Adam Holds Keys under
the Direction of the Holy One
Some have interpreted
the following citation to read that Adam’s keys to the salvation of mankind
come under the immediate direction and council of Jesus Christ—the Holy One. If
this be true, then Adam would appear to be subordinate to the Savior, which is
contrary to the Adam-God doctrine.
That you may come up
into the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith
the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion, who hath established the foundations of
Adam-ondi-Ahman; Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his
feet, and set him upon high, and given unto him the keys of salvation under the
counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end
of life (D&C 78:15-16).
A more objective
analysis of this scripture discloses the Holy One not to be Jesus Christ but,
rather, Adam’s superior or Father who certainly may also be called a “holy
One.” The Savior introduced himself in verse 20 of the 78th section as the
personage speaking for and in behalf of the “Lord God” (verse 2). However, in
verse 15 he is speaking in the second person by quoting the Lord (Elohim) who
said that we “may come up unto the crown prepared . . . and be made rulers over
many kingdoms.” It is this Lord (Elohim) who hath given Michael the keys to
salvation under His (The Holy One’s) direction. This interpretation was
understood by the authorities who compiled the Doctrine and Covenants with
its footnotes. The footnote “n” in verse 16 identifies the Holy One as the Holy
One of Zion. (This appears only natural as the giver of the keys is superior
and ultimately responsible for those keys.)
The title “Holy One
of Zion” is found nowhere else in revealed scripture; therefore, to associate
the title with the Savior without further information would be speculative.
Verse 15 does, however, give us further information concerning the Holy One of
Zion. He (the Holy One of Zion) appointed Michael our prince and established
the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman. Reference to this account is found in
section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Three years previous
to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch,
and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity
who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon
them his last blessing. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and
blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. And the Lord
administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the
head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over
them forever (D&C 107:53-54)
Inasmuch as the Lord
in verse 54 is here establishing the foundation of Adam-ondi-Ahman and is
establishing Michael as a prince, He (the Lord identified in verse 55) must be
the Holy One of Zion. True enough; but, is this not Jesus Christ just the same?
One should recall the words of the Savior in appearing to the brother of Jared
when he said: “And never [before] have I showed myself unto man . . . “ (Ether
3:15). Who, then, was the Lord who appeared to, spoke with, and blessed Adam?
By the Savior’s own words, it was not He, for the brother of Jared was the
first man unto whom Christ had personally revealed Himself. The Savior,
therefore, is not the Holy One of Zion under whose direction Adam received the
keys of salvation. The Holy One of Zion must have been Adam’s priesthood
superior—or Father.
Did Adam Sin? His
Baptism
Some interpret the
scriptures so as to have us believe that Adam, in bringing about the fall,
committed a sin. This would mitigate against Adam’s divinity as it is against
God’s nature to sin. These advocates confuse sin with transgression. A
transgression is a violation of a natural law, whereas a sin is a transgression
of a law of God and is an offense in His eyes. The scriptures bear out that
Adam committed no offense in God’s eyes, but, rather, transgressed a law and
suffered its attendant consequences Moses 6:53).
The doctrine of
baptism is explained by the Lord in Moses 6:53-55. In response to Adam’s
iniquity as to why man must repent and become baptized, the Lord answered:
“Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow
up, sin conceiveth in their hearts . . . “ (Moses 6:55). Adam was not conceived
in sin and therefore needed no baptism for remission of sins. With his baptism,
Adam did not receive remission of his sins but rather rectification for a
transgression. The baptism for forgiveness of sins is applicable to Adam’s
posterity who are conceived in and wax in sin. Adam was not baptized for
forgiveness as he was a perfect man (D&C 107:43). Perfect men have little
need to repent of sin. Adam, like Christ, was baptized to submit to the law to
fulfill all righteousness and like Christ be a perfect example of his posterity
in the ordinances. As is brought out in the temple, Adam is our archtype.
Brigham viewed Adam’s
transgression thus: “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” (J.D. 10:312).
Joseph Fielding Smith
also viewed the fall as a transgression rather than a sin:
I never speak of the
part Eve took in the fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin . . . it is
not always a sin to transgress a law . . . Well, Adam’s transgression was of a
similar nature, that is, his transgression was in accordance with law . . .
This was a transgression of law, but not a sin in the strict sense, for it was
something Adam and Eve had to do! I am sure that neither Adam nor Eve looked
upon it as a sin . . . We can hardly look upon anything resulting in such
benefits as being a sin, in the sense in which we consider sin” (Doctrines
of Salvation, vol. 1, pp. 114-15).
It has been the
contention of some that the Adam-God concepts as discussed in this book and
advanced by Brigham Young are in reality only theory and never actually
advanced as doctrine. (Culley K. Christensen, The Adam-God Maze
[Scottsdale, Ariz.: Independent Publishers, 1981], 291-94)
