Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Fall of Adam 4?

Article of Faith 2

   We believe that men will be punished for their own sins,

                    and not for Adam’s transgression.

This essay is the fourth in teaching about the Fall of Adam and Eve as stated in the second Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first thesis discussed moral agency, or the freedom to choose good or evil. The second treatise discussed sin and punishment for sin. The third essay discussed Satan. This paper will begin a discussion of The Fall, starting with the creation of Adam and Eve and Satan’s great temptation, using the words of Elder James E. Talmage (The Articles of Faith [1890], 63-65).

Our First Parents in Eden – The crowning scene of the great drama of creation was the forming of man in the image of his spiritual Father, God. For the reception of the first man the Creator had especially prepared a choice region of earth, and had embellished it with natural beauties to gladden the heart of its possessor. “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed” [Gen. 2:8, 9]. Soon after man’s advent upon the earth the Lord created a companion or help meet for him, declaring that it was not good that man should be alone. Thus, male and female, Adam and his wife /eve were placed in the garden. They had been given dominion “over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” [Gen. 2:18]. With this great power were associated certain commandments, the first of which in point of importance was that they “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it”; then, that they refrain from eating or even touching the fruit of a certain tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which grew in the midst of the garden; though of all other fruits they were at liberty to freely partake. The words of God concerning this command and the penalty for its violation are: “And I, the Lord God, commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” [P. of G.P., Moses 3:16, 17].

The Temptation to disobey this injunction soon came. Satan presented himself before Eve in the garden, and, speaking by the mouth of the serpent, questioned her about the commandments that God had given respecting the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve answered that they were forbidden even to touch the fruit of that tree, under penalty of death. Satan then sought to beguile the woman, contradicting the Lord’s statement and declaring that death would not follow a violation of the divine injunction; but that, on the other hand, by doing that which the Lord had forbidden she and her husband would become like unto the gods, knowing good and evil for themselves. The woman was captivated by these representations; and, being eager to possess the advantages pictured by Satan, she disobeyed the command of the Lord, and partook of the fruit forbidden. She feared no evil, for she knew it not. Then, telling Adam what she had done, she urged him to eat of the fruit also.

Adam found himself in a position that made it impossible for him to obey both of the specific commandments given by the Lord. He and his wife had been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Adam had not yet fallen to the state of mortality, but Eve already had; and in such dissimilar conditions the two could not remain together, and therefore could not fulfil the divine requirement as to procreation. On the other hand, Adam would be disobeying another commandment by yielding to Eve’s request. He deliberately and wisely decided to stand by the first and greater commandment; and, therefore, with understanding of the nature of his act, he also partook of the fruit that grew on the tree of knowledge. The fact that Adam acted understandingly in this matter is affirmed by scripture. Paul in writing to Timothy, explained that “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” [1 Tim. 2:14].

Some women take offense when they understand that Eve was deceived but Adam was not. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recognizes that mortality would not have happened without the decision of Eve. However, there were consequences to her transgression.