From ‘Eve, and the Choice Made’ a book by Beverly Campbell: ‘This Transgression Is Movement, Not Sin’
From a previous post. . . Nevertheless, Thou Mayest Choose. . . President Brigham Young explained that “it was necessary that sin should enter into the world; no man could ever understand the principle of exaltation without its opposite. How did Adam and Eve sin? Did they come out in direct opposition to God and to His government? No. But they transgressed a command of the Lord, and through that transgression sin came into the world.”3 (continued) ~Beverly Campbell, Eve and the Choice Made in Eden (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003) (Dwarsligger edition, 63-67)
This Transgression Is Movement, Not Sin
Eve’s actions, which were followed by Adam’s, caused them to move downward, yet forward. We can best understand the word used to explain their actions, transgression, by breaking it into its parts. Trans is a Latin word meaning to move from one state to another, on or to the other side of, beyond, over, across.” Gress is a form of a Latin word meaning “to go.”
Alma taught that God gave commandments to men after they had transgressed (or in other words, moved beyond, gone to the next state). The Book of Mormon prophet gave us this insight into the wonder of mortal bodies and why Adam and Eve would take the great leap into the unknown for all waiting spirits. Upon claiming these bodies, we become “as Gods, knowing good from evil,: and because we thereby come into possession of that great gift of agency, we place ourselves “in a state to act, or being in a state to act according to [our] wills and pleasures, [we can decide] whether to do evil or to do good” (Alma 12:31).
This scripture comes tripping off the tongue, and yet this profound gift is generally passed over as we seek for other pieces of the puzzle in our study of the Garden story. In mortality we fill our minds, our discussions, and our bookshelves with a search of insight into the qualities that will make us like unto God. The list becomes long and daunting and our hope of developing those qualities seems as a dream that cannot be realized. Yet, He has given us the answer in these words: “Then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
Satan wishes to blur our knowledge of the absolutes of good and evil. The power inherent in that knowledge makes us like God. It is our choice of good over evil that makes us godlike. If the adversary is able to diminish or erase our sensitivities in this regard, his chance of keeping us from becoming as God are significantly enhanced, and therefore his hope of having us within his power are exponentially enhanced. We must never forget that our knowledge of good and evil also makes us free—“free to choose liberty and eternal life” (2 Nephi 2:27)
How could anyone interpret that great promise to be a punishment? A challenge, yes; a punishment—never! ~Beverly Campbell, Eve and the Choice Made in Eden (S) (Dwarsligger edition, 67-70) . . . continued Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003
continued, see Thou Mayest Choose III
