God desired to help His children progress, and so He established the plan of salvation or the plan of happiness. Essential to this great plan is for humankind to experience opposition and choose between good and evil.
God knew His children would need saving help, which He lovingly provided, taught President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in his April 2025 general conference message.
“By far God’s strongest mortal help was His provision of a Savior, Jesus Christ, who would suffer to pay the price and provide forgiveness for repented sins,” President Oaks said.
The Savior’s Atonement “bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead” (Alma 42:23), and it “atone[s] for the sins of the world” (Alma 34:8).
Beyond this gift, the plan includes many other helps to guide people through their mortal journeys — including gifts to protect people from sinning in the first place.
President Oaks spoke of four of these helps, but he explained that they overlap and there are other merciful protections as well.
The Light or Spirit of Christ
President Oaks first spoke of the Light or Spirit of Christ. He explained that the scriptures teach that everyone is given the Spirit of Christ to know good from evil (see Moroni 7:16) and the Spirit enlighteneth everyone throughout the world (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:46; 136:33).
He quoted President Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10th President of the Church, who said everyone is born with the right to receive the guidance, instruction and counsel of the Spirit of Christ.
Commandments, ordinances and covenants
The second great assistance provided by the Lord are divine instructions in the scriptures — these are commandments, ordinances and covenants.
Commandments define the path that Heavenly Father marked for His children to progress toward eternal life.
“People who imagine commandments as the way God decides who to punish fail to understand this purpose of God’s loving plan of happiness,” President Oaks said. “On that path we can gradually achieve the needed relationship with our Savior and qualify for an increase of His power to help us on our way to the destination He desires for all of us.”
Ordinances and covenants are part of the law that defines the path to eternal life — they are required steps and essential guardrails along that path.
“I like to think of the role of covenants as demonstrating that under God’s plan, His highest blessings are given to those who promise in advance to keep certain commandments and who keep those promises,” he said.
Manifestations of the Holy Ghost
Manifestations of the Holy Ghost are other God-given helps for making right choices. President Oaks reminded all that the Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. Scripture defines His function as being to testify of the Father and the Son, to teach, to bring all things to remembrance and to guide into all truth.
For example, a manifestation of the Holy Ghost can be a spiritual witness received as an answer to prayer about the truth of the Book of Mormon.
The gift of the Holy Ghost
The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the most significant of God’s helps for His children, President Oaks said. This is conferred upon someone after they repent and are baptized.
Those who have been baptized, repent daily and partake of the sacrament are promised that the Holy Ghost “may always ... be with them” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77).
President Oaks quoted President Joseph F. Smith, the sixth President of the Church, who said, “Without the aid of the Holy Spirit no mortal can walk in the straight and narrow way.”
‘Our part in this divine plan’
President Oaks said that with so many powerful helps during this mortal journey, it is disappointing that many are unprepared to meet Jesus Christ again.
He said many deviations from the path occur when Church members do not follow “the fundamental spiritual maintenance plan” of prayer, scripture study, repentance and partaking of the sacrament.
But humility and trust in the Lord are the remedies, he explained. Helaman 12:1 teaches that the Lord “doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.”
A loving Father in Heaven gave His children many mortal helps so they could return to Him.
“Our part in this divine plan is to trust in God and seek divine helps, most notably the Atonement of His Beloved Son, our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ,” President Oaks said.
