My Study of God's Plan Of Salvation

Brothers and Sisters,

Today, I would like to speak about one of the most beautiful and hope-filled doctrines we have—The Plan of Salvation, sometimes called The Plan of Happiness.

This plan answers life’s 3 greatest questions:

- Where did I come from?

- Why am I here?

- Where am I going?

The Plan of Salvation teaches us not only who we are, but how deeply God loves us, and how intentional our lives truly are.

1. Our Premortal Life: Children of Heavenly Parents

The Plan of Salvation begins before we were born.

We lived as spirit children of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. We were known, loved, taught, and prepared for mortal life.

The Lord declared:

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.”

  Jeremiah 1:5

Abraham learned:

“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was… and God saw these souls that they were good.”

  Abraham 3:22–23

In that premortal council, God presented His plan—a plan that would allow us to come to earth, receive bodies, experience agency, face opposition, and grow to become more like Him.

2. The Great Council in Heaven: Choosing Christ

At that council, Jesus Christ volunteered to be our Savior.

He said:

“Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.”

  Moses 4:2

Lucifer also proposed a plan—but it would have destroyed agency and taken God’s glory for himself.

Agency mattered so much to Heavenly Father that a war in heaven followed. One-third of God’s children chose Lucifer and lost the opportunity to come to earth.

The rest of us—we chose Christ.

That means something important:

We are here because we chose righteousness before we ever took our first breath.

3. Mortal Life: A Time to Choose and Grow

Earth life is not random. It is a carefully designed classroom.

Lehi taught:

“Men are, that they might have joy.”

  2 Nephi 2:25

Mortality gives us:

- A physical body

- Agency—the power to choose

- Opposition, without which growth would be impossible

Lehi explained:

“It must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.”

  2 Nephi 2:11

This life includes pain, disappointment, sin, loss, and heartbreak—but none of it is wasted. God uses mortality to shape us, refine us, and prepare us for eternal life.

4. The Fall of Adam and Eve: A Necessary Step Forward

Sometimes the Fall is misunderstood as a tragedy. In reality, it was a necessary and courageous step in God’s plan.

Because of the Fall:

- We can have children

- We can experience joy

- We can progress

The Book of Mormon teaches:

“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”

  2 Nephi 2:25

The Fall made the Atonement of Jesus Christ essential—and that is where the heart of the Plan of Salvation truly lies.

5. The Atonement of Jesus Christ: The Center of the Plan

Jesus Christ is the center of the Plan of Salvation.

He suffered in Gethsemane:

“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain.”

Doctrine & Covenants 19:18

He died on the cross and rose again on the third day, conquering both sin and death.

Because of Christ:

- All will be resurrected

- All can be forgiven

- All can be healed

The Savior declared:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

—John 14:6

There is no part of the Plan of Salvation that works without Jesus Christ.

6. The Spirit World: Life Continues After Death

Death is not the end—it is a transition.

The spirit world is divided into:

Paradise, for the righteous Spirit prison, where the gospel is taught to those who did not have the opportunity in mortality

Peter taught:

“For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead.”

—1 Peter 4:6

Temple work and family history are part of God’s mercy, ensuring every soul has a fair chance to accept Christ.

7. Resurrection and Judgment

Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ:

“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

—1 Corinthians 15:22

Every person who has lived will be resurrected—body and spirit reunited, perfected and immortal. After resurrection comes final judgment, where Christ—who knows our hearts, intentions, and efforts—will judge us with perfect justice and perfect mercy.

8. The Three Degrees of Glory

God desires to save, not to condemn.

Paul taught:

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars.”

—1 Corinthians 15:41

The Doctrine and Covenants reveals three kingdoms:

Celestial – for those who accept Christ and make and keep sacred covenants

Terrestrial – honorable people who did not fully accept the gospel

Telestial – those who rejected Christ but are still redeemed through His mercy

Even the lowest kingdom is described as a glory beyond mortal understanding.

This tells us something profound:

God’s plan is generous. God’s mercy is vast.

9. Why the Plan of Salvation Matters Today

The Plan of Salvation gives meaning to:

Suffering – because pain has purpose.

Repentance – because change is real.

Hope – because death is not the end.

Covenants – because families can be eternal.

When we understand the Plan, we stop asking “Why me?” and begin asking “What is the Lord teaching me?”

My Personal Witness

I want to bear my personal witness of the Plan of Salvation.

I know this plan is true and provides real power. I know it is not abstract meaningless doctrine because I’ve studied it, and because I have lived long enough to see God’s hand patiently working in my life, even when I didn’t recognize it at the time.

There have been seasons when I made very bad choices. Yet, looking back now, I can clearly see that Heavenly Father never stopped knowing me, never stopped loving me, and never stopped preparing a way back for me. That truth alone tells me this plan could not be man-made—it is too merciful, too real, too patient, and too personal. I have felt its correcting influence, its healing peace, and its ability to change hearts, including my own. There is no depth we can fall to that He cannot reach, and no weakness He cannot strengthen. I know that life is not random. Our joys and our sorrows are not meaningless. God uses this mortal experience to shape us into something eternal—if we will let Him. The more I understand the Plan of Salvation, the more confident I am that God is trying to exalt us.

I testify that we are literal children of Heavenly Parents, that this life has divine purpose, that death is not the end, and that through Jesus Christ, we can return home changed, refined, and redeemed. I know the Savior lives. And I know that choosing Him—again and again—is the sure and only path back to our Heavenly Father.

I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Rock and Redeemer, Amen.