not only our divine childhood, but our divine potential to follow in Christ's footsteps, all the way to Glory. If our spiritual birth is a beginning, what happened next? We have no concept of time when it comes to the Pre-Mortal life. The few events we can piece together from the scriptures all revolve around the events which lead to the creation and population of the Earth. One of the few indications of what went on in that unknown time period comes from Joseph Fielding Smith's vision of the Spirit World, after this earth life has ended. Nevertheless, there is a verse which contains information on our Pre-Mortal activities. 53. The Prophet Joseph Smith, and my father, Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and other choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in the laying the foundations of the great latter-day work, 54. Including the building of the temples and the performance of ordinances therein for the redemption of the dead, were also in the spirit world. 55. I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God. 56. Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of the spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men (DC 138:53-56). Verses 53 and 54 provide us the context for the next two verses, which give us information about the Pre-Mortal life. Joseph Fielding Smiths vision concerns the events after our death, and in that context he discusses particular leaders of the Church. In verse 55, however, he makes a brief transition to a different time frame. He alludes to Abraham 3:22, Abraham's vision of the noble and great spirits which were before the formation of the world. Joseph Fielding Smith indicates that these church leaders were among those designated as the noble and great. Verse 56 gives us the description of what might have gone on in those untold years between birth and the events which precipitated the creation of the earth. They, and many others, received lessons which prepared them for their mission on earth. It would be fair to assume that many others might include all others, for the process of learning lessons of exaltation is what God is about. Since God's purpose is to exalt us, each of the stages of our existence must be teaching us important lessons which are required to help us become what our divine inheritance promises. At some point in this Pre-Mortal teaching process, there came a time when another phase was required. No matter how well we learned the lessons of Pre-Mortal life, we were forever denied becoming as God is until we possessed a body, as He does (DC 130:22). Mormons learn of this necessity as children in Sunday School, but regardless of our knowledge of the fact of our need for a body, we typically don't fully understand the why of our need for a body. That requires further investigation. The best information about the complex relationship between our spirit and physical body is contained in two terse statements in the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 93: 33. For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; 34. And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy. The full meaning of these scriptures cannot be appreciated without an understanding of what Joseph Smith tried to communicate with the word joy. The story of Ammon and King Lamoni is a powerful story of the overwhelming power of the spirit. As the result of a simple but sincere prayer, King Lamoni falls to the ground and is thought by many to have died. Ammon knew better: 6. Now this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness -- yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God (Alma 19:6, emphasis added). In the powerful context of king Lamoni's experience, the dictionary definition of joy pales. In this verse, joy is the result of the infusion of the light of the glory of God. So great and overwhelming is this joy that his mortal frame can barely hold it, and his physical body was temporarily immobilized. King Lamoni was not the only one to feel this overpowering joy. Ammon and his brethren were returning from their missionary labors among the Laminates, when they met their father, Alma. That reunion might have simply been joyful in an earthly sense, had not this been a meeting of a group of men who were fervent servants of the Lord. Their joy was not in the reunion, but in the Lord and the outpouring of the spirit. During that reunion: ... the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth (Alma 27:17, emphasis added). The very next verse explains that this joy is not ordinary joy: Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness (Alma 27:18, emphasis added). Alma (his father) is no less affected by the spiritual power manifest in their reunion. He exults: Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy (Alma 28:8). These men are filled not with mortal happiness, but with an aspect of the eternal glories, the eternal burnings. That is their joy. The joy that Alma and his sons taste is a portion of the Joy of the Lord, which becomes complete only after this life. Christ so informed his twelve apostles in the New World: And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the father; and the Father and I are one (3 Nephi 28:10, emphasis added). The Doctrine and Covenants punctuates the nature of this type of joy. Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full (DC 101:36, emphasis added). This verse highlights an important conceptual point. While Alma and Ammon are filled with joy, they do not yet have a fulness of joy. The fulness of joy is reserved as a state attained only after this life has ended. This explains and underlines the meaning behind the verses in DC 93 with which we began this discussion. For clarity, let's repeat these verses, and then examine them carefully. 33. For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; 34. And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy (DC 93:33-34) Both verses contain the important phrase fulness of joy. In the first instance, we are told that when the body and element are inseparably connected, we may receive a fulness of joy. When are body and element inseparably connected? Only after the resurrection. This verse is restating the same message Christ gave to his New World apostles. The state described by the term fulness of joy is reserved for after the resurrection. It is a state of joy in the Glory of God, it is part of the eternal joy that comes through our progression toward Godhood. The next verse highlights the key reason why our Pre-Mortal life had to end, why the earth became essential. "When separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy" (DC 93:34). The equation is simple. "Men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Knowing the eternal context of joy, this passage becomes the exact equivalent of that other statement of God's purpose, "this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). When mankind reaches the stage of eternal life, he will also be in a state of the fulness of joy. Mankind had to receive a body, so that there might come a time when the spirit and element might become inseparably connected, and therefore put us in a position to be able to receive this joy. These two verses in DC 93 are also important for the implication of the nature of a third state, which, while not mentioned, is readily deduced. If spirit and element, when separated, cannot receive a fulness of joy, and spirit and element inseparably connected can receive of the fulness of joy, there is a third possibility which describes our current existence. While on this earth, our spirit and element are separably connected. This is clearly a step above the total separation of our Pre-Mortal life, yet falls short of the qualification for the fulness of joy which requires our resurrection. What does this mean for us here? From the experiences of Alma and his sons, it is clear that we may taste of that eternal joy. In ways that we do not understand, the body appears to act as an intensifier for these spiritual feelings. While in temporary possession of our bodies, we are capable of tasting the glorious joy which awaits us. Anyone who has ever had a spiritual experience, can remember how if felt. It was not simply an emotional experience, but carried with it a real effect on the entire body. That suffusion of the light of the glory of God upon our souls is the taste of eternity which helps us keep our eyes on the goal. Like Lehi eating the fruit of the tree, we too have the opportunity to taste the eternal light, and have it fill our souls. Few have the overwhelming suffusion of joy as did king Lamoni, but the taste is none the less precious for being less intense. |
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| by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998 |
God exists in eternities,
and histories demand a finite perspective. It is therefore impossible to really give a "history" of Pre-Mortal
life. In spite of that real limitation, however, it is possible to piece together some important aspects of that
part of our eternal existence. The most difficult part is to find a beginning point.|
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