Class Member Study Guide: Lesson 19
Moses 4:2
Doctrine & Covenants 19: 16-19
Doctrine & Covenants 76: 40-42
Premortal Life
Job 28:4-7
Doctrine & Covenants 138: 55-56
Abraham 3: 22-28
Mortal Life
Alma 42: 9, 14
Doctrine & Covenants 29: 40-43
Articles of Faith 1:3
Life After Death
Alma 40:11-14
Alma 42:11-13, 15
Doctrine & Covenants 76:111
Doctrine & Covenants 88: 14-16
THE PLAN OF SALVATION--REDEMPTION, RESTORATION, MERCY, HAPPINESS
After the Book of Mormon was published in March of 1830, Joseph Smith turned his attention to continued his work on the "inspired" version of the Bible which he continued to work on until his death in 1844. As part of his inquiry and study, revelation came to us through the excerpts of this inspired translation in the Pearl of Great Price in Moses and his translation of a papyrus manuscript--Abraham--also included in the Pearl of Great Price. These works along with the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants give all truth seekers knowledge about a plan created before we came to earth which we call the Plan of Salvation. The clarity and thorough revelation of the entire plan is one of the great blessings that comes to us through the restoration of the gospel.
Joseph Smith emphasized:
"The great plan of salvation is a theme which ought to occupy our strict attention, and be regarded as one of heaven's best gifts to mankind" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 68).For additional background see Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Section 76 The Vision of the Degrees of Glory
Knowledge of Premortal Life (First Estate): Significant Blessing of the Restoration
We are children of God
We lived with Him as spirit children
Doctrine & Covenants 76:24
Doctrine & Covenants 93:29
Noteworthy: All God's spirit children were presented the plan of salvation
Elements of the Plan:
The Atonement2 Nephi 2:24-26
The Creation
The Fall
Mortal Body and Trials
The Power to Choose Good from Evil
Our brother Jesus Christ exhibited great stewardship as part of this plan
Abraham 3:24-25
He also offered great unselfishness
Moses 4:2
The Atonement makes the plan of salvation possible: Jesus Christ is the central figure in God's plan of salvation.
Lucifer rebelled against the plan of salvation, seeking to destroy our agency and gain Heavenly Father's power
Moses 4: 1, 3
Doctrine & Covenants 76: 25-27
Many valiant souls chose the path of righteousness
Job 38: 4-7
Doctrine & Covenants 138: 55-56
From Latter-day revelation we learn that the Fall is a necessary step in our eternal progress
Mortal Life: Our "Second Estate"
Abraham 3:26
Submitting to physical and spiritual death, the Lord promised redemption
Doctrine & Covenants 29: 41-42 Angels of Mercy
Doctrine & Covenants 138:48 Family
Doctrine & Covenants 93:40
Doctrine & Covenants 58: 27-28 Agency
Life After Death: Our Third Estate
In my Father's house are many mansions. The Lord has prepared a mansion in heaven for us depending on what we have become in this life.
Doctrine & Covenants 76:111
We will inherit a place in heaven dependent on the manner in which we received the testimony of Jesus Christ
Doctrine & Covenants 76:51
President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve:
“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).
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