Keywords

plan of salvation

Abstract

The concept that God had a plan from the beginning was clearly taught by the first generation of Nephite prophets in the sixth century BCE as it provided both them and their successors over the next thousand years with the background or context they could use to preach and explain the gospel of Jesus Christ to their people. The plan of salvation they taught made the relevance of the gospel of Jesus Christ for every individual born into this world perfectly clear. It explained the great blessings that would come to those who would repent and embrace all elements of the gospel. And it warned of the punishments that would await the wicked at the judgment of all men. While the concept of such a divine plan is perfectly compatible with Jewish and Christian scriptures and teaching, it is not generally recognized as part of biblical teaching, and only receives occasional mention in the reference works compiled by Bible scholars. The Book of Mormon phrasing does not occur at all in the Bible, though it does show up in the writings of Christian writers after 1830 and down to the present day.