Our spirit, which existed in the premortal life, will live on after our death. Death is the separation of the spirit and the physical body. Part of our Heavenly Father’s plan is that someday we will all die. These ordinances include baptism, confirmation, priesthood ordination for men, and temple ordinances.

If we exercise our agency to keep the commandments, we have the blessing of participating in sacred ordinances, which are ceremonies that include making covenants or promises with God. When we choose to repent of our sins, we choose to accept the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is through Christ’s sacrifice that we can repent and live with God again.Īlso essential to God’s plan is agency, or the ability to choose. The Atonement was necessary since “no unclean thing can dwell with God” ( 1 Nephi 10:21). This suffering, death, and Resurrection is referred to as the Atonement.

Jesus overcame spiritual and physical death and took upon Himself our afflictions, sorrows, and sins (see Alma 7:11–13). Earthly trials are part of mortality and can help us grow to be more like our Heavenly Father.Įssential to the plan is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. On earth we can have joy and peace, but we will also face temptation, opposition, and adversity and experience trials. One significant purpose of mortality is to gain a physical body. We are on earth because we chose to follow Heavenly Father’s plan. They chose to follow Lucifer, who became the devil, and were cast out of the presence of God (see Revelation 12:7–9). Sadly, one-third of Heavenly Father’s spirit children did not accept the plan. The plan includes all the laws and ordinances of the gospel necessary to gain eternal life, “the greatest of all the gifts of God” ( Doctrine and Covenants 6:13). At a council with all of His children, Heavenly Father presented a plan, known as the “plan of salvation” or “the great plan of happiness” ( Alma 42:5, 8). Before we were born on earth, we lived with our Heavenly Parents as Their spirit children (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56).

Salvation day book