Back in February I wrote the post “The Plan of Salvation – What’s Missing.” The basic premise was that sometimes when we teach the Plan of Salvation, we often get caught up in the flow chart and the lists of qualifications, and forget that, in essence, Jesus Christ IS the Plan of Salvation.
The post was mostly well-received and picked up by some LDS websites. It spread out to a much larger audience than just my MMM faithful readers.
Just this past week, my stats started showing a huge spike in readership for that old post. Odd. The readers were coming from Facebook, but I didn’t know why. Why would an old post suddenly get so much traffic?
It turns out that there is a Facebook group for Seminary teachers where they share ideas on different subjects. Apparently one of the early lessons this year involves the Plan, and someone in the group shared my post. Flattering!
All of this is explanation is merely an intro to get you to a quote from Henry Ford:
“Don’t find a fault, find a remedy. Anybody can complain.”
I don’t know that I was complaining – more like offering an observation. Okay, there was a little bit of complaining. I did present a bunch of schematics of the Plan, none of which referenced Jesus. But one thing is for sure, I didn’t find a “remedy.”
Enter Steve Meacham: Seminary Teacher from the Plainfield, Indiana Ward. Steve decided to fix the dilemma by creating an alternative Plan of Salvation chart that actually included Jesus. Here it is:
How’s that for finding a remedy? I like it because you can use it to teach the Plan by following Christ’s role and experience on Earth. Thanks, Steve.
(If you click on the picture above, it will open to a full 8.5 x 11 version that is printable,)
As I revisited this idea, a few things have since come to mind:
• Seminary teachers are awesome. I loved Seminary and it was important in growing my testimony and developing my gospel literacy. I appreciate those saints who who have responded to a call to teach – especially where early morning seminary is the rule.
• My first Seminary teacher? Brother Ricks, Millcreek Junior High, Bountiful, Utah.
• When you analyze what we actually know regarding what happens after death, we don’t know all that much detail – yet what we do know is light years beyond any other Christian faith. I once had a discussion with a good man who is a “born again” Christian. We were talking about what our perception of eternity looked like. His was quite simple: He planned on “singing praises to God for eternity.” While that is a really devout thought, I think both God and I would be ready for me to tackle something else after about an hour of that. The promise of eternal progression and eternal increase as a way to glorify God sounds vastly better than my singing for eternity. (But that’s just me.)
• When I was serving on my mission in Ovalle, Chile, we did a performance of the musical, “My Turn on Earth.” I was Jesus and got to sing “I Have a Plan.” In Spanish. Wearing a white bathrobe. I’m sure God heard it and, again, would rather I praise him through deeds, not song.
• We are able to add detail to this chart thanks to modern-day prophets. There is more about the purposes of this life, and what happens after death to be learned in the Doctrine & Covenants than all of the books of Bible combined. This is advanced material that most of the world is not aware of. I think it is kind and merciful of God to give us a glimpse of what is possible. I also think that it is nice to know what sort of eternity He wants for us. It feels much more paternal, rather than vengeful.
• Doing Family History makes the link between Mortality and the Spirit World very real, and very porous.
• The Plan of Salvation is essentially the “Plot” of our lives. It is our own “hero’s journey,” wherein all of us can emerge victorious.
Thanks to Steve for his generous “remedy.” I’m looking forward to giving it a yet rive next time I teach the Plan.
Have a good Sabbath!
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Your friend has the beginnings of the truth- we will praise God throughout eternity, but we will praise Him through doing the works He does. It’s an amazing truth that I hope your friend will embrace because of your example 😉
Thanks for your plug for great seminary teachers! I work for the church and help oversee 70 + early morning seminary teachers and they are so awesome and dedicated. I wish youth leaders would work more closely with the seminary teachers in their wards. Think about it, youth leaders see their kids 2-3 hours a week and stake activities. Seminary teachers see the kids every weekday for 5 or more hours. Seminary teachers see when kids are starting to slip away much sooner than youth leaders notice. Just my 2 cents!
Thank You! This is a much more complete view of the Plan of Salvation. Well done!
The Plan of Salvation is taught every single year the first week of seminary. It’s a great overview/reminder for the kids and teachers.
Love the chart!
Love the chart!
I believe I know Steve. Good on him!
I LOVE the Plan of Salvation, and I love doing team ups with missionaries when we are discussing/sharing this with investigators. It is one of my favorite topics to teach..
I do have two picky things to point out. One, because it is one of my pet peeves — judgment is correctly spelled with no “e” between the g and the m. Very common spelling error to add that “e”. (Call me a closet editor…I did graduate from BYU with a BA in English, but it was built in to me long before that.)
The second is that it is my understanding that angels minister in the Telestial Kingdom and not the Savior, and that the Savior ministers in the Terrestrial Kingdom. Only in the Celestial Kingdom can we actually be in the presence of the Father (and the Son there as well). I think the diagram above would be more correct if it showed the Father and the Son in the picture of the Celestial Kingdom, the Savior in the Terrestrial Kingdom, and angels ministering in the Telestial Kingdom. Any thoughts?
Wrong on the spelling of judgement/judgment, but right on the fact that Christ won’t be in the Telestial Kingdom. YourBYU religion classes served you better than the English classes. 😉
The vast majority of sources prefer “judgment” over “judgement”. Here are several citations:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/judgement-judgment/
http://grammarist.com/spelling/judgment-judgement/
“When Noah Webster was drafting the first American English dictionary, he sought to simplify many words from the traditional British English….
“The word judgment, however, has been around just as long as the lengthier judgement and was in use long before Webster wrote his first dictionary, so while Webster didn’t invent the shorter judgment, he can still be credited with popularizing it in North America.
“Most American dictionaries and usage guides prefer the shorter judgment. The AP Stylebook, The American Heritage Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary all prefer judgment.
Interestingly enough, despite the fact that judgment is seen as a primarily American spelling, it is still the preferred form for legal works in British English.” http://writingexplained.org/judgment-or-judgement-difference
Preferred, not correct.
Good point, thanks. I suppose the more important questions are always “is the doctrine correct?” rather than “is the grammar or spelling correct?” On that I feel that we can both agree.
Great thoughts! Love the new visual and appreciate your thoughts that inspired it!!!
There was a wonderful class taught at Education Week this year about this very topic. Actually, many of the speakers revisited the Plan of Salvation and discussed the need for inclusion of Christ’s role and the atonement. You started something!