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Fall of Adam and Eve

“Fall of Adam and Eve,” Topics and Questions (2023)

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Adam and Eve

Gospel Study Guide

Fall of Adam and Eve

Because of Adam and Eve’s transgression, sin and death came into the world

While the biblical account of Adam and Eve is familiar to many people, it is often misunderstood. Scriptural truths restored in our day help us better understand the conditions in the Garden of Eden and the choice made by our first parents that resulted in their being cast out of the garden. That experience is known as the Fall and brought about consequences that have affected all of God’s children.

The Fall of Adam and Eve was not a surprise to Heavenly Father. The Fall is a necessary part of God’s plan for the salvation and exaltation of His children. After the Fall occurred, Adam and Eve became mortal and gained the ability to have children, but they also became subject to sin and death.

Because of the Fall, all living things are subject to hardships, sickness, and death. This opposition is part of God’s plan for us, and it contributes to our learning, growth, and ability to experience joy. To redeem us from the effects of the Fall, Heavenly Father provided a Savior—Jesus Christ. Christ has the power to redeem the world and everyone in it from the effects of the Fall.

What Is the Fall of Adam and Eve?

The Fall of Adam and Eve refers to the choice they made to transgress God’s law, which made them subject to death and separated them from His presence. The Fall brought physical and spiritual death into the world. It was a necessary part of Heavenly Father’s plan because only after the Fall could Adam and Eve have children. The Fall therefore made it possible for God to “bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Topic overview: Fall of Adam and Eve

Related gospel study guides: Agency, Atonement of Jesus Christ, Creation, Mortal Life, Plan of Salvation

Section 1

Adam and Eve Exercised Agency

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Adam and Eve looking worried

Adam and Eve were the first of God’s children to come to the earth. They lived in a state of innocence in the Garden of Eden, meaning they had no children and did not experience joy or misery (see 2 Nephi 2:23). Two trees in the garden were especially significant—the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (see Moses 3:9). God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (see Moses 3:17). If they obeyed the commandment, they could remain in the garden. If they partook of the fruit, they would experience death.

God also emphasized that they had moral agency, or the power to choose (see Moses 3:16–17). Satan came tempting Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit. He told them that they would not die but would become wise like Heavenly Father (see Moses 4:10–11). When Adam and Eve chose to partake of the fruit, their eyes were opened and they gained knowledge, but they also experienced spiritual death, eventually being cast out from the presence of the Lord (see Doctrine and Covenants 29:40–41). They also became mortal, subject to pain, sickness, death, and other experiences of this fallen world.

Things to think about

  • Read 2 Nephi 2:15–16. What do you learn about agency by understanding more about the circumstances of the Fall? What do you learn about the importance of our need to choose good for ourselves versus evil? Notice Lehi’s use of the word “enticed” in these verses. How are we enticed by both good and evil today? What does this teach you about our need for a Savior?

Activity for learning with others

  • President Dallin H. Oaks has said:

    “Father Lehi taught that if the Fall had not taken place, Adam and Eve ‘would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery’ (2 Nephi 2:23). Without the experience of opposition in mortality, ‘all things must needs be a compound in one,’ in which there would be no happiness or misery (verse 11). …

    “‘Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy’ [verse 25].”1

    What do you learn from President Oaks’s and Lehi’s teachings in the Book of Mormon about the need for opposition?

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Section 2

Jesus Christ Overcame the Effects of the Fall

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Adam and Eve with lamb

The Fall of Adam and Eve created a separation between them and God, known as spiritual death. Because their bodies became mortal, they were also subject to physical death and were placed in a state of opposition in this world, where it would be possible to sin. Spiritual and physical death and eventual sin would all prevent Adam and Eve and their posterity from returning to God’s presence.

In His infinite love for His children, Heavenly Father provided a Savior, who made it possible for Adam and Eve—and all of us—to repent from sin. Jesus would pay the price for our sins. He would also suffer the pains of every man, woman, and child who would ever live, including the pain of our sins, injuries, sicknesses, and losses. He would die and be resurrected so we could live again. Through the matchless gift of Jesus Christ, God made it possible for us to repent of sins, learn, progress, and ultimately return to live with Him.

After leaving the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were obedient to the Lord’s commandments, including offering up the firstborn of their flocks to the Lord as a sacrifice. They later learned that the purpose of this sacrifice was to help them remember that Jesus Christ would give His life as a sacrifice for all of us. (See Moses 5:4–8.)

Things to think about

  • Read Moses 5:11. In this verse, Eve summarized what she learned from their experience with the Fall. While we often see the Fall as an introduction of pain and suffering to the earth, she notably doesn’t mention these things. Why do you think Eve chose to talk about the Fall the way she did? What can we learn from Eve about the purposes of our lives?

    President Russell M. Nelson has taught:

    “Because Jesus Christ overcame this fallen world, and because He atoned for each of us, you too can overcome this sin-saturated, self-centered, and often exhausting world.

    “Because the Savior, through His infinite Atonement, redeemed each of us from weakness, mistakes, and sin, and because He experienced every pain, worry, and burden you have ever had, then as you truly repent and seek His help, you can rise above this present precarious world.”2

    How can we overcome this fallen mortal world? When have you experienced the Savior’s help to overcome the world?

Activities for learning with others

  • Read John 3:16 as a group, and then invite group members to share what they think this verse means. Then read Moses 5:9, which describes Jesus Christ’s role as our Redeemer. Invite group members to share what they learn from these verses about the love of God and the gift of Christ’s sacrifice and Resurrection, which allows us to overcome the effects of the Fall.

  • Read Alma 7:11–13 as a group, noting each word that describes something we experience in this fallen world. For example, you might notice the words “temptations” and “sicknesses.” Make a list of these words for the group members to see. Then read the passage again, this time paying attention to words that describe what Christ has done for us. Write these words in a second list beside the first list. What does this exercise teach you about the relationship between the Fall of Adam and Eve and Jesus Christ’s role as our Savior?

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Section 3

The Fall of Adam and Eve Was Essential to God’s Plan

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Adam and Eve with children

Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, we all have the opportunity to receive a physical body and experience the joy and difficulties of mortal life. We also have opportunities every day to exercise our moral agency. Because we are separated from God with no recollection of our premortal life, we must learn and grow through faith in Jesus Christ and through our own experiences.

All of this is essential to God’s plan for our eternal happiness. To return to Him and become as He is, we are to use our agency to choose good over evil. As we go through this learning process, we make mistakes. But Jesus Christ and His Atonement make it possible for us to overcome our sins and be forgiven and made clean, allowing us to someday return to God’s presence and become like Him.

Things to think about

  • Read 2 Nephi 2:11, 15, paying attention to the role of opposition in God’s plan. What do you learn from these verses about the need for opposition? How does understanding the purpose of opposition affect the way you think about your trials?

  • The Fall brought into the world both suffering and joy. Read 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 and 2 Nephi 2:19–25, looking for the blessings that became available to all people after the Fall. What do you learn from these scriptures about the purpose of life?

Activities for learning with others

  • We know from modern scripture how Adam and Eve felt about their transgression. Read Moses 5:10–11 as a group. It might be effective to choose a male to read verse 10 and a female to read verse 11, helping group members imagine Adam and Eve speaking. Share your feelings about these verses with your group. How might Adam and Eve’s faith in Jesus Christ have helped them view their transgression the way they did?

  • What brings you joy? Invite group members to share their answers to this question. Then read 2 Nephi 2:25 together. Why do you think Lehi taught his son that “men are, that they might have joy”? What does the Fall of Adam and Eve have to do with joy? Invite group members to share their ideas.

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Other Resources about the Fall of Adam and Eve