Introduction
Bring two pictures to class; one is the entire picture, the other only shows a few small sections. Begin by showing the partial picture. Tell class members that these small pieces are part of a bigger picture. Invite them to briefly guess what is in the picture. Then display the picture, putting the small pieces in place.
Point out that although the small pieces are important, they would have little meaning if they were not part of the big picture. Explain that experiences we have, decisions we make, and truths we learn are like small pieces of a big picture. They have less meaning if they are not put in the context of a bigger picture: the plan of salvation. A knowledge of the plan of salvation can help us make righteous decisions, find joy in mortality, and prepare for eternal life. This lesson discusses the plan of salvation.
The plan of salvation is “one of heaven’s best gifts to mankind”
Write on the chalkboard Heavenly Father’s Plan of ___________________.
Ask class members to complete the phrase. Encourage them to think of as many answers from the scriptures as they can. Write their responses on the chalkboard. After a minute or two, share any of the following answers that they have not mentioned:
Salvation (Alma 24:14; 42:5; Moses 6:62)
Restoration (Alma 41:2)
Happiness (Alma 42:8, 16)
Mercy (Alma 42:15, 31)
Redemption (Jacob 6:8; Alma 12:25–33)
What do these words teach you about Heavenly Father’s plan? How does understanding this plan affect your daily life?
This lesson is an overview of the plan of salvation. It shows how the principles of the gospel relate to each other as part of one great plan.
Premortal Life
What does the Bible teach about premortal life? While teachings about our premortal life exist in the Bible, they are pretty fragmentary. (See Job 38:4–7.) Through the Restoration, we have a much greater understanding of what took place before we were born. Read the following passages and discuss what we are taught in them.
- We lived before we were born
- God’s children progressed to different levels in our premortal life
- Jesus Christ “was like unto God” even before he obtained a mortal body
- Jesus and “many of the noble and great ones” formed the earth on which we dwell
- We are here to prove ourselves and demonstrate (and develop?) our ability and desire to do all things that God commands us
D&C 93:29 – Our premortal life was eternal, just as our life after this one will be.
Alma 34:8–9 – The Atonement was the essential part of the plan from the very beginning. Jesus’ sacrifice in the meridian of time was not an emergency measure added after the Fall, nor was it “Plan B” in case Adam and Eve partook of the fruit. As Lehi explained in 2 Nephi 2:24–26, Adam’s fall was a prerequisite to our coming into mortality.
Moses 4:1-2 – Jesus was chosen as the Savior when the Father presented His plan. This was not a vote, nomination, or popularity contest. The Father presented his plan, and we were free to accept it or reject it; we were not at liberty to modify it.
D&C 138:55–56 – We have been preparing for a long time for our roles here in mortality. Don’t blow it now!
Mortal Life
Everyone who ever has been, now is, or ever will be born into mortality on earth “kept their first estate” by choosing to follow God’s plan. We’re now in our “second estate.” Continue reading and discussing the following scriptures:
- Because of the Fall, we are subject to temptation
- Mankind suffered “spiritual death” by being cut off from the direct presence of the Father
- God gave time between the Fall and mortal death to allow them to learn the plan of salvation and develop faith in Jesus Christ
- Physical death is an essential part of the Plan, and is the means by which we obtain immortality
Moses 5:11 – Eve explained that the Fall was part of the Plan, allowing children to be born and parents and children to learn to choose good over evil
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).
Life after death
Although our physical bodies die, we continue to live. And thanks to God’s wonderful plan, our bodies will be resurrected. Read Alma 11:42-44. The final judgment will come in conjunction with the resurrection. Refer to D&C 76:50-70, reading verses 61, 69-70. Point out that those who inherit the Celestial glory will do so though Jesus. Contrast this with verses 109-112. Those who insist on being judged by their works are those who will inherit the Telestial glory. God requires us to work and to perform and receive ordinances in mortality. But even after these works, it is still the grace of God through Jesus’ atonement that saves us.
Conclusion
Have a class member read the following statement by 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).
Emphasize that a knowledge of the plan of salvation can help us make righteous decisions, find joy in mortality, and prepare for eternal life.
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