Plan of Salvation

[Justice]

If you're looking for a good activity to do on Sunday, even with your family, then I suggest doing the following.

Take a piece of paper and, from memory, draw the typical Plan of Salvation diagram that you see taught in seminary and in church classes. You've seen the one I'm speaking about, the one with the circle for Pre-mortal Life, a vertical line representing the veil, then another circle for earth, and so on.

After you have this drawn, label everything with the labels we typically give them. Then compare it to one in a book or manual and see if you forgot anything. Fix your diagram if you did.

Then, open to Alma 12 and read Alma's description of the Plan of Salvation to the people. Keep in mind from what perspective he gives his description. He is answering a specific question asked by Antionah (verses 20-21). And, keep in mind that Alma is describing "if Adam was allowed to partake of the tree of life after partaking of the forbidden fruit" (verse 23).

Then, continue reading Aama's description and each time he describes a part of the Plan of Salvation, write it on your drawing next to the first label in a different color. For instance, under Plan of Salvation write Plan of Redemption. For some things he gives multiple names.

When it's done, and you've read Alma's description, see what you come up with.

Hint: one of the things I came up with is that judgment is a place we go, not to be condemned, but to receive mercy.

Often you hear people say, "Those who don't believe in Christ will be damned." Well, after doing this activity, and seeing the reason for judgment, I see that men are condemned already. It's not that a man is condemned because He doesn't believe in Christ, but that a man who does not belive in Christ cannot receive mercy. All men stand condemned already, even before the didn't believe in Christ.

I did this once myself, then I had my wife and kids do it. It was a spiritual experience both times for me. I hope you get some good from this.

[Guest tomk]

I'll have to try this sometime.

I also believe that Christ wants to extend every mercy unto us that He can. We were all want to be cast off forever if it were not for the Atonement. So when you are starting with nothing...anything that improves upon that is a GIFT. It's a GIFT not because we don't have to do anything. We still have to DO something. It's just that what we DO has nothing to do with what we receive. It just qualifies us. But we don't earn or deserve it really.

[EDITED]

Christ wants a personal relationship with each one of us!!!

Edited January 22, 2009 by tomk

[applepansy]

Thank you Justice. I've been looking for a lesson idea for Family Home Evening with other "empty nesters" in our ward. Its my turn to do the lesson. I think I'll do this.

Thanks,

applepansy

[Traveler]

Just as an interesting side note – I thought once that I would write an article about the “Plan of Salvation”. I began to organize the article by topics and sub-topics. I soon decided that I could not do the subject justice in an article and decided this would do better and be more complete as a book. After a while I decided that to really cover the subject matter would require several volumes.

I decided that my first volume would be titled “The Plan of Salvation and the G-dhead”. The first chapter I intended to call the pre-mortal (pre-creation for non-LDS types) G-d the Father. In my research I could not find a single scripture or official doctrinal explanation of our Father in Heaven prior to or during creation. I quickly came to realize that all that we know of G-d the Father is through the example and deeds of his Son Jesus Christ.

It is not just a mere metaphor – We are indeed fallen and have no contact or direct understanding of our Father. All we have of hope in salvation in this life, is Jesus Christ.

The Traveler

[Hemidakota]

That is so neat Traveler.

[Justice]

That's neat applepansy, you'll have to report back and let me know how it turns out.

One thing I suggest before you do this is to do it once yourself in advance and come up with a key. Alma throws out the terms fast and furious. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. Like, for instance, Alma calls this stage of our progression Death. So, I labeled earth life Death, among other things.

24 And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

25 Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead;

See? The plan of redemption allowed for death. If it did not allow for this from the beginning, then there could have been no resurrection. This is why Adam was not allowed to partake of the fruit of the tree of life immediately. According to plan, he had to be placed in this space or state so he could repent and die.

If you think about why it did this, keeping in mind that he was explaining from the perspective that "if" Aldam partook of the tree of life after partaking of the forbidden fruit, there wouldn't have been death, or a space for man to repent.

Even that Alma calls this life a space or a state is interesting. It's more than a time, but it's a place or space set apart from God where we can experience good and evil in a state that we can repent so that we can make our ultimate choice, then die, or leave this space or state.

If you want, maybe I can scan my key and e-mail it to you, then we can compare?

Edited January 19, 2009 by Justice

[applepansy]

Justice,

Thank you for the suggestion. I was thinking about when I would do it before you posted. I'll let you know what I come up with. I don't have a scanner but I appreciate you're willingness to share your results.

I have to fit this into an hour but I think with the group I'm talking about it can be done.

I'll let you know how it goes too. We meet again the second Monday in February.

applepansy

[ldslesson]

One intersting thing about the scriptures is that they cover a period of time of about 6000 years. Different sermons were given to different groups of people and for different reasons. Sometimes teaching on the Plan was designed to inspire to greater spirituality and other times it was designed to condemn sin. As a people I think we are often motivated by fear, so that is often used. It is more difficult to live righteously sometimes if you are thinking about how everything can be forgiven than if you are thinking about punishment. Might just be me, but I think it is a human condition. I do think there will be much more mercy than what we think. And more love than what maybe we understand or expect.

[rockwoodchev]

Great concept. I'd like to use this in a class.

[Traveler]

One intersting thing about the scriptures is that they cover a period of time of about 6000 years. Different sermons were given to different groups of people and for different reasons. Sometimes teaching on the Plan was designed to inspire to greater spirituality and other times it was designed to condemn sin. As a people I think we are often motivated by fear, so that is often used. It is more difficult to live righteously sometimes if you are thinking about how everything can be forgiven than if you are thinking about punishment. Might just be me, but I think it is a human condition. I do think there will be much more mercy than what we think. And more love than what maybe we understand or expect.

I find your post interesting and thought I would add something that is very important to me. As you spoke about the plan of salvation being talked about to different people at different times I thought about Ecl. 1:9-10. This is an interesting scripture because it indicates that things are repeated throughout time in what are called types and shadows in scripture. Joseph told Pharaoh that all things from G-d are repeated. This is very interesting. Jesus told us in his example of prayer that the things done on earth were previously done in heaven and that we should pray that the cycle of G-d’s will continues on earth as in heaven.

There is another thought called parallelism in scripture. That is that things that happen to Israel are an example of things that will happen to us on our road to salvation. For example: Israel being delivered from Egypt is a type and shadow of our deliverance from the world. Another example is Joseph being sold to slavery in Egypt is a type and shadow of how a righteous person be treated by other of the covenant that are jealous of how the righteous are favored of G-d and how G-d will reverse the resentment for the salvation of all. I believe that many “Christians” that reject Mormons now will soon find the Mormons their only hope to survive the time of “drought” that following the time of plenty.

The Traveler

[Justice]

And the fact that Joseph was sold into Egypt can be a symbol or type of the fall.

Joseph is a type of Christ, in that he was sold into slavery, as an individual, but rose above it and became 2nd in command.

While, the children of Israel were in slavery and needed to be delivered.

[Hemidakota]

There is today, a standing argument that the slavery was not the case for the Israelites. Though, I have not did not enough research to make a case in this new light.

[applepansy]

Thank you Justice. I've been looking for a lesson idea for Family Home Evening with other "empty nesters" in our ward. Its my turn to do the lesson. I think I'll do this.

Thanks,

applepansy

Justice,

Thank you again for suggesting this lesson idea.

I presented it at our "empty nesters" FHE. We had an amazing discussion. What surprised me most was the call I received a few days later. The caller said he appreicated getting into the simplicity of the Plan of Salvation and seeing where it really takes us. During the discussion he was the first to express the realization that the Savior truly does love us and now deep that love and concern really is.

Prior to FHE my husband and I went through Alma 12 together, then I did it again by myself. After going through it again with a group of adults who are well-versed in the gospel I was amazed at how much more we all need to learn. I recommend this lesson for anyone who wants to understand the Plan of Salvation better.

Thanks again Justice.

applepansy

[Justice]

Thank you for reporting back. I'm glad it went well. :)