Monday, January 11, 2010

Lesson 2 -- Thou Wast Chosen Before Thou Wast Born -- One Plan

Someone (I'm not sure who) commented on a blog ,
"Heavenly Father wasn't choosing between two good plans. The plan of Salvation was already Heavenly Father's, what Heavenly Father was asking for was somebody to carry out the plan. Christ said he would do it, no problem you get all the Honor. Lucifer said, I will do, but we have to play by my rules, and give me the honor"

 Here is a quote from Elder McConkie: 
One of the saddest examples of a misconceived and twisted knowledge of an otherwise glorious concept is the all-too-common heresy that there were two plans of salvation; that the Father (presumptively at a loss to know what to do) asked others for proposals; that Christ offered a plan involving agency and Lucifer proposed a plan denying agency; that the Father chose between them; and that Lucifer, his plan being rejected, rebelled, and then there was war in heaven.
Even a cursory knowledge of the overall scheme of things reassures spiritually discerning persons that all things center in the Father; that the plan of salvation which he designed was to save his children, Christ included; and that neither Christ nor Lucifer could of themselves save anyone. As Jesus said: "The Son can do nothing of himself. . . . I can of mine own self do nothing." (John 5:19, 30.)
There is, of course, a sense in which we may refer to Lucifer's proposed modifications of the Father's plan as Lucifer's plan, and Christ made the Father's plan his own by adoption. But what is basically important in this respect is to know that the power to save is vested in the Father, and that he originated, ordained, created, and established his own plan; that he announced it to his children; and that he then asked for a volunteer to be the Redeemer, the Deliverer, the Messiah, who would put the eternal plan of the Eternal Father into eternal operation.
(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-1981], 1: .)