Plan of Salvation

Heavenly Father sent us here for a purpose. He has a plan for us, and has revealed it through His prophets throughout time.

Have you ever wondered where you came from? Why you are here? or Where you are going? - I have, and I found that the answers to all those questions can be found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the scriptures, and in answers to prayers to Heavenly Father.

Pre-Earth Life

Before We came to Earth we lived with our Heavenly Father as spirits.  God is the father of our spirits.  He had and has a body of flesh and bone, but we did not.  In order to reach our full potential we need a body so He created the Earth for us to come down and obtain one.  (Ecclesiastes 12:7, Jeremiah 1:5)

Adam and Eve and the Fall

Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were the first people on the Earth.  While in the Garden of Eden they could not die, but they were also in a state of innocence in which they could not have children.  Heavenly Father commanded them not to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and also to multiply and replenish the Earth.  He allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve which resulted in the 'Fall.'  Adam and Eve fell from our Father's presence through this transgression of His commandment (just as we fall away from Him today through sin).  This caused us to be physically fallen (no longer living forever), and also spiritually fallen (no longer in God's presence).  This was a necessary course to enable Adam and Eve to have children, and enable the rest of us to obtain a body and experience life on Earth. (2 Nephi 2:21-27)

Purpose for our Life on Earth

Our life on Earth is a time given to us to do all we can to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.  That is our purpose.
  • "aAdam bfell that men might be; and men care, that they might have djoy." (2 Nephi 2:25)
To have joy!  Eternal joy, in the presence of God.  What more could anyone ask?  Our Heavenly Father wants only the best for us.  He lets us go through trials on Earth because, just as a parent here on Earth, he knows that experience is the best teacher.  He knows that we will learn the most, and progress the farthest when we must overcome challenges.  He does not leave us alone to endure these trials, if we will only accept His help.  This help can only come when we accept Him into our lives through faith in His Son Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ does the rest for us.  We are then (after we do all we can) saved by our Savior Jesus Christ's grace (Matthew 8:17, James 2).  He came to Earth and
  • Showed us a perfect example to follow
    • He had faith in God, turned to Him, was baptized, received the Holy Ghost, and Endured to the end. (John 14:6)
  • Established the Church of God on the Earth
    • With 12 Apostles who held the authority to baptize and lead the church after he was gone. (Ephesians 4:11-15, 5:25)
  • Performed the Atonement so we could all have the chance to return and live with God. (John 3:16)
    • In the Garden of Gethsemane He suffered the penalty for all our sins and the Atonement was completed on the cross in Calvary when He willingly gave up His life for us.  He then was resurrected
      • He overcame our Spiritual fall (overcoming sin) and our Physical fall (power over death).  This blessing lets us all be resurrected, and gives us the opportunity to accept His forgiveness of sins into our lives if we will turn to Him (Faith, repentance, baptism)
  • Fulfilled the purpose of God
    • "For behold, this is my awork and my bglory—to bring to pass the cimmortality and deternal elife of man." (Moses 1:39)

The Spirit World

 After we die, our spirits go to the spirit world where we will either be in a state of happiness of unhappiness based on how we lived.  The spirit world is like a waiting room for the second coming of Jesus Christ.  In this 'waiting room' the spirits who did not have the opportunity to accept the gospel into their lives on Earth will be given this opportunity (1 Peter 3:19 - spirit prison is another name for those spirits dwelling in unhappiness).  This gives everyone an equal opportunity to return to God, which makes sense because He is just, and a just God would not condemn someone just because they were not raised by parents who knew the gospel and taught them.

Resurrection, Judgment, and Immortality

After the Spirit World we will all be resurrected.  This is a blessing that we all receive because before we came to Earth we chose to follow Jesus rather than following Satan.  This resurrection ensures us that we will never die again.  Our spirits and our bodies are reunited, never to be parted again.  We will then be judged according to how we lived our lives - if we turned to God through Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.

Degrees of Glory

Some people will have lived better lives than others.  This is why our loving Heavenly Father created three kingdoms of glory:
  • "Telestial kingdom - Those who continue in their sins and do not repent will receive a place int he telestial kingdom." (Plan of Salvation pamphlet)
  • "Terrestrial kingdom - People who refuse to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ but who live honorable lives will receive a place in the terrestrial kingdom"
  • "Celestial kingdom - Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ reside in the celestial kingdom. If you live according to the gospel of Jesus Christ and are cleansed from sin by the Atonement, you will receive a place in this, the highest kingdom. You will live in god's presence and know complete joy."
I want to be the happiest I can be, and I know that happiness is found in the Celestial kingdom which we all can obtain through the Gospel of Jesus Christ - Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.

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