Lesson 1: The Plan of Salvation
The Temple Teaches about the Great Plan of Salvation
that whomsoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)
by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
The Plan of Salvation
Our Premortal Life
Romans 8:16-17: The Spirit testifies
that we are children of God, and that we can be joint-heirs with Christ in all
that the Father has.
Where
did we live before we came to this earth? Who were our parents? Who was chosen to be our Savior?
I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true.
Lived there and loved there
with people I know. So did you.
Then Heav’nly Father presented a beautiful plan,
All
about earth and eternal salvation for man.
Abraham
3:22-24: Before
this life we lived with our Heavenly Parents. Jesus was like unto God. Many
noble and great ones were chosen to help Father in His Plan of Salvation.
Heavenly Father presented a Plan for our happiness in a Great Council in heaven. Who was there that was like unto God our Father? Jesus Christ, the Firstborn Son of Heavenly Father, accepted our Father’s Plan and volunteered to be our Savior. Did you know that you were there too and that you were taught the Plan of Salvation, and you chose to follow Jesus? How does that make you feel?
Moses 4:2: Jesus was willing to be our Savior and wanted to give all the
glory to His father.
Abraham 3:27: When God asked who He
should send to earth, Jesus said, Here am I, send me. Satan said: Here am I,
send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.
Father said he needed someone who had enough love
To give his life so we all could return there
above.
There was another who sought for the honor
divine.
Jesus said, “Father, send me, and the glory be
thine.
What was the difference between Jehovah’s (or Jesus’) desire to be our Savior
and Lucifer’s?
Jesus supported Heavenly Father’s plan to allow His children agency: the gift
to choose. Lucifer (or Satan) wanted to make us all do everything “right” so
that we would all go back to heaven. Why did Heavenly Father choose Jesus? What
happened to Satan and his followers after their rebellion?
They were expelled from heaven and denied the privilege of receiving a body and
progression. They rejected the great plan of happiness, so they could not be
participants in it. Because of that, they have sought to destroy our happiness
by tempting us to sin and leave the path.
Moses 4:1-4 Satan told God, I will be thy son, and I
will redeem all
mankind; so give me your honor. In contrast, the Beloved Son said, Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
Satan rebelled and drew spirits after him.
2 Nephi 2:17-18: Lehi saw Lucifer, an angel fall from heaven, and then become
a devil who sought the misery
of all mankind. He thought he could thwart God’s plan by getting Adam and Eve
to eat of the forbidden fruit.
Jesus was chosen, and as the
Messiah he came,
Conquering evil and death
through his glorious name,
Giving us hope of a wonderful
life yet to be
Home in that heaven where
Father is waiting for me.
The Creation and the Fall
Part of Heavenly Father’s Plan was creating this
beautiful world for us to live in. It’s a school for us. He also chose Adam and
Eve to be our first parents, the first of Heavenly Father’s children to come to
earth. They were created in the image of
God, and their home was in the Garden of Eden. But before the fall, they had
bodies that would have lived forever. Before the fall, their bodies were not
mortal.
Moses 3:7-8, 21-23: God created Adam and Eve
in the garden of Eden and breathed into them the breath of life, and they
became living souls.
Adam and Eve chose to
eat the fruit that God had forbidden them to eat. The choice was given to them
to partake of it, with the condition that they would surely die. But it was
necessary for them to take it in order that they might have children and the
chance to learn and grow.
Because they partook of the fruit, they could no longer stay in God’s presence
in the Garden of Eden. They also became mortal which meant their bodies would
die. The change to the mortal condition is called the Fall. When they became
mortal, they were also blessed with the ability to have children.
Why is being cut off from God’s presence called a spiritual death? What can we do
to regain favor with God. It is important to know that God did not leave Adam
and Eve alone, nor does He leave us alone. What things has He given us and done
for us so that we can feel His presence?
2 Nephi 2:19-25: Adam
and Eve became mortal when they partook of the fruit. They had to leave the
Garden of Eden. They had children. They were taught the plan of salvation by
angels. They were granted the time to repent and covenant with God. They taught
their children the gospel. Adam fell that men might be; and
men are, that they
might have joy.
D&C 29:40-41: Adam
and Eve had to leave the garden, because they transgressed; they needed the
probationary time for their progress.
Mortal Life
All of us in our premortal live who liked Heavenly Father’s Plan and
accepted His choice to have Jesus as our Savior, were given the privilege to
been born on this earth and gain a physical body. Here we are tested to see if
we will live by faith and be obedient to Heavenly Father’s commandments, even
when we aren’t physically with Him.
Alma 34:32: For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea,
behold the day of this life is
the day for men to perform their labors.
Abraham 3:24-26: And
there stood one among
them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will
go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials,
and we will make
an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever
the Lord their God shall command them; 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.
Just like in our First Estate, or in Pre-Mortality we were given the choice to
accept God’s Plan and follow Jesus or follow Satan, we have that freedom of
choice here.
2 Nephi 2:27: Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are
expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator
of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and
power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto
himself.
Death and Resurrection
What happens to us after we die? Our Spirits
return home to that God who gave us life, while our bodies, or human remains,
stay here on earth. We reside in the spirit world from the time of our death
until our resurrection. If we have been righteous here, we will live in the
section of the spirit world called Paradise, a place of peace and happiness.
Those who are wicked will live in a “time-out” place referred to as Spirit
Prison. There will be missionaries from Paradise who preach the gospel of Jesus
Christ and the Great Plan of Happiness to the souls who are in prison.
Alma 40:9-14: Therefore,
there is a time appointed unto men that they shall rise from the dead; and
there is a space between the time of death and the resurrection. And now,
concerning this space of time, what becometh of the souls of men is the thing
which I have inquired diligently of the Lord to know; and this is the thing of
which I do know. And
when the time cometh when all shall rise, then shall they know that God knoweth all the times which are appointed
unto man. 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. 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. 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 the devil 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. 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.
1 Peter 3:19: By which also he went
and preached unto
the spirits in prison.
Because of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, all mankind will
overcome physical death and be resurrected. Our spirits and bodies will be
reunited together, never again to be separation. We will be immortal forever
with perfected bodies.
1 Corinthians 15:22: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive.
2 Nephi 9:10-13: O
how great the goodness of
our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster;
yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of
the body, and also the death of the spirit. And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the
Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the
temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave. And this death of which I have
spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which
spiritual death is hell; wherefore,
death and hell must deliver up
their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its
captive bodies, and the
bodies and the spirits of
men will be restored one
to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of
Israel.
O
how great the plan of our
God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of
the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the
spirit and the body is restored to
itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living
souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in
the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.
Alma 11:42-44: Now,
there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ
shall loose the bands of
this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death. The
spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and
joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time;
and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a
bright recollection of
all our guilt. Now, this restoration shall come to
all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the
wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their
heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or
in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of
Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their
works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.
3rd Article of Faith: We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind
may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ also provides the
way for us to be forgiven, cleansed from sin, capable of progression, and able
to dwell in the presence of God again. Jesus suffered all things for us in the
Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, so that He is able to understand us and
lift us up. He makes it possible for us to repent and receive forgiveness. He
makes it possible for us to overcome our shortcomings. The Gift of Eternal Life
is a Gift from God to all who keep His commandments, accept His Son as their
Redeemer, and have faith in Him.
Mosiah 3:5-12: For
behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from
all eternity to
all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and
shall dwell in a tabernacle of
clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the
sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their
sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in
the hearts of the children of men. And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of
body, hunger, thirst,
and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every
pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations
of his people. And
he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth,
the Creator of
all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. And lo, he cometh unto his own,
that salvation might
come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they
shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and
shall crucify him. And he shall rise the third day from the dead;
and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things
are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men. For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of
those who have fallen by
the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning
them, or who have ignorantly sinned. But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that
he rebelleth against
God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and
faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Kingdoms of Glory
When the Resurrection and Final Judgment come, we will all be
assigned to a kingdom of glory. Those who are righteous will inherit greater
joy and eternal blessings.
1 Corinthians 15:35, 40-42: But
some man will
say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?.. There are also
celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There
is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another
glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown
in corruption; it is
raised in incorruption.
The Telestial Kingdom is a kingdom of glory for those who didn’t
receive the gospel of Jesus Christ or the testimony of the prophets of God in
this life, and who chose to live sinful lives. It is a heaven.
D&C 76:81-103
The Telestial Kingdom is a kingdom of glory for those who are good
and honorable people, but were deceived by the philosophies in the world and
weren’t valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ.
D&C 76:71-79:
The Celestial Kingdom is a kindom of glory reserved for the
faithful. Those who are obedient to Heavenly Father’s commandments, who make
and keep covenants and have faith in Jesus Christ. They have become pure in
heart.
D&C 76:
In your private study and here today, is there something new that you have learned about the Plan of Salvation?
How do you feel towards Jesus Christ knowing His part in the Plan of Salvation? How do you feel towards your Heavenly Father? In what ways will you show gratitude to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for Their great plan of happiness?
God knew that this life would be full of challenges and uncertainty. He knew that we would fall short and make mistakes. So He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. He taught His gospel and showed us the right way to live. He willingly gave his own life as a sacrifice for our sins. He is our loving Savior and Redeemer.
Article of Faith 1:3 3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
John 3:16-17:
16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Watch Video: https://youtu.be/05nA0cNEEqk
I am thankful for the knowledge that we have about the Plan of Salvation through the scriptures, through Latter-day teaching, through the Spirit, an in the temple. Because of this Plan, I have great hopes of seeing my Savior and Heavenly Father and thanking them personally for Their love and kindness to me.
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