The Happiness Plan , Faith and Beliefs
4 min read
There are no coincidences in His perfect and divine plan .
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that our Heavenly Father has designed a plan for our happiness .
Divided into 3 peak moments, the pre-earthly life, the mortal life and the life after death, each of these experiences will allow all His children to reach the status of gods and goddesses after their time on Earth.
Although there is one exception : Jesus Christ.
Christ, the lawgiver
According to Latter-day Saint theology, Jesus Christ existed as Jehovah before His mortal life . This has been held by leaders such as the prophet Joseph Fielding Smith, who taught that Christ was the firstborn spirit in the premortal kingdom, who participated in the creation of worlds under the direction of God the Father.
In this role, Jesus served as a lawgiver and covenant maker with Israel , a doctrine that is repeated throughout the Scriptures, including the Book of Mormon:
“Behold, it is I who gave the law , and I am he who made a covenant with my people Israel; wherefore, the law is fulfilled in me, for I have come to fulfill the law; wherefore, it has an end” (3 Nephi 15:5).
In this way, Christ was in a unique position to fulfill the role of Savior, since He had demonstrated His divine authority and purpose before His earthly ministry began.
His status as the Only Begotten Son was neither gratuitous nor accidental.
Although Jesus Christ was divine, His mortal life was essential to fulfilling His mission as Savior. Latter-day Saints believe that His experiences were crucial to the Atonement , as they enabled Him to empathize with human suffering and serve as the perfect Redeemer (Hebrews 2:10).
Born into humble circumstances, His divine identity was often obscured ; however, His miracles and teachings throughout His ministry confirmed His divinity:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father , full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)
The Father was like the Son
అదేవిధంగా, మనుష్యులు దేవుని వంటి స్థితిని పొందగలరని బోధించే దైవీకరణ సిద్ధాంతం యేసుక్రీస్తు కడవరి దిన పరిశుద్ధుల సంఘం బోధనలలో ఒక ముఖ్యమైన మూల సిద్ధాంతం. అధ్యక్షుడు లోరెన్జో స్నో దీనిని summarized as follows :
“As man is now, God once was ; as God is now, man can be . ”
Thus, Latter-day Saints believe that God the Father was once a man who progressed to godhood, inviting His children to follow a similar path of growth and exaltation (Doctrine and Covenants 76:58).
In this sense, mortal life is a crucial period for spiritual growth, in which experiences and decisions prepare people for eternal life . The purpose of mortal life, as taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, is to gain experience, learn, and ultimately return to live with God.
This goal would not be possible without Christ's Atonement, since—only through His sacrifice— does all humankind have the opportunity to live eternally , which reaffirms Christ's importance in God's plan and the necessity of attaining a divine status before mortal life.
The unique divinity of Jesus Christ, then, allows us to understand that he is worshipped not only for his role as Savior, but also for his unique identity as the Only Begotten Son of God , giving him the authority to fulfill the plan of salvation for all humanity.
Although many questions remain about the premortal life, the most important truth we should cherish is that the relationship between God and His children is one of love and growth , and invites humanity to follow the path of Jesus Christ.
resorce Ask Gramps
You may also be interested in