2 Nephi 2:22-25

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Reference Search: 2 Nephi 2:22-25

22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

23 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.

24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

Quotes for Discussion

In the Book of Genesis [Genesis 2:7] we are told that Adam obtained his body from the dust of the earth, and that he was not subject to death is inferred in the commandment the Lord gave him, that if he transgressed the divine commandment and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he should surely die [Genesis 2:17]. In the Book of Mormon [2 Nephi 2:22] we are positively informed that Adam would have lived forever in the garden if he had not partaken of the forbidden fruit. So Adam was in no sense mortal until after his transgression. That his immortal spirit came from another world is verily true, just as it is true of each one of us, for we all lived in the spirit existence before we came into this world and obtained bodies which inherited mortality through the fall of Adam.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:6

It was the divine plan from the very beginning that man should be placed on the earth and be subject to mortal conditions and pass through a probationary state as explained in the Book of Mormon where he and his posterity would be subject to all mortal conditions. It was part of the divine plan that man should have this period of mortality where he would be shut out of the presence of God and be subject to all the vicissitudes of mortality, the temptations and trials of the flesh, thus gaining experience and being placed in a position of trial, temptation, and be purified by passing through the trials and tribulations of the flesh, or mortality, as Paul has described it. This life is a very brief part of our existence, but is the most critical, for it is in mortality where we are tried and figuratively placed in the fire and tested, proved to see what kind of material we are made of, whether we will be worthy of an exaltation in the kingdom of God or be assigned to some other kingdom.

Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:81-82

When Adam and Eve received the first commandment, they were in a transitional state, no longer in the spirit world but with physical bodies not yet subject to death and not yet capable of procreation. They could not fulfill the Father’s first commandment without transgressing….For reasons that have not been revealed, this transition, or “fall,” could not happen without a transgression….It was Eve who first transgressed the limits of Eden in order to initiate the conditions of mortality….Adam showed his wisdom by doing the same. And thus Eve and “Adam fell that men might be” (v. 25). Some Christians condemn Eve for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it. Not the Latter-day Saints! Informed by revelation, we celebrate Eve’s act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the Fall….Modern revelation shows that our first parents understood the necessity of the Fall.

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Nov. 1993, pp. 72-73

In life all must choose at times. Sometimes, two possibilities are good; neither is evil. Usually, however, one is of greater import than the other. When in doubt, each must choose that which concerns the good of others—the greater law—rather than that which chiefly benefits ourselves—the lesser law. The greater must be chosen whether it be law or thing. That was the choice made in Eden.

John A. Widtsoe

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." The prophet Lehi, in expounding the scriptures to his sons, declared: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy."

James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p.59

In reality, untested innocence—lack of knowledge—does not equate to joy, but to the opposite. Knowledge equates to joy. Lehi sums it up masterfully: “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). For many years I considered that striking passage in isolation, thinking only that it meant the Lord desired our happiness. Well, it does mean that. But the particular joy alluded to here is the joy we can know only by encountering evil, seeing it for what it is, rejecting it—or failing that, repenting of it—and thereby qualifying for redemption. In its allusion to the Fall, the passage confirms the necessity of opposition, which enhances joy when we make righteous choices. Indeed, the opposition that led to the Fall enabled both our being and our subsequent redemption. It also inaugurated the sorrow that enables us to know joy.

Marilyn Arnold, p. 38

Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is…keeping all the commandments of God.

Joseph Smith, Teachings, p. 255