Antemortal Existence of Jesus Christ

First of all, I have finally gotten my Study notebook bound.  I printed it at home and took it in and they spiral bound it for me.  It turned out almost perfectly, except for one page that was a little off when they hole punched it, so part of it missed the spiral.  I'll just be careful. It should be fine.

I decided this week exactly how I am going to layout my study.  I had gone through a couple different ideas, reading straight in order beginning to end, choosing random topics.  When I decided to include Jesus The Christ by James E Talmage, I had an idea to read that and then study the topics it covers in that order.  Any left after reading that book I would read separately.

So this week, along with the preface, discussing the reason the book originally came to exist, and Chapter 1, which is an introduction written by Talmage, I read Chapter 2, The Antemortal Existence of Jesus Christ.

To start with, I really liked reading a little more about the plans as they were laid out in the pre-existence.  My understanding, that God the Father offered His plan, Jesus Christ says Here Am I send me, and the glory be thine and Lucifer says here am I send me, and the glory be thing, needed a little enlightenment.  The part that stood out to me a little more was that Lucifer didn't just stand up and say I wanna go and I want the glory, he actually stood up and presented a different plan than the Father's.  Satan's plan was a 'plan of compulsion' in which we would have no agency to choose. His plan was contrary to God's plan.  And he didn't just accept that the Father didn't choose his plan, he threw a fit when He did.  As a result, 1/3 of the hosts of Heaven will never receive the Glory that we get to receive as we are given earthly bodies. I think it would be hard to have been in that counsel with my mortal understanding.  To be given the chance to have a guarantee to make it back to my home.  I'm preparing to leave on a journey, and every choice I make could lead me closer or farther away from my Home.  Or, I can leave on a journey and be guaranteed to return.  Obviously, I chose wisely then, given the choice right now, I would always choose having the choices we have. But that GUARANTEE, man that would be a tempting offer.  More than ever before, I can see the idea of that guarantee a viable choice, I can maybe a little bit understand their reasoning for choosing.

Within the Introduction Chapter, is the following quote:

"No adequate biography of Jesus as Boy and Man has been or can be written, for the sufficing reason that a fullness of data is lacking. Nevertheless, man never lived of whom more has been said and sung, none to whom is devoted a greater proportion of the world's literature. He is extolled by Christian, Mohammedan and Jew, by skeptic and infidel, by the world's greatest poets, philosophers, statesmen, scientists, and historians. Even the profane sinner in the foul sacrilege of his oath acclaims the divine supremacy of Him whose name he desecrates." (Chapter 1, pg 3)

What better reason to further study the life of Jesus Christ.

I read through the Topical guide section of Jesus Christ, Antemortal Existence of. A couple of things that stood out to me:
- Jesus Christ  is the word and was from the beginning.  John 1:1
- All including Christ had to receive mortal bodies, leaving Heaven in order to return to Heaven. John 3:13
- We come from the Father and leave and return to the Father.
- Our spirits and our bodies are the same look, all created in the image of God. Ether 3:16
- Christ was chosen from the beginning  ---> Thy Will, Thy Glory as opposed to My Will My Glory of Satan's plan. Abraham 3:27

In John 8:58, "Before Abraham was, I am." I decided I wanted to study a little more about the phrase I AM. I don't know the significance of the statement I AM, but I have heard before that it is more than just saying I am.

There are a lot of scriptures that tells of Christ's existence in the pre-mortal world.  We were all given a choice to follow the Father and Christ or Follow Satan.  As beings here on Earth, we all choose to follow the Father's Plan and Jesus Christ.

The idea of standing up and offering His life, knowing what that would entail... knowing he would suffer for all of us, all the wrongs, all the pain, grief, sins, hurt; to suffer everything on our behalf... That is man that I want to follow and emulate in my life.  I want to embrace His gospel and as stated in Doctrine and Covenants 19:23: “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me”  I want to have that peace in my life.  This study is going to help me Learn, Listen, and Walk so that I can have peace. This coming week: The Need for a Redeemer (Chapter 3) and the Antemortal Godship of Christ (Chapter 4) from Jesus the Christ and Jesus Christ, Foreordained (page 36) and Jesus Christ Divine Sonship (page 30) from my study notebook.