Some time ago I became interested in the similarities and differences as to how the modern Christian faith is taught and what I understood as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I started reading online the information provided by biblical professors churches and clergy on their websites and youtube channels. I also started to participate in discussion forums on Facebook, Youtube and others to learn from conversations about Christian and biblical theology.
The discussions I have followed and the reading has been interesting and informative. One topic in particular that distinguishes Latter-day Saint theology from the theology of traditional or mainstream Christianity is how we, Latter-day Saints, understand the Fall of Adam and Eve and the eternal nature of the doctrine of Christ. Latter-day Saints believe that Adam and Eve and all the prophets of God that followed them believed that Jesus Christ would be their Savior. Errors and among some of the earliest Christian thinkers after Christ died and apostolic authority was lost were perpetuated and truths about the nature of God and the purposes of creation were lost from the teachings of Christendom for almost 2000 years.
The discussions I have followed and the reading has been interesting and informative. One topic in particular that distinguishes Latter-day Saint theology from the theology of traditional or mainstream Christianity is how we, Latter-day Saints, understand the Fall of Adam and Eve and the eternal nature of the doctrine of Christ. Latter-day Saints believe that Adam and Eve and all the prophets of God that followed them believed that Jesus Christ would be their Savior. Errors and among some of the earliest Christian thinkers after Christ died and apostolic authority was lost were perpetuated and truths about the nature of God and the purposes of creation were lost from the teachings of Christendom for almost 2000 years.
Many times I had a discussion with biblical students as they declared with total conviction that they believe that partaking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was a serious mistake, even a rebellion. Christian theologians and philosophers have speculated that Adam and Eve were meant to live in the paradisiacal setting in the Garden of Eden forever. This conclusion, however, has many shortcomings besides making the sacrifice of Jesus Christ a back up plan.
There seems to be that most Christians believe that Jesus was the Lamb of God, slain from before the foundation of the world? The Bible teaches this but what does this mean? If love was the reason this sacrifice was planned and implemented according to God's foreknowledge, at what point in time or eternity did the souls of every human being come into consideration for salvation or for that matter damnation?
There seems to be that most Christians believe that Jesus was the Lamb of God, slain from before the foundation of the world? The Bible teaches this but what does this mean? If love was the reason this sacrifice was planned and implemented according to God's foreknowledge, at what point in time or eternity did the souls of every human being come into consideration for salvation or for that matter damnation?
There are two basic theological considerations as to what God intended to truly be a heaven of glorious nature. One is living forever in the Garden of Eden as naive innocent immortal beings and not undergo the Fall. This would entail living with Satan and him tempting Adam and Eve for all of eternity. There would be no children as the narrative indicates they were naked and unaware of the nature of their bodies.
The other is the heaven spoken of by Jesus Christ for those that have fallen and been redeemed by His atonement. This is a place described as having many mansions? The bodies of Adam and Eve in the Garden were corruptible as evidenced by their fall. The resurrected bodies promised by Christ would be incorruptible and glorious.
If Jesus Christ is the most important part of God's plan how have biblical scholars concluded that the Garden of Eden was God's initial plan for the happiness of mankind? Why is it a common conclusion among Christian theologians that the Fall was a serious mistake? Because they fail to see the eternal nature of Christianity. Mainstream theology sees the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a temporary solution to the problem of the Fall.
If Jesus was foreordained from before the foundation of the world to be our Savior, wouldn't it stand to reason that Adam and Eve were also foreordained to fall and would therefore become the world's first people to be taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
God's intent for creation surely was to bless all of his children, not just Adam and Eve. Many people seem to think the Garden narrative is about two people behaving badly. It isn't.
If Jesus Christ is the most important part of God's plan how have biblical scholars concluded that the Garden of Eden was God's initial plan for the happiness of mankind? Why is it a common conclusion among Christian theologians that the Fall was a serious mistake? Because they fail to see the eternal nature of Christianity. Mainstream theology sees the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a temporary solution to the problem of the Fall.
Traditional teachings view our current state of living as a punishment or curse. On the other hand, LDS see that the earth was "cursed for our sake"? There is obviously a conflict in reasoning if one believes Eden was intended as an eternal residence for only two people.
Was it really God's intent that they forgo the risks, the suffering, and death pertaining to mortality and remain static innocent souls living with the devil? How can a place be paradise if Satan is an eternal resident?
If Jesus was foreordained from before the foundation of the world to be our Savior, wouldn't it stand to reason that Adam and Eve were also foreordained to fall and would therefore become the world's first people to be taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
From modern revelation in the Pearl of Great Price in the book of Moses we read.
Moses
57 Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must arepent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no bunclean thing can dwell there, or cdwell in his dpresence; for, in the language of Adam, eMan of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the fSon of Man, even gJesus Christ, a righteous hJudge, who shall come in the meridian of time.
59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the aspirit, which I have made, and so became of bdust a living soul, even so ye must be cborn again into the kingdom of heaven, of dwater, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and eenjoy the fwords of geternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal hglory;
This narrative ends with Adam's baptisim.
Here are a few examples where we see the powerful witness of the Book of Mormon as a testament of Jesus Christ.
Jacob 4
4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we aknew of Christ, and we had a hope of his bglory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy cprophets which were before us.
Jacob 7
10 And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea.
11 And I said unto him: Then ye do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the aprophets have written, nor bprophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.
2 Nephi 9
6 For as adeath hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful bplan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of cresurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the dfall; and the fall came by reason of etransgression; and because man became fallen they were fcut off from the gpresence of the Lord.
From Latter-day revelation and scripture we learn that Satan was a prominent influencer in the pre-mortal life and sought to eliminate the risk and suffering of mortality. He claimed he could save all souls without risk by taking away our agency. He sought the glory of the Father and to eliminate the need for the sacrifice, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ. He sought to make himself a savior contrary to the principles of heaven.
Because of his rebellion, a war in heaven was fought and he was cast out with a significant one-third of the hosts of heaven at the time. Now see him operate with a certain vengeance to destroy the family of Adam and Eve, even the family of God. Would Eden really be a paradise with the devil coming and going as he pleased?
While suffering comes about because of the influence of Lucifer's pride and ambition, certain bounds are drawn around his abilities to tempt and destroy. God obviously used his prideful character to incline Eve to the tree and the knowledge it offered to make her like God. God confirmed the truth that Satan told her when he said "behold, the man has become as one of us to know good and evil. From that point on life become a test to see if we will choose good over evil. With this knowledge, Adam and Eve's eyes were opened to the power of procreation and the human family.
The scriptures are clear, there is only one-way eternal salvation with God's work and glory to bring exaltation to his children, and that is through the atonement of Jesus Christ. This requires creation, mortality, the risks of freedom with accountability, and death. Our life here with all of its uncertainties is clearly God's will or we would not be here.
The fall had to occur according to principles of free will and agency. This is why Satan was allowed in the Garden. It was given to Adam and Eve to choose according to their own free will to undergo certain consequences (death and sin) and not to have them forced upon them. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
It is not possible to have free will without alternative choices. In Adam's case, it was to stay in the Garden and live or to eat the fruit and die. In other words, there must be opposition in all things.
The scriptures are clear, there is only one-way eternal salvation with God's work and glory to bring exaltation to his children, and that is through the atonement of Jesus Christ. This requires creation, mortality, the risks of freedom with accountability, and death. Our life here with all of its uncertainties is clearly God's will or we would not be here.
The fall had to occur according to principles of free will and agency. This is why Satan was allowed in the Garden. It was given to Adam and Eve to choose according to their own free will to undergo certain consequences (death and sin) and not to have them forced upon them. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
It is not possible to have free will without alternative choices. In Adam's case, it was to stay in the Garden and live or to eat the fruit and die. In other words, there must be opposition in all things.
Some Christian philosophers did realize that the fall was necessary. C. S. Lewis said, “Redeemed humanity is to be something more glorious than unfallen humanity would have been, more glorious than any unfallen race now is.”
The Fall was a necessary step to bring about more glorious possibilities than could have ever existed in the Garden of Eden.
If Adam and Eve had never left the Garden, they would have been without posterity and would have remained in a state of spiritual stagnation or neutrality. Only the Fall put them into a spiritual position of being dependent on Jesus Christ and this made possible their progress as well as for the rest of humankind.
What glory was Satan seeking for himself that caused to be cast out of heaven? He sought to eliminate the risk and suffering of mortality and to somehow save us without the sacrifice, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ. He sought to make himself a savior of some kind contrary to the principles of heaven and to have glory for himself.
The scriptures teach clearly that there is only one-way eternal salvation is granted, and that is through Jesus Christ. This requires creation, freedom, life, and death.
If God intended for Adam and Eve to remain in the Garden, why was Satan allowed to go there and to tempt them? Surely God had a purpose for allowing Satan there temporarily. It was given to Adam and Eve to choose according to their own free will to undergo certain consequences and not to have them forced upon them.
Classical Christian theologians do not understand the purpose of the fall. They, therefore, miss the full understanding of the purpose of the atonement of Jesus Christ. How have these scholars and philosophers missed the point, that without knowledge of good and evil providing the opposition, it is impossible to have free will?
The scriptures teach clearly that there is only one-way eternal salvation is granted, and that is through Jesus Christ. This requires creation, freedom, life, and death.
If God intended for Adam and Eve to remain in the Garden, why was Satan allowed to go there and to tempt them? Surely God had a purpose for allowing Satan there temporarily. It was given to Adam and Eve to choose according to their own free will to undergo certain consequences and not to have them forced upon them.
Classical Christian theologians do not understand the purpose of the fall. They, therefore, miss the full understanding of the purpose of the atonement of Jesus Christ. How have these scholars and philosophers missed the point, that without knowledge of good and evil providing the opposition, it is impossible to have free will?
It wasn't until Joseph Smith introduced the Book of Mormon and its clear teachings that the importance of the doctrine of the fall, and opposition in all things was taught to be a necessary part of God's plan for exalting his children. The plan of the Father for his children depended completely on his perfect Son to atoning for their sins and overcoming death.
The Fall was a necessary step to bring about more glorious possibilities than could have ever existed in the Garden of Eden. That is the message of the Book of Mormon regarding the fall is in direct opposition to the vast majority of Christian beliefs at Joseph Smith’s time.
Two key points of doctrine that are missing in the Bible but taught in the Book of Mormon are that Adam and Eve “would have had no children” in the Garden of Eden (2 Nephi 2: 23). and the other corrects the misunderstanding that Adam and Eve lived in a state of unparalleled bliss while in the Garden. The Book of Mormon clarifies that they actually lived "in a state of innocence", meaning that they had limited knowledge, having no joy, for they knew no misery” (2 Nephi 2: 23).
Two key points of doctrine that are missing in the Bible but taught in the Book of Mormon are that Adam and Eve “would have had no children” in the Garden of Eden (2 Nephi 2: 23). and the other corrects the misunderstanding that Adam and Eve lived in a state of unparalleled bliss while in the Garden. The Book of Mormon clarifies that they actually lived "in a state of innocence", meaning that they had limited knowledge, having no joy, for they knew no misery” (2 Nephi 2: 23).
Mainstream Christian scholars and believers also miss the fact that Adam and Eve's bodies in the Garden, though immortal at the time, were corruptible. They could and did die with those bodies. The incorruptible and glorious bodies necessary for exaltation only come through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"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. “But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2: 22–25).
I have witnessed the love of God that sent his Son Jesus Christ as His Only Begotten Son in the flesh to overcome all of the effects of the fall. Sin and death have been overcome. We can know and feel their love through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Adam and Eve were the world's first Christians. They were the first to accept Jesus Christ and be spiritually begotten and adopted children of Christ. They gave us all the opportunity to seek the power and mercy of our Redeemer if we will choose it. Such is the testimony of all the prophets that have lived, both before, and after the Savior's mortal life.
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