Plan of Salvation - Earth life or Mortality

The middle section of the Plan of Salvation is called Mortality. It's the portion of the plan where our eternal spirits are housed in physical, mortal bodies. There is a lot of information about this part of the plan because its the part we are currently living. It's the part we actually remember.


After the council and subsequent war in heaven (see Plan of Salvation - Pre-mortal life), the earth and all things on it were created and organized. Man and woman were placed here. Gender plays an important part. Woman was given the right and power to create new physical bodies, with man's help, to ensure there would be bodies for other spirit children of God to receive and reside while going through this mortal life. Bodies are essential in the Plan to allow God's children to learn more and return to Him one day. Man was granted the right and power of the priesthood. The priesthood is God's power and authority given to man to act in His name to provide blessings and ordinances necessary for God's children to be able to return to Him. Men and women are not equal as in the same, but they are equal as in the both hold important roles in helping God's children. Without both, the plan would not work.

Adam and Eve were placed on Earth in the Garden of Eden. They were innocent and had no understanding of opposition. They were given commandments. After being tempted and beguiled by the serpent, or Satan, they partook of the fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil. This allowed them to start learning about opposition which is needed in life. You can't understand joy without sorrow. Pleasure means nothing without pain. Good and evil have no meaning without each other. But because partaking of the fruit transgressed one of God's commands, they were kicked out of the Garden.

After they left the Garden, a veil of forgetfulness was placed over their minds (and subsequently ours as well) so that our desire to obey God's commands could be tested without the memories of the pre-mortal life and what it was like to be with God. God did send messengers to Adam, and other men after him, to share the truth about God and His plan. These messengers teach about God's commandments so that we won't disobey unknowingly and be punished, and so we can receive blessings (or rewards) for obedience. In this way we could prove we truly desired to be like Him. These men who are taught these things are referred to as prophets and their job is to then teach us.

Of course, more and more people were born to populate the Earth and other such details that aren't terribly important to the plan.

Here are some items I feel are more important about the plan:

1. We were born to receive bodies so we could be like God. But our bodies are mortal bodies meaning they will die, they are subject to temptations from Satan, and they often have things go wrong with them (i.e. sickness, injury, mental issues, etc.). Death would keep us from returning to God. 
2. Just like in the pre-mortal life, we continue to have agency. We are free to make our own choices. However, there are laws (sometimes referred to as commandments) in place and consequences (both rewards and punishments) assigned to each law. When we choose to keep or obey the law, we will receive a reward or blessing and we will remain free from punishments that might limit our freedom. When we break or disobey these laws, the assigned punished will take place either now or sometime in the future. Many of these punishments strip us of freedom to choose the next time, like habits which eventually turn into addictions. This is also referred to as sin. Sin will also keep us from God. Temptations and mental issues only keep us from God if we give into them and teach our body to accept them rather than focus on rejecting them by obeying God's commandments. 
3. Jesus was born of a mortal mother and a Godly father. He lived a perfect life and obeyed all of God's commandments. He experienced his own bodily afflictions. He was tempted by Satan, He suffered (experienced and felt) all of the sins, sorrows, ailments, illnesses, and temptations of the human race. This pain was so much that he bled from every pore in his body. (This is known as the Atonement of Jesus Christ.) He then suffered the painful death of crucifixion. But after all this, he was resurrected* and lives again. (*Resurrection refers to the reuniting of the physical body with the spirit but in such a way that the body now becomes perfect. It is no longer subject to death, sickness, temptation, etc.)
4. As part of the plan, God and Jesus Christ created the way that once Jesus broke the bands of death, they wouldn't be able to hold anyone forever. Meaning, because Jesus Christ was resurrected one day every person who receives a body will be resurrected also at an assigned time. We do not need to do anything to receive this. This resurrection will also correct any mortal problems we experienced while alive. No more cancer, broken bones, etc. The body will be returned to a perfect state. We will not stay dead forever. We will live again as Jesus Christ lives again. 
5. Through everything that Jesus Christ suffered, he experienced any and all trials that any person, male or female, could experience. Because he did this, he can help us overcome any struggles we may have; physical, mental, emotional, etc. He has perfect empathy and he can do this for us right now. All we need to do is ask. Also, because we sin and because God is just, and because justice will not be robbed, we would not be able to return and live with Him again. This justice makes it so God is impartial and not a respecter of persons. Each consequence we receive is of our own doing. On the other hand, God loves us and wants us to return, so Jesus Christ stepped in as a savior and mediator. He suffered and paid our debt of sin and will advocate for us before God during the time of judgment. Jesus is willing to do this as long as we meet his terms which are: have faith in him, repent of our sins, be baptized by immersion with the proper authority, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. After that, we simply need to try our best to do our best, repenting when we mess up along the way. Through Jesus Christ our disobedience to God's laws and our sins are taken away. 

This part of the plan provides so much hope and joy. Our loved ones who have passed away will not remain dead forever. We will see and touch them again with perfect bodies. Even when we make mistakes, there is a way to be rid of those and feel joy and happiness. There is a way to have help from someone who knows exactly what we are dealing with; temptations, addictions, habits, depression, physical infirmities (genetic deformities, life long illnesses, prolong pain or injury), and anything else we might suffer. This is a glorious plan.

Plan of Salvation - Pre-mortal Life

The first part of the Plan of Salvation is what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints refer to as the "Pre-mortal Life" or "Pre-Earth Life" because it talks about what happened before we were born on Earth (before receiving mortal bodies). In times past, some referred to it as the "Pre-existence" but this was not correct as we existed before this life on Earth.

First I should explain that in The Church, we believe that each person born is the combination of an eternal spirit that has a gender and existed before being born and a mortal, physical body. This body will one day die but the spirit will continue to live on after this life.

In this pre-mortal life, we lived as spirits together with God. We are his spirit children. We have divine potential and were given gender as an important role of the plan in providing eternal identity and purpose. We grew in knowledge. We had certain experiences as spirits that allowed us to grow and progress. However in order for us to continue to learn and progress, we needed bodies and the experiences that would come from having bodies. This would also allow us to become more like God, as He has a body of flesh and bone (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22).

There was a council held and all the spirit children were told of the plan for us to be born and receive bodies. We knew that these bodies would be imperfect; physically and mentally. We knew we wouldn't be in God's presence and that would make it harder (almost impossible) to return to God. We knew we must be perfect to return to His presence and that would require perfect obedience to God's laws and the laws of nature, for God is just.

At this council, two plans were presented that would allow us to return and live with God again. One plan was presented by Jesus. His plan was that we would be allowed to retain our agency, which meant we might not choose to obey and therefore not remain perfect. This would mean we couldn't return to God's presence after death. But Jesus said so that God could remain just, he would step in as a savior, or mediator, to provide mercy. He would come and pay the price for ALL our imperfections so that he might advocate before God on our behalf. In order for Jesus to do this, we would need to show faith in him and a desire to obey by following in his footsteps the best we can and by covenanting (or promising) to do certain things. All the glory would remain with God.

The second plan was proposed by Lucifer. In his plan, we would give up our agency and do only as Lucifer instructed. God's glory and power would be given to Lucifer.

The first plan was chosen, and was set into motion. Lucifer and his followers started a rebellion and were cast out of heaven. They will never have the opportunity to receive bodies or learn on Earth.

God and Jesus worked to create or organize an earth where we would come to live and learn.

(Moses 4:1-4, Abraham 3:24-28, The Family: A Proclamation to the World, Mormon.org Plan of Salvation)