Spirit and Element.—But Joseph Smith proclaimed it first. He declared the elements eternal;[[4]] and even went so far as to say: "All spirit is matter, but it is more fine and pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes."[[5]] Eternal spirit, eternal element, these are the "materials" out of which Earth was created—not only as a temporary abode for man, but as an eternal place of residence for the righteous.
The Value of a Body.—Man needed experience in mortality, in the midst of rudimental conditions, in order to acquire the experience that would fit him for spheres beyond. First, however, he needed a body, for purposes of increase and progression, both in time and eternity. The spirit without the body is incomplete; it cannot propagate, and it cannot go on to glory. "Spirit and element, inseparably connected, receiveth a fulness of joy; but when separated man cannot receive a fulness of joy."[[6]] It is a reasonable inference that our spirits advance as far as they can before they are given earthly bodies. Having received their bodies, they are in a position, by means of the Gospel and the powers of the Priesthood, to make further progress toward perfection. "We came to this earth," says Joseph Smith, "that we might have a body, and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body."[[7]]
Satan's Punishment.—The Prophet thus continues: "The Devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. . . All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not." The reason why Satan has no body is because he rebelled in the eternal councils when the Redeemer of the World was chosen. All who followed him shared a similar fate. Two thirds of the intelligences then populating the spirit world remained loyal, and as a reward for their fidelity were permitted to tabernacle in the flesh. One third, rebelling with Lucifer, were doomed with him to perdition. Pending their final fate, these unembodied fallen spirits are allowed to wander up and down the world, tempting and trying its human inhabitants, their evil activities being overruled in a way to subserve God's purpose in man's probation.
Placed in Eden.—Earth having been prepared for man, Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden—placed there to become mortal, that the Lord's purpose might be accomplished. The fall, though planned, was not compelled.[[8]] Man still had his agency, the right and power of choice.
Innocent in the Beginning.—The Great Creator, on the morning of creation, pronounced "good" all that He had made.[[9]] In perfect keeping with this, modern revelation declares that "every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning."[[10]] Consequently, had the spirits of men remained where they were before Adam fell, they would have had no need to exercise a saving faith, no need to repent or to be baptized, having no evil practices to turn from and no uncleanness to be washed away. But they would have remained ignorant as well as innocent—ignorant of things necessary to their further progress. Without the fall, they could have advanced no further, but would have remained as they were, "having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. . . . . Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy."[[11]]
The Woman Beguiled.—When our First Parents partook of the forbidden fruit, it was the woman who was beguiled by the Serpent (Satan) and induced to go contrary to the divine command. The man was not deceived.[[12]] What Adam did was done knowingly and after full deliberation. When Eve had tasted of the fruit, Adam did likewise in order to carry out another command, the first that God had given to this pair—the command to "multiply and replenish the earth."[[13]] Eve, by her act, had separated herself from her husband, and was now mortal, while he remained in an immortal state. It was impossible, therefore, unless he also became mortal, for them to obey the original behest. This was Adam's motive. This was his predicament. He was facing a dilemma, and must make choice between two divine commands. He disobeyed in order to obey, retrieving, so far as he could, the situation resulting from his wife's disobedience. Fully aware of what would follow, he partook of the fruit of the inhibited tree, realizing that in no other way could he become the progenitor of the human race.
Adam and Abraham.—Perhaps some will see a parallel in Adam's case and Abraham's, each being directed to do a thing that could not be done unless a previous requirement were disregarded. Thus, Adam was warned not to eat of the fruit of a certain tree—the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; yet that was the only way for him to reach a condition where he would be able to "replenish the earth." Abraham was forbidden to slay his son, after being commanded to "offer" him.[[14]] But there was this important difference in the two cases. The second command to Abraham superseded the first—canceled it. Not so with Adam. In his case the later law left unrepealed the earlier enactment. Both commandments were in force; but Adam could not obey both. What was to be done? Why, just what was done—the wisest thing possible under the circumstances.
Malum Prohibitum.—Adam's transgression, though a sin, because of the broken law, should not be stressed as an act of moral turpitude. In human law, which is based upon divine law, there are two kinds of offenses in general, described in Latin terms as malum per se and malum prohibitum. Malum per se means "an evil in itself," an act essentially wrong; while malum prohibitum signifies "that which is wrong because forbidden by law." Adam's transgression was malum prohibitum; and the consequent descent from an immortal to a mortal condition, was the Fall.
A Cause For Rejoicing.—Adam and Eve, with their eyes open, rejoiced over what had befallen them,[[15]] evidently regarding it as part of a beneficent plan to people Earth and afford to a world of waiting spirits—the loyal two-thirds who "kept their first estate" when Lucifer fell—the long looked for opportunity of entering upon their "second estate" and beginning the great pilgrimage to perfection.
No License for Sin.—Let it not be supposed, however, that disobedience to divine requirements is or ever can be justifiable. On the contrary, obedience is the great law upon which all blessings are predicated.[[16]] What was done by our First Parents in an exceptional instance and for a special purpose, constitutes no license for men to commit sin. Adam and Eve, having obeyed God's command to "multiply and replenish," reaped the reward of their obedience. But they had to be punished for their disobedience in the matter of the forbidden fruit. "The wages of sin is death." The fall was necessary, but it had to be atoned for: it could not be justified. "The Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." He can nullify its effects, however, and bring good out of evil. Redemption was also necessary, and the Atonement preordained; but this did not make the murder of the innocent Savior any the less heinous. The perpetrators of that deed were guilty of a crime—the crime of crimes—and their punishment was inevitable. Were it otherwise, God would not be just, and would therefore cease to be God.[[17]]