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 The
doctrine on the creation arises from the doctrine of the
premortal existence (see the website section and Sword Series™
essay on the premortal existence). Understanding the linkage
of the creation to the premortal existence is essential to
fully comprehending the Christian doctrine of the creation.
Premortal Existence and the Creation
We lived as spirit children with our heavenly parents and were
told about the plan of our Heavenly Father. This plan called
for us, his children, to follow him and become more like him.
This is similar to the way of a wise child on earth, following
and seeking to become more like a righteous biological parent.
Can we not envision our premortal joy in the counsels of
heaven as we heard about this plan (Job 38:7)? In order to
fulfill this plan there needed to be a place for us to be
tried, to gain experience, and to become more like our
Heavenly Father. This would take place in a state called
mortality in the physical surroundings of earth. Understanding
the Christian doctrine of creation gives one expanded
understanding of our own purpose here on earth. This expanded
understanding is not only comforting, it is essential.
Jesus the Creator
Jesus Christ created the earth and all that is upon it
(plants, animals, seas, and all else), while having created
many other worlds in the process (sun, moon, stars, and other
material things that constitute the universe). Jesus performed
the creation, which was done spiritually before being executed
physically, through the power of priesthood and by delegation
from God the Father. Paul wrote concerning Jesus the creator
in his letter to the Ephesians: “…which from the beginning of
the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by
Jesus Christ” (Eph 3:9).
The Creation of Man and Woman
After the creation of the physical environments, and the
creation of all non-human creatures, the Lord accomplished the
greatest of all creations—mankind. Mankind, both man and
woman, were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26) with
spirits clothed in bodies of flesh and blood. Adam and Eve
were the first man and woman to be put upon the earth,
physically patterned after our heavenly parents whom we left
in the premortal existence.
Our bodies are created in the physical as well as the
spiritual image and likeness of God. This doctrine is
consistent with the definition of image and is supported by a
number of scriptural passages. Consider Genesis 9:6 which
accentuates the physical likeness as part of that image in
stating: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood
be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” Other
scriptures of interest include Exodus 24:10, and Acts 7:55-56.
Heavenly Parents
Another doctrine that is often overlooked in Christianity is
the concept of “heavenly parents.” There are no scriptural
references referring to a Heavenly Mother, but knowing the
eternal importance of families how can one dismiss the idea?
Consider the scripture from Ephesians 3: 14-15: “For this
cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named”
(emphasis added).
Heavenly Father intended to provide for each of us a mother
and father in mortality, and if things are to be on earth as
they are in heaven, then the notion of there being a Heavenly
Mother is not difficult to embrace.
Conclusion
The earth was created for all of us as God’s children as a
place to learn and progress in mortality. Jesus, under the
guidance of our Heavenly Father and through the priesthood,
created the earth and all that is in it—including man, who is
created in the image of God.
Doctrinal
Study: Creation
and the Fall: The Creation
Download the
Sword Series™ essay on the Creation |
