The foundational pillars of God's plan are the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. These three preeminent events are doctrinally interrelated and form the bedrock of understanding God's overarching purpose for humanity.
Understanding the Three Pillars
These three interconnected pillars provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the divine plan and our place within it. Each pillar plays a crucial and distinct role, yet they are inseparable in their significance.
1. The Creation
The Creation marks the beginning of our mortal journey. It refers to the formation of the earth as a place for God's children to gain experience and bodies.
- Purpose: To provide a physical realm where individuals could live, grow, and make choices, enabling them to progress towards their divine potential.
- Significance: It established the necessary environment for mortal life, including the elements and laws that govern our existence. It also signifies the beginning of the plan for salvation and exaltation.
2. The Fall
The Fall refers to the transition of Adam and Eve from a state of innocence and immortality in the Garden of Eden to a state of mortality, where they could experience opposition, pain, joy, and the ability to procreate.
- Consequences:
- Mortality: Introduction of physical death and the ability to have children.
- Agency: Enabled individuals to exercise moral agency, choosing between good and evil, and learning from experience.
- Opposition: Created a state where growth and learning could occur through facing challenges and making choices.
- Necessity: Without the Fall, mankind would have remained in a state of innocence, unable to progress, choose, or experience the fullness of life.
3. The Atonement
The Atonement is the central and most vital pillar of God's plan, providing the means for all to overcome the effects of the Fall and return to God's presence.
- Purpose: Through divine suffering, it overcomes both physical death (through resurrection for all) and spiritual death (through forgiveness of sins, conditioned on repentance).
- Impact:
- Redemption: Provides the pathway for forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation with God.
- Empowerment: Offers strength and grace to navigate life's challenges and become more like God.
- Eternal Life: Makes it possible for individuals to return to live in God's presence eternally, cleansed and perfected.
Interrelationship of the Pillars
These three pillars are not isolated events but are deeply and doctrinally interrelated. The Creation provided the setting, the Fall introduced the need for a Savior, and the Atonement fulfilled that need, making eternal progression possible.
| Pillar | Description | Key Role in God's Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Creation | Establishment of Earth and mortal life | Provides a place for embodied experience and agency |
| The Fall | Transition to mortality and introduction of opposition/choice | Enables progression, procreation, and moral development |
| Atonement | Sacrifice of the Savior to overcome death and sin | Offers redemption, forgiveness, and the path to eternal life |
Understanding these pillars provides clarity on the purpose of life and the divine love that underpins the eternal journey of mankind.
