19: The Plan of Salvation

Reading Assignment for Sunday, May 26, 2013

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 Atonement
The Creation
The Fall
Mortal Body and Trials
The Power to Choose Good from Evil

2 Nephi 2:24-26 

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).

Format 

18: Establish a House of God

Reading Assignment for Sunday, May 19, 2013

Class Member Study Guide:  Lesson 18

Doctrine & Covenants 95

Doctrine & Covenants 109

Doctrine & Covenants 110

 Our Heritage: Pages 33-36

 

1832 Commandment to Build a Temple

Doctrine & Covenants 88:119

Doctrine & Covenants 109:2


Purpose of Temples

Doctrine & Covenants  95: 3-4, 8-9, 16-17

Doctrine & Covenants 109: 5, 8


Revelations on How to Build the Kirtland Temple

Doctrine & Covenants  95:13-17


Challenges and Sacrifices of Building the Temple

Doctrine & Covenants 109:5 

Our Heritage:  Pages 34-35 


Why Do We Dedicate Temples

Our Heritage: Pages 35-36
 

Some of the workers suggested they build the temple with logs or boards.

But Joseph Smith replied:

 “Shall we … build a house for our God, of logs? No. … I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself; and you will soon see by this, the difference between our calculations and his idea of things” (quoted in Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley [1958], 230).

The Lord revealed His plans for the Kirtland Temple in a vision to the First Presidency (Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams).

President Frederick G. Williams said they knelt together in prayer, and a model of the building

 “appeared within viewing distance. … After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us.” When the temple was completed, Frederick G. Williams said it looked exactly as it had in the vision. (In The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Lyndon W. Cook [1981], 198.)

President Howard W. Hunter, the 14th President of the Church, described these promises in the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple as

“stirring and wonderful” (“The Great Symbol of Our Membership,” Ensign, Oct. 1994, 5). This prayer, he said, “continues to be answered upon us individually, upon us as families, and upon us as a people because of the priesthood power the Lord has given us to use in His holy temples” (Ensign, Oct. 1994, 4).

On 27 March 1836, the Prophet Joseph Smith dedicated the Kirtland Temple. The dedicatory prayer, which the Lord revealed, is recorded in D&C 109. The dedicatory service lasted seven hours and was accompanied by a great outpouring of the Spirit. It included the dedicatory prayer, hymn singing, testimony bearing, the passing of the sacrament, sermons, and a solemn assembly in which members sustained Joseph Smith and other Church leaders. The service ended with the Saints giving the Hosanna Shout—raising their hands above their heads and shouting three times, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb, amen, amen, and amen” (History of the Church, 2:427–28).

The Lord fulfilled His promise to endow His servants with power from on high when the Kirtland Temple was completed (D&C 95:8). This endowment of power included an appearance of the Savior in the temple, an outpouring of the Spirit, many revelations, and the restoration of priesthood keys by Moses, Elias, and Elijah. With these sacred experiences and keys, the Lord’s servants were able to move His work forward with greater power and authority.

Person	Keys Restored	Blessings and Responsibilities Today
Moses	Gathering of Israel	The authority to preach the gospel to gather Israel (missionary work).
Elias	The dispensation of the gospel of Abraham	The blessings of the Abrahamic covenant and the responsibilities associated with that covenant (see Abraham 2:9–11 for a review of these blessings and responsibilities).
Elijah	Sealing power	The power that makes priesthood ordinances valid in heaven. The sealing power makes possible temple marriage, sealings to children and ancestors, eternal families, and temple ordinance work for the dead.

.

17: The Law of Tithing and The Law of the Fast

Reading Assignment for Sunday, May 12, 2013

Class Member Study Guide: Lesson 17

Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-14, 21

Doctrine and Covenants 119

Doctrine and Covenants 120

Isaiah 58:6-12

Malachi 3:8-12

3 Nephi 24: 8-12

Mathew 6:16-18

3 Nephi 13:16-18

Scripture Chain Fasting: Tithing

Genesis 14: 18-20

Leviticus 27:30

Malachi 3:8-12

Doctrine & Covenants 64:23

Doctrine & Covenants 119

Scripture Chain: Fasting

Isaiah 58: 5-11

Doctrine and Covenants 59: 13-16 
 

Historical Background Section 59

Additional Background in Joseph Smith Papers

Polly Knight, mother of Newel Knight, was a member of the Colesville Branch and was determined to go to the land of Zion with other members of the branch.

“Polly Knight’s health had been failing for some time, according to a statement made by her son, Newel. She was very ill during her journey from Kirtland to Missouri. ‘Yet,’ says her son, ‘she would not consent to stop traveling; her only, or her greatest desire was to set her feet upon the land of Zion, and to have her body interred in that land. I went on shore and bought lumber to make a coffin in case she should die before we arrived at our place of destination—so fast did she fail. But the Lord gave her the desire of her heart, and she lived to stand upon that land.’ (Scraps of Biography, p. 70.)” (In History of the Church, 1:199n.)

The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded: “On the 7th, I attended the funeral of Sister Polly Knight, the wife of Joseph Knight, Sen. This was the first death in the Church in this land, and I can say, a worthy member sleeps in Jesus till the resurrection.

“I also received the following: [D&C 59].” (History of the Church, 1:199.)

Background to Section 119

Additional Background in Joseph Smith Paper

The Prophet Joseph Smith received the revelation on tithing on 8 July 1838 at Far West, Missouri. The revelation came in response to the following question: “O Lord! Show unto thy servant how much thou requirest of the properties of thy people for a tithing.” (History of the Church, 3:44.)

President Joseph Fielding Smith explained: “The Lord had given to the Church the law of consecration and had called upon the members, principally the official members, to enter into a covenant that could not be broken and to be everlasting in which they were to consecrate their properties and receive stewardships, for this is the law of the celestial kingdom. Many of those who entered into this solemn covenant broke it and by so doing brought upon their heads, and the heads of their brethren and sisters, dire punishment and persecution. This celestial law of necessity was thereupon withdrawn for the time, or until the time of the redemption of Zion. While suffering intensely because of their debts and lack of means to meet their obligations Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, November 29, 1834, in solemn prayer promised the Lord that they would give one tenth of all that the Lord should give unto them, as an offering to be bestowed upon the poor; they also prayed that their children, and the children’s children after them should obey this law. (D.H.C., 2:174–5.) Now, however, it became necessary for the law to be given to the whole Church so the Prophet prayed for instruction. The answer they received [came] in the revelation [D&C 119].” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 2:90–91.)

Although tithing had been mentioned in earlier revelations, this revelation established a new and exacting law to replace the law of consecration, which had been revoked by the Lord. “The law of tithing, as understood today, had not been given to the Church previous to this revelation. The term ‘tithing’ in the prayer … and in previous revelations (64:23; 85:3; 97:11), had meant to them not just one-tenth, but all ‘free-will offerings,’ or ‘contributions’ to the Church funds.” (Headnote to D&C)

Background to Section 120 

Additional Background in Joseph Smith Papers

When the Lord established the law of tithing in this dispensation (see D&C 119), he explained whose responsibility it was to handle the tithes of the Church. On 8 July 1838 the Prophet Joseph Smith received the revelation “making known the disposition of the properties tithed as named in the preceding revelation” (History of the Church, 3:44).

Thus the stage was set for the frightful conflict and terrible loss of life and property that followed. The Saints would have to pass through still more of the “refiner’s fire” before they could find peace.

Time Line Date	Significant Event
Summer 1836	Saints began settling Far West
26 Dec. 1836	Caldwell County was created
Nov. 1837	Joseph Smith briefly visited Far West
14 Mar. 1838	Prophet arrived to settle in Far West
May 1838	Adam-ondi-Ahman was founded
June 1838	Town of DeWitt was settled
19 June 1838	Sidney Rigdon gave his “Salt Sermon”
4 July 1838	Sidney Rigdon gave his Independence Day speech
8 July 1838	Four new Apostles were called, and the law of tithing was revealed

16: Thou Shalt Offer Up They Sacraments upon My Holy Day

Reading Assignment for Sunday, May 5, 2013

Class Member Study Guide: Lesson 16

Doctrine & Covenants 59

Additional Background to Section 59

Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual (Institute) Section 59

From the Joseph Smith Papers Revelation August 7, 1831 (Section 59)


REVELATIONS ABOUT CONSECRATION, GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT, AND SABBATH WORSHIP

The Saints learned about the gospel in 1831--the law of consecration, surely an inspired doctrine in light of their extreme poverty--and also received instruction about the gifts of the spirit (Lesson 14 & 15).

President George Q. Cannon taught:

“If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts that will correct these imperfections.

 If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind.

Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity, which envieth not.

So with all the gifts of the Gospel. They are intended for this purpose.

No man ought to say, ‘Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them” (Millennial Star, 23 Apr. 1894, 260).

In learning to use the gifts of the spirit, the early Saints provided priesthood blessing and healed the sick after the terrible trials in Missouri from 1831 to 1838.  As late as June of 1844, the prophet was still teaching about the gifts of the spirit when he prophesied that one brother who was with him would live to serve a mission in  Wales.

 

In August of 1831, Polly Knight in failing health journeyed from Kirkland to Missouri following the waterways to get there--the Ohio River up the Mississippi, and then onto the Missouri river to reach Zion in Jackson County.  Her death seemed imminent as her son recalls:

"she would not consent to stop traveling; her only, or her greatest desire was to set her feet upon the land of Zion, and to have her body interred in that land. I went on shore and bought lumber to make a coffin in case she should die before we arrived at our place of destination—so fast did she fail. But the Lord gave her the desire of her heart, and she lived to stand upon that land.’ (Scraps of Biography, p. 70.)” (In History of the Church, 1:199n.)

As Polly Knight's last wish is fulfilled, the prophet continues his instruction to the Saints in Section 59, a revelation received  after consecrating and dedicating the future site of a temple in Jackson County on August 7, 1831.  Here he provides revelation about Sabbath observance.

SABBATH OBSERVANCE: OFFER UP THEY SACRAMENTS UPON MY HOLY DAY

History of the Sabbath: The Lord Established the Sabbath

The Sabbath is symbolic of the mighty works of God according to the Bible Dictionary:

The creation of the earth.

The deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

The Sabbath is an important safeguard:

It reminds the individual of the need for spiritual sustenance.

His duty before God.

Provides a witness to the world that there is "revealed" religion.

The Sabbath is important because it provides:

A day to rest from temporal labors and focus on God's errands.

Contemplate the word of the Lord.

Assemble for public worship.

Partake of the sacrament. 

Scriptures that teach about the early observance of the Sabbath

Genesis 2:2-3

Exodus 20:9-11

Exodus 31:13-17

Christ was often accused of violating the Sabbath, but instead he taught that the correct method of observing the Sabbath included gathering together in worship but also caring for those in need.

President Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th President of the Church, said:

“We do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility, and regardless of what is said from the pulpit, if one wishes to worship the Lord in spirit and truth, he may do so by attending his meetings, partaking of the sacrament, and contemplating the beauties of the gospel. If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you” (“The Sabbath—A Delight,” Ensign, Jan. 1978, 4–5).

Pay Devotion to God by Sunday Worship

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve said:

“After His mortal ministry, … Jesus told his Nephite Apostles that He would no longer accept burnt offerings but that His disciples should offer ‘a broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ Instead of the Lord requiring our animals or grain, now He wants us to give up all that is ungodly. This higher practice of the law of sacrifice reaches into the inner soul of a person. …

“… When we overcome our own selfish desires and put God first in our lives and covenant to serve Him regardless of the cost, we are then living the law of sacrifice” (“The Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, 10–11).

Pay Devotion by Partaking of the Sacrament 

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve said:

“Windows must be washed regularly to clean away dust and dirt. … Just as earthly windows need consistent, thorough cleaning, so do the windows of our spirituality. … By partaking of the sacrament worthily to renew our baptismal covenants, we clarify our view of life’s eternal purpose and divine priorities. The sacrament prayers invite personal introspection, repentance, and rededication as we pledge our willingness to remember our Savior, Jesus the Christ” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 103; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 77).

Pay Devotion by Resting from Labor

President Spencer W. Kimball taught:

“The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected” (Ensign, Jan. 1978, 4).

President Gordon B. Hinckley said,

“Let the Latter-day Saints be in their homes, teaching their families, reading the scriptures, doing things that are wholesome and beautiful and communing with the Lord on the Sabbath day” (“Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, July 1996, 73).

President Hinckley also counseled: 

 “Now I do not want to be prudish. I do not want you to lock your children in the house and read the Bible all afternoon to them. Be wise. Be careful. But make that day a day when you can sit down with your families and talk about sacred and good things” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 559–60).

 Blessings from Sabbath Observance