In a new video for this week’s Come, Follow Me guide, Elder David A. Bednar clarifies a crucial detail about the premortal Council in Heaven. He speaks about Abraham 3:26–28, teaching that these verses resolve a common misconception about the council.
There Was Only One Plan
“I’ve often heard it expressed that in the premortal council, two plans were presented—that Jesus presented a plan and Lucifer presented a plan,” Elder Bednar says. “But I don’t find that in these verses.”
The Apostle goes on to explain that the scriptures describe only the Eternal Father presenting His plan. “It is important to recognize that Lucifer did not present his plan. He rebelled against the Father’s plan. You learn a great deal about the adversary through that very act of rebellion in premortality.”
In an article for the January Liahona magazine, Elder Bednar further explores this distinction:
“Our Heavenly Father did not pose the question, ‘What shall we do?’ He did not seek input, solicit recommendations, or request proposals. Rather, He presented the basic elements of His plan and asked, ‘Whom shall I send?’ The essence of His question focused upon who should be sent to execute the terms and conditions of His plan. …
“Lucifer did not present a plan that was voted down by a majority of the participants in the premortal council. He is not a sympathetic figure who lost an election. He rebelled! Pride, arrogance, and selfishness motivated his revolt against the Father’s plan.”
Choosing to Follow Christ’s Example
Elder Bednar suggests that this detail reminds us to use our agency to accept the Father’s plan and follow Christ, just as we did in premortal life.
“Heavenly Father yearns for us to return home to Him,” he writes. “He invites and promises blessings, but He will never compel, coerce, or constrain our exercise of the moral agency He gave to us. We must act and choose to return to Him by following the example of His Beloved Son.”
Therefore, we can use the gift of agency not only to follow God’s plan but also to help others along the way. “The very purpose for having agency is to choose God and to love and serve and bless our brothers and sisters,” Elder Bednar says.
In the video, he teaches that these lessons about the premortal council can help us make wiser choices, remember our divine identity, and overcome opposition:
“These truths provide a sense of our eternal nature, and they provide a precious perspective on everything that we experience in mortality. Everything that we think, everything that we do, is affected by knowing where we came from, why we’re here, and where we’re going.”
Watch the entire clip to learn more from Elder Bednar.
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