Lesson Summary: March 9, 2014

Katie T. led us through a meaningful discussion on the Plan of Salvation and what impact it has had on our lives based on the text of Chapter 3 in the Joseph Fielding Smith manual.

"(in response to hearing of his sister's death) We shall all meet again on the other side to enjoy the pleasures and blessings of each other’s presence, where family ties will no more be broken, but where we shall all live to receive the blessings, and realize the tender mercies of our Father in heaven." (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, Chapter 3: The Plan of Salvation)

• Think of a time when you found comfort in your testimony of the plan of salvation. How might you help a family member or friend receive such comfort?

We learn from the Pearl of Great Price, that there was a council held in heaven, when the Lord called before him the spirits of his children and presented to them a plan by which they should come down on this earth, partake of mortal life and physical bodies, pass through a probation of mortality and then go on to a higher exaltation through the resurrection which should be brought about through the atonement of his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ [see Moses 4:1–2; Abraham 3:22–28]. The thought of passing through mortality and partaking of all the vicissitudes of earth life in which they would gain experiences through suffering, pain, sorrow, temptation and affliction, as well as the pleasures of life in this mundane existence, and then, if faithful, passing on through the resurrection to eternal life in the kingdom of God, to be like him [see 1 John 3:2], filled them with the spirit of rejoicing, and they “shouted for joy.” [See Job 38:4–7.] (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, Chapter 3: The Plan of Salvation)

 

The Fall was an essential part of man’s mortal probation. … Had Adam and Eve not partaken, the great gift of mortality would not have come to them. Moreover, they would have had no posterity, and the great commandment given to them by the Lord would not have been fulfilled. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, Chapter 3: The Plan of Salvation)

• Why do you think it is important to remember this truth? What are some blessings you have received as a result of the Fall?

[Jesus Christ] died on the cross to bring us back again, to have our bodies and spirits reunited. He gave us that privilege. If we will only believe in him and keep his commandments, he died for us that we might receive a remission of our sins and not be called upon to pay penalty. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, Chapter 3: The Plan of Salvation)

And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.  Acts 24:15

• How might you help someone understand President Smith’s declaration that “death is just as essential as birth”? How has the doctrine of resurrection influenced your life?

First, we must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; we must accept him as the Son of God; we must put our trust in him, rely upon his word, and desire to gain the blessings which come by obedience to his laws.
Second, we must repent of our sins; we must forsake the world; we must determine in our hearts, without reservation, that we will live godly and upright lives.
Third, we must be baptized in water, under the hands of a legal administrator, who has power to bind on earth and seal in heaven; we must, through this sacred ordinance, enter into a covenant to serve the Lord and keep his commandments.
Fourth, we must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; we must be born again; we must have sin and iniquity burned out of our souls as though by fire; we must gain a new creation by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Fifth, we must endure to the end; we must keep the commandments after baptism; we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord; we must so live as to acquire the attributes of godliness and become the kind of people who can enjoy the glory and wonders of the celestial kingdom. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, Chapter 3: The Plan of Salvation)

And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God. Doctrine and Covenants 14:7

Moroni 7:48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.