Plan of Salvation

“In the premortal existence, Heavenly Father prepared a plan to enable us to become like Him and receive a fulness of joy. The scriptures refer to this plan as “the plan of salvation” (Alma 24:14; Moses 6:62), “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8), “the plan of redemption” (Jacob 6:8; Alma 12:30), and “the plan of mercy” (Alma 42:15). The plan of salvation is the fulness of the gospel. It includes the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and all the laws, ordinances, and doctrines of the gospel. Moral agency, the ability to choose and act for ourselves, is also essential in Heavenly Father’s plan. Because of this plan, we can be perfected through the Atonement, receive a fulness of joy, and live forever in the presence of God. Our family relationships can last throughout the eternities.” – http://www.lds.org/study/topics/plan-of-salvation?lang=eng

Genesis 3:5; “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:15; “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

One of the alluring factors of Mormonism for many people is how they have an answer for everything.  They have “God’s plan of salvation”, “God’s plan of happiness”, “God’s plan for emergencies”, and on it goes. 

The problem with these so-called plans is how they aren’t biblically grounded. Most, if not all of these plans include evolving teachings from the Mormon god that means what he says today doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true for tomorrow.  

This constitutes what the Bible calls as heretical teachings and false prophecies. Case in point is the example of the two Mormon scriptures in the Book of Mormon from 2^nd Nephi.  One says we are saved by grace alone and the other says we are saved by grace after all we can do. So which is it, are we saved by grace or not? 

The quote we pulled off the official LDS website above contradicts everything God tells us about the way He created the earth and what took place in the Garden of Eden concerning Adam, Eve and the fall of man. 

The Bible explicitly tells us God created the earth all by Himself.  He needed no help because He alone is God; there are no other gods or councils of gods or people telling Him what to do. Job 38:4, 26; “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 26 To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man…” 

The Bible also tells us the fall of man caused an enmity to exist between man and God.  Mormons like to teach the fall of man was a necessary evil that had to take place in order for God’s plan to go through, but where in scripture does it ever say anything about God being evil? 

Secondly, Joseph Smith and others have repeatedly stated the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel, yet the Book of Mormon is eerily silent when it comes to godhood for man, baptisms for the dead, or that God is an ever changing god; all the things necessary to obtain a Mormon salvation.  Rather, the Book of Mormon proclaims he is the same from everlasting to everlasting in Moroni 8:18, so how can he be a man who became a god and still be the same? 

Where in the Bible does it say God concocted a plan for us to sin so we could become like Him? In stark contrast is the verse from Genesis 3:5 telling us that God knew the day they would do this it’d cause them to want to be like Him and becoming a god is exactly what the Mormons teach as their “plan of salvation”.  They believe true salvation means they will become gods themselves (D&C 132:20-21). 

Sadly there are many people today who want a quick fix and answers for everything, but this isn’t always how the God of the Bible works.  Sometimes we get the answers for our questions and other times He is silent. When there is silence it’s up to us to live by faith. Oswald Chambers once said we need to “get into the habit of saying, “Speak Lord” and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9)”. Even His silence can be an answer for us. When we learn that silence means to draw closer to Him our lives will become what dreams are made of. 

Are we looking to others for our answers or looking to God? Paul said that he didn’t rationalize or look for answers from flesh and blood, but by Him who called him to live for His Son (Gal. 1:16).