“Lesson 37: The Plan of Salvation (Part 4),” Old Testament Seminary Student Material (2018)
“Lesson 37: The Plan of Salvation (Part 4)”
Lesson 37
The Plan of Salvation (Part 4)
Prepare to Learn
Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Take time to ponder the truths you identify. As you pray and think about this lesson, the Holy Ghost will teach you how to become more like Jesus Christ.
Begin your study with prayer.
What does it mean to you to know that you are a child of God? Consider this question as you watch the following video.
Many people have questions about the Creation. Read paragraphs 2.6–2.7 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document.
What can we learn from these paragraphs about the Creation?
Quiz 1
True or false? Jesus Christ created the earth.
True
False
How would you correctly complete the following statement based on what you have read in the Core Document? (Please select all responses that apply.) The Creation of the earth was essential to God’s plan because the earth provided a place for us to.
obtain a physical body.
be tested and tried.
develop divine attributes.
What do we know about the creation of humankind from these paragraphs?
We were created out of nothing.
We were created spiritually and physically at the same time.
You may want to mark the following statement in paragraph 2.7 in your copy of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document: “All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God.”Genesis 1:26–27 is the doctrinal mastery scripture passage that helps teach this key statement of doctrine. You may want to mark this passage in a distinctive way so you will be able to locate it more easily.
Now that you have studied a little about the Creation, let’s practice using the principles outlined in the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document.
Review the three principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge, and then consider these principles as you read the following scenario. How might these principles help someone who has a question about the Creation?
Mandy is on a field trip with her science class at a natural history museum. In one of the displays she sees a human skull that scientists have dated as being tens of thousands of years old. As she continues through the museum, she notices other displays that seem to contradict what she has been taught in the Church about the Creation, especially regarding human life. She begins to wonder: Did God create Adam and Eve as the first humans on this earth, or did human beings evolve from other species?
For hundreds of years people have questioned, pondered, and sought answers about the origin of humankind. Many individuals have struggled with regard to scientific theories and discoveries that seem to contradict the scriptures and words of the prophets.
Ponder this question as you review the next three sections.
Knowledge and Faith
Consider how the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles could help someone act in faith while examining the topic of evolution:
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Jeffrey R. Holland
“When … moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. … The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know. …
“… Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. …
“… So please don’t hyperventilate if from time to time issues arise that need to be examined, understood, and resolved. They do and they will. In this Church, what we know will always trump what we do not know. And remember, in this world, everyone is to walk by faith” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 94).
Considering what you learned from Elder Holland, what can we do to act in faith when prophets have not yet revealed answers to questions we may have?
Let’s examine the question of evolution with an eternal perspective. Consider what you have learned from Genesis 1:26–27. Also, read Doctrine and Covenants 101:32–34, looking for how these passages can help you answer the following question:
1. What do you know from your study of the plan of salvation and the scriptures that could help someone like Mandy with a question or concern about evolution?
Below is an example of a divinely appointed source. Read the following statement, looking for truths that have been revealed about the origin of humankind.
“It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth and that the original human being was a development from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declared that Adam was “the first man of all men” (Moses 1:34), and we are therefore in duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to the brother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God; whether we take this to mean the spirit or the body, or both, it commits us to the same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of our Heavenly Father” (The First Presidency, “The Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, 80; Ensign, Feb. 2002, 30).
2. Answer the following question:
What has God revealed about the creation of humankind?
If you would like to read more about the origin of humankind, you might consider the following divinely appointed sources. This will help you to use the third principle of “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge.”
The First Presidency (1909), “The Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, 75–81; Ensign, Feb. 2002, 26–30.
