D- The Fall of Adam and the Gift of Agency
“Since the fifth century,
Christianity taught that Adam and Eve’s Fall was a tragic mistake. … That view
is wrong. … The Fall was not a disaster. It wasn’t a mistake or an accident. It
was a deliberate part of the plan of salvation” (Bruce C. Hafen“The Atonement: All for All,”Ensign , May
2004, 97).
The
Bible has nothing good to say about the Fall.
The Fall of Adam
Why do
you think it is important to understand that the Fall was not a mistake or
accident but rather a deliberate part of the plan of salvation? 2 Nephi 2:19–25
Effects of the Fall—1) Adam and Eve were driven out of
the Garden of Eden; 2) they brought forth children (They were Able to raise
Cain; 3) they entered a probationary state; 4) they became lost and needed
repentance; 5) they experienced
opposition, which allowed them to experience good and evil and use their agency
wisely; 6) made it possible for us to enter mortality and to progress toward
eternal life.
What does it mean that “all men … were lost” because of
the Fall? (2 Nephi 2:21). Alma 42:6–10, 14
What does it mean to be “cut off … from the presence of
the Lord”?
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland “[Adam and Eve]
transgressed a commandment of God which required that they leave their garden
setting but which allowed them to have children before facing physical death.
To add further sorrow and complexity to their circumstance, their transgression
had spiritual consequences as well, cutting them off from the presence of God
forever. Because we were then born into that fallen world and because we too
would transgress the laws of God, we also were sentenced to the same penalties
that Adam and Eve faced. …
“… From the moment those first parents stepped out
of the Garden of Eden, the God and Father of us all, anticipating Adam and
Eve’s decision, dispatched the very angels of heaven to declare to them—and
down through time to us—that this entire sequence was designed for our eternal
happiness. It was part of His divine plan, which provided for a Savior, the
very Son of God Himself—another ‘Adam,’ the Apostle Paul would call Him [1 Corinthians
15:45]—who would come in the meridian of time to atone for the first
Adam’s transgression. That Atonement would achieve complete victory over
physical death. … Mercifully it would also provide forgiveness for the
personal sins of all, from Adam to the end of the world, conditioned upon
repentance and obedience to divine commandments” (“Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet,” Ensign May
2015, 105–6).
We are sentenced to the same penalties that Adam and Eve
faced because we are born into a fallen world, and we transgress God’s laws.
2 Nephi 2:26, 28 and Moses 5:5–9, teaches us how the effects of
the Fall can be overcome in our lives.
If we repent and call upon God for forgiveness, we can be
redeemed from our sins through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
The gift of agency- “Adam and Eve [through the Fall]
became mortal. Happily for us, they could also beget children and fulfill the
purposes for which the world was created. … Other blessings came to us through
the Fall. It activated two closely coupled additional gifts from God, nearly as
precious as life itself—agency and accountability” (RMNelson, “Constancy
amid Change,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 34).
In what ways are agency and accountability “nearly as
precious as life itself”?
2 Nephi
2:14, 16, and 26,.God’s children are created to act for
themselves rather than to be acted upon.
“The old saying ‘The Lord is voting for me, and Lucifer
is voting against me, but it is my vote that counts’ describes
a doctrinal certainty that our agency is more powerful than the adversary’s
will. Agency is precious. We can foolishly, blindly give it away, but it cannot
be forcibly taken from us.
“There is also an age-old excuse: ‘The devil made me do
it.’ Not so! He can deceive you and mislead you, but he does not have the power
to force you or anyone else to transgress” (BKPacker, “Cleansing
the Inner Vessel,” Ensign, Nov. 2010, 74).
2 Nephi
2:26–29 and Helaman
14:30–31. The way we use our agency determines our spiritual
progress and eternal blessings.
“When we choose to do the will of our Heavenly Father,
our agency is preserved, our opportunities increase, and we progress. … The
opposite is also true: when we don’t keep the commandments or follow the
promptings of the Holy Ghost,
our opportunities are reduced; our abilities to act and progress are
diminished. … Obedience to the commandments ultimately protects our agency” (RDHales,
“Agency:
Essential to the Plan of Life,” Ensign, Nov. 2010,
25–26).
“The Lord is intent on your personal growth and
development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead
you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to
your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing
to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led
by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along
the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you
question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every
unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you.
“Your agency, the right to make choices, is not given so
that you can get what you want. This divine gift is provided so that you will
choose what your Father in Heaven wants for you. That way He can lead you to
become all that He intends you to be. (RGScott, “Finding Joy in Life,”Ensign, May
1996, 25).
FALL
MISCONCEPTIONS- Tad R.
Callister “The Infinite Atonement” p. 13.
1. Adam and Eve would have had children had thy remained
in the Garden.
2. Adam and Eve were not in a state on innocence in the
Garden, but rather were experiencing unparalleled joy.
3. The Fall was not part of God’s master plan, but was a
tragic step backwards. It was a stumbling block, not a stepping stone.
4. If Adam had not fallen, all of Adam’s children would
have been born in a state of bliss, to live “happily ever after” in Edenic
conditions.
5. Because of the Fall, all infants are tainted with
original sin.
6. Grace alone can save (exalt) us, regardless of any
works on our part.
7. The physical resurrection of the Savior was merely
symbolic; we will be resurrected as spirits without the “limitations” of a
physical body.
8. The Atonement does not have the power to transfer us
into gods; in fact, such a though is blasphemous.
a. 2 Nephi 25:23
b. Alma 40:23; 3 Nephi 11:13-17; c. 2 Nephi 2; Alma 42 d. 2 Nephi 2:23; Moses 5:11 e. 2 Nephi 2:22-23 f. Moroni 8
g. 3 Nephi 12:48; 3 Nephi 27:27; Moroni 10:30-33
Humpty
Dumpty
Sheldon Cheshire
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again
BUT THE KING COULD
The King, full of grace appeared at the scene
And put back the egg like had never ‘fore been;
On the shell, not a crack and the egg looked like new,
But inside, still scrambled, Humpty asked what to do.
“Oh Master,” he said, “On the outside I’m well,
But the insides an omelet, I’m sorry I fell.
Is there something to do that would restore my yolk?
‘Cause I don’t feel quite whole if my insides are
broke.
“My child,” said the King, “That’s just what I do,
But not by myself-I also need you.
You must be sincere, your heart be contrite
Just don’t fall again-please try with your might.”
“I won’t,” said the egg. “I’ll try not to fall.”
Then Humpty was whole-insides and all.
So if you ever fall and your insides feel broke,
Just remember our fellow and his scrambled up yolk.
Most - Remember the King and how he heals the fall.
Passed below all mankind - then he rose above all.
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Before the
Fall
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After the
Fall
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After the
Atonement
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1. Immortality-Gen. 2:17
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Mortality Gen. 2:17
Man, Plants, Animals, Earth
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Resurrection unconditional for all. 1 Cor. 15:20-22
|
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2. Lived in God's presence-
Gen. 3:8; Moses 4:14
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2. Spiritual Death
a)1st- born outside God's presence
D&C 29:41; 2 Nephi 9:6; Hel. 14:16
b)2nd -away from God for individual sin
1 Nephi 10:6; Alma 12:16: 42:9
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2. Overcome Spiritual Death
a)All return to God for judgment
2 Nephi 2:10; 9:38; Alma 12:15; 42:23; Hel. 14:15-18;
Mormon 9:12-14
b)Conditional, because 2nd spiritual death is overcome
only if we repent.
Hel. 14:15-18; Moroni 9:12-14
|
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3. Innocent
2 Nephi 2:22-23
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3. Knowledge of good & evil.
Gen. 3:5; Alma 42:33
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3. Unlimited knowledge of good & evil for exalted.
John 14:26
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4. Childless-2 Nephi 2:23
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4. Children-2 Nephi 2:25; Moses 5:11
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4. Children forever for exalted
D&C 132:19
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Callister, Infinite Atonement, p. 50
