Preach My Gospel Lesson Two

The following is the lesson plan outline for the second lesson that missionaries teach from Preach My Gospel.

Missionary lessons just as Family Home Evening Lessons are not meant to be taught in a certain order.

This lesson, "The Plan of Salvation" is also known as the "Plan of Happiness." It answers the questions, where did we come from, why are we here and where are we going after we die.

It is centered on the Atonement and brings great comfort.

The Plan of Salvation

1. Where did I come from? Your life did not begin when you were born and it will not end when you die. You are made up of a spirit body (soul) and a physical body. In Jeremiah 1:5 we read the following: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew theee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Before we were born our spirits lived with God in a place called the pre-existence.

Ask: What was your relationship with God before you were born?

2. The Creation. This earth was created as a place for us to gain experience and a body. Adam and Eve were the first of Heavenly Father's children to come to earth and lived in a place called the Garden of Eden. "Behold the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it." (1 Nephi 17:36)

Ask: Why was it important for you to be given a physical body? Why did Heavenly Father want you to come to earth?

3. The Fall. Heavenly Father gave Adam and Eve agency or the freedom to choose. They were told not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but if they obeyed this commandment they could not progress and learn from experiences and challenges. Satan tempted them to eat the forbidden fruit and the chose to eat it. In 2 Nephi 2:25 we find the following: "If Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained int he garden of Eden...And Adam and Even would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy."

Ask: What is the Fall? Why was it necessary?

4. Earth Life. Because of the Fall, we were separated from the presence of our Heavenly Father. This is called spiritual death. Our purpose again in coming to earth is to gain a body and to be tested to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In Alma 24:32 there is a scripture on the purpose of this life: "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

Ask: What is the purpose of your life here? How could this knowledge affect the decisions you make each day? (Notice the importance of teaching the why - the doctrine which is eternal life).

5. The Atonement. Our Heavenly Father loves us. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay for our sins. This payment is part of what is called the Atonement of Jesus Christ. "For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). There is another scripture that helps us understand the Atonement a little better: "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might ake upon him the sins of his people that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and nwo behold, this is the testimony which is in me. (Alma 7:11-13)

Ask: What is the Atonement? How can it help you in your daily life?

6. Where Will I Go After This Life? Many think death is the end, but it is a beginning...a step forward in Heavenly Father's plan. Alma explains this in Alma 40:11-2: "Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection--Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirts of all me, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass that the spirits of those who are rightesous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow."

Ask: What is the Spirit World? What happens there? (1 Peter 4:6)

7. What Is the Resurrection? One of the great gifts of God to all of his children who come to this world is the resurrection, made possible by the Atonement of the Savior. In the book of Alma, chapter 11: 43-44 we read: "The spirt and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its pefect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil."

Ask: What does it mean to be resurrected? Who will be resurrected? Why is resurrection important?

8. Kingdoms of Glory. After you are judged, you wil live in a state of glory. This is described in 1 Corinthians 15:40-41: "There are celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial; but the glory fo the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corrruption; it is raised in incorruption. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live in the Celestial Kingdom and if you live according to the gospel of Jesus Christ and are cleansed from sin by the Atonement, you will live there too. The terrestial kingdom is for those who refuse to accept the gospel but live honorable lives. The telestial kingdom is for those who continue in their sins and do not repent.

Ask: What is heaven? Why are there different levels of glory?