In Job 38:4, God questions Job and rebukes him for his pride, asking, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?” This is what is known as a rhetorical question. When God formed the world, Job 38:7 says, “The sons of God shouted for joy.” If this is really referring to preexistent spirits, as Mormons claim, then Job must have been there as well. However, the whole point of the questions God compels Job to answer is that they are unanswerable, since Job was not there. In effect, God is reminding Job how he wasn’t even in existence when the world was created. Just as the clay should not talk back to the potter, so too Job had no business questioning God’s work (compare Jer. 18:1-6 with Rom. 9:18-26).

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