“Before we can comprehend the Atonement of Christ, … we must first understand the Fall of Adam. And before we can understand the Fall of Adam, we must first understand the Creation. These three crucial components of the plan of salvation relate to each other. …
“The Creation required the Fall. The Fall required the Atonement. The Atonement enabled the purpose of the Creation to be accomplished. Eternal life, made possible by the Atonement, is the supreme purpose of the Creation” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Atonement,”Ensign, Nov. 1996, 33, 35).
“If we can gain an understanding of them, then the whole eternal scheme of things will fall into place, and we will be in a position to work out our salvation. …
“… These three are the foundations upon which all things rest. Without any one of them all things would lose their purpose and meaning, and the plans and designs of Deity would come to naught” (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Three Pillars of Eternity” [Brigham Young University devotional, Feb. 17, 1981], 1, speeches.byu.edu).
“The plan required the Creation, and that in turn required both the Fall and the Atonement. These are the three fundamental components of the plan. The creation of a paradisiacal planet came from God. Mortality and death came into the world through the Fall of Adam [see 2 Nephi 2:25; Moses 6:48; Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 6:49]. Immortality and the possibility of eternal life were provided by the Atonement of Jesus Christ [see 2 Nephi 2:21–28]. The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement were planned long before the actual work of the Creation began” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Creation,”Ensign, May 2000, 84).