I knew I wanted to share this talk for the last several weeks, but I have been at a loss about what I wanted to say. President Dallin H. Oaks’ talk was about the Plan of Salvation. We learn about “the plan” early on in our gospel learning. It essentially lays the foundation for everything we should be doing individually – and as a church. So why would a member of the First Presidency dedicate his talk to this basic learning?
Because we need it.
I’ve said it before about President Oaks – but I feel like he is not afraid of talking about the hard subjects. And as I read and studied his talk, I would read a statement and think “whoa…that’s not going to go over well.” And then it would happen again and again. There wasn’t anything he said, that I do not agree with or support, so why does it give me a slightly uncomfortable feeling to read it?
We live in a world that is attacking so much that is a part of our Father’s plan that, perhaps even within the Church, we are feeling uncomfortable sharing our beliefs because we don’t want to upset anyone. President Oaks helps give me courage. Courage to share, in a loving way, what I know to be true.
Because that is what President Oaks speaks about as well – love. Our Father’s plan is all centered around love. President Oaks begins with “The gospel plan shows our Heavenly Father’s love for all His children. To understand this, we must seek to understand His plan and His commandments.”
In his talk, President Oaks speaks about what happens after death, our final judgement and resting place, covenants, agency, the Atonement, religious freedom, missionaries, humanitarian aid, having children, and eternal marriage and families.
There is one specific thing that he spoke about that caused me pause. Because of our Father’s great love for His children, He has provided kingdoms of glory for each of us – “all of which are more wonderful than we can comprehend.”
Each of these kingdoms has laws given. And we choose which laws we will abide. I was struck by the word “abide”. In the dictionary it states that to abide means to rest or dwell; to remain, to continue. President Oaks explains, “Under that plan there are multiple kingdoms so that all of His children can be assigned to a kingdom where they can ‘abide.'” We choose. And we will choose to be in a place where we find rest.
So maybe if these doctrines make me nervous to hear, maybe I need to reevaluate my heart a little. Maybe I’ve let too much fear about what others may think determine how deeply those doctrine go. Because in the celestial kingdom, those doctrines are the way. So if I want to find rest there, I need to feel rest HERE with them.
Our Father’s plan is about love. We want to share that love and help one another reach our highest potential. I hope to spend more time studying the Plan of Salvation and to see how much love is within that plan and share that with others.
Highlights
“The gospel plan shows our Heavenly Father’s love for all His children. To understand this, we must seek to understand His plan and His commandments. He loves His children so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior and Redeemer, to suffer and die for us…We have a unique understanding of our Heavenly Father’s plan. This give us a different way of viewing the purpose of mortal life, the divine judgment that follows it, and the ultimate glorious destiny of all of God’s children.
[Jesus] taught that to love God and to love our neighbors are the first of God’s great commandments. Those commands are first because they invite us to grow spiritually by seeking to imitate God’s love for us. I wish we all had a better understanding of the loving doctrine and policies that our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, have established in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The revealed doctrine of the restored Church of Jesus Christ teaches that all the children of God – with exceptions too limited to consider here – will finally wind up in a kingdom of glory…In the Final Judgement each of us will be judged according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts. Before that, we will need to suffer for our unrepented sins. The scriptures are clear on that. Then our righteous Judge will grant us residence in one of those kingdoms of glory.
To help us develop the godly attributes and the change in nature necessary to realize our divine potential, the Lord has revealed doctrine and established commandments based on eternal law. This is what we teach in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because the purpose of the doctrine and policies of this restored Church is to prepare God’s children for salvation in the celestial glory and, more particularly, for exaltation in its highest degree.
The covenants made and the blessings promised to the faithful in the temples of God are the key…Because of our Heavenly Father’s great love for all of His children, He has provided other kingdoms of glory…all of which are more wonderful than we can comprehend.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes all of this possible.
The kingdom of glory we receive in the Final Judgment is determined by the laws we choose to abide by in our Heavenly Father’s loving plan. Under that plan there are multiple kingdoms so that all of His children can be assigned to a kingdom where they can “abide.”
We honor individual agency…We seek to help all of His children…enjoy the precious freedom to choose.
The Lord has taught us to esteem all of His children as our brothers and sisters, and we want to share our spiritual and temporal abundance with everyone.
Eternal doctrine also provides a distinctive perspective on children. Through this perspective we see the bearing and nurturing of children as part of the divine plan. It is a joyful and sacred duty of those given the power to participate in it. Therefore, we are commanded to teach and contend for principles and practices that provide the best conditions for the development and happiness of children under God’s plan.
Eternal relationships are…fundamental to our theology. The mission of the restored Church is to help all the children of God qualify for what God desired as their ultimate destiny. By the redemption provided through the Atonement of Christ, all my attain eternal life (exaltation in the celestial kingdom).
Fundamental to us is God’s revelation that exaltation can be attained only through faithfulness to the covenants of an eternal marriage between a man and a woman…The Lord has required His restored Church to oppose social and legal pressures to retreat from His doctrine of marriage between a man and a woman, to oppose changes that homogenize the differences between men and women or confuse or alter gender.
The divine purpose and plan of our loving Heavenly Father will not be changed. Personal circumstances may change, and God’s plan assures that in the long run, the faithful who keep their covenants will have the opportunity to qualify for every promised blessing.
A uniquely valuable teaching to help us prepare for eternal life…is the 1995 proclamation on the family…We affirm that the family proclamation, founded on irrevocable doctrine, defines the kind of family relationship where the most important part of our eternal development can occur.
As followers of Christ who should love our fellow men, we should live peacefully with those who do not believe as we do. We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. For all of us, He has destined life after death and ultimately, a kingdom of glory. God desires all of us to strive for His highest possible blessings by keeping His highest commandments, covenants, and ordinances, all of which culminate in His holy temples being built throughout the world. We must seek to share these truths of eternity with others. But with the love we owe to all of our neighbors, we always accept their decisions.
May we all implement [this] sacred doctrine in our own lives.“
FULL text and video of President Dallin H. Oaks’ talk can be found HERE.
Other messages from the April 2022 General Conference that I have found particularly impactful:
- The Power of Spiritual Momentum by President Russell M. Nelson
- But We Heeded Them Not by Elder David A. Bednar
- Steady in the Storms by President Henry B. Eyring
- Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny by Elder Dale G. Renlund
- Our Heartfelt All by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
The intent of those who occupy the Great and Spacious Building is to create doubt and fear in those trying to live gospel tenets, President Oaks fearlessly speaks truth to those attackers and reaffirms the faith of the rest. He is awesome.
He really is – I always look forward to his guidance and clarity.