We have all wondered if life has purpose and meaning. To understand the purpose of life, it is important to understand "the fall" of Adam and Eve, the first of God’s children created on earth.
Adam and Eve were created in God’s image with bodies of flesh and bone. God blessed Adam and Eve with agency, or the ability to make choices. God commanded them not to eat the forbidden fruit. Obeying this commandment meant that they would remain in the Garden of Eden forever, in innocence, in God’s presence. They would not suffer the adversity and temptations of mortality.
However, they could not know joy and happiness because they would not experience sorrow and pain.
Satan tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and they chose to do so. God allowed this as part of His plan. Because of their choice, called "the fall," Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden of Eden and out of God’s presence.
Separation from God’s presence is called "spiritual death." Adam and Eve also became mortal and subject to physical death. They would now experience temptation and adversity. Because God gave them agency, the ability to choose between good and evil, they could now experience joy and sorrow as a consequence of their choices. This allowed them to learn and develop Christ-like attributes in a way that would not have otherwise been possible.
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It also became possible for Adam and Eve to have children, so that all of God’s spirit children could be born on earth, obtain physical bodies, and gain experience through exercising their agency. Only in this way could God’s children develop faith, learn to trust in God, and develop Christ-like attributes.
God, in the very beginning, defined marriage as between a man and a woman, and the manner by which children would be conceived and brought into the world. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and is essential to His plan of happiness (Genesis 1:27-28, Genesis 2:24 and 1 Corinthians 11:11, KJV).
As written in 1995's "The Family. A Proclamation to the World," "Husbands and wives have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.
"Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ."
The purpose of life is to develop faith and trust in God. Because God gave us agency, we have the experience of making choices, learning from the consequences, and developing Christ-like attributes. The purpose of life is to create families, to teach our children to have faith in Christ and to prepare with our loved ones to return to God’s presence.
