Overview
Spirit Children of Heavenly Parents
Overview
God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our Heavenly Father. All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God. “Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335).
Every person who was ever born on earth is our spirit brother or sister. Because we are the spirit children of God, we have inherited the potential to develop His divine qualities. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can become like our Heavenly Father and receive a fulness of joy.
We were not all alike in heaven. We know, for example, that we were sons and daughters of heavenly parents—males and females. We possessed different talents and abilities, and we were called to do different things on earth.
A veil covers our memories of our premortal life, but our Father in Heaven knows who we are and what we did before we came here. He has chosen the time and place for each of us to be born so we can learn the lessons we personally need and do the most good with our individual talents and personalities.
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Related Topics
Scriptures
Scripture References
Scripture Study Resources
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Topical Guide, “Man, Antemortal Existence of,” “Man, a Spirit Child of Heavenly Father,” “Spirit Body,” “Spirit Creation”
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Bible Dictionary, “Spirit”
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Guide to the Scriptures, “Sons and Daughters of God,” “Spirit Creation”
Messages from Church Leaders
Videos
We Lived with God
“We Lived With God”
Tabernacle Choir Videos
“A Child’s Prayer”
Learning Resources
Church Magazines
Sheila E. Wilson, “Sharing Time: I Am a Child of God,” Friend, January 2004
“Created in the Image of God,” Ensign, March 2016
Rachelle Pace Castor, “All Little Children Are Mine,” Friend, February 1999
Teachings of Presidents of the Church
Teaching Resources
Teaching Outlines
Stories and Activities for Teaching Children
“Heavenly Father,” Lesson Helps for Teaching Children