Foreordination
The word "foreordination" has several distinct connotations within Mormonism that distinguish its meaning from the word "predestination" as it has come to be used within many Christian writings since the time of John Calvin.
Foreordination recognizes that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have foreknowledge of historical events of this earth and individual actions of God's spirit children before they occur in mortal time, because time is not a barrier to their omniscience, for "all things are present before mine eyes;" (D & C 38:2) "past, present, and future are continually before the Lord." (D & C 130:7) God the Father declared to Moses, "all things are present with me, for I know them all." (Moses 1:6) Alma stated, "all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men." (Alma 40:8)
Based on this foreknowledge and also their knowledge of the desires, inclinations, degree of love of truth and light, and talents of God's spirit children, God the Father held a Grand Council in heaven before Adam and Eve were sent to this earth, wherein He presented the plan of salvation and asked for volunteers to accept important assignments in mortality so that the plan could be brought about. The plan of salvation would be contingent on the agency of each spirit, and was only possible because the Father knew that His Firstborn Son in the pre-existence was capable of accepting the preeminent assignment of living a sinless mortal life and suffering the infinite atonement to redeem mankind from the effects of the eternal law of justice by the great plan of mercy.
Jesus Christ, who was like the Father in His great love for all the spirits in the pre-existence and His knowledge of eternal truths including the powers of creation through faith and priesthood power, volunteered to be the foreordained Redeemer of mankind. He became the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Moses 7:47), and could offer to mankind a predestined condition--that is, the sure promise of eternal life for those who would follow Christ through faith, repentance, baptism and acceptance of other covenants and ordinances, and enduring in those covenants to the end of their probationary period of living by faith.
Other faithful spirits capable of leadership roles because of their desires and talents, volunteered to accept assignments as prophets, leaders among their nations, and bearers of priesthood responsibilities, and were foreordained in those assignments. Included among these were Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Joseph Smith and other latter-day prophets, and many others. (D & C 138:53-56, Abraham 3:23) During their mortal lives, their spirits have been inclined toward the desires they expressed in the pre-existence, and they have carried out their foreordained missions based on their faith and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost through exercising their agency in righteous ways.
