This lesson is an overview on the Plan of Salvation and gives an idea of how the principles of the gospel relate to each other as a whole.
Heavenly Father’s Plan of _________________.
- What are some of the names used for Heavenly Father’s plan?
- Alma 24:14 And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.
- The Plan of Salvation
- Alma 42:8 Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness
- The Plan of Happiness
- Jacob 6:8 Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you?
- The Plan of Redemption
- Alma 41:2 I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself.
- The Plan of Restoration
- Alma 42:15 And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.
- The Plan of Mercy
- Alma 24:14 And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.
- What does each of these words teach about Heavenly Father’s plan?
- These words describe what the plan is about and help us to understand what the plan is for
- Each of these words are blessings we will receive as we follow the Plan of Salvation
- One of the most common terms for the Plan of Salvation is the Plan of Happiness, as described in Alma 42:8. How does the Plan of Salvation bring us happiness?
- The knowledge that we can return to be with our Heavenly Father again
- Families are forever
- We can be forgiven of our sins if we repent and try to do better
- The trials that we are going through now will not last forever and there are great blessings in store for us if we endure to the end
The Plan of Salvation is something that is very important for each and every one of us to understand. By understanding the Plan, we can better find happiness by following the commandments and living up to what Heavenly Father knows we can be.
There are three parts to the Plan of Salvation and the first part we’ll be talking about is our Premortal Life. One of many blessings of having the gospel restored is that we have additional knowledge and an increased understanding of our lives before we came to earth. While we still do not know everything that happened before we came to earth, we know of some important events that occurred. This additional knowledge has broadened our understanding of why we are here and our part in the Plan of Salvation. Many people have wondered what their purpose is here on earth and the events that happened in our premortal lives helps answer that question.
One of the most important things we learned from our premortal existence is found in D&C 76:24.
D&C 76:24 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.
- What do we learn in this scripture?
- That we are children of God
- That we lived with God before we came to the earth
- How does the knowledge that we are children of God influence your life?
- It should influence us in that it guides our actions and behaviors. We must act in a way that reflects our standing as children of a Heavenly Father who has taught us to be loving, kind and honorable people.
One of the other things we have received knowledge of is that there was a council convened in heaven where the Plan of Salvation was laid out.
- What are some of the elements of the Plan of Salvation that were laid out in the council in heaven?
- The Atonement (Alma 34:8-9)
- The creation of the earth (Abraham 3:24-25)
- The Fall (2 Nephi 2:24-26)
- That we would receive a body and be tested (Abraham 3:24-25)
- We would have agency to choose good or evil (2 Nephi 2:24-26)
When the Plan of Salvation was presented in heaven, there were some differing responses.
- How did Jesus Christ, our elder brother, respond to our Father’s Plan?
- When the plan was laid out and the need for a Savior explained, Jesus Christ stepped forth and said that He would go and fulfill the requirements of the Father so that everyone could have the chance to return to live in heaven again (Moses 4:2)
Jesus Christ’s willingness to step forth and be our Savior is what made the blessings of the Atonement available for everyone. If He hadn’t stepped up and offered Himself for us, the Plan of Salvation never would have succeeded. The Atonement is the central and most important part of the Plan of Salvation because the Atonement is how we all can have the opportunity to be cleansed of our sins and be pure enough to again enter the presence of our Heavenly Father.
It really makes you stop and wonder at the awesome responsibility it was that Jesus Christ was taking up. The salvation of the entire world was resting on His shoulders. He knew this when He offered to be our Savior. He knew how great a responsibility He was taking on when He said He would go through life bearing all manner of hardship and injustice and then end His life by suffering for our sins and the pains of our lives before being sacrificed on a cross. Understanding that He KNEW what was going to happen and knowing that He still stepped up and volunteered to be our Savior shows the great love He had for all of us even at the very beginning. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).
Alongside Jesus Christ’s love-filled offer to be our Savior, there was another who had a different response to our Father in Heaven’s request for a Savior.
- How did Lucifer respond to the Plan of Salvation?
- Moses 4:1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
- Lucifer wanted to go the easy route and take away our agency, making is so not a single soul would be lost to our Father in Heaven, thus meaning an atonement would not be necessary. Lucifer also wanted all the honor for the plan since he would be making sure all of us returned no matter what.
- Moses 4:1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
- When God chose Jesus Christ as the Savior, what was Lucifer’s response?
- Moses 4:3-4 3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.- He rebelled against God and thus became Satan, causing a war in heaven between Satan’s supporters and the supporters of our Heavenly Father’s Plan
- Moses 4:3-4 3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
- What happened to Satan after he rebelled against God?
- D&C 29:36-38 36 And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;
37 And they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels;
38 And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell.- He and his followers were cast out of heaven and denied mortality
- D&C 29:36-38 36 And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;
- Why is it important for us to know about Satan and his followers?
- We need to be aware that there is a force out there seeking to keep us from entering heaven. If we did not know Satan was out there, we could not prepare ourselves to stand up to him and defend ourselves against his temptations.
- Along with Jesus Christ and Lucifer responding to Heavenly Father’s Plan, we also responded. How did each of us respond to the Plan of Salvation?
- We accepted and agreed with the plan our Father laid out. If we had not, we would not be here.
One of the other things we have learned about our pre-earth life is that Heavenly Father chose and foreordained certain people for certain roles here on earth. This, the Lord himself explained to Abraham.
Abraham 3:22-23
22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
Along with the Lord foreordaining those who would be prophets and church leaders, the Lord also divided His children into who would come in each dispensation. Each of us was saved to be in the last and final dispensation because our Father in Heaven KNEW we could handle the trials and difficulties that Satan would throw our way.
Handout #1 – It is not difficult to understand why the great God of heaven has reserved these special spirits for the final work of the kingdom prior to his millennial reign…. This generation will face trials and troubles that will exceed those of their pioneer forebears. Our generation has had periods of some respite from the foe. The future generation will have little or none….This is a chosen generation…. I believe today’s [Church youth] will lead the youth of the world through the most trying time in history. (Vaughn J. Featherstone, “A Champion of Youth,” Ensign, November 1987, p. 28)
Handout #2 – You have been born at this time for a sacred and glorious purpose. It is not by chance that you have been reserved to come to earth in this last dispensation of the fulness of times at this particular time your birth was foreordained in the eternities. You are to be ‘the royal army of the Lord in the last days.’ You are youth of the noble birthright. In the spiritual battles you are waging, I see you as today’s sons of Helaman. (President Ezra Taft Benson, “To the Youth of the Noble Birthright,'” Ensign, May 1986, p. 43)
Handout #3 – You are of the finest generation that has come to earth. You have prepared yourself well in the premortal existence and have been selected to come forth in this singularly important time in the unfolding of Father in Heaven’s plan. I am deeply moved to be in your presence. I realize that the majority of you do not have the slightest idea of how truly capable, noble, and wonderful you are. (Elder Richard G. Scott of the 12 Apostles, BYU Devotional, March 3, 1996)
- Knowing that you were saved for this time in the world, how does that help you in your daily life or when you face trials?
- At times in my life when I have faced a trial and stumbled, I have become discouraged and thought “I will never be good enough”. Many times I’ve doubted my ability to be what God knows I can be and I feel like I’ve let God down. But then I remember that God knows all. He KNOWS what I am capable of. He sent me here at this time to this situation knowing that I would stumble at times, knowing that I would make mistakes and be imperfect. But what He also knows is that I have the strength and the ability to overcome my mistakes and my weaknesses. He knows that who I am and what I have to offer is good enough and strong enough to be here at this time, in this place and in the situations I’m in. Knowing that God saved me for a time when the strongest spirits need to be on the earth is humbling and comforting, in a way. God knows me and knows that I am more than capable of becoming what He needs me to be. I do make mistakes and do dumb stuff, but I’ve never let God down because I never give up. I haven’t quit trying to become better and that is the thing that makes Him proud and that is what makes me live up to His knowledge of me.
Now, after we had the council in heaven, after Jesus volunteered to become the Savior, after Satan started a war and after God foreordained the remaining spirits for different callings and dispensations, we started coming to earth. This is known as Mortal Life.
While we were in heaven, we were spirits. This was our first estate. Once we came to earth and got bodies, we entered our second estate.
The first to come to earth were Adam and Eve. They lived in the Garden of Eden until partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. By partaking of this fruit, they committed sin because God had commanded them not to eat that particular fruit. They were then cast out of the Garden of Eden as mortal beings. Along with being now subject to physical death, they were also now subject to spiritual death, which is a separation from the presence of God. We will touch on these two points a little later.
While the Fall of Adam and Eve brought about some negative consequences, the Fall HAD to take place in order for the remainder of God’s Plan to work. If Adam and Eve remained innocent and perfect in the Garden forever, they never would have become mortal and thus able to have children. They never would have been subject to hardships that would test their faith in God. They never would have been faced with extreme temptation to test their convictions in following the word of God.
So, while the Fall was due to an act of sin, it was something that was necessary in order to bring about the fullness of mortal life and the blessings of the Atonement. Eve, herself, spoke of the Fall and her thoughts on what had happened.
Moses 5:11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
- Now that we are here on earth and have our mortal bodies, what is the purpose of us being here?
- To receive a physical body
Handout #4 – The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine’s body to having none. All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. ” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 211).
- To prove our faithfulness through obedience to God’s commandments
Abraham 3:25-26
25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.
- To live in families and to seal children to their parents through temple ordinances
D&C 138:48 Foreshadowing the great work to be done in the atemples of the Lord in the bdispensation of the fulness of times, for the redemption of the dead, and the csealing of the children to their parents, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming.
Handout #5 – The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles proclaimed that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. … The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).
- How does understanding the purpose of why we are here make a difference in your life?
- Knowing what God’s plan is and what He wants me to accomplish while I’m here helps me know where I should be putting my priorities and how I should be living. If I didn’t have being worthy to go to the temple so I can be sealed to my future family as my end goal, I probably would have made a lot of different choices throughout my life.
One of the parts of Heavenly Father’s Plan is for us to prove our worthiness to return and be with Him. This is accomplished by us being tempted and tried by Satan. This is probably nobody’s favorite part, but it is vitally important part.
- Why is Satan allowed to tempt us?
- We would not be able to use our agency if there was not something to choose between
D&C 29:39 And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet—
- Why are these temptations important to us?
2 Nephi 2:11-13
11 For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.
13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
- Why is our agency such an important part of the Plan of Salvation?
- It is the only way by which we can prove to our Heavenly Father that we are worthy to return back into His presence
After we have gone through this life and done our best to follow God’s commandments and to prove our worthiness to return to God’s presence, we do not just die and have nothing more. After death our spirits enter the spirit world, which is the third part of the Plan of Salvation.
- How will our works during mortality influence our lives in the postmortal spirit world?
- Our righteousness determines the level of glory we have attained
Alma 40:11-14
11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of thedevil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.
14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.
There are many who have lived, and who live now, who have not had the opportunity to hear of the gospel and therefore did not know of the commandments they were to follow. Those persons are not automatically sent to Hell for not following God’s laws, they are given the chance to hear of the gospel in the spirit world.
D&C 138:30-34
30 But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, andcommissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.
31 And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel.
32 Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets.
33 These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands,
34 And all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
- What can we, as people still on the earth, do to help those in the spirit world who died without hearing of the gospel receive all of the blessings of the Plan of Salvation?
- Temple work!
- Family history work
The Plan of Salvation is a plan created by our Father in Heaven with love and our best interest in mind. He wants for us to reach the same level of exaltation that He has and has provided a way for us to do so. Every base has been covered and every contingency planned for. This Plan is a beautiful one that should give us all hope for the life that awaits us with our Heavenly Father.
In conclusion, I’d like to share a quote from Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve where he encourages us and counsels us on the wisdom of our Heavenly Father’s Plan.
Handout #6 – “There are three parts to the plan. You are in the second or the middle part, the one in which you will be tested by temptation, by trials, perhaps by tragedy. …
“Remember this! The line ‘And they all lived happily ever after’ is never written into the second act [of a play]. That line belongs in the third act, when the mysteries are solved and everything is put right. …
“Until you have a broad perspective of the eternal nature of [the plan], you won’t make much sense out of the inequities in life. Some are born with so little and others with so much. Some are born in poverty, with handicaps, with pain, with suffering. Some experience premature death, even innocent children. There are the brutal, unforgiving forces of nature and the brutality of man to man. We have seen a lot of that recently.
“Do not suppose that God willfully causes that which, for His own purposes, he permits. When you know the plan and the purpose of it all, even these things will manifest a loving Father in Heaven” (The Play and the Plan [satellite broadcast, 7 May 1995], 1–2).
