The Creation and the Fall
The creation of the earth and the Fall of Adam and Eve are part of God’s perfect plan for His children.
God created the earth for our benefit
Under God’s direction, Jesus Christ created the earth for us as a place where we could get a physical body and gain experience by making our own choices. As we learn to discern between right and wrong, and choose the right, we can become more like our Heavenly Father.
The home created for us here on earth was designed to give us everything we need to live and grow. Some things on earth provide us challenges to overcome, but God also included many beautiful and pleasant things for us to enjoy. We can see evidence of God’s love for us all around us in nature.
Adam and Eve were God’s first children to come to earth
We existed as spirits without physical bodies before our mortal life here on earth. The first two children of God to come to earth and receive a body were Adam and Eve. God created their mortal bodies in His image (see Genesis 1:27) and placed them in a beautiful place known as the Garden of Eden, where they did not have to work for food or other things they might need. They did not experience sorrow or pain there, but as a result, they did not understand true joy (see 2 Nephi 2:2–23).
Adam and Eve in the Garden
When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they were not yet mortal and could not die. The Lord explained that they could eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except one—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He commanded them not to eat from it and told them that if they did, they would “surely die” (Genesis 2:17).
God knew Adam and Eve perfectly, just as He knows each of us perfectly. He knew they would eventually choose to try the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, even though they had been warned of the consequences. When they did so, it was known as “the Fall,” and it was part of God’s plan. As a consequence, Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to live in the Garden of Eden, and they were cast out into the world, where they had to labor to provide for themselves and would someday die. They experienced the pain and sorrows that came with leaving God’s presence, but they also experienced the joy of having a family.
“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” —2 Nephi 2:25
Because of Jesus Christ, we can repent of our sins
God knew that all of His children would make mistakes while living on earth. Heavenly Father’s plan provided a way for us to be forgiven of our sins and become clean so we can be worthy to return to live with Him again after we die.
Salvation is possible through Jesus Christ, who was the only one of God’s children to live a sinless life on earth. Before the earth was formed, Jesus Christ was chosen by Heavenly Father to be our Savior. He voluntarily came to this earth, suffered for the sins of all people, and died for us. Through His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, Jesus overcame the sins committed here on earth by all of God’s children, starting with Adam and Eve. If we follow Him and repent when we make wrong choices, we can be saved from spiritual death, or separation from God. Jesus also overcame physical death when He died and rose from the tomb three days later. Because of Him, we can all be resurrected and live forever.