Lessons from the Doctrine and Covenants 2025
Lesson No. Four

God has Left Nothing Undone for Our Eternal Welfare - D&C 3&10

“Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord…” (D&C 3:9). In D&C 3 the Lord chastises Joseph Smith for the loss of 116 pages of manuscript. The Lord called him by name and told him that he was “chosen to do the work of the Lord.” Joseph was only 23 years old, and he had just started to translate the Book of Mormon. He must have had many question about where and when and why he was chosen. During Joseph’s ministry he received a wonderful flood of light on the doctrine of pre-mortal existence.

“Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before the world was” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 44, p. 511). This suggests that the Grand Council was far more extensive and involved than we mortals can comprehend. Like Joseph, the Lord knows each of us, including our names.

Our understanding of our pre-mortal existence is a wonderful flood of light – “The doctrine of the preexistence—revealed so plainly, particularly in latter days—pours a wonderful flood of light upon the otherwise mysterious problem of man’s origin” (First Presidency, The Origin of Man, November 1909). When the scriptures speak of the “beginning” they are referring to the pre-mortal existence. After we were begotten and born as spirit children of Heavenly Parents our pre-mortal existence had two parts – our experience with our Heavenly Parents in the celestial world and our experience in the pre-mortal spirit world.

Life in the pre-mortal spirit world was in many ways like our life on the earth – When we had matured to the point of accountability in our celestial home it was time to leave the immediate presence of our Heavenly Parents and continue our spiritual growth in the pre-mortal spirit world. The scriptures teach important doctrine about the pre-mortal spirit world:

- We did not lose our memory of our celestial home when we came to the pre-mortal spirit world. We knew our Father and our Savior, and were taught by them. (See Abraham 3:21-26)

- Our understanding of the plan of salvation increased. We learned that the earth would be created where we would have the opportunity to gain a physical body and to be tested.

- We also learned that a Savior would be provided. The Father asked, “Whom shall I send.” Two spirit sons stepped forward. One was Jehovah and the other was Lucifer. Jehovah was chosen. (See Abraham 3:27-28) For all of this we “shouted for joy” (Job 38:7).

- When Lucifer’s bid was rejected he became angry and sowed seeds of rebellion in the pre-mortal spirit world. This resulted in an ideological war known as the war in heaven. Lucifer was cast out and became Satan. He still desires to captivate us. (See Moses 4:1-5)

- In the pre-mortal spirit world agency, opposition, and the opportunity for growth increased. Sin and repentance was possible, and there was need for a “preparatory redemption…. through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son” (Alma 13:3-5) whom we loved, followed, and trusted.

- Our preparation for mortality was completed in the pre-mortal spirit world. (See D&C 138:56) Through the atonement of Christ we are born in mortality “innocent before God” (D&C 93:38).

- Like Jesus we were called, prepared and ordained in the pre-mortal spirit world for our responsibilities in this life. (See Alma 13:4-9)

- Our circumstances in this life were determined by our faith and good works in the pre-mortal spirit world. (See Alma 13:3) There we earned the great blessing of being born into mortality “at a time and place and in circumstance were one will come in favorable contact with the gospel” (LDS Bible Dictionary, Election, p. 663)

In D&C 10 the Lord explains Satan’s plan concerning the lost 116 pages. The Lord knew of Satan’s plan and how Joseph would respond, and He prepared a plan far in advance. The Lord’s solution provided even a better outcome because the small plates of Nephi, translated in place of and covering the same time period as the lost 116 pages, is more focused on things of the Spirit. People of the latter days need this spiritual focus.

God gives individual attention to our mortal circumstances. The Lord knew of Joseph’s problem regarding the lost manuscript, and He had a plan that would allow Joseph accomplish his mission if he would repent. (See D&C 10) It is the same for all of God’s children, He has a plan for each of us. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught: “The same God that placed the star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Bab has given at least equal attention to the placement of each of us in precise human orbits.”

Nothing has been left undone for our eternal welfare. President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “We once knew well our Elder Brother and His and our Father in Heaven. We rejoiced at the prospects of earth life that could make it possible for us to have a fulness of joy. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one.

“Now we are here. Our memories are veiled. We are showing God and ourselves what we can do. Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us.

“God loves us. He is watching us. He wants us to succeed. We will know some day that He has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us. If we only knew it, heavenly hosts are pulling for us—friends in heaven that we cannot now remember who yearn for our victory. This is our day to show what we can do—what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly make for God. If we give our all, we will get His all from the greatest of all. (Jesus Christ – Gifts and Expectations, Ensign, Dec 1988).

These pre-mortal friends who yearn for our success are likely our family members – President Benson is not speaking of the post-mortal spirit world, but rather he is speaking about our pre-mortal life.  It is significant that he teaches that we have “friends in heaven (from our pre-mortal life) who we cannot now remember who yearn for our victory.”  Could it be that the friends in heaven that we were closest to, that we cannot now remember, and who yearn for our victory include our companion and our children and grandchildren.  Were we friends in our pre-mortal life with the ancestors and descendants we have in this life?

Testimony – In mortality everyone is tested and given the opportunity to see with the “eye of faith” and develop an eternal perspective. If we do we will feel the truth of what President Russell M. Nelson taught: “Mortal lifetime is barely a nanosecond compared with eternity. But what a critical nanosecond it is!” (Heart of the Matter: What 100 Years of Living has Taught Me, 2023, 45). Elder Neal A. Maxwell compared mortality to “one night in a second class hotel.” If we really believe that God has not left anything undone for our eternal welfare we will stay on the covenant path, and that one night in this second class hotel of mortality will have a comfortable bed, and in the morning we will rise, exalted to eternal life.

Released on January 25th. 2025.