The Plan of Salvation
Yesterday I got to teach Relief Society again, this time Lesson 3 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled The Plan of Salvation. I've always loved teaching about the Plan. To begin with, I find it profoundly comforting to know that there is a plan. We aren't here by chance, just because some fish decided to climb out the sea and grow legs, but we were placed here by a loving Father in order to help us grow and mature and to gain the blessings, the knowledge and wisdom that he has. Because so many of us are visual learners, from the first time I read through the lesson I decided that I wanted a visual aid - something big and colorful that would show the entire plan. So, last week I created this:
I used butcher paper for the background, so the whole thing is about 2 1/2 feet tall and about 4 1/2 feet wide. I printed out the words and pictures and then glued them to the paper, and drew on the pit and the arrows. When I put the poster on the chalk board (using magnets) I did not have the ladder or the word strips for faith, repentance, etc. on the poster. I added those when we got to section 4.
As I taught, I referred to my poster frequently, showing how each part was part of Heavenly Father's plan. ('1.1' means section 1, paragraph 1. A number without a decimal point just means the entire section.)
Some other things I found helpful to know and/or share, beyond what was mentioned in the lesson:
Section 1: A vicissitude is a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant. In other words, it is a difficulty that happens to us that is beyond our control. On the "Things To Do" list, the first two items are checked off because all of us in class have already come to earth, and we all have bodies. We are currently working on step #3, being tested.
Section 2: I once had a conversation with some people from a different religion who believed that if Adam and Eve had not eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge, all of us would be happily living in the Garden of Eden, without any of the horrible things that are in the world today. It was their belief that God had never intended (or purposed) for the Fall to occur, that the conditions of life today were not part of God's plan. I find comfort in knowing from latter-day revelation that the Fall was part of the plan from the beginning, that it was necessary in order for all of us to obtain bodies and the experience that would help us grow. (2 Nephi 2:15-29) It is reassuring to know that God, in his wisdom, knew that the Fall would happen, and planned the Atonement from the very beginning to redeem us from the Fall.
Section 3: I absolutely love President Smith's illustration of the pit. The idea that because of Adam's Fall, we are stuck in a condition in which nothing we can do by ourselves will free us is very humbling to me. And yet, we have a loving Father, and a very special older brother who provided a way out, through great sacrifice and suffering. I think it is important for us to understand that it was in Gethsemane that most of this suffering occurred.
Section 4: Christ came down into the pit to provide us with a ladder by which we could escape. The ladder is the grace of God, it is the opportunity to receive mercy. But we have to put forth the effort to climb it. There are some who say that because God loves all his children, he will save them, no matter what they do. There are others who say that all we must do is say that we believe in Christ in order to be saved. But the scriptures give us our instructions repeatedly: we must have faith (believe), repent of our sins, be baptized (by proper authority), receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and continue to keep the commandments, enduring to the end. We must do all in our power to climb that ladder, and help our family, friends and acquaintances climb it too.
Section 5: It was while discussing this section that I brought up the story from the Life of Joseph Fielding Smith about the death of his sister Alice and the letter that he wrote. (I enjoyed the part in section 4 where he said that even if a body is eaten by sharks, it will still be resurrected.)
Section 6: This is the goal: to receive the kind of life that God has, together with our family. My son Peter asked why I didn't include the three kingdoms (Celestial, Terrestrial, Telestial) on my poster. There were two reasons. First, they weren't mentioned specifically in the lesson. Secondly, other than the Celestial Kingdom, which is Eternal Life, they aren't part of the Plan. They aren't where God wants us to end up. If we take a path that leads us to one of the lesser kingdoms, we are not following God's Plan. If we follow a lesser path, we will not inherit all that our Father wants to give us. We will not have our families with us. We will not have the fullness of happiness that our Father wants for his children.
As I taught, I referred to my poster frequently, showing how each part was part of Heavenly Father's plan. ('1.1' means section 1, paragraph 1. A number without a decimal point just means the entire section.)
Some other things I found helpful to know and/or share, beyond what was mentioned in the lesson:
Section 1: A vicissitude is a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant. In other words, it is a difficulty that happens to us that is beyond our control. On the "Things To Do" list, the first two items are checked off because all of us in class have already come to earth, and we all have bodies. We are currently working on step #3, being tested.
Section 2: I once had a conversation with some people from a different religion who believed that if Adam and Eve had not eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge, all of us would be happily living in the Garden of Eden, without any of the horrible things that are in the world today. It was their belief that God had never intended (or purposed) for the Fall to occur, that the conditions of life today were not part of God's plan. I find comfort in knowing from latter-day revelation that the Fall was part of the plan from the beginning, that it was necessary in order for all of us to obtain bodies and the experience that would help us grow. (2 Nephi 2:15-29) It is reassuring to know that God, in his wisdom, knew that the Fall would happen, and planned the Atonement from the very beginning to redeem us from the Fall.
Section 3: I absolutely love President Smith's illustration of the pit. The idea that because of Adam's Fall, we are stuck in a condition in which nothing we can do by ourselves will free us is very humbling to me. And yet, we have a loving Father, and a very special older brother who provided a way out, through great sacrifice and suffering. I think it is important for us to understand that it was in Gethsemane that most of this suffering occurred.
Section 4: Christ came down into the pit to provide us with a ladder by which we could escape. The ladder is the grace of God, it is the opportunity to receive mercy. But we have to put forth the effort to climb it. There are some who say that because God loves all his children, he will save them, no matter what they do. There are others who say that all we must do is say that we believe in Christ in order to be saved. But the scriptures give us our instructions repeatedly: we must have faith (believe), repent of our sins, be baptized (by proper authority), receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and continue to keep the commandments, enduring to the end. We must do all in our power to climb that ladder, and help our family, friends and acquaintances climb it too.
Section 5: It was while discussing this section that I brought up the story from the Life of Joseph Fielding Smith about the death of his sister Alice and the letter that he wrote. (I enjoyed the part in section 4 where he said that even if a body is eaten by sharks, it will still be resurrected.)
Section 6: This is the goal: to receive the kind of life that God has, together with our family. My son Peter asked why I didn't include the three kingdoms (Celestial, Terrestrial, Telestial) on my poster. There were two reasons. First, they weren't mentioned specifically in the lesson. Secondly, other than the Celestial Kingdom, which is Eternal Life, they aren't part of the Plan. They aren't where God wants us to end up. If we take a path that leads us to one of the lesser kingdoms, we are not following God's Plan. If we follow a lesser path, we will not inherit all that our Father wants to give us. We will not have our families with us. We will not have the fullness of happiness that our Father wants for his children.
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