Mormons believe in a preexistence, where spirits once existed in what is known as the First Estate. The Ensign magazine cited Hebrews 12:9 to support the doctrine of premortality, saying, “God is our Heavenly Father, a literal spiritual parent.”(“God is Truly Our Father,” Ensign, January 2010, 15).

The verse from Hebrews reads,

“Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather bein subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?”

Mormons tend to read too much into this passage. All who have entered into mortality have spirits, so it would be wrong to assume this refers to some preexistent state. The writer of Hebrews is merely making a connection between the discipline of human fathers and that of our heavenly Father.

For other passages discussing common passages used by Latter-day Saints, click here.