God Knew the Iniquities of Man Before the World Was Created

Joseph Smith

The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with the earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into existence, or ever "the morning stars sang together" for joy; the past, the present, and the future were and are, with Him, one eternal "now;" He knew of the fall of Adam, the iniquities of the antediluvians, of the depth of iniquity that would be connected with the human family, their weakness and strength, their power and glory, apostasies, their crimes, their righteousness and iniquity; He comprehended the fall of man, and his redemption; He knew the plan of salvation and pointed it out; He was acquainted with the situation of all nations and with their destiny; He ordered all things according to the council of His own will; He knows the situation of both the living and the dead, and has made ample provision for their redemption, according to their several circumstances, and the laws of the kingdom of God, whether in this world, or in the world to come. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 220)

Neal A. Maxwell

Of course, the Father knew beforehand of all human wickedness. He knew beforehand of mankind's need of a Savior. He knows the past, present, and future, since all their dimensions are continually before Him, said the Prophet Joseph Smith, constituting "one eternal 'now'" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938], p. 220; see also 1 Ne. 10:19; D&C 3:2; 35:1). Therefore, mortal sins previously committed and those yet to be committed were atoned for retroactively and prospectively in Gethsemane and on Calvary. For us of the last dispensation, it was "paid in advance," as it were. However, the individual sinner is still left with his own need to claim that divine payment by meeting the conditions set by Christ, thus working through those sins, as prescribed, by currently applying the atoning blood of Jesus. (One More Strain of Praise [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1999], p. 47)