“Lesson 37: The Plan of Salvation (Part 4),” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Material (2018)
“Lesson 37,” Old Testament Seminary Teacher Material
Lesson 37
The Plan of Salvation (Part 4)
Introduction
The teaching materials for this doctrinal mastery topic are divided into 4 parts. In part 4, students will study paragraphs 2.6–2.7 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, and they will learn how the doctrinal mastery passage Genesis 1:26–27 helps teach a key statement of doctrine in paragraph 2.7. Part 4 contains a practice exercise that will help students apply the key statements of doctrine they learned from this doctrinal topic, and it also contains a cumulative review activity for the doctrinal mastery scripture passages that students have studied so far this year.
Note: You could teach the segments of this lesson in a single class session or over the course of several class sessions, dividing class time between Doctrinal Mastery and a regular sequential scripture lesson.
Display a picture of the earth. Organize students into pairs. Invite each pair to take turns reading paragraphs 2.6–2.7 from the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document aloud. Encourage students to read carefully, as you will be asking questions when they are finished. After sufficient time, ask:
Who created the earth? Why was the creation of the earth essential to God’s plan? (See paragraph 2.6.)
What do we learn about the creation of human beings?
Invite students to consider marking the following key statement of doctrine in their copies of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document: All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Ask students to read this statement aloud as a class.
Invite students to turn to Genesis 1:26–27, the doctrinal mastery scripture passage that helps teach this key statement of doctrine. Invite students to consider marking this passage in a distinctive way so they can locate it easily.
Remind students that Genesis 1 contains a record of the creation of the earth, ending with the creation of man and woman. Invite a student to read Genesis 1:26–27 aloud, and ask the class to follow along, looking for what God says about the creation of man and woman. Invite students to report what they find.
Why do you think it is important to understand that we are created in God’s image?
Remind students of the doctrine identified in paragraphs 2.4–2.5 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, which is that we are spirit children of our Heavenly Father. Testify that each one of us is a beloved son or daughter created by God in His image. You may consider singing “I Am a Child of God” (Hymns, no. 301 or Children’s Songbook, 2) to conclude this segment.
Practice Exercise (22 minutes)
Note: This practice exercise explores the origin of mankind. The Church does not have an official position on the theory of evolution, but the Lord has revealed many details to His prophets about the origin of mankind and the creation of the earth. Ensure that this discussion is based on truth taught by prophets and not led by the theories or opinions of men. Help students avoid speculation or conjecture that could lead to contention during the discussion.
Invite students to turn to the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document. Review with them the following three principles: act in faith, examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective, and seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources.
Read the following scenario to the class:
Mandy is on a field trip with her science class at a natural history museum. As she continues through the museum, she notices some displays about the creation of the earth 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?
Explain that the origin of mankind has been a heavily questioned topic, and many have sought answers about how human beings came to be. Many individuals have struggled with scientific theories and discoveries that may seem to contradict the scriptures and words of the prophets.
Give each student a copy of the following handout.
Principle 1: Act in Faith
“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).
Principle 2: Examine Concepts and Questions with an Eternal Perspective
What do you think might be some worldly premises or assumptions that could influence a person’s beliefs about the origin of mankind?
What do you know from your study of the plan of salvation and the scriptures that could help someone with a question or concern about the origin of mankind?
Principle 3: Seek Further Understanding through Divinely Appointed Sources
“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 Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, 76; Ensign, Feb. 2002, 30.).
Direct students to “Principle 1: Act in Faith” on the handout. Invite a student to read aloud the statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask the class to follow along, looking for counsel that can help us act in faith as we examine the origin of mankind. Ask students to report what they find.
Invite students to silently read and ponder the questions below “Principle 2: Examine Concepts and Questions with an Eternal Perspective” on the handout. After sufficient time, ask students to share their thoughts with the class. With the second question, if students do not mention Genesis 1:26–27 in this discussion, write this scripture reference on the board and invite students to turn to it. Ask students to review this scripture passage and to consider how it could help someone with a concern about the origin of mankind. You might also consider inviting students to cross-reference Genesis 1:26–27 with Doctrine and Covenants 101:32–34. You could ask a student to read this passage aloud while students follow along, looking for how it could be helpful to someone who has questions or concerns about the origin of mankind or other issues in which science seems to contradict revealed truth. Invite students to report what they find.
Explain that the paragraph below the heading “Principle 3: Seek Further Understanding Through Divinely Appointed Sources” is taken from an official statement of the First Presidency in November 1909. Invite a student to read aloud this paragraph. Ask the class to follow along, looking for truths that have been revealed about the origin of mankind.
According to this statement, what has been revealed about the creation of mankind?
After students have responded to these questions, invite them to take a few minutes to write their thoughts about what they have learned from today’s lesson below the heading “What I learned today.” After sufficient time, invite students to share with the class what they wrote.
If students still have questions about this topic, encourage them to continue to study, ponder, and pray about how they can acquire more spiritual knowledge on the subject. A list of additional divinely appointed sources that students might want to study is included in the commentary and background information section of this lesson.
Doctrinal Mastery Cumulative Review (10 minutes)
Write these doctrinal mastery scripture passage references on the board:
Inform students that they will be taking a quiz in which they will match these scripture passages to their key phrases. Give students 3–4 minutes to study these references in the Doctrinal Mastery Reference Guide.
Give each student a copy of the quiz handout, and allow time for students to take the quiz. If students appear to struggle, you might consider giving them 30 seconds to check their answers before correcting the quiz as a class. (Correct answers: (1) f; (2) d; (3) b; (4) c; (5) a; (6) e)
Doctrinal Mastery Review
Match the scripture reference with the correct key phrase:
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
Image
Jeffrey R. Holland
“There was an actual Adam and Eve who fell from an actual Eden, with all the consequences that fall carried with it.
“I do not know the details of what happened on this planet before that, but I do know these two were created under the divine hand of God, that for a time they lived alone in a paradisiacal setting where there was neither human death nor future family, and that through a sequence of choices they transgressed a commandment of God which required that they leave their garden setting but which allowed them to have children before facing physical death [see 2 Nephi 19–29; Moses 5:10–11]” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 105).
In 1909, the First Presidency of the Church taught:
“‘God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.’ In these plain and pointed words the inspired author of the book of Genesis made known to the world the truth concerning the origin of the human family. Moses, the prophet-historian—‘learned,’ as we are told, ‘in all the wisdom of the Egyptians’—when making this important announcement was not voicing a mere opinion, a theory derived from his researches into the occult lore of that ancient people. He was speaking as the mouthpiece of God, and his solemn declaration was for all time and for all people” (“The Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, 76; “The Origin of Man,” Ensign, Feb. 2002, 26).
If you or your students would like to read more about the origin of mankind, you might consider the following divinely appointed sources:
First Presidency (1909), “The Origin of Man,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, 75–81; Ensign, Feb. 2002, 26–30.
