Gospel Principles
Unit 1: Our Premortal Life with God
Chapter 2: Our Heavenly Family
Concept 2: 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 (Alma 13:1-3 "1 And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people.
2 And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption.
3 And this is the manner after which they were ordained being called andprepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such."). 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. (Abraham 3:22-23 "22 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;
23 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."). 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?"