Lesson 2: The Plan of Salvation
Review of Lesson 1:
God is our Father in Heaven and He loves us. He sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. God and Jesus Christ are separate and distinct Beings but are one in purpose. Because God loves us, His children, He has always sent prophets to teach us the way to live to be able to return to live with Him. We can know truth by the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost confirms and testifies of truth by entering our hearts and minds and bringing peace, love, joy, and faith (see Galatians 5:22-23).
Introduction to lesson 2: The Plan of Salvation
Essential Vocabulary:
The Fall of Adam and Eve: Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden because they ate the forbidden fruit. In the Garden of Eden they were innocent and couldn’t progress because they didn’t know good from evil. They became subject to the effects of sin and death. In the Garden of Eden food was provided for them but in the mortal world they were required to labor for their own support. After the Fall, Adam and Eve were able to have children and became the parents of mankind.
Atonement: To atone is to make possible reconciliation between God and man. Jesus Christ made it possible for man to be reconciled to God by suffering the penalty of all sin in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. He overcame death by being resurrected.
Resurrection: The reuniting of body and spirit after death.
Salvation: To be saved from physical and spiritual death.
Physical Death: The Separation of body and spirit.
Spiritual Death: Separation from God. We were originally separated from God because of the Fall of Adam and Eve. While living in mortality we separate ourselves from God when we sin.
Books needed:
The Holy Bible - any good translation can be used. Mormons typically use the King James Bible, and quotes in the text will come from that translation, but if you have a different translation it is okay.
The Book of Mormon - A companion volume to the Holy Bible which was translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith from ancient records. If you do not have a copy, you may get a free copy online at Mormon.org. You may also either contact the local Mormon missionaries or see the text of the Book of Mormon online at http://scriptures.lds.org/en/contents. The Book of Mormon will be explained in more detail later.
The Doctrine and Covenants - The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of divine revelations and inspired declarations given for the establishment and regulation of the kingdom of God on the earth in the last days… Most of the revelations in this compilation were received through Joseph Smith, Jun., the first prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Others were issued through some of his successors in the Presidency. (”Introductory Note,” Doctrine and Covenants) You can see the text of the Doctrine and Covenants online at http://scriptures.lds.org/en/contents
Lesson 2: The Plan of Salvation
Points to ponder:
Who am I?
What is my relationship with God?
Where did I come from before this life?
What is the purpose of my life here on earth?
Where am I going after I die?
We are Children of God
God is the Father of our spirits. We lived with him before we came to this earth. Just as any parent, He wants what is best for His children. He loves us and wants us to have all of the blessings that He has. This period of living with God is often called the pre-earth life.
What do the following scriptures teach us about our relationship with God?
Acts 17:29
Romans 8:16
Hebrews 12:9
In the pre-earth life, we could not receive all of the blessings God wanted for us, including a physical body. God presented a plan to us in which we were able to choose to come here to the earth to have opportunities to learn and grow and be tested. This gift of Agency, or the freedom to choose, is one of the greatest gifts of God. We can choose to follow God or Satan (see 2 Nephi 2:27). God knew that on the earth we would all sin and eventually die. Jesus Christ was chosen and “foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20) by the Father to be our Savior and overcome the effects of death and sin for us.
Ponder the following scriptures and what they teach us about our pre-earth life:
Jeremiah 1:5 - What does God tell Jeremiah about their relationship even before Jeremiah was conceived?
Ecclesiastes 12:7 - Where did our Spirits come from and where will they go after this life? Note the use of the word “return” in this verse. Can we return somewhere we have never been?
The Creation
As we learned in the first lesson God directed His son Jesus Christ to create this earth. (see Hebrews 1:1-2, Colossians 1:16-17). The earth was created for us as a place where we could come to learn and grow and be tested. On this earth we do not remember living with God in the Pre-earth life. This causes us to walk by faith and not by sight. (see 2 Cor. 5:6-7)
Our First Parents
In order for all of us to have the opportunity to come to earth Heavenly Father placed our first parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. They were created in the image of God with bodies of flesh and bones. They received commandments in the Garden of Eden and were tempted by Satan to disobey God. We learn much about Adam and Eve from the scriptures. Please answer the following questions as you ponder the indicated passages of scripture.
What were Adam and Eve commanded?
Genesis 2:15-17
Genesis 1:28
What would have happened if Adam and Eve had not transgressed (eaten the forbidden fruit)?
2 Nephi 2: 22-23
Why was it important that they did eat the fruit?
2 Nephi 2:22-25
Points to Ponder:
Did Heavenly Father know that Adam and Eve would eat the fruit?
Why should we be grateful for Adam and Eve?
How has knowing pain and hard work helped you appreciate the joyful experiences of your life?
As we read in 2 Nephi, Adam and Eve were innocent in the Garden of Eden. They couldn’t experience joy because they didn’t know pain. They were tempted by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit and they partook. (see Genesis 3) Because they ate the fruit they became mortal, subject to the obstacles of sin and death, and were cast out of the Garden of Eden. This separation from God is known as the Fall. They were then able to have children, making it possible for all of God’s spirit children to come to earth and gain physical bodies. We are all given moral agency, the ability to choose between good and evil, which makes it possible for us to learn and progress. The Fall of Adam and Eve was a necessary part of God’s plan. Only because of the Fall are we able to come to earth and gain physical bodies.
The Purpose of life
Points to Ponder:
What is the purpose of my life here on earth?
How is it possible that I, as a sinner, can be forgiven and be able to live in the presence of my Father in Heaven? What do I need to know and do for this to happen?
Because Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit we have the opportunity to be here on the earth. While we are here on the earth we have experiences that bring us happiness. We also have experiences that bring us pain and sorrow, some of which is caused by the sinful acts of others. These experiences provide us opportunities to learn and to grow, to distinguish good from evil, and to make choices. When we obey the commandments of God we are blessed and find joy in this life. When we sin, or disobey the commandments of God, we are filled with unhappiness, guilt, and shame.
What is the purpose of this life?
Alma 34:32
2 Nephi 2:25
Alma 12:21-24
Points to Ponder:
What can I do to prepare to live with God?
What brings you true joy in your life?
How can we know good from evil?
Moroni 7:12-19
There are two great obstacles that need to be overcome for us to return to live with God. The first obstacle is physical death or the separation of body and spirit. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, every person on earth has an imperfect, mortal body and will eventually die. The second obstacle we face is spiritual death, or separation from God. No unclean thing can live in the presence of God. We all sin (see Romans 3:23), making us unclean and therefore unworthy to live in God’s presence. We cannot overcome these two obstacles by ourselves. We are wholly dependent upon the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ
Points to Ponder:
What did Jesus Christ do to make it possible for us to overcome the effects of sin and death?
What must we do in order to apply the Atonement and receive forgiveness?
Jesus Christ overcame the obstacles of death and sin for us by performing the Atonement. The Atonement included His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and His suffering and death on the cross, and it ended with His Resurrection. Because Jesus Christ was resurrected we will all be resurrected. Our bodies will be perfect and we will never again experience pain or sickness. To pay the price of our sins, Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and suffered and died on the cross. We can only be saved from our sins through the Savior’s grace and mercy. Jesus himself has outlined what we need to do to apply the atonement and be cleansed. We must exercise faith in Him, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. As we do this the Lord promises to cleanse us from our sins.
What does it mean to be resurrected?
Alma 11:42-43
What witnesses do we have of Christ’s resurrection?
3 Nephi 11
John 20
What must we do to apply the Atonement and be cleansed?
3 Nephi 27:19-20
What would happen if there was no Atonement made?
Alma 34:8-9
Did Christ suffer just for our sins? What else did He take upon Himself?
Alma 7:11-13
Jesus Christ was the only person to live a perfect, sinless life, and therefore the only person capable of performing the Atonement. Christ satisfied the demands of justice by taking the punishment for our sins. He asks us in return to live his gospel. This will be the topic of lesson 4.
Where do I go after this life?
The Spirit World
Death is a necessary part of God’s plan. At death, our bodies and spirits are separated. Our spirits live on and go to the spirit world while our bodies go to the grave until the time of the resurrection. The spirits of those who are righteous go to spirit paradise. Paradise is a place of peace where the righteous shall rest from the troubles of this world. The Spirits of those who are wicked go to spirit prison. The gospel is preached in the Spirit world so that everyone has an equal opportunity to accept Christ and His atoning sacrifice.
Where in the scriptures does it talk about the spirit world?
Alma 40:11-14
Where was Christ’s Spirit while His body was in the tomb?
1 Peter 3:19-20
Why is the gospel preached to those who are dead?
1 Peter 4:6
We live in the spirit world until the time of the resurrection. At the time of the resurrection our bodies and spirits are reunited and we are brought into the presence of God to be judged.
What will we know when we are resurrected?
Alma 11:42-44
2 Nephi 9:14-15
What are we judged by?
Alma 41:3
Doctrine & Covenants 137:9
James 2:14-24
Revelation 20:12
Where do we go after the judgment?
God will judge each person individually by their thoughts, desires, and works. God has prepared different kingdoms, or degrees of glory, to reward His children based on how they live His teachings. There are three kingdoms, or degrees of glory which we may inherit. These are the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial kingdoms. They are compared in glory to the sun, the moon, and the stars.
The celestial kingdom - Those who live the gospel of Jesus Christ (see lesson 4) and are cleansed from sin through the Atonement shall inherit Eternal Life and receive a place in the celestial kingdom. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ reside in the celestial kingdom. Those who inherit the celestial kingdom will live with God and those of their family who qualify. In 1 Corinthians 15:40-42 the celestial kingdom is compared to the glory of the sun. For additional information read Doctrine and Covenants 76:50-70.
The Terrestrial Kingdom - Those who live honorable lives but refuse to accept the fullness of Christ’s gospel will inherit the terrestrial kingdom. For additional information read Doctrine and Covenants 76:71-80
The Telestial Kingdom - Those who continue in their sins and do not repent will inherit the telestial kingdom. For additional information read Doctrine and Covenants 76:81-85
Summary:
The plan of Salvation answers the questions “where did we come from? why are we here? and where are we going?” We lived with God before we came to this earth. As a part of His plan the earth was created for us to inhabit so that we could prove ourselves worthy to live in his presence again. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve we will die and become separated from God. The Atonement of Jesus Christ allows us to overcome the effects of the Fall. While on earth, we must exercise faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and keep the commandments so that we can fully apply the Atonement. When we die our spirits go to the spirit world until the time of our resurrection. After the resurrection we will be brought before Christ to be judged according to our works and the desires of our hearts. According to our judgment, we will be put in either the celestial, terrestrial, or telestial kingdom.
The Challenge:
This material is probably very new to you. We challenge you to review the principles of the plan of salvation often. Please read and ponder the scripture references provided and then pray to know that what you have learned is true. We also challenge you to think of your own life and write down what you need to do to prepare yourself to meet God. Repent and make necessary changes.
To prepare for the next lesson ask yourself the following questions:
Did Christ establish a church while on the earth? How was it organized?
What happened to the church that Christ established? Where is it today?