Sunday, February 14, 2016

The Plan of Salvation: Overview

Premortal World
Many years ago, perhaps even millions and millions of years ago, we lived as spirit children with our Father in Heaven. The Family: A Proclamation to the World states, "IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

Architects create structures, and can call them their creations. However, these creations don’t have the potential to become like their builder. Our Heavenly Father has created us. We, as His spirit children, have the potential to become as He is. President Uchtdorf said, “My dear brothers and sisters, if we look at ourselves only through our mortal eyes, we may not see ourselves as good enough. But our Heavenly Father sees us as who we truly are and who we can become. He sees us as His sons and daughters, as beings of eternal light with everlasting potential and with a divine destiny” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “It Works Wonderfully!”, Ensign, November 2015).

It was in our pre-earthly estate that our Father in Heaven introduced His plan to us, His spirit children. Elder Robert D. Hales explained,

In a premortal council, Heavenly Father explained to us His plan of redemption. The plan was based on doctrine, law, and principles that have always existed. We learned that if we accepted and followed the plan, we would be required to willingly leave our Father’s presence and be tested to show whether we would choose to live according to His laws and commandments. We rejoiced at this opportunity and gratefully sustained the plan because it offered us the way to become like our Heavenly Father and inherit eternal life.

“But the plan was not without risk: if we chose in mortality not to live according to God’s eternal laws, we would receive something less than eternal life. Father knew we would stumble and sin as we learned by experience in mortality, so He provided a Savior to redeem from sin all who repent and to heal the spiritual and emotional wounds of those who obey.” (Robert D. Hales, “The Plan of Salvation: A Sacred Treasure of Knowledge to Guide Us”, Ensign, Oct 2015).

The Atonement of Jesus Christ, is a critical piece in our Father’s Plan. In the Bible Dictionary we read that, “All are covered unconditionally as pertaining to the fall of Adam. Hence, all shall rise from the dead with immortal bodies, because of Jesus’ atonement…The atonement is conditional, however, so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned, and touches every one to the degree that he has faith in Jesus Christ, repents of his sins, and obeys the gospel” (Bible Dictionary: Atonement).

We know, however, that not everyone was joyful about the news, nor did everyone accept the Father’s plan. We had agency in the premortal world, just as we have it now. Joseph Fielding Smith taught, “God gave his children their free agency even in the spirit world, by which the individual spirits had the privilege, just as men have here, of choosing the good and rejecting the evil, of partaking of the evil to suffer the consequences of their sins. Because of this, some even there were more faithful than others in keeping the commandments of the Lord” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:58-59).

We know through the scriptures that Lucifer turned,
a third part of the hosts of heaven…away from [our Father in Heaven] because of their agency;

And they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels;” (Doctrine &Covenants 29:36-37).

These spirits, just as we, lived in the presence of God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. They were given the opportunity to make a conscious, informed choice, and made their choice knowing full well what the consequence would be.

Elder Tad R. Callister, in his book The Infinite Atonement noted that, “All premortal spirits commenced their spirit sojourn innocent (i.e., meaning free from sin), but all such spirits lost their innocence through individual sin” (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p77). He also reminds us that, “the two-thirds that remained were not all equal in their allegiance and obedience to God. At their spiritual birth they were ‘on the same standing as their brethren’, but through the laws of agency each spirit advanced at his own rate so that only some became ‘noble and great ones’” (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p76-77).

Birth
From our premortal life, we came down to our second estate on earth, through the miracle of birth. A veil of forgetfulness was placed over our memories so that we would have to live by faith in this life. In the Book of Mormon Alma taught that, “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” (Alma 34:32). And from the Book of Abraham we learn that we are here on earth to be tested, and “to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God shall command [us]. And they who keep their first estate [that is to be obedient in the premortal existence] shall be added upon; … and they who keep their second estate [that is, to be obedient during mortal life] shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.(Abraham 3:25-26)Of these verses Elder Richard G. Scott stated,

So that the period of mortal testing and growth would yield its greatest benefit, you were taught and prepared for the circumstances you would personally encounter in mortality. Our Father’s pattern for guiding you through mortal life was explained. …God would give each child moral agency, the right to choose His counsel or to ignore it. All would be encouraged but not forced to obey. You understood that while you could choose your path on earth, you could not determine the outcome of your choices. That would be decided by eternal law” (Richard G. Scott, “Truth Restored”, Ensign, November 2005).

Mortality
We are now here in mortality. We have some glimpses of what happened before this life, but we were sent here to live by faith and to use our agency to learn for ourselves; to choose between good and evil, right and wrong, and sometimes between something good and something even better.

This life is a time where we will be tried and tested, again and again. The adversary is very aware of who we are, and who we can become; he and his minions do not have a veil covering their memories. But the Lord does not either. And, with Him at our side we can succeed because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ is essential to our eternal success on this earth. As we come to understand the power that is available to us through the Atonement, not just the power to repent but also the power to change, we can gain confidence as we make our journey back to our Father in Heaven.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “God knew the challenges [those in mortality] would face, and He certainly knew how lonely and troubled they would sometimes feel. So He watched over His mortal family constantly, heard their prayers always, and sent prophets (and later apostles) to teach, counsel, and guide them” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Ministry of Angels”, Ensign, Nov 2008).

Through miracles too numerous to be counted we have the fullness of the gospel on the earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ was restored by Jesus Christ, through the prophet Joseph Smith. We have the Priesthood restored to the earth through which we can make covenants that will help us on our path back to our Father in Heaven. In fact, we have everything that we will need to make it back to Him, if we will do what He asks and endure to the end.

Lorenzo Snow taught, “The Lord has placed before us incentives of the grandest character. In the revelations which God has given, we find what a person can reach who will travel this path of knowledge and be guided by the Spirit of God. I had not been in this Church [very long] when it was clearly shown to me what a man could reach through a continued obedience to the Gospel of the Son of God. That knowledge has been as a star continually before me, and has caused me to be particular in trying to do that which was right and acceptable to God” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow, “Chapter 5: The Grand Destiny of the Faithful”).

Death
Our days are known to the Lord, and when our time on this earth is done we will pass into the spirit world. Brigham Young taught the following about our life after this one,

“We shall turn round and look upon [the valley of death] and think, when we have crossed it, why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no more, I hunger no more, I tire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, nothing like pain or weariness, I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my heavenly Father” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17:142; quoted in Doctrines Of The Gospel Student Manual, “Chapter 30: Death And The Postmortal Spirit World”).

What a marvelous day, when that time comes.

One of my favorite scriptures is found in the book of Alma, where Alma is speaking to his son Corianton. He said, “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” (Alma 40:11, emphasis added). We have a loving Father in Heaven who is watching over each of us, and will be there to welcome us home. President Ezra Taft Benson also taught that, “Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us” (Ezra Taft Benson, "Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations", Ensign, December 1988). I am looking forward to that day, even though I know it is probably many years away.

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma describes two divisions among spirits in the Spirit World. We usually refer to these divisions as Spirit Paradise and Spirit Prison.

Bruce R. McConckie described Spirit Paradise as follows: “Paradise—the abode of righteous spirits, as they await the day of their resurrection; paradise—a place of peace and rest where the sorrows and trials of his life have been shuffled off, and where the saints continue to prepare for a celestial heaven; paradise—not the Lord’s eternal kingdom, but a way station along the course leading to eternal life” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, 4:222). 

We have learned the following about Spirit Prison: 


“The Apostle Peter referred to the postmortal spirit world as a prison, which it is for some. In the spirit prison are the spirits of those who have not yet received the gospel of Jesus Christ. These spirits have agency and may be enticed by both good and evil. If they accept the gospel and the ordinances performed for them in the temples, they may leave the spirit prison and dwell in paradise.


“Also in the spirit prison are those who rejected the gospel after it was preached to them either on earth or in the spirit prison. These spirits suffer in a condition known as hell. They have removed themselves from the mercy of Jesus Christ” (Gospel Principles, “Chapter 41: The Postmortal Spirit World”).

Through the restoration of the gospel we know that, “Through the work we do in temples, all people who have lived on the earth can have an equal opportunity to receive the fulness of the gospel and the ordinances of salvation so they can inherit a place in the highest degree of celestial glory” (Gospel Principles, “Chapter 46: The Final Judgment”).

“The spirit world is a place of waiting, working, learning, and, for the righteous, resting from care and sorrow. Our spirits will live there until we are ready for our resurrection”. (Gospel Principles, “Chapter 41: The Postmortal Spirit World”)..

Resurrection
After some amount of time in the spirit world all will be resurrected. In the Bible Dictionary it states, “All will not be raised to the same glory in the resurrection nor will all come forth at the same time. Christ was first; the righteous have precedence over the wicked, and come forth in the first resurrection, whereas the unrepentant sinners come forth in the last resurrection….

“The resurrection consists in the uniting of a spirit body with a body of flesh and bones, never again to be divided. The resurrection shall come to all, because of Christ’s victory over death….[A] resurrection means to become immortal, without blood, yet with a body of flesh and bone. To obtain a resurrection with a celestial, exalted body is the center point of hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ” (Bible Dictionary: Resurrection).

Judgment
In the scriptures we read that all of us will be judged. In the Book of Revelation, John records, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12). Joseph Smith explained that these books refer to, “the books which contained the record of [our] works, and refer to the records which are kept on the earth. And the book which was the book of life is the record which is kept in heaven;” (Doctrine & Covenants 128:7).

Alma explains that not only will we be judged according to our works, but also our words, and our thoughts (see Alma 12:14). And, lest we think we can hide anything from the Lord, Nephi teaches that Jesus Christ will be, “the keeper of the gate…and he employeth no servant there [and] he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name” (2 Nephi 9:41).

In Gospel Principles we read, “There is another record that will be used to judge us. The Apostle Paul taught that we ourselves are a record of our life. Stored in our body and mind is a complete history of everything we have done. President John Taylor taught this truth: “[The individual] tells the story himself, and bears witness against himself. … That record that is written by the man himself in the tablets of his own mind, that record that cannot lie will in that day be unfolded before God and angels, and those who shall sit as judges” (Gospel Principles, “Chapter 46: The Final Judgment”).

Depending on how we have chosen to live our lives in mortality will determine which kingdom of glory we will inherit. The Doctrine and Covenants specifies three kingdoms of glory: the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial.

Those in the Celestial Kingdom are those who “received the testimony of Jesus…believed on his name and were baptized…[kept] the commandments…[received] the Holy Ghost...[overcame] by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise” (Doctrine & Covenants 76:51-53). These are those who were sealed as husband and wife in the Holy Temple, and kept the covenants therein. These are those who are obedient and valiant in their testimony of Jesus Christ. “These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever” (Doctrine & Covenants 76:62).

Bruce R. McConkie gives quite a detailed description of what it means to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus. He said,

Now what does it mean to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus?

“It is to be courageous and bold; to use all our strength, energy, and ability in the warfare with the world; to fight the good fight of faith. ‘Be strong and of a good courage,’ the Lord commanded Joshua, and then specified that this strength and courage consisted of meditating upon and observing to do all that is written in the law of the Lord. The great cornerstone of valiance in the cause of righteousness is obedience to the whole law of the whole gospel.

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him’; it is to deny ourselves ‘of all ungodliness,’ and ‘love God’ with all our ‘might, mind and strength.’

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to believe in Christ and his gospel with unshakable conviction. It is to know of the verity and divinity of the Lord’s work on earth.

“But this is not all. It is more than believing and knowing. We must be doers of the word and not hearers only. It is more than lip service; it is not simply confessing with the mouth the divine Sonship of the Savior. It is obedience and conformity and personal righteousness. ‘Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.’

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to ‘press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.’ It is to ‘endure to the end.’ It is to live our religion, to practice what we preach, to keep the commandments. It is the manifestation of ‘pure religion’ in the lives of men; it is visiting ‘the fatherless and widows in their affliction’ and keeping ourselves ‘unspotted from the world.’

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to bridle our passions, control our appetites, and rise above carnal and evil things. It is to overcome the world as did he who is our prototype and who himself was the most valiant of all our Father’s children. It is to be morally clean, to pay our tithes and offerings, to honor the Sabbath day, to pray with full purpose of heart, to lay our all upon the altar if called upon to do so.

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to take the Lord’s side on every issue. It is to vote as he would vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes, to say what he would say and do what he would do in the same situation. It is to have the mind of Christ and be one with him as he is one with his Father.” (Bruce R. McConkie, “Be Valiant in theFight”, Ensign, November 1974).

That is a tall order, and can only be accomplished by relying consistently and continually on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. But, those who do this, “shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths…. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power” (Doctrine & Covenants 132:19-20).

That is our goal.

We know the following about those who will inherit the Terrestrial Kingdom. “These are they who rejected the gospel on earth but afterward received it in the spirit world. These are the honorable people on the earth who were blinded to the gospel of Jesus Christ by the craftiness of men. These are also they who received the gospel and a testimony of Jesus but then were not valiant” (Gospel Principles, “Chapter 46: The Final Judgment”). This would include those members of the church who are not valiant in their testimony of Jesus Christ.

We know that hard times are ahead for us, before the Second Coming of the Savior. In the early days of the church, Heber C. Kimball said, “The Saints will be put to tests that will try the integrity of the best of them” (as quoted by Ezra Taft Benson, “May the Kingdom of God Go Forth”, Ensign, May 1978)And more recently, President Russell M. Nelson reminded us,

“[D]ifficult days are ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested. The Apostle Paul warned that in the latter days, those who diligently follow the Lord ‘shall suffer persecution.’ That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives.

How you deal with life’s trials is part of the development of your faith. Strength comes when you remember that you have a divine nature, an inheritance of infinite worth” (Russell M. Nelson, "Face the Future with Faith", Ensign, May 2011).

How we deal with our trials will also be a determining factor in where we go after this life.

The lowest Kingdom of Glory is the Telestial Kingdom. In the Doctrine & Covenants we read,

These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus.

“These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit….

“These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie” (Doctrine & Covenants 76:82-83, 103).

Those who do not inherit a kingdom of glory will be cast into what is referred to as outer darkness. Regarding them, in the Doctrine & Covenants, the voice of the Lord was recorded as saying,

“Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—

“They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born;

“For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;

“Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—
“Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.

“These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels—

“And the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power” (Doctrine & Covenants 76:31-37).

I don’t think this means those who have a testimony, and failed to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, or those of us who make poor choices more often than we want to admit.

This is for those who knew God, had a witness of Him, but rather than relying on the power of the Atonement, these are they who allowed themselves, through their agency, to be overcome by the power of the devil, and follow him as their master.

Alma puts it this way, “But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup” (Alma 40:26).

Where we end up after this life is determined by our choices here on earth. The Lord’s Plan of Happiness is a plan of agency. Our agency.

Eternities
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said this about the Plan of Salvation.

“The Savior’s sacrifice opened the door of salvation for all to return to God. His ‘grace is sufficient for all [who] humble themselves before [God].’ His grace is the enabling power that allows access into God’s kingdoms of salvation. Because of His grace, we will all be resurrected and saved in a kingdom of glory.

“Even the lowest kingdom of glory, the telestial kingdom, “surpasses all understanding,” and numberless people will inherit this salvation.

“But the Savior’s grace can do much more for us. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we aspire to something unimaginably greater. It is exaltation in the celestial kingdom. It is life eternal in the presence of our Father in Heaven. It is the greatest gift of God. In the celestial kingdom, we receive ‘of his fulness, and of his glory.’ Indeed, all that the Father hath shall be given unto us” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “It Works Wonderfully!”, Ensign, November 2015).

How grateful I am to have the Plan of Salvation. To know where I came from, and that I’m a daughter of God; why I’m here on earth, the steps I need to take to return to my Father in Heaven, and what comes after this life. How grateful I am for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the strength and support it provides to me each day; when I remember to ask. I know that God lives, that He loves us, and watches over us. He will give us the experiences we need to progress toward perfection and our destiny as heirs of eternal life if we will let him.