This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Genesis 1-2, Moses 2-3 and Abraham 4-5, which includes the Creation story.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters of scripture.
Genesis 1
“It may be best to begin before we were born, before what the Bible calls ‘the beginning’ (Genesis 1:1). At that time, we lived with Heavenly Father as His spirit children. This is true of every person who has ever lived on earth.
“You see, the names ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ are not just friendly greetings or terms of endearment for us. They are an expression of an eternal truth: God is the literal Father of all mankind; we are each part of His eternal family. Because He loves us with the love of a perfect Father, He wants us to progress and advance and become like Him. He ordained a plan by which we would come to earth, in families, and have experiences that would prepare us to return to Him and live as He lives.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2017 general conference, “Gathering the Family of God”
“The Lord took great care in explaining to Moses the order in which He created the earth. First, He started by dividing the light from the darkness, then water from dry land. He added plant life and animals before introducing to the newly formed planet His greatest creation: humankind, beginning with Adam and Eve.
“‘So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. …
“‘And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good’ (Genesis 1:27, 31).
“The Lord was pleased. And He rested on the seventh day.
“The sequential order in which the earth was created gives us a glimpse not only of what is most important to God but also why and for whom He created the earth.”
— Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, General Authority Seventy, October 2021 general conference, “A House of Sequential Order”
“This great war over divine identity rages fiercely as Satan’s proliferating arsenal aims to destroy our belief in and knowledge of our relationship with God. Thankfully, we have been blessed with clear vision and understanding of our true identity from the beginning: ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’ (Genesis 1:26), and His living prophets proclaim, ‘Each [human being] is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny’ (‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World’).
“Coming to know these truths with certainty helps us overcome trials, troubles and afflictions of every kind.”
— Elder Brian K. Taylor, General Authority Seventy, April 2018 general conference, “Am I a Child of God?”
“The family is ordained of God. Families are central to our Heavenly Father’s plan here on earth and through the eternities. After Adam and Eve were joined in marriage, the scripture reads, ‘And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth’ (Genesis 1:28). ...
“This commandment has not been forgotten or set aside in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We express deep gratitude for the enormous faith shown by husbands and wives (especially our wives) in their willingness to have children. When to have a child and how many children to have are private decisions to be made between a husband and wife and the Lord. These are sacred decisions — decisions that should be made with sincere prayer and acted on with great faith.”
— Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2011 general conference, “Children”
Genesis 2
“We know from the scriptures that ‘it is not good that … man should be alone.’ That is why our Heavenly Father made ‘an help meet for him’ (Genesis 2:18). The phrase ‘help meet’ means ‘a helper suited to, worthy of or corresponding to him’ (Genesis 2:18, footnote b). For example, our two hands are similar to each other but not exactly the same. In fact, they are exact opposites, but they complement each other and are suited to each other. Working together, they are stronger.”
— Sister Linda K. Burton, then the Relief Society general president, April 2015 general conference, “We’ll Ascend Together”
“The first instruction to Adam for his mortal responsibility is found in Genesis 2:24: ‘Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.’
“The joining together of a man and a woman to be legally and lawfully wed not only is preparation for future generations to inherit the earth, but it also brings the greatest joy and satisfaction that can be found in this mortal experience. This is especially true when the powers of the priesthood proclaim a marriage to be for time and for all eternity. Children born to such marriages have a security that is found nowhere else.”
— The late Elder L. Tom Perry, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2012 general conference, “Becoming Goodly Parents”
“‘For Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
“‘And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
“‘And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
“‘And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman’ (Genesis 2:20–23).
“And so Eve became God’s final creation, the grand summation of all of the marvelous work that had gone before.
“Notwithstanding this preeminence given the creation of woman, she has so frequently through the ages been relegated to a secondary position. She has been put down. She has been denigrated. She has been enslaved. She has been abused. And yet some few of the greatest characters of scripture have been women of integrity, accomplishment and faith. ...
“Every woman is a daughter of God. You cannot offend her without offending Him. I plead with the men of this Church to look for and nurture the divinity that lies within their companions. To the degree that happens, there will be harmony, peace, enrichment of family life, nurturing love.”
— Late President Gordon B. Hinckley, then President of the Church, October 2004 general conference, “The Women in Our Lives”
Moses 2
“In the day that God the Father called upon His Only Begotten Son to make man in Their image and likeness, He blessed His children, saying, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion … over every living thing that moveth upon the earth’ (Moses 2:28). Thus, our mortal journey began with both a divine charge and a blessing. A loving Father gave us the charge and the blessing to be fruitful and to multiply and to have dominion so that we can develop and become even as He is.”
— Elder Joseph W. Sitati, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2015 general conference, “Be Fruitful, Multiply and Subdue the Earth”
“Some people may be surprised to learn that we look like God. ... But God Himself said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’ (Genesis 1:26; Moses 2:26).
“The use of the words ‘us’ and ‘our’ in this scripture also teaches us about the relationship between the Father and the Son. God further taught, ‘By mine Only Begotten [Son] I created these things’ (Moses 2:1). The Father and the Son are separate and distinct individuals — as any father and son always are. This may be one reason the name of God in Hebrew, ‘Elohim,’ is not singular but plural.”
— The late Elder Robert D. Hales, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2009 general conference, “Seeking To Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ”
“Maleness and femaleness, marriage, and the bearing and nurturing of children are all essential to the great plan of happiness. Modern revelation makes clear that what we call gender was part of our existence prior to our birth. God declares that he created ‘male and female’ (Doctrine and Covenants 20:18; Moses 2:27; Genesis 1:27). ...
“To the first man and woman on earth, the Lord said, ‘Be fruitful, and multiply’ (Moses 2:28; Genesis 1:28). This commandment was first in sequence and first in importance. It was essential that God’s spirit children have mortal birth and an opportunity to progress toward eternal life. Consequently, all things related to procreation are prime targets for the adversary’s efforts to thwart the plan of God.”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1993 general conference, “The Great Plan of Happiness”
“God blessed Adam and Eve ‘and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply’ (Moses 2:28). And so the family was established.
“There is nothing in the revelations which suggests that to be a man rather than to be a woman is preferred in the sight of God, or that He places a higher value on sons than on daughters.
“All virtues listed in the scriptures — love, joy, peace, faith, godliness, charity — are shared by both men and women, and the highest priesthood ordinance in mortality is given only to man and woman together.”
— The late President Boyd K. Packer, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1993 general conference, “For Time and All Eternity”
Moses 3
“The restored gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims the principle of full partnership between woman and man, both in mortal life and in the eternities. Although each possesses specific attributes and divinely appointed responsibilities, woman and man fill equally relevant and essential roles in God’s plan of happiness for His children. This was evident from the very beginning when the Lord declared ‘that it was not good that the man should be alone; wherefore [He would] make an help meet for him’ (Moses 3:18; see also Genesis 2:18).
“In the Lord’s plan, a ‘help meet’ was a companion who would walk shoulder to shoulder with Adam in full partnership. In fact, Eve was a heavenly blessing in Adam’s life. Through her divine nature and spiritual attributes, she inspired Adam to work in partnership with her to achieve God’s plan of happiness for all mankind.”
— Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2022 general conference, “In Partnership With the Lord”
“After the earth was created, Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden. Importantly, however, God said ‘it was not good that the man should be alone’ (Moses 3:18; see also Genesis 2:18), and Eve became Adam’s wife and help meet. The unique combination of spiritual, physical, mental and emotional capacities of both males and females was needed to enact the plan of happiness. ‘Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 11:11). The man and the woman are intended to learn from, strengthen, bless and complete each other.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2013 general conference, “We Believe in Being Chaste”
Abraham 4
“Youth, do not feel oppressed by obedience. Obedience is a wonderful and a great privilege. In Abraham 4:18 it states, ‘And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed.’ What if the elements had not obeyed? They would have been damned or held back. So it is with us. Obedience to God is truly the only way to really be free and exercise our agency. Satan teaches the opposite and, with each wrong choice, binds us with chains. I promise you, obedience is a wonderful privilege.”
— The late Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, then a General Authority Seventy, October 1999 general conference, “One Link Still Holds”
Abraham 5
“Every daughter of Eve has the potential to bring the same blessing to her family that Eve brought to hers. She was so important in the establishment of families that we have this report of her creation: ‘And the Gods said: Let us make an help meet for the man, for it is not good that the man should be alone, therefore we will form an help meet for him’ (Abraham 5:14).”
— President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2014 general conference, “Daughters in the Covenant”
