First Presidency

Joseph Smith said, “The [Holy Order] was first given to Adam; he obtained the first presidency.” When Joseph taught this in 1839, there was a church position called the “First Presidency.” The church position was a proper noun. When the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith was published — the publisher was the LDS church — the phrase “First Presidency” was treated as if it referred to the church position. However, the position Adam occupied was the first presiding father, or first presidency, of the family of God; this was not a church position. The family of God is not the same thing as an institutional church. The institutional church will never comprise the family of God, although it was intended as a tool to bring about the recovery of the family of God. Unfortunately, the institution grew to hinder the restoration of the family of God. God must now use a different means to fulfill His promises.¹ “[The Holy Order] was first given to Adam; he obtained the [first presiding position on the earth], and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed, as in [Genesis 2:8].”²