Gospel Principles Lesson 6
I am thankful for this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for you and for me. This world is the home God prepared for his children to experience mortality. Adam and Eve are our first parents. (See Moses 1:34; Moses 4:26) They brought mortality into the world, thus furthering Heavenly Father's Plan. (See Doctrine and Covenants 107:54-56)
We need not think that Adam and Eve were evil. They were righteous, and they made righteous covenants with Heavenly Father and remained faithful to Him. Adam and Eve were two of Heavenly Father's noblest children. Adam had been Michael, the Archangel, in his premortal life. (See Doctrine 27:11; Jude 1:9) Heavenly Father chose Michael to lead his faithful sons and daughters in the battle against Satan and his followers. (See Revelation 12:7-9) Adam and Eve were foreordained to be the first parents to all the families on earth. They were promised great blessings. (See Doctrine and Covenants 107:55) Eve likewise would be blessed alongside Adam.
When Adam and Eve were first created to live in the Garden of Eden, they weren't yet mortal. Neither was the earth in a mortal state. There was no sickness or death here; but, there also was no growth or real joy. During this period, they also could not have children. (See 2 Nephi 2:23)
Adam and Eve's spirits were housed in physical bodies made from the dust of the earth. (See Moses 6:59; Abraham 5:7) But before the Fall, these bodies would not age or die. Their physical life would continue in the same state indefinitely without the conditions of the Fall. They also had spiritual life in the Garden of Eden. They were in God's presence while in the garden. So far they had not yet made a chose between good and evil.
God gave Adam and Eve a commandment to have children and to take care of the earth. (See Moses 2:28) They were told that they could freely eat of all the fruits from every tree in the garden, except one. God told them that they could choose whether or not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, with a strict charge that they would die at some point if they did. (See Moses 3:17) Because mortality would be challenging, God did not force it on Adam or Eve, but let them decide for themselves.
Satan did not like seeing Adam and Eve so content and restful in the Garden of Eden. Wanting to destroy God's Plan for their Happiness, he tempted them to eat of the fruit of that tree. He told Eve that she and Adam would not die, but that they would be like the gods, by eating the fruit, knowing good and evil. (See Moses 4:11) Satan has always been a master of telling half-truths. Eve listened to Satan and ate of the fruit. When Adam realized that in order to stay with Eve, he had to eat the fruit, he also chose to eat it. Eating of that fruit brought changes to Adam and Eve's physical bodies; they became mortal. This is known as the Fall.
The Fall was a necessary step in the Plan of Salvation. We would need a Savior. The Fall also allowed Adam and Even to become our first parents. It gave us all the freedom to make choices during our mortal existence.
Adam and Eve were no longer permitted to live in the Garden of Eden. The Lord sent them away to live in the world. As mortals, they and their children would have to experience sickness, pain, and physical death. When Adam and Eve were driven from the garden, they were no longer permitted to live in God's presence. Adam and Eve and their children wold not be able to walk and talk with God face to face. This constituted a spiritual death, being cut off from the presence of the Lord. But remember, this was part of our Father's Plan to allow us to learn to live by faith; and He would not leave us completely alone.
We should feel thankful for the Fall. It was a necessary part in God's Plan for our Happiness, and we have all been blessed because of it. We are blessed to have physical bodies; we are blessed to have agency, the right to choose between good and evil; we are blessed to be able to choose good and progress towards eternal life in Heavenly Father's Plan. These blessings are a direct result of Adam and Eve's choice to partake of the fruit. None of these blessings could have been realized if they had remained in the garden.
This is what Eve said concerning the Fall, "Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. (Moses 5:11) The prophet Lehi explained it more thoroughly in 2 Nephi 2:22-25:
22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
Indeed the purpose of our existence is that we might have joy. This goes along with God's mission statement for us, in Moses 1:39:
The Fall played an important part in allowing Adam and Eve and all of their descendants the privilege of practicing agency, the freedom to choose. As we choose to follow the Lord's Plan, we will feel His Spirit, be happy, and be on the path to eternal life.
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