a mother and father hug their children

Lesson 4 Class Preparation Material

The Family Is Central to Heavenly Father’s Plan

Modern prophets and apostles have proclaimed that “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Have you ever considered how the family relates to other core pillars of Heavenly Father’s plan, such as the Creation, the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ? As you study, consider the meaning the following teachings can have for your choices and hopes for your own family.

Section 1

How did the Creation of the earth and the Fall of Adam and Eve help bring about Heavenly Father’s eternal purposes for the family?

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Elder Robert D. Hales

The doctrine of the family begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them. (“The Eternal Family,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 64)

When God spoke to Moses on the mountain, He explained that His work and His glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). Eternal life is to live with God as He lives, which means living forever as part of an eternal family. This is the greatest gift He can bestow on us (see Doctrine and Covenants 14:7).

a husband and wife smile at their baby

The Creation of the earth and the Fall of Adam and Eve were important parts of the Father’s plan to bring about these eternal purposes. In early Church history, the Lord declared the importance of marriage and children in God’s plan for the earth. And in the Book of Mormon, Lehi explained to his son the wisdom in Adam and Eve’s Fall.

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Study in Preparation for Class

Read Doctrine and Covenants 49:15–17 and 2 Nephi 2:22–23, looking for how the Creation and the Fall contributed to the formation and growth of eternal families.

President Russell M. Nelson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

President Russell M. Nelson

Grand as it is, planet Earth is part of something even grander—that great plan of God. Simply summarized, the earth was created that families might be. (“The Creation,” Ensign, May 2000, 85)

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

The Fall was an essential part of Heavenly Father’s divine plan. Without it no mortal children would have been born to Adam and Eve, and there would have been no human family to experience opposition and growth, moral agency, and the joy of resurrection, redemption, and eternal life. (“The Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Mar. 2008, 35)

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Ponder in Preparation for Class

How can understanding these grand purposes of the Creation and the Fall influence your efforts in building your own eternal family?

Section 2

How does the Atonement of Jesus Christ make eternal families possible?

The Fall of Adam and Eve introduced to our world the conditions of sin and death. Both separate us from God and the possibility of eternal life with our families.

In the Book of Mormon, Lehi describes Jacob’s young life as filled with affliction and sorrow because of his brothers (see 2 Nephi 2:1). Lehi also died when Jacob was relatively young. Despite these family challenges, Jacob found hope in his knowledge of a future sacrifice to be made by Jesus Christ to help all of us and our families escape death and hell.

the Savior prays in Gethsemane

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Study in Preparation for Class

Read 2 Nephi 9:6–8, 10, 18, and consider marking the prophet Jacob’s words and feelings about how the Atonement of Jesus Christ overcomes sin and death.

President Julie B. Beck, former General Relief Society President, and President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught about how the Atonement of Jesus Christ allows families to be eternal:

President Julie B. Beck

The Atonement [of Jesus Christ] allows for the family to be sealed together eternally. It allows for families to have eternal growth and perfection. The plan of happiness, also called the plan of salvation, was a plan created for families. (“Teaching the Doctrine of the Family,” Ensign, Mar. 2011, 12)

President Henry B. Eyring

Our loving Heavenly Father knows our hearts. His purpose is to give us happiness (see 2 Nephi 2:25). And so He gave the gift of His Son to make possible the joy of family bonds that continue forever. Because the Savior broke the bands of death, we will be resurrected. Because He atoned for our sins, we can, by our faith and repentance, become worthy of the celestial kingdom, where families are bound together in love forever. (“The Hope of Eternal Family Love,” Ensign, Aug. 2016, 4)

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Record Your Thoughts

If you had the opportunity to express your feelings to the Savior about His role in allowing you to have an eternal family, what might you say to Him? Why?

Section 3

How central is the family in your plan?

Explaining the centrality of the family in eternity, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Elder L. Tom Perry

The entire theology of our restored gospel centers on families and on the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. …

We also believe that strong traditional families are … the basic units of eternity and of the kingdom and government of God.

We believe that the organization and government of heaven will be built around families and extended families. (“Why Marriage and Family Matter—Everywhere in the World,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 41)

young adult siblings enjoy time with their father

Because of the importance of the family in Heavenly Father’s plan, we can expect Satan to oppose our efforts to create and strengthen our families. Our understanding of Heavenly Father’s plan can help us see through Satan’s deceptions. Elder Hales taught:

Elder Robert D. Hales

Eternal perspective informs our daily decisions and actions. It steadies our minds and souls. When persuasive but eternally flawed opinions swirl about us, we are steadfast and immovable. …

Marriage and family are under attack because Satan knows that they are essential to obtaining eternal life—as essential as the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Having failed to destroy any of those pillars of the plan, Satan seeks to destroy our understanding and practice of marriage and family. (“The Plan of Salvation: A Sacred Treasure of Knowledge to Guide Us,” Ensign, Oct. 2015, 28, 29)

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Record Your Thoughts

How can you make your family more central in your life? How can you invite the Lord’s power into your efforts to create or strengthen your own eternal family?

Want More? (Optional)

How does the Atonement of Jesus Christ enable me to have an eternal family?

Elder Kim B. Clark

Elder Kim B. Clark of the Seventy shared how Jesus Christ, by virtue of His Atonement, made it possible for a young couple to become an eternal family in his article “The Redeeming and Strengthening Power of the Savior’s Atonement” (Ensign, Apr. 2016, 50–55).

Is prioritizing family really possible in our day? Can it really bring me happiness?

Watch the video “Home and Family” (5:55) to learn from families around the world who are striving to keep family a central part of their personal lives.

Where can I learn more about the importance of family in God’s plan?

President Russell M. Nelson

President Nelson taught about the centrality of the family in God’s plan and in his own life in the article “Faith and Families” (Ensign, Mar. 2007, 36–41).

President Julie B. Beck

President Beck emphasized the central place of the doctrine of the family in Heavenly Father’s plan and discussed threats to the family in “Teaching the Doctrine of the Family” (Ensign or Liahona, Mar. 2011, 12–17).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

In his talk “Why Marriage, Why Family” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 50–53), Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught about the critical role marriage and family have played throughout human history and why these institutions must be protected in our day.