We have covered a lot of ground, and made a number of propositions. We are not attempting to be dogmatic, even though we feel cautiously certain in our own minds that we had a pre-existent life. The very fact that we have had to pass through the “valley of forgetfulness” clearly makes any foray into investigating the subject difficult, or well-nigh impossible. However, as the various articles have shown, it would seem that the Lord has left man with certain recollections, even though he finds it difficult to quantify these in terms of pre-existence. Some have asked what is the point of investigating the subject at all? Does it help in our Christian walk? It is difficult to answer that question because it is somewhat subjective. It will affect different people in different ways. Some may find it helpful, whilst others might shrug their shoulders and wonder what all the fuss is about. However, based on the number of comments received by email throughout the running of the series, we know that considerable interest, and even excitement, has been generated by presenting the material.
In the first three centuries after the resurrection, there were three main ideas about the “origin of souls.” They were as follows:-
- Pre-existence 2. Creationism 3. Traducianism.
Pre-existence was held by the Alexandrian school, dominated by Origen.
Creationism was taught by some of the Eastern Fathers, such as Jerome and Hilary. They believed that each soul was created individually by God, either at conception or birth. There was an argument as to which!
Traducianism was generally accepted in the west, where it became the basic teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Two prominent advocates of this theory were Gregory of Nyssa and Tertullian. They contended that Adam bore within him the germ of all mankind. His soul was the fountain-head of all human souls. As the body is formed from the parents’ bodies, so the soul is derived from the parents’ souls, both being formed by natural generation. Adam and Eve were the only human beings to be directly created by God.
Our own opinion is that Creationism falls down because it requires that God should be continually creating souls that are born in sin. This we cannot accept. On the other hand, if perfect created spirits inhabit sinful bodies, as suggested by this theory, then it opens the floodgates to those who assert that Jesus must have been born sinful. Furthermore, what happens at death? If the sinful nature remains in the corpse, then the spirit would fly away untrammelled by corruption, and all end up in “that upper home of bliss.” Sin could then be disposed of simply by a huge bonfire. But no, sin was dealt with on the Cross.
Traducianism also leaves much to be desired. Although it may appear to be taught by Pauline theology in such remarks as us being “in Adam”, and needing to be transferred to being “in Christ”, this doesn’t answer such questions as the obvious individuality of children born to the same parents. We ourselves have a family of four. They all possess some physical characteristics from us as parents, and certain traits of character resulting from close association during formative years, but each one is totally different. They show all the signs of being individual creations of God. A traducianist might argue that he is not wholly responsible for his sin, which was passed on to him at birth. But if we were all created individually, as pre-existence suggests, then we have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ with no outside “supports” to our waywardness, nothing that might exonerate us from blame.
These are the reasons why we have argued in favour of pre-existence from the analysis of these three possibilities. We now leave our readers to ponder all the evidence, and adopt a conclusion that they find satisfying to their spirits. But in any case, we value your comments, which hopefully may help us to reach a more conclusive understanding.
How about some poetry? Perhaps it’s not fully appreciated that some of our best known poets espoused pre-existence, such as Vaughan, Wordsworth, Rosetti, Browning, and Tennyson. For example, here is an extract from a poem by William Wordsworth (Odes on Immortality, No.5.)
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The soul that rises with us, our life’s star,
Hath had elsewhere it’s setting,
And cometh from afar;
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home;
Heaven lies about us in our infancy.
The following poem was sent to us without any mention of authorship. It is worth recording.
O my Father, Thou that dwellest in a high and glorious place,
When shall I regain Thy presence and again behold Thy face?
In Thy holy habitation did my spirit once reside,
In my first primeval childhood was I nurtured at Thy side.
For a great and glorious purpose Thou hast made me here on earth,
And withheld the recollection of my former friends and birth;
But at times that secret something whispers, You’re a stranger here”
And I feel that I have wandered from a more exalted sphere.
O my Father, Thou that dwellest in a high and holy place,
Yet shall I appear before Thee and again behold Thy face.
Day by day Thy Spirit leadeth ever onward up to Thee,
Till at last I find contentment in Thy pure reality.
Rhoda I. Hawtin, wife of George Hawtin of Canada, wrote the following words.
I came to earth one summer night in form so very frail,
Forgotten was the realm of light,
My spirit’s home, supreme delight,
Now this earth’s bondage is my plight
Its sorrows I bewail.
What came I for, why am I here? These questions face us all.
Was there a purpose very clear
To God the Father, O so dear,
That made Him subject us to fear
Of death and sin’s dread pall?
Except true light in darkness shine, this life so pointless seems,
Created are our hearts to pine
For something we cannot define
And so He leads us line by line
As He in wisdom deems.
A precept here, a precept there! A light along the way,
In answer to our inmost prayer
He’ll show us truth beyond compare
Till doubts depart and spirits share
The hope that is our stay.
How great is God! How great His plan for creatures such as we!
In ages past He planned that man
Through toil and tears in life’s short span
Should be prepared to take command
And kings with Christ to be.
Such awesome truth must make us pause to ponder its import,
Such glorious hope must give us cause
To search our hearts for hindering flaws
And lay aside all weights because
Our time grows ever short.
Then home at last from whence we came, forever more at rest,
Our lessons learned through sin and shame
Salvation wrought in Christ’s dear name
Perfection ours we now proclaim
Our being heaven blest!
Here is a well-known song, somewhat hackneyed, but remembered from the 1960s when sung by Jim Reeves.
This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing thru,
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue,
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world any more.
O Lord You know I have no friend like You,
If heaven’s not my home, then Lord , what will I do?
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world any more.
(With several other verses added from time to time)
Our final entry is a song written recently by Gloria Gaither, of Gaither & Green, in the United States.
“It’s not home – where men sell their souls and the taste of power is sweet,
Where wrong is right – and neighbours fight while the hungry are dying in the street.
Where kids are abused and women are used and the weak are crushed by the strong
Nations gone mad – Jesus is sad And I don’t belong
(Chorus) I don’t belong – and I’m going some day Home to my own native land
I don’t belong and it seems like I hear the sound of a “welcome home” band
I don’t belong – I’m a foreigner here singing a sojourner’s song
I’ve always known – this place ain’t home and I don’t belong.
I don’t belong but while I’m here I’ll be livin’ like I’ve nothin’ to lose
And while I grieve I’ll just believe My Lord’s gonna see me through.
I’ll not be deceived by earth’s make believe I’ll close my ears to earth’s siren song
I’m praising His Name – I’m not ashamed, I don’t belong
I belong to a Kingdom of Peace Where only love is the law,
Where children lead and captives are freed And God becomes a baby on the straw,
Where dead men live and rich men give their kingdoms to buy back a song
Where sinners like me become royalty and we all belong!
Yes I belong and I’m going some day Home to my own native land
Where I belong and it seems like I hear the sound of a “welcome home” band
Yes I’ll belong – no foreigner there singing a sojourner’s song
I’ve always known – I’m going home where I belong!
Yes, I’ve always known, this place ain’t home,
I don’t belong.
