LDS Plan of Salvation: Church Teachings & Doctrine

LDS Perspective

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the Plan of Salvation — also referred to as the Plan of Happiness or the Plan of Redemption — is the eternal framework established by God the Father for His children to experience mortality, exercise agency, and ultimately return to live in His presence. Before birth, all individuals existed as spirit children of Heavenly Parents in a pre-mortal realm, where the foundations of earthly life were laid through the Creation and the Fall of Adam and Eve. This mortal probation provides the necessary physical body and experiences for growth that could not be obtained in the premortal existence. The Plan is divided into several stages: the premortal life, where spirits lived with God and chose to follow His plan; mortal birth and earthl

Historical Perspective

The LDS Church teaches that the Plan of Salvation (also referred to as the "great plan of happiness" or "plan of redemption") is the comprehensive framework for humanity's eternal progression, originating in the premortal existence where Heavenly Father prepared a way for his spirit children to become like him and receive a fulness of joy. According to standard LDS doctrinal summaries, this plan encompasses the Creation, the Fall of Adam and Eve, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and all associated gospel laws, ordinances, and doctrines necessary for exaltation. Central to this theology is the concept of moral agency—the ability to choose and act for oneself—which is deemed essential to the Father's design. The plan promises that through the Atonement, individuals can be perfected, receive et