The Premortal Savior in the Pearl of Great Price

The subtitle of the Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”  I believe that same subtitle could be given to the Pearl of Great Price which also powerfully testifies of the Savior and His mission.  One of the ways that it does this is in numerous passages that teach us of the glory and power of Christ in the premortal world—even before He came to the earth He stood next to His Father governing the affairs of men with majesty and might.  Moses was told, well before the birth of the Son into mortality, “Thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and truth” (Moses 1:6).  He was considered the Only Begotten even before He received His body, and He was known as the Savior from the beginning. 

               One of the missions in the premortal world that the Savior accomplished which The Pearl of Great Price teaches us about is the great work of creation.  Moses was taught this: “And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:32-33).  Jesus Christ was the Creator, not only of this world but of “worlds without number,” a witness of His power and authority even then.  In preface to the account of the creation recorded in Moses 2-3, Moses was again taught about the role of Jesus Christ in it: “I am the Beginning and the End, the Almighty God; by mine Only Begotten I created these things; yea, in the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest” (Moses 2:1).  With this preface, we can then read the account of the various parts of the creation of the earth with the understanding the Savior was the one who did the work.  He had divine power over the elements even before He Himself came to the earth and received a body.  Similarly, as Abraham viewed the premortal realm He saw the Savior in the work of creation: “And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell.”  This description again acts as a preface to the great creation account in Abraham 4-5, underscoring the fact that all the work of creation described was accomplished by the premortal Jesus Christ.    

               The Pearl of Great Price also teaches us about how the Savior was chosen in the premortal world to become the Savior and fulfill the great plan of the Father.  Moses was taught this: “But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2).  The Savior willingly offered Himself to perform the will of the Father in mortality and He was the one chosen from the very beginning.  Abraham also learned of the prominent place of the Savior there.  Not only did he see the Savior helping to implement the plan of the Father in organizing the earth, but He also accepted to be the great offering for all the children of men: “And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first” (Abraham 3:24,27).  That “first” one was of course the Savior who was chosen from the beginning to work out salvation for all of the Father’s children.  The Pearl of Great Price is indeed powerful witness of the divinity and work of the Savior and His chosen status in the premortal world.