The Great Plan of Happiness

The Atonement and Fall

For a message about the atonement, it is the rectification of the breaking of a universal law, in which the outcome is known in general terms as “the fall.” This atonement is also the blessing of the entire human family throughout all the eternities. So much of how we allow the atonement’s reach to be for us in the eternities, depends on our faithfulness according to the light and knowledge we have and receive here. In other words, we are to do the very best we can, with what we have and are given.

This fall, which started in the garden of Eden, made possible death and sin into the world, through introducing an unclean substance into their bodies, namely, the fruit from The tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree, which was planted in the garden by God as a fig tree, was originally clean, but it was the only tree in the garden, whose fruit had seeds.

This made it the only candidate for satan and his devils to curse, and set his plans in motion to destroy mankind. For because they had cursed it, the tree became unclean, or unhealthy. And with the fruit having seed, it also caused a change in Adam and Eve’s bodies, to have their own seed (children). It also caused the new reality of death, as it had been wrought upon and made unhealthy by the altering of its DNA, from the cursing of the demons. For they wrought upon it with their evil influence, and made it unclean.

Before the fall was underwent, their predicament of being innocent, without being wise, was not the end goal of our Father in Heaven. Therefore, Eve needed to partake of the fruit, and Adam also, that they may then have learned through their lives for themselves, and progress from grace to grace through the atonement.

As it is stated in LDS doctrine, partaking of the fruit, gave their bodies the ability to have children, and die, through the effect the fruit had on them. And God, who is without sin, who cannot create anything in sin, had to create them in this state of innocence, and then try them with the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth, while also not partaking of the fruit, which would bring about children, and the knowledge of sin. For God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.

But even as the atonement was already a part of God’s plan before sending us to this earth, so too was the fall. Heavenly Father is not capable of sin, so He could not create Adam and Eve into a fallen state, to carry out His purposes for His children, which purpose is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life.

Truly this fall, which not only changed Adam and Eve’s bodies, by introducing death into their bodies, and the ability to have seed, or children, it also changed the earth, into a corruptible state, bringing about entropy and decay.

Christ is the rectification of this fall, using it to further the growth and potential of mankind, through turning something hard and sorrowful, into something good and glorious, by helping us to learn from our mistakes, and repent of our sins. So is this life.

Indeed, on the opposite hand, the Tree of Life, planted in the garden of Eden, was God’s pinnacle creation of the garden, in terms of plant life, but mankind, was His pinnacle creation, even after the image and likeness of Himself, and His Son Jesus Christ.

For in all things there is opposition. Even a little bit of bad to everything good, and a little bit of good to everything bad, circumstantially speaking. For all things must be a compound in one, or it must be as dead, or as a thing of naught. Our task then, is to choose the better part.

The tree was there, and Satan cast down to earth by God, to start the process of earth life for God’s children, so that they could suffer, have joy, learn, grow and have children, all towards the purposes of becoming more like our Father in Heaven.

The Atonement takes something which would by itself be the destruction of all things, and raises mankind’s course upward into the celestial realms, where attainment unto godhood is made possible. For as a child can become like their parents, so too can we, as literal children of our Father in Heaven, become like Them.

As was God’s plan in the beginning, He wanted us to be like Him, and to do this, we had to pass through mortality, as He once had, walk in the path wrought by His Son, our Savior, through His holy atoning sacrifice experience, and come unto Him through repentance, and keeping His commandments.

With such a glorious gift as this, is it any wonder, that those who understand this marvelous atonement, and live by it, truly rejoice in their love and relationship with their Savior? Our Savior lives! He is the course of true joy and happiness! He understands all of us, and all our needs and concerns, and He cares perfectly for us. How? Through the atoning sacrifice experience he suffered. Because He literally experienced it with us, at the time He suffered for it.

He also carries us, and lessens the burdens we bear, but only to the degree that we can handle, so that we too can experience growth from our trials. This is essential. We must learn and grow through test, trial, and suffering. To go to Him, and not try to do things ineffectivelby by ourselves, for this is the great plan of happiness!

Atonement

A plan was presented,
In which One was chosen,
To carry the burden,
To give eternal progress.

Agency was the founding proposal,
And opposition was to be,
A perpetual agent, to achieve advancement,
In this most critical time of being.

In this plan, a heavenly law was broken,
And a falling away resulted.
There needed to be a way,
For all mankind to be saved.

So God our Father who loves us,
Sent His Son on our behalf,
Anointed and sacred,
To be the atoning One, and mark the path.

He was the Lamb of God,
The Firstborn, perfect and blameless,
The very greatest in heaven,
Offered up for us to return.

To magnify His Father’s power,
And give glory to Him on high,
He came to ultimately suffer, be crucified, die,
And raise again from death to life.

To do His Father’s will, was His only design.
His atonement is for all mankind,
Infinite, and eternally divine, to make us clean,
Redeem, set free, and never die again.

Shane