“Chapter 1: Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson (2023)

“Chapter 1,” Teachings: Russell M. Nelson

Chapter 1

Heavenly Father’s Plan of Happiness

God lives. He is our Father. He loves us. He wants us to be happy. Because He loves us, He wants us to prepare well now for our eventual return to Him. Can you imagine anything more joyful than that homecoming?

From the Life of Russell M. Nelson

A few days before President Russell M. Nelson was set apart as President of the Church, President M. Russell Ballard was interviewed by a journalist. President Ballard explained what the world could expect from his friend’s leadership and teachings:

“President Nelson is a total disciple of Jesus Christ, and he will defend the plan of happiness in a world today that is unraveling. He will stand for what God has revealed. He understands there are some rules, some commandments, some doctrine we have to accept and abide by. Life isn’t just what everybody wants it to be. President Nelson will teach that and hold to it.”

Throughout his ministry, President Nelson has testified of God’s plan of happiness. He has taught that it is a “fabulous plan” that “fulfills the deepest longings of the human soul” and prepares us for a joyful homecoming with our loving Heavenly Father.

Teachings of Russell M. Nelson

The Creation, the Fall, and the Savior’s Atonement are pillars of God’s plan

A council in heaven was once convened in which we participated. There our Heavenly Father announced His divine plan [see Abraham 3:22–27]. It is also called the plan of happiness, the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the plan of restoration, the plan of mercy, the plan of deliverance, and the everlasting gospel. The purpose of the plan is to provide opportunity for the spirit children of God to progress toward an eternal exaltation.

The enabling essence of the plan is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As it is central to the plan, we should try to comprehend the meaning of the Atonement. Before we can comprehend it, though, we must understand the fall of Adam. And before we can fully appreciate the Fall, we must first comprehend the Creation. These three events—the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement—are three preeminent pillars of God’s plan, and they are doctrinally interrelated.

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The Creation

The creation of the earth was a preparatory part of our Father’s plan. Then “the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, … male and female to form they them.

“And the Gods said: We will bless them” [Abraham 4:27–28]. And bless us they did, with a plan that would give us physical bodies of our very own.

Adam and Eve were the first people to live upon the earth [see 1 Nephi 5:11]. They were different from the plant and animal life that had been created previously. Adam and Eve were children of God. Their bodies of flesh and bone were made in the express image of God’s. In that state of innocence, they were not yet mortal. They could have had no children, were not subject to death, and could have lived in Eden’s garden forever [see 2 Nephi 2:22–23; Moses 5:11]. Thus, we might speak of the Creation in terms of a paradisiacal creation.

If that state had persisted, you and I would still be stranded among the heavenly host as unborn sons and daughters of God [see Doctrine and Covenants 38:1; Abraham 3:22–23]. “The great plan of [happiness] would have been frustrated” (Alma 42:5).

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The Fall

That leads us to the fall of Adam. To bring the plan of happiness to fruition, God issued to Adam and Eve the first commandment ever given to mankind. It was a commandment to beget children. A law was explained to them. Should they eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” [Genesis 2:17], their bodies would change; mortality and eventual death would come upon them. But partaking of that fruit was prerequisite to their parenthood.

While I do not fully understand all the biochemistry involved, I do know that their physical bodies did change; blood began to circulate in their bodies. Adam and Eve thereby became mortal. Happily for us, they could also beget children and fulfill the purposes for which the world was created. Happily for them, “the Lord said unto Adam [and Eve]: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden” (Moses 6:53). We and all mankind are forever blessed because of Eve’s great courage and wisdom. By partaking of the fruit first, she did what needed to be done. Adam was wise enough to do likewise. Accordingly, we could speak of the fall of Adam in terms of a mortal creation, because “Adam fell that men might be” [2 Nephi 2:25].

Other blessings came to us through the Fall. It activated two closely coupled additional gifts from God, nearly as precious as life itself—agency and accountability. We became “free to choose liberty and eternal life … or to choose captivity and death” [2 Nephi 2:27]. Freedom of choice cannot be exercised without accountability for choices made.

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The Atonement

Now we come to the third pillar of God’s plan—the Atonement. … An infinite Atonement was required to redeem Adam, Eve, and all of their posterity. That Atonement must enable our physical bodies to be resurrected and changed to a bloodless form, no longer liable to disease, deterioration, or death.

According to eternal law, that Atonement required a personal sacrifice by an immortal being not subject to death. Yet He must die and take up His own body again. The Savior was the only one who could accomplish this. From His mother He inherited power to die. From His Father He obtained power over death [see John 10:17–18]. …

The Lord declared that “this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). He who had created the earth came into mortality to fulfill the will of His Father and all prophecies of His Atonement. And His Atonement redeems every soul from penalties of personal transgression, on the condition of repentance.

Thus, we might speak of the Atonement in terms of the immortal creation. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” [1 Corinthians 15:22].

Study Question

The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ all have unique purposes in Heavenly Father’s plan. In what ways have you benefited from each of them?

The family is central to God’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children

The purposes of the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement all converge on the sacred work done in temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The earth was created and the Church was restored to make possible the sealing of wife to husband, children to parents, families to progenitors, worlds without end.

The family is the most important unit of society and of the Church. The family is ordained of God. It is central to His plan for the eternal destiny of His children. “God has established families to bring happiness to his children, to allow them to learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and to prepare them for eternal life.”

Under God’s great plan of happiness, families can be sealed in temples and be prepared to return to dwell in His holy presence forever. That is eternal life! It fulfills the deepest longings of the human soul—the natural yearning for endless association with beloved members of one’s family.

Many travel the highways of life without a companion. They, too, are needed by their families on both sides of the veil. Others may never be able to attend a temple during their mortal lifetime. To the faithful, comfort comes from the knowledge that no blessings will be withheld from any who love the Lord and strive earnestly to keep His commandments. We will be judged by our deeds and the desires of our hearts—in the Lord’s merciful way and time [see 2 Nephi 9:41; Alma 41:3; Doctrine and Covenants 137:9].

Study Question

How are your family experiences—both positive and negative—preparing you for eternal life?

God is the Father of our spirits, and we lived with Him before we were born

God is the Father of our spirits [see Acts 17:27–29]. He has a glorified, perfected body of flesh and bone. We lived with Him in heaven before we were born [see Jeremiah 1:4–5].

The Lord, in His wisdom, has reserved each of you—regardless of age—to come to earth at this crucial time. Premortally, you demonstrated unusual strength, conviction, and faith in Jesus Christ. When Satan fought against the Father and the Son, you defended the cause of Christ and the importance of agency.

Your Heavenly Father has known you for a very long time. You, as His son or daughter, were chosen by Him to come to earth at this precise time, to be a leader in His great work on earth [see Alma 13:2–3]. You were chosen not for your bodily characteristics but for your spiritual attributes, such as bravery, courage, integrity of heart, a thirst for truth, a hunger for wisdom, and a desire to serve others.

You developed some of these attributes premortally. Others you can develop here on earth as you persistently seek them [see 1 Corinthians 12; 14:1–12; Alma 5:14; Doctrine and Covenants 4:6].

Study Question

How does your knowledge of your premortal life with Heavenly Father affect your feelings about your life on earth?

Joy comes in this life when we choose to live in harmony with God’s eternal plan

Prior to our birth, we dwelled as spirit children with our Father in Heaven. There we eagerly anticipated the possibility of coming to earth and obtaining a physical body.

In this world abounding with misery, we are truly thankful for God’s “great plan of happiness” [Alma 42:8]. His plan declares that men and women are “that they might have joy” [2 Nephi 2:25]. That joy comes when we choose to live in harmony with God’s eternal plan.

I have learned that Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matters, and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible [see John 6:38]. …

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Because of Jesus Christ’s infinite Atonement, our Heavenly Father’s plan is a perfect plan! An understanding of God’s fabulous plan takes the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future. It allows each of us to choose how we will live here on earth and where we will live forever. The baseless notion that we should “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us” [2 Nephi 28:7] is one of the most absurd lies in the universe.

Here is the great news of God’s plan: the very things that will make your mortal life the best it can be are exactly the same things that will make your life throughout all eternity the best it can be!

It may prove to be easier to repent and progress spiritually here, while our spirit is united with our body, than in the next world between the time we die and are resurrected. As Amulek taught the apostate Zoramites, “This life is the time … to prepare to meet God” (see Alma 34:32–35).

Study Questions

Which aspects of Heavenly Father’s plan take “the mystery out of life and the uncertainty out of our future”? What would you say to someone who is having a hard time finding joy during their mortal life?

Returning to our heavenly home requires passage through the doors of death

Before embarking on any journey, we like to have some assurance of a round-trip ticket. Returning from earth to life in our heavenly home requires passage through—and not around—the doors of death.

Death is a necessary component of our eternal existence. No one knows when it will come, but it is essential to God’s great plan of happiness [see Alma 42:8–9]. …

Brothers and sisters, we live to die and we die to live—in another realm. If we are well prepared, death brings no terror. From an eternal perspective, death is premature only for those who are not prepared to meet God.

Study Questions

What is the purpose of death in Heavenly Father’s plan? How would you explain the purpose of death to a friend or loved one?

God’s plan is fair, allowing repentance and ordinances for the living and the dead

God’s plan is fair. Even those “who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God” [Doctrine and Covenants 137:7]. His plan is also merciful. He “will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” [Doctrine and Covenants 137:9].

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Each living person can repent. But what about those who have died? They also have opportunities to repent. Scripture declares that “the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance … among those who are … under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead.

“The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,

“And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, [they] shall receive a reward according to their works” [see Doctrine and Covenants 138:57–59].

We do ordinances in the temple as proxies for those who live on the other side of the veil. Simply summarized: We do their work as a vicarious offering. They decide to accept or reject it. Isn’t it wonderful? Those who die without an opportunity to hear the gospel are not denied the blessings they might have had if they had heard the gospel.

Study Question

What does the doctrine of salvation of the dead teach you about Heavenly Father’s nature and attributes?

After the Resurrection and Judgment, you will be assigned to your everlasting home

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Eventually you (and I) are going to die, be resurrected, be judged, and be awarded a place in eternal realms. With each passing sunset, you are closer to that inevitable day of judgment. Then you will be asked to account for your faith, your hopes, and your works. …

As all will be resurrected, your physical body will then be restored to its proper and perfect frame [see Alma 11:43; 40:23]. The day of your resurrection will be a day of judgment that will determine the kind of life you shall have hereafter.

That judgment will consider not only your actions, but also your innermost intent and heartfelt desires. Your everyday thoughts have not been lost. Scriptures speak of the “bright recollection” (Alma 11:43) and “perfect remembrance” (Alma 5:18) that your mind will provide in times of divine judgment.

After the resurrection and judgment, you will be assigned to your everlasting home on high. The revelations liken the glory of those dwelling places to the differing lights of heavenly bodies.

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Paul referred to the three degrees of postmortal glory when he taught that “there is one glory of the sun, … another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars” [1 Corinthians 15:41]. That glimpse into postmortal glory has been clarified by another scriptural witness. The Lord revealed that “the glory of the celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one.

“And the glory of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one.

“And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one” [Doctrine and Covenants 76:96–98].

The highest of these kingdoms, the celestial, is reserved for those who obey the law of that kingdom:

“They who are not sanctified through the law … of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.

“For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory” [Doctrine and Covenants 88:21–22].

Each of you will be judged according to your individual works and the desires of your hearts [see Doctrine and Covenants 137:9]. You will not be required to pay the debt of any other. Your eventual placement in the celestial, terrestrial, or telestial kingdom will not be determined by chance. The Lord has prescribed unchanging requirements for each. You can know what the scriptures teach, and pattern your lives accordingly [see Doctrine and Covenants 76:50–119].

Study Questions

What kind of person do you need to become to receive celestial glory with Heavenly Father? How is He helping you become that kind of person?

Make the celestial kingdom your eternal goal

In my first message as President of the Church, I encouraged you to begin with the end in mind. This means making the celestial kingdom your eternal goal and then carefully considering where each of your decisions while here on earth will place you in the next world [see Mosiah 4:30]. …

When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first because your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement [see 2 Nephi 2:6–8, 27; Moroni 7:41]. It is also dependent upon your obedience to His laws. Obedience paves the way for a joyful life for you today and a grand, eternal reward tomorrow.

Study Question

What experiences have you had in which an “eternal view” has made a difference in a choice you have made?

Invitations and Promises

You developed spiritual attributes premortally, and you can develop others now

You developed some of these attributes premortally. Others you can develop here on earth as you persistently seek them [see 1 Corinthians 12; 14:1–12; Alma 5:14; Doctrine and Covenants 4:6].