In the Beginning With God

One of the most profound teachings of Doctrine and Covenants 93 is the idea that we are eternal beings, both in the forward and backward directions. We read, “Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence” (v29-30). Here I believe that the intelligence referred to is, as the Guide to the Scriptures calls it, “the spirit element that existed before we were begotten as spirit children.” We existed in some form before we were formed into spirit children of our Father in Heaven, and that element—which we can call intelligence—was not create or made. It has always existed. The manual containing the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith ties the above verse with this subsequent teaching he gave shortly before the end of his life: “I have another subject to dwell upon, which is calculated to exalt man. … It is associated with the subject of the resurrection of the dead,—namely, the soul—the mind of man—the immortal spirit. Where did it come from? All learned men and doctors of divinity say that God created it in the beginning; but it is not so: the very idea lessens man in my estimation. I do not believe the doctrine; I know better. Hear it, all ye ends of the world; for God has told me so; and if you don’t believe me, it will not make the truth without effect.” Joseph continued, “I am dwelling on the immortality of the spirit of man. Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and yet that it has a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic. That which has a beginning may have an end. There never was a time when there were not spirits.” He confirmed that “God made a tabernacle and put a spirit in it and it became a human soul, man existed in spirit and mind coequal with God himself.” From this revelation and these teachings of the Prophet Joseph we learn that the substance that makes up ourselves has always existed in some form, and it will forever exist.  

            The Prophet Joseph also gave an analogy to help us understand. He taught, “I take my ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man—the immortal part, because it had no beginning. Suppose you cut it in two; then it has a beginning and an end; but join it again, and it continues one eternal round. So with the spirit of man. As the Lord liveth, if it had a beginning, it will have an end. All the fools and learned and wise men from the beginning of creation, who say that the spirit of man had a beginning, prove that it must have an end; and if that doctrine is true, then the doctrine of annihilation would be true. But if I am right, I might with boldness proclaim from the house-tops that God never had the power to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create himself.” In geometry there are line segments, rays, and lines, and I think these represent well three different points of view. A line segment has a beginning and an end, and that’s how some without faith view the world: we came into existence when we were born, and we disappear forever when we die. A ray has a starting point and then it goes on forever, and that’s how others view our existence: God created us from nothing at some point, and then we will exist forever into the future. But the view of Joseph was like that of a line: it goes on forever in both directions. There was no beginning, and there can be no end.

            One implication of this truth is that God is not responsible for our actions. If we assumed the “ray” view of things, then we would accept that God created us from nothing and then He should be responsible completely for what He created. But, just as it is for us mortal parents, He did not create us completely. He took our intelligence that already existed and always has, and He formed it into a spirit body capable of learning and progressing and becoming like Him. But He has never and will never take away our agency to choose, both good and evil. After stating that we can act for ourselves, the revelation affirms, “Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light” (v31). We have had and always will have our agency, and God has prepared the way for each of us to progress eternally until we are even as He is. It is mind-boggling to try to understand what it means for us to have already lived forever, but it is indeed a glorious doctrine and through our agency we can choose the way—Jesus Christ—He has ordained for us to become like Him.