Latter-day Saint Life

How Did Lehi Learn So Much About the Fall?

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“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25)

The Know

Several important doctrines that are incomplete or ambiguous in the Bible are taught with clarity and detail in the Book of Mormon. One such doctrine is the Fall of Adam and Eve, a central component of the plan of salvation. Without an understanding of the Fall, no understanding of the Atonement can be complete.

In his instruction to his young son Jacob, Lehi gave a detailed exposition of this doctrine and lays the foundation on which later Book of Mormon prophets would build. Lehi’s teaching connects the Fall of Satan from heaven to the Fall of man on earth (2 Nephi 2:17–18) and indicates that the Fall brought on the conditions of mortality, death, and opposition.

Lehi also stressed a positive side to the Fall, teaching that it is only through the Fall that Adam and Eve could have children, allowing all of us to come into the world and experience joy (2 Nephi 2:22–25).

Lead image from Book of Mormon Central.
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