This is the first of two lessons on Moses 5. Moses 5:1–11 teaches about Adam and Eve’s experiences after the Fall. After offering sacrifices in obedience to God’s commandments, Adam and Eve learned that they could be redeemed and obtain the blessings of eternal life.
Adam and Eve experience the consequences of the Fall
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Adam and Eve
Think of a time when you have experienced a significant change in your life, such as moving to a new home or changing schools. Was this change difficult for you? Why, or why not?
Adam and Eve experienced significant changes after they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. To learn about these changes, read the “Before the Fall” sections of the chart, and then complete the “After the Fall” sections by searching for information from Moses 5:1–4.
Before the Fall:
Adam and Eve did not need to labor for their food.
Adam and Eve could not have children.
Adam and Eve lived in God’s presence and spoke with Him face to face.
You may want to mark the following phrase in verse 4: “they were shut out from his presence.”
What feelings do you think Adam and Eve may have experienced after they were shut out from God’s presence? Why?
Spiritual death is the term we use to describe the condition of being separated from the presence of God. “The scriptures teach of two sources of spiritual death. The first source is the Fall, and the second is our own disobedience” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 48).
Spiritual Death
The Fall of Adam and Eve
Our own disobedience
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causes us to experience spiritual death because we are born into a fallen world in which we are separated from our Heavenly Father.
causes us to experience spiritual death because our sins make us spiritually unclean and unworthy to be in our Heavenly Father’s presence.
To help you further understand how spiritual death relates to you, reflect on feelings you have had after you knowingly disobeyed a commandment.
Feelings such as guilt, shame, sorrow, regret, and emptiness and a lack of feeling the Spirit of the Lord can indicate that we have distanced ourselves from Heavenly Father because of our disobedience. Through these feelings, we can come to understand in a small degree what it means to be shut out from Heavenly Father’s presence (see D&C 19:20).
Adam and Eve offer sacrifice in obedience to God’s commandments
Heavenly Father helped Adam and Eve understand how they could overcome the effects of spiritual death and again enjoy His presence.
Read Moses 5:5, looking for what Heavenly Father commanded Adam and Eve to do after the Fall. (As you read, it might be helpful to know that to “offer the firstlings of their flocks” means that Adam and Eve were to sacrifice the firstborn male lambs upon an altar.)
According to verse 5, how did Adam respond to this commandment?
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lamb
Consider how sacrificing the firstborn male lambs could help Adam and Eve understand Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption and what would be required for them to be able to return to God’s presence.
Read Moses 5:6, looking for what happened after Adam and Eve had been obedient to the Lord’s commandment for “many days.”
What did Adam say after the angel asked him why he offered sacrifices?
Complete the following principle we can learn from Adam’s faithful example: We can choose to obey the Lord’s commandments even if .
Answer the following questions in your scripture study journal:
How can our life be blessed when we obey the Lord’s commandments even if we do not fully understand the reasons for the commandments?
How have you been blessed when you obeyed a commandment you did not completely understand?
The angel responded to Adam’s expression of faith by explaining why the Lord had given him this commandment. Read Moses 5:7, looking for what the angel taught about the sacrifices Adam offered.
The word similitude means a similarity, comparison, likeness, or symbol.
Answer the following question in your scripture study journal: In what ways were the sacrifices offered by Adam and Eve similar to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
As you read the following statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith, mark words or phrases that help you further understand the purpose of animal sacrifice:
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Prophet Joseph Smith
“Certainly, the shedding of the blood of a beast could be beneficial to no man, except it was done in imitation, or as a type, or explanation of what was to be offered through the gift of God Himself—and this performance done with an eye looking forward in faith on the power of that great Sacrifice for the remission of sins. …
“… We conclude that whenever the Lord revealed Himself to men in ancient days, and commanded them to offer sacrifice to Him, that it was done that they might look forward in faith to the time of His coming, and rely upon the power of that atonement for a remission of their sins” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 48–49).
After the angel taught Adam and Eve about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, he gave them additional commandments from the Lord that would help them to receive the blessings of the Atonement.
Read Moses 5:8, looking for additional commandments given to Adam and Eve. You may want to mark what you find in your scriptures.
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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained why Adam and Eve were commanded to “call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore” (Moses 5:8): “Why are they to call upon God? Is this a social visit? Is it a friendly neighborhood chat? No, this is a call for help from the lone and dreary world. This is a call from the brink of despair. … This is a call from the personal prison of a sinful heart. It is a call for the forgiveness of sins” (“I Stand All Amazed,” Ensign, Aug. 1986, 69).
Adam and Eve learn that they can be redeemed and obtain the blessings of eternal life
After an angel taught them about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Adam and Eve received further knowledge and testimony through the Holy Ghost.
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angel with Adam and Eve at altar
Study Moses 5:9, looking for what the Lord taught Adam and Eve through the Holy Ghost.
From what you learn in verse 9, complete the following principle: If we repent and call upon God for forgiveness, then we can .
To be redeemed from our sins means that after sincere repentance we can be delivered or freed from the spiritual consequences and penalties of our sins and be restored to a state of innocence before God.
Read Moses 5:10–11, looking for how Adam and Eve reacted to the news that they could be redeemed. (The word transgression in these verses refers to the Fall of Adam and Eve.)
From these verses we learn that without the Fall and the Atonement, we could not obtain the blessings of eternal life. You may want to mark words or phrases in your scriptures that teach this doctrine.
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Jesus Praying in Gethsemane
What emotion did Adam and Eve express as they learned about the Atonement of Jesus Christ? You may want to mark what you discover in your scriptures.
Answer the following question in your scripture study journal: Why do you think Adam and Eve would express joy as they learned about the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
Write in your scripture study journal the feelings you have about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and why it is important to you. For example, you could complete the following statement: Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I can …
Remember that you can receive the blessings of the Atonement, including joy and redemption from your sins, as you repent and pray to Heavenly Father for forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ.
Write the following at the bottom of today’s assignments in your scripture study journal:
I have studied Moses 5:1–11 and completed this lesson on (date).
Additional questions, thoughts, and insights I would like to share with my teacher: