Plan of salvation in Mormonism

The Plan of Salvation is a concept in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - the plan that the Heavenly Father created to save, redeem, and exalt humankind. The elements of this plan are drawn from various scriptural sources, including The Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine & Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price and numerous statements made by the leadership of the LDS Church.

The plan

Latter-day Saints believe that before the Earth was created, human beings lived with Heavenly Father in Heaven as spiritual beings. Heavenly Father presented the following plan to His children:

Human beings would be born on "an Earth" (used to refer to any habitable planet). There they would receive a physical body necessary to exaltation and a fulness of joy. On earth, they would be tested through trials of their faith, and be subject to mortality. A "veil" would be set in place to obscure humankind's memory of its divine origins, thus allowing for "walking by faith" and for greater freedom of choice by enabling individuals to make their own decisions. Latter-day Saints believe that only those who live good lives, prove themselves obedient to Heavenly Father's commandments, receive the ordinances of salvation, and repent of their sins will be able to return to Heavenly Father's presence (The Celestial Kingdom). However, because each human being's experiences in mortality are unique to them, every individual will be judged in accordance with the opportunities they had while living on Earth (e.g.: someone with severe psychological problems would be judged differently from someone with perfect mental health).

Integral to this Plan was freedom of choice, which Heavenly Father considered an inviolable right of all his children; every individual would have opportunities to make certain choices that would determine the course of their life on Earth and in the Hereafter. No human would ever have their free will taken away in an attempt to force righteous behaviour. People would be free to do evil and good, both to themselves and to those around them. Because such freedom would make it possible for Heavenly Father's children to break commandments and sin, a Savior would be needed to offer them freedom from the just consequences of their sins and allow them to Repent: this figure would have to overcome both sin and death, making it possible for obedient and repentant individuals to return to Heavenly Father's presence through a plan of mercy. The pre-mortal Jesus Christ volunteered to be this Savior, agreeing to take upon himself infinite suffering for the sins of all of God's children who were willing to repent and follow Heavenly Father's commandments. He also agreed to die and be resurrected, thus making it possible for ALL individuals (obedient or not) to be resurrected. The Holy Spirit would be sent to encourage righteous behaviour and guide human beings towards Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, but would never interfere with the free exercise of human agency.

Also part of the plan was a foreordination of prophets and teachers who would have gifts and callings among men to teach and re-teach correct principles so that agency could be used wisely. (Jeremiah 1:5; The Pearl of Great Price Abraham 3:23) Heavenly Father stressed the important role parents would have to teach their children the path of righteousness and happiness (Deuteronomy 6:7), and the blessing of the holy scriptures that would give a foundation of gospel knowledge, including the knowledge of the saving role of Jesus Christ and the importance of ordinances and covenants in the gospel.

As the plan was explained, God's spirit children also understood that full gospel truth could be lost on the earth as men and women could choose against living by the truth at any point, and could devise other beliefs and ways to live that would be appealing to the natural mind. Yet they also understood that there would be opportunities before the final judgment for every child of God to hear of Jesus Christ and to either accept Him or reject Him.

Latter-day Saints believe that this plan ordained by Heavenly Father was not contrived arbitrarily, but was designed based on eternal truths to allow for the greatest possible progress toward a fulness of joy, happiness and love for the greatest number of His spirit children. He loves each of them unconditionally and desires that they progress, knowing that this leads to greater happiness and a potential fulness of joy.

The first war in heaven

After Heavenly Father presented this plan, Lucifer volunteered to save mankind by taking away man's agency in exchange for the glory of Heavenly Father. Nobody would be able to fail the test and so, according to Lucifer, everyone would be able to return to the presence of Heavenly Father. As recompense for the implementation of his plan, Lucifer demanded that the power and the glory which Heavenly Father possessed be transferred to him. As Lucifer alone would have complete freedom of choice, no other spirit could achieve exaltation. Heavenly Father countered that this would make the test worthless, and knew Lucifer sought only power and glory for himself - as a result he rejected Lucifer's plan.

Enraged, Lucifer chose to rebel against Heavenly Father and drew with him "a third part" of Heavenly Father's children who also preferred Lucifer's plan. The two factions warred, and Lucifer and his followers were cast out of Heaven; Lucifer became Satan, and those who followed him became fallen, and his servants (Revelations 12:7-9). They were denied the right to have their own physical bodies (and, consequently, the ability to procreate) but were not affected by the "veil". Satan and his servants have since sought to undo or counteract Heavenly Father's plan by tempting mortal individuals to evil actions and by attempting to restrict their freedom of choice by whatever means possible.

Spirit world

Latter-day Saint's beliefs include the general Christian belief in a Spirit World between death and the resurrection. Latter-day Saints believe that the "veil of forgetfulness" continues in the spirit world, and the spirits of all of mankind continue to prepare for judgment day and their eventual resurrection where they will receive a reward according to their faith and works. They believe that righteous individuals continue to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Spirit World, teaching others and offering them the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and follow Heavenly Father's plan.

Last Judgment

Latter-day Saints believe that the total, final judgment of mankind will occur at various points during the Millennium, and that Jesus Christ is ultimately the Judge of all men. Joseph Smith taught:

"He will judge them, 'not according to what they have not, but according to what they have,' those who have lived without law will be judged without law, and those who have a law will be judged by that law. We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their several deserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that the Judge of all the earth has done right." -Joseph Smith, Jr., Documentary History of the Church 4:595-596, April, 1842

Another description of the benevolence of the final judgment was presented by President George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency of the LDS Church in 1884:

"God's providence is over all His children, and He will reward every man and every woman according to his or her works, and He will reward those who have lived exemplary lives, those who have been moral, whether they be heathen or Christian, whether they have known the name of Jesus or not, whether they have the Bible or the Koran or some other book or no book at all; whatever may have been their condition and circumstances, if they have lived according to the light that God has given them and to laws that they understood, God will reward them and will eventually bestow every blessing upon them which they are capable of receiving." (President George Q. Cannon, Nov. 9, 1884, Journal of Discourses, Volume 26:82)

Practical applications

Latter-day Saints believe following the plan of salvation entails obedience to God's commandments. This includes active faith through emulation of Jesus Christ and adherence to His teachings; worship of God the Father, and of Jesus as the Messiah/Christ and Son of God; constant repentance and abandonment of sinful practices; teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others to aid in their eternal progress; enjoyment of and gratitude for the blessings available to human beings throughout their mortal existences; and resistance to the influence of Satan and his servants.

Latter-day Saints believe that loving kindness, compassion and mercy toward other human beings are integral to the plan, and are an essential part of the growth that human beings experience in this life.

Charitable work and relief aid are similarly vital; Latter-day Saints are expected to fast for two meals once a month and donate (at least) the cost of the meals as "fast offerings" for support and aid of local members suffering from financial difficulties. Money is also donated to sectarian, non-denominational and secular relief agencies world-wide, and many Latter-day Saints volunteer at soup kitchens, homeless shelters and blood drives, among other things. Latter-day Saints youth organizations frequently include community service among their regular activities in an effort to encourage application of the Christian principles inherent in the plan of salvation.

It is important to note that, as part of the plan, those who are incapable of understanding the consequences of their actions, or who cannot control themselves, or otherwise cannot exercise free will are not held accountable for their actions. They are considered innocents. Thus children who die before they reach "the age of accountability" (in practice, eight years of age) are automatically saved: because they could not understand God's laws or make choices accordingly, they could not truly sin. Similarly, individuals with severe mental handicaps may be considered innocent.

Additionally, the concept of free will in the plan of salvation (usually referred to as "agency" or "free agency" by Latter-day Saints) is the basis of Latter-day Saint theodicy. God will not force anyone to obey His laws. An individual's sinful act may have tragic consequences for others, but Heavenly Father will still not deny any individual their freedom to choose good or evil. Latter-day Saints understand that, as a consequence, "bad things" may happen to "good people."

References

Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, 1949.
Alvin R. Dyer, Who Am I, 1966.
Joseph Fielding McConkie, Straightforward Answers to Tough Gospel Questions, 1998, p. 96 (Chapter 6).
Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1976, p. 310.

External links

God's Plan of Salvation (Protestant Christian)
Christianity {Protestant Reformed Christianity}