A Christ-Centered View of the Plan of Happiness

The figure above shows what Nathan Richardson calls the “location view” of the Plan of Salvation—or, as Alma calls it, the “great plan of happiness.” There is nothing factually wrong with the figure. It is a clear and easy to understand diagram of where we have been and where we are going. However, as Richardson observes, something essential is missing: there is no mention anywhere of Jesus Christ and His role as Savior and Redeemer.This is a way of thinking about the Plan that, regrettably, leaves out its very heart.

The Three Pillars of Eternity
It was Elder Bruce R. McConkie who brought attention to the fact that there is a different, Christ-centered way of presenting this Plan that appears several places in scripture. It emphasizes what he called the “three pillars” of the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

“The Fundamental Principles of Our Religion”
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the basis for every essential element of our religion. Indeed, we might say that our religion is nothing more nor less than an application of the results of this Atonement to the lives of individuals and families. The Atonement is the means by which we are saved and exalted, and without it our Church would be nothing more than a social club. The Prophet Joseph Smith said it this way:

The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.

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Why Do We Participate in Temple Ordinances?

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has expressed the concern that sometimes “Church members focus on what the Lord wants them to do and how to do it, but forget the why.” Further explaining his feelings, he said:

While understanding the “what” and the “how” of the Gospel is necessary, the eternal fire and majesty of the Gospel springs from the “why.” When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the Gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet.

Why do we participate in temple ordinances? Three main reasons come to mind:

• A first reason is personal communion with the Lord. I have often gone to the temple to seek help with the particular challenges of the moment. That help has always come when the time was right, and when I was sufficiently prepared to receive it. However, if personal communion with the Lord were the only reason to go to the temple, He could just as well have had special-purpose rooms for meditation and prayer built in every local meetinghouse. Members would have been spared considerable time, expense, and travel.
• A second reason is to receive required ordinances for ourselves and for our ancestors. The importance of providing these ordinances for each one of God’s children cannot be overstated. However, if performing the necessary ordinance work for others were the only reason we were invited to return to the temple frequently, the Lord could have designed the experience in a way that would have allowed us to complete the essential elements in behalf of each person much more efficiently, in minutes rather than hours.
• A third reason—sometimes forgotten, though equally essential—is to participate in instruction on the plan of happiness and our place within it. For example, each time we join in an endowment session, we benefit from approximately an hour and a half of divinely-prepared and carefully-executed lessons about the most important matters in the universe. This is the graduate school of spiritual instruction. Here we are taught not only as we reflect on what we see, hear, and do, but also as we receive enlightenment directly from the Holy Spirit, custom-tailored to our current needs and to our state of personal readiness, in a quiet setting free from inner and outer distractions.

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Signing at the BYU Bookstore

Jeff will be at the BYU Bookstore doing a book signing to promote his new book, Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, and would love to talk to anyone able to come!

Date: Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Time: 12:00pm to 2:00pm

BYU Bookstore
Wilkinson Student Center (WSC)
Brigham Young University
University Hill,
Provo, Utah 84602
(map)

Presentation in Provo on 22 September 2012

Jeff will present as part of the The Temple on Mount Zion symposium in Provo, Utah. His presentation is tentatively entitled: "Noah's Ark and the Tower of Babel: Temple and Anti-Temple." Come prepared to learn, share, and interact with the attendees and speakers!

Date: Saturday, 22 September 2012
Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm

Provo Public Library
550 N University Avenue
Provo, UT (map)

Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw's latest book was just released! For information on where to purchase it, go here. Here's a blurb on what it's about:

The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, as found in D&C 84:33-48, is an ideal focus for a scripture-based study of temple themes. These verses speak plainly about the highest blessings of the Melchizedek Priesthood. What may be less-appreciated is the clarity with which the same revelation describes the required sequence of ordinances through which individuals and families may qualify for exaltation. It is significant that this revelation was given in 1832, a decade before the Prophet began to teach many doctrines of the higher priesthood and the temple in plainness to the Saints in Nauvoo.

The purpose of this book is to explore the meaning of the verses summarizing the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood in light of the ordinances required for exaltation. In matters of doctrine, the author has relied on what can be found in scripture and in statements of members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. To provide illustrations and additional background, he has drawn from a wealth of other sources. Written engagingly, and illustrated with carefully-selected images, this book is designed to encourage readers in their own study of priesthood doctrines and in their personal efforts to understand and keep their covenants.

Updated website!

As of last week, templethemes.net has been expanded and updated.
There may be a few more changes over the next few weeks, but feel free to look around, buy a book or two, or simply contact the author with any comments, suggestions, or insights you might have.

Presentation at the EXPOUND Symposium

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw has been invited to speak at the first EXPOUND Symposium, to be held in May. His talk will be entitled "Stand[ing] in the Holy Place: Reverberations of an Enigmatic New Testament Phrase in Jewish Midrash and Modern Revelation".

Date: Saturday, 14 May 2011
Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm
Location: 550 N University Avenue, Provo, UT (map)
Website: EXPOUND Symposium

More information can be found at the symposium website.