Plan of...

[Justice]

I am teaching the Plan of Salvation in an adult Sunday School class this coming week. I am very familiar with the plan, as I have studied it my whole life, have taught Sunday School, Young Men, Primary, Seminary, and my kids the plan. However, I always study fresh and pray and ponder for new ways to tell the same stories that might be meaningful to some.

I searched the LDS on-line scriptures for "Plan" in an attempt to see all the different names that are attributed to Father's plan.

I was astounded to find that the word "plan" does not appear in neither the Old or New Testaments. Yes, that's right, the word plan doesn't even appear in the King James Bible one time (unless the search engine is broken or glitchy). Assuming it is correct, I think this is remarakble.

I have been pondering on why the word plan doesn't even appear in the Bible, not even when discussing plans other than the Plan of Salvation. I have considered that if you are to remove the fact that Father had a plan, then you would remove a major point of clarity and unity. If you see the parts of the plan within the plan, you can stay centered and focused, regardless of what a certain prophet may call a part of the plan. For instance, some say "hell" or "outer darkness" or "lake of fire" in the Bible.

Without seeing these things in an outline or plan, they may be considered different things, when they are meant to be the same, or the same if meant to be different. You can tell by the usage in many cases what is being talked about because the overall plan centers us.

Without a "plan" there would be more chaos and confusion about what is being discussed.

I'll post again about what I found when I search the Book of Mormon for "plan."

Stay tuned...

[Justice]

The word "plan" appears 52 times in the Book of Mormon. Yes, that's right... 52 times. There are many instances where it is referring to other plans. Here are the uses of "plan" in the Book of Mormon when referring specifically to the Plan of our Father in Heaven (verse is shown for the first use of each name).

Plan of:

1- 2 Nephi 9:6 the great Creator

6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.

2- 2 Nephi 9:13 our God

13 O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.

3- 2 Nephi 11:5 deliverance

5 And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.

4- Jacob 6:8 redemption

8 Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you?

5- Jarom 1:2 salvation

2 And as these plates are small, and as these things are written for the intent of the benefit of our brethren the Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me.

6- Alma 12:25 redemption

7- Alma 12:26 redemption

8- Alma 12:30 redemption

9- Alma 12:32 redemption

10- Alma 12:33 redemption

11- Alma 17:16 redemption

12- Alma 18:39 redemption

13- Alma 22:13 redemption

14- Alma 24:14 salvation

15- Alma 29:2 redemption

16- Alma 34:9 the Eternal God

9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

17- Alma 34:16 redemption

18- Alma 34:31 redemption

19- Alma 39:18 redemption

20- Alma 41:2 restoration (may not be Plan of Salvation, but part of resurrection)

2 I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself.

21- Alma 42:5 salvation

22- Alma 42:8 happiness

8 Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness.

23- Alma 42:11 redemption

24- Alma 42:13 redemption

25- Alma 42:15 mercy

15 And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.

26- Alma 42:16 happiness

27- Alma 42:31 mercy

27 direct references to our Father in Heaven's plan (maybe 26). Notice how they stop at Alma. If you're interested, search for "plan" and look at all the other uses of the word, and how they are used in Helaman and 3 Nephi.

I plan to do the same for the Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants.

I truly am amazed that "plan" has been removed from the Bible. It sure helps understand why there is so much confusion when trying to understand the Bible.

Edited August 9, 2011 by Justice

[volgadon]

I am teaching the Plan of Salvation in an adult Sunday School class this coming week. I am very familiar with the plan, as I have studied it my whole life, have taught Sunday School, Young Men, Primary, Seminary, and my kids the plan. However, I always study fresh and pray and ponder for new ways to tell the same stories that might be meaningful to some.

I searched the LDS on-line scriptures for "Plan" in an attempt to see all the different names that are attributed to Father's plan.

I was astounded to find that the word "plan" does not appear in neither the Old or New Testaments. Yes, that's right, the word plan doesn't even appear in the King James Bible one time (unless the search engine is broken or glitchy). Assuming it is correct, I think this is remarakble.

I have been pondering on why the word plan doesn't even appear in the Bible, not even when discussing plans other than the Plan of Salvation. I have considered that if you are to remove the fact that Father had a plan, then you would remove a major point of clarity and unity. If you see the parts of the plan within the plan, you can stay centered and focused, regardless of what a certain prophet may call a part of the plan. For instance, some say "hell" or "outer darkness" or "lake of fire" in the Bible.

Without seeing these things in an outline or plan, they may be considered different things, when they are meant to be the same, or the same if meant to be different. You can tell by the usage in many cases what is being talked about because the overall plan centers us.

Without a "plan" there would be more chaos and confusion about what is being discussed.

I'll post again about what I found when I search the Book of Mormon for "plan."

Stay tuned...

In all likelihood, the reason that the term "plan" doesn't appear in the KJV is due to the simple fact that it only appeared in the English language in the 1670s and didn't acquire the modern meaning until the firt decade of the 18th c.

[Justice]

Clever.

So, what word would they have used for "plan" and we'll look for that. My guess is it's not there either, not spelled out as God's plan.

That everything is a plan and was known before the foundation of the earth is hinted at in the Bible in some locations, mostly attributing that knowledge to God, but not man. That the plan extended back to pre-earth life would have to be part of the outline, which is only very shallowly mentioned in the Bible.

My point is still valid. The plan isn't really discussed in any depth in the Bible like in the Book of Mormon. It couldn't have been allowed if the theory of the Trinity was the decided belief about deity, and that man was first brought into existence in the Garden of Eden. Discussion of the plan would have been too damning to these two staples of modern Christian belief.

Edited August 9, 2011 by Justice

[bytor2112]

Interestingly, it seems that much of Christianity seems to labor under the belief that Satan foiled God's plan in the Garden of Eden.

[volgadon]

Clever.

So, what word would they have used for "plan" and we'll look for that. My guess is it's not there either, not spelled out as God's plan.

That everything is a plan and was known before the foundation of the earth is hinted at in the Bible in some locations, mostly attributing that knowledge to God, but not man. That the plan extended back to pre-earth life would have to be part of the outline, which is only very shallowly mentioned in the Bible.

My point is still valid. The plan isn't really discussed in any depth in the Bible like in the Book of Mormon. It couldn't have been allowed if the theory of the Trinity was the decided belief about deity, and that man was first brought into existence in the Garden of Eden. Discussion of the plan would have been too damning to these two staples of modern Christian belief.

You need to know where to look in order to find the concept. The way that "plan" is used in the BoM is most closely reflected by the word "sod," which in the KJV of Amos is translated as "secret." The sod as used here was the divine council, where God decides upon a plan and picks an agent to fulfil it. Other places to look include the creation of the world and its parallel in Bezalel's work on the tabernacle.

Edited August 9, 2011 by volgadon

[Justice]

So, how does modern Christianity view God's plan as they gather it from the Bible? What do they believe it to be, and where is it spelled out?

[Justice]

And, bytor, I was just thinking about that as I read this quote from President Packer:

Adam and Eve didn’t catch heaven by surprise. The Fall and Redemption had always been part of the plan.

...from his talk “The Fall of Man and His Redemption”

[Traveler]

justice - anciently the word "way" was used rather than plan.

The Traveler

[Justice]

Thank you, Traveler. That's a very interesting insight. Perhaps we find these references to the plan of salvation in the New Teatament:

Matthew 3: 3 way of the Lord

Matthew 21: 32 way of righteousness

Matthew 22: 16 way of God (in truth)

Mark 1: 3 way of the Lord

Mark 12: 4 way of God (in truth)

Luke 1: 79 way of peace

Luke 3: 4 way of the Lord

Luke 20: 21 Way of God (truly)

John 1: 23 way of the Lord

Acts 16: 17 way of salvation

Acts 18: 25 way of the Lord

Acts 18: 26 way of God

Romans 3: 17 way of peace

2 Peter 2: 2 way of truth

2 Peter 2: 21 way of righteousness

[tubaloth]

But we see not only how Satan destroyed the idea of a plan, but we see how the idea was restored.

Moses 6:62

62 And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.

[Snow]

I am teaching the Plan of Salvation in an adult Sunday School class this coming week. I am very familiar with the plan, as I have studied it my whole life, have taught Sunday School, Young Men, Primary, Seminary, and my kids the plan. However, I always study fresh and pray and ponder for new ways to tell the same stories that might be meaningful to some.

I searched the LDS on-line scriptures for "Plan" in an attempt to see all the different names that are attributed to Father's plan.

I was astounded to find that the word "plan" does not appear in neither the Old or New Testaments. Yes, that's right, the word plan doesn't even appear in the King James Bible one time (unless the search engine is broken or glitchy). Assuming it is correct, I think this is remarakble.

I doubt you could find anyone in the Bible - any author or even Jesus - who demonstrates in the text that they have an understanding of the Plan of Salvation as Mormons understand it.