Adam and Eve walking together

Adam and Eve, by Douglas M. Fryer

January 10–16

Genesis 3–4; Moses 4–5

The Fall of Adam and Eve

As you study Genesis 3–4 and Moses 4–5, consider what the Lord is trying to teach you. Record these truths and your spiritual impressions, and reflect on them throughout the week.

Record Your Impressions

At first, the story of the Fall of Adam and Eve might seem like a tragedy. Adam and Eve were cast out of the beautiful Garden of Eden. They were thrown into a world where pain, sorrow, and death are ever present (see Genesis 3:16–19). And they were separated from their Heavenly Father. But because of the truths restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith in the book of Moses, we know that the story of Adam and Eve is actually one of hope—and an essential part of God’s plan for His children.

The Garden of Eden was beautiful. But Adam and Eve needed something more than beautiful surroundings. They needed—and we all need—an opportunity to grow. Leaving the Garden of Eden was the necessary first step toward returning to God and eventually becoming like Him. That meant facing opposition, making mistakes, learning to repent, and trusting the Savior, whose Atonement makes possible progression and “the joy of our redemption” (Moses 5:11). So when you read about the Fall of Adam and Eve, focus not on the seeming tragedy but on the possibilities—not on the paradise Adam and Eve lost but on the glory their choice allows us to receive.

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Ideas for Personal Scripture Study

Genesis 3:1–7; Moses 4; 5:4–12

The Fall was a necessary part of God’s plan to redeem His children.

Adam and Eve’s Fall brought physical and spiritual death into the world. It also brought adversity, sorrow, and sin. These all seem like reasons to regret the Fall. But the Fall was part of Heavenly Father’s plan to redeem and exalt His children through “the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father” (Moses 5:7). As you study Genesis 3:1–7; Moses 4; 5:4–12, what truths do you find that help you understand the Fall and how Christ’s Atonement overcomes it? Questions like these might help:

• How did the Fall affect Adam and Eve? How does it affect me?

• Why did Adam and Eve offer sacrifices? What did those sacrifices symbolize? What can I learn from the angel’s words in these verses?

• Why were Adam and Eve “glad” after their Fall? What do I learn from this account about God’s plan to redeem me through Jesus Christ?

Because of the Book of Mormon and other latter-day revelations, we have a unique perspective on the Fall. For example, consider what the prophet Lehi taught his family about Adam and Eve in 2 Nephi 2:15–27. How do Lehi’s teachings clarify what happened in the Garden of Eden and help us understand why it was important?

See also 1 Corinthians 15:20–22; Mosiah 3:19; Alma 12:21–37; Doctrine and Covenants 29:39–43; Articles of Faith 1:3; Dallin H. Oaks, “The Great Plan,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 93–96; Dallin H. Oaks, “Opposition in All Things,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 114–17; Jeffrey R. Holland, “Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 104–6.

Eve holding fruit

Leaving Eden, by Annie Henrie Nader

Genesis 3:16; Moses 4:22

What does it mean that Adam was to “rule over” Eve?

This passage of scripture has sometimes been misunderstood to mean that a husband is justified in treating his wife unkindly. In our day, the Lord’s prophets have taught that while a husband should preside in the home in righteousness, he should see his wife as an equal partner (see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” [ChurchofJesusChrist.org]). Elder Dale G. Renlund and Sister Ruth Lybbert Renlund explained that a righteous husband “will seek to minister; he will acknowledge error and seek forgiveness; he will be quick to offer praise; he will be considerate of family members’ preferences; he will feel the great weight of responsibility to provide ‘the necessities of life and protection’ for his family; he will treat his wife with the utmost respect and deference. … He will bless his family” (The Melchizedek Priesthood: Understanding the Doctrine, Living the Principles [2018], 23).

Moses 5:4–9, 16–26

God will accept my sacrifices if I offer them with a willing and obedient heart.

Adam and Eve learned that animal sacrifices were symbolic of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and they made this “known unto their sons and their daughters” (Moses 5:12). As you study Moses 5:4–9, 16–26, consider the different attitudes of two of their sons, Cain and Abel, toward these sacrifices. Why did the Lord accept Abel’s sacrifice but not Cain’s?

What kinds of sacrifices does the Lord ask of you? Is there anything in Moses 5:4–9, 16–26 that changes the way you think about those sacrifices?

See also Psalm 4:5; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Omni 1:26; 3 Nephi 9:19–20; Moroni 7:6–11; Doctrine and Covenants 97:8; Jeffrey R. Holland, “Behold the Lamb of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 44–46.

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Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Home Evening

Genesis 3; Moses 4.What can you do to help your family better understand the Fall of Adam and Eve? You could copy the pictures from “Adam and Eve” (in Old Testament Stories) and cut them out. Then you could work together to put the pictures in order as you discuss the experiences of Adam and Eve. Why was the Fall necessary in Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation? Watching the video “The Fall” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) could help answer this question.

Moses 4:1–4.What do we learn about God, Jesus Christ, and Satan from these verses? Why is agency so important to God’s plan that Satan would want to destroy it?

Moses 5:5–9.What did God command Adam and Eve to do to help them think about the Savior? What has God given us to help us think about the Savior?

Moses 5:16–34.What does it mean to be our “brother’s keeper”? How can we better care for each other as a family?

For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.

Suggested song: “Choose the Right Way,” Children’s Songbook, 160–61.

Improving Personal Study

Use scripture study helps. As you study the scriptures, use the footnotes, Topical Guide, Bible Dictionary, Guide to the Scriptures, and other study helps to gain additional insights.

angel visiting Adam and Eve

Similitude, by Walter Rane