Adam Clothed with Mortality

Understand How Adam and Eve Were Clothed with Mortality

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them

~ Genesis 3:21 ~

Unto Adam, and also unto his wife, did I, the Lord God, make coats of skins, and clothed them.

~ Moses 4:27 ~

Providing us with a Savior was not a backup plan for God—it has always been the plan. “It is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice” (Alma 34:10). None of us who have ever lived on earth have been qualified to make such an offering, except the Savior. Because He recognized our need for salvation and honored His Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ willingly chose to provide for us what we could never achieve alone.

~BYU Speeches – Why Do I Need a Savior? ~

In Word: The act of God’s grace and kindness was to cloth Adam and Eve. Prior to their transgression, they were immortal beings with a body of glory and light. A body fashioned after the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). A body that was spiritual and not one of flesh and blood. By their act of transgression, they were transformed and clothed with a mortal body.

Clothed with mortality, our earthly parents faced adversity, illness, disease, and eventual death. However, the promise of a redeemer was also revealed. The hope of humanity rested in the promised savior who will come and offer himself up as a sacrifice. It is this mortal tabernacle of flesh that the Savior – Jesus Christ – will eventually take upon himself. It is the very tabernacle of flesh where the Savior says Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:19-25).

The Apostle Paul also teaches that our bodies are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:10). Through the infinite atonement we are going to put off the corruptible and will be clothed with that which is incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:54). It is through Adam that we receive tabernacles of flesh and blood. Yet, it is through the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ where we shall inherit a resurrected body of flesh and bone that will be glorified as Christ possesses a glorified resurrected body of flesh and bone.

In Deed: Scriptures, the teachings of ancient and modern-day prophets and apostles, all point the way to salvation and eternal life. We are to use our agency to choose liberty or to choose death (2 Nephi 2:26-27). When we choose liberty that is through the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ, we are choosing to become like Christ. We are choosing to live a life that is a covenantal relationship to our Heavenly Father.

We choose to take upon ourselves the name of Christ. To remember Christ. To keep His commandments which he has given unto us. Yes, we are clothed with mortality. Yet, as we come to faith in Jesus Christ and commit our lives over to living the principal truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are clothed with His righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). Through Christ we are empowered to do all things (Philippians 4:13). When we shake off the chains that hold us bound and put on the righteousness of Christ, we are able to stand, overcome, and endure well (2 Nephi 1:13, 23).

Take a Moment and Ponder: Understanding the purpose and nature of the Fall helps us understand the importance of the plan of Salvation and the Infinite atonement of Jesus Christ. How did the fall affect Adam and Eve? What does it mean for us today? How significant is the Atonement and Plan of Salvation to us? What does it mean for us to live in this state of existence? What are the blessings we have gained through the Fall? What are the spiritual blessings we gain through Christ’s life, ministry, and sacrifice?