These are the twenty-four Articles of Faith of the Church of the Firstborn, published in The Church of the Firstborn: Its Articles of Faith and a Short History, Doctrine of the Priesthood, Vol. 18 No. 1 (April 2001; 2nd ed. February 2012). They are not the thirteen Articles of Faith printed in the Pearl of Great Price; they set forth the fulness of the Gospel as Joseph Smith taught it privately in Nauvoo and as President Brigham Young later unfolded it publicly.1
In the same publication, the Church of the Firstborn is defined as the Church of God the Father and as an Eternal Patriarchal/Matriarchal Order in which Priesthood authority is vested in parents, fathers and mothers, for the blessing and government of their children.2 The Articles below should be read in that setting: the Church of Christ administers the preparatory Gospel of the Son; the Church of the Firstborn administers the fulness of the Gospel of the Father.
Source note: This web transcription lightly normalizes spacing and typography for readability, while preserving the article numbering and doctrinal substance. The original publication includes extensive numbered endnotes and a historical sketch; readers should consult the linked PDF for the full apparatus.
The Touchstone
WE BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior — he is as he declared himself to be “the Son of Man” (i.e. Son [of] Adam in the Hebrew) and the literal “Son of God” in the Flesh. Through his Atoning Sacrifice Celestial Redemption has become possible for those who receive him as their Savior, remember his sayings, and keep his commandments.3
The Articles of Faith of the Church of the Firstborn
Article 1
WE BELIEVE in God our Heavenly Father, in His Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost; and that these three Gods are united together as one, like the hearts and minds of three exalted men; but they are not composed of the same substance, either in the Spirit or the Flesh.
Article 2
WE BELIEVE that in the beginning God procreated man in His own image and after His own likeness; and that both in the Spirit and in the Flesh, we are the literal offspring of God.
Article 3
WE BELIEVE that in substance God is Spirit, and that the Eternal Spirit of God our Heavenly Father possesses a glorified physical body, which is composed of immortal flesh and bone. In like manner, Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, with a physical body, which was made in the “express image and likeness of the tabernacle of his Divine Father.” Through the Atonement of Christ, and obedience to all the laws and ordinances of the Gospel, we shall also be exalted and deified, when we are raised from the dead in the Resurrection, and clothed upon with physical bodies which shall be glorified and immortal.
Article 4
WE BELIEVE that it is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and the nature of the relationship which we sustain to Him; that the knowledge of God is vital to the Gospel, and essential to the acquisition of Eternal Life. Indeed, as Jesus taught, “this is Life Eternal to know God”; and as Paul said, those who “have not the knowledge of God,” and who choose to remain in ignorance, live in “shame”; for if we do not comprehend God, we cannot understand the essence of our own being.
We also believe as Jesus said, that “no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and that no man knoweth who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him”; and that he has revealed the knowledge of this divine secret to the Prophet Joseph Smith and President Brigham Young, who have since declared the true doctrine of God to the world; that the prophecy might be fulfilled, that “the day must needs come when no man need teach his neighbor, saying, Know ye the Lord: for all shall know Him who remain.”
Article 5
WE BELIEVE in the Ancient Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood which was established in the days of Adam. This was the High Priesthood which is after the Holy Order of God, and passed down by lineage from father to son. Through transgression, the higher order and fulness of this Priesthood were taken from Israel in the days of Moses. Nevertheless, still it was had by some of the Prophets, as also in the days of Christ, and was restored again to earth through angelic visitation, by Moses, Elias (i.e. Noah) and Elijah, when they appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple. As was prophetically foretold in Scripture, this High Priesthood was hid up from the world with Christ in God, and has been passed down by lineage to us, and will, ultimately, be the means of the restoration of the House of Israel.
Article 6
WE BELIEVE in the same Patriarchal/Matriarchal organization that existed anciently in the Church of the Firstborn as established by God the Father in the days of Adam; and which passed down to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Christ and the Prophet Joseph Smith: viz. the Eternal Family Structure, presided over by Patriarchs and Matriarchs, Priests and Priestesses, Kings and Queens, and so forth.
Article 7
WE BELIEVE in honoring, obeying and sustaining the government of God as established through the legitimate channel of the Priesthood, and in striving to build and perfect the union thereof, that His Kingdom might come, and His will be done on earth, just as it is done in Heaven.
Article 8
WE BELIEVE in the Holy Scriptures as contained in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and in the revelations and inspired teachings of the Prophets of the Restoration. These include, but are not limited to, those of the Prophet Joseph Smith, President Brigham Young, President Heber C. Kimball and President John Taylor.
Article 9
WE BELIEVE in the principle of Celestial Marriage as taught and practiced by the Prophet Joseph Smith; that it is essential to exaltation, an inherent part of the Abrahamic Covenant, and a fundamental law of the Church of the Firstborn, and that for this reason it was lived by the Patriarchs and Prophets of the Bible.
WE BELIEVE that every blessing from God is predicated upon obedience to law; that families must be united together in a union as one, in accordance with the principles of “a perfect law of theocracy” before they can inherit the promised blessings of the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage. We understand “a perfect law of theocracy” to be the government of God for the Gods; or stated in other terms — it is the Family Government which the Father has ordained for those who aspire to the highest degree of glory in the Celestial Kingdom. To be heirs in the Abrahamic Covenant, children must love and respect their parents, honor and obey them in righteousness, and be one with them, just as their parents must be one with each other, and one with God in Heaven.
Article 10
WE BELIEVE in the literal restoration of the House of Israel; that it pertains exclusively to the descendants of Jacob and those who subscribe to the Law of Adoption (Canaanites being excluded). The restoration of Israel constitutes the gathering and structuring of the children of Jacob into an Eternal Family unit, through the laws and ordinances of the Holy Order; and the Abrahamic Covenant as established by the Father, can only be understood in the context of the Gospel of the Father and the teachings and principles of the Church of the Firstborn. Hence, that the restoration of the House of Israel constitutes the organization and development of the Church of the Firstborn in the Latter Days.
WE BELIEVE that the restoration of Israel will commence with the gathering of Ephraim, next Manasseh, then the Ten Lost Tribes, and last of all Judah; and that in accordance with prophecy, the day of Ephraim has already commenced, with the apostasy of the Gentile Church, the fulfillment of the Times of the Gentiles, and the bringing in or commencement of the Times of Israel.
Article 11
WE BELIEVE in Eternal Marriage, and in the first commandment which was given by God to His children, that those in the Everlasting Covenant should have large families. Through having children and raising up a righteous seed unto God, we emulate our Divine Parents and become co-workers with Them in the great work of the Father, which is to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal Life of man. There is no greater honor, nor more worthy labor than that of being fathers and mothers in the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage.
Article 12
CONCERNING THE LAWS OF THE LAND — WE BELIEVE in being subject to God and His law, and that His children should observe to do all things whatsoever He shall command them. And that law of the land which is constitutional, which supports the principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before God.
WE BELIEVE that a man’s first and primary obligation is forever to his own conscience (“to thine own self be true”); and that of necessity, all governments and all godly endeavors at union and cooperation must hold sacred this fundamental principle of freedom.
It is better to die fighting for freedom than to live without it, for the Lord God has made us free, therefore we are free indeed. And the law of the land also maketh us free. And as pertaining to the law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil, and the Lord God has given unto us a commandment, that we shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, and that we shall live by every word which proceedeth forth from out of the mouth of God. For He will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; “and I will try you and prove you herewith. And whoso layeth down his life in My cause, for My name’s sake, shall find it again, even Life Eternal. Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in My covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy. For if ye will not abide in My covenant ye are not worthy of me.”
Article 13
WE BELIEVE that God is a self-existent being — that before Him there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Him; and that the Spirit of Man exists in like manner, upon the same principles, as a self-existent being, co-existing eternally with God, and that his person is of the same spiritual essence as God. In like manner, the universe, together with all its fundamental principles, self-exists co-eternally with God. These include time, space, matter, energy, life and law.
The relationship which we sustain with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. God, being more intelligent, saw proper to institute the laws and ordinances of the Gospel for the benefit of those who were in a lower state of existence, that they might have the privilege to advance like Himself. The principles of the Gospel afford us the opportunity of personal improvement, eternal progression and ultimately exaltation and Godhood. Through free agency we chose to become members of the Divine Family, and consented for our intelligence to undergo a spiritual metamorphosis, whereby, through the process of procreation, we took upon ourselves the Divine Image and became the Spirit Children of our Heavenly Parents.
Article 14
WE BELIEVE that God the Father has a Father, and that God our Father was once a man like us; that in the beginning of time He came down on our earth as Adam, and suffered Himself to fall and take upon Himself mortality, that He might become our Father in the Flesh and that we might become His children. Thus, in the beginning of time, God our Divine Father came down upon this earth and entered mortality, and laid down His life for us, just the same as Jesus Christ His Son did in the Meridian of Time; and hence, as President Young stated it in his proclamation to the world: “Adam is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do.”
Article 15
WE BELIEVE in the worship of our Mother in Heaven who is the literal Goddess of this Creation; She is our Mother Eve and stands by the side of Her Divine Husband, holding the Keys of Power and Dominion over all Her posterity.
Article 16
WE BELIEVE that the Fall of Adam was foreordained as an essential part of the Plan of Salvation. Out of love for their children, our Heavenly Parents suffered themselves to enter mortality, and for nine hundred and thirty years, they were subjected to blood, sorrow, sweat and tears, that the Divine Race of Their children might be established here on earth. This they did that Their Spirit Offspring might be endowed with physical bodies, in preparation for the Resurrection. Through the trials of mortal life, we would experience opposition in all things and learn the difference between good and evil by first-hand experience. Living in freedom and in the exercise of moral agency, we would demonstrate by our choices whether or not we would accept the Gospel, and would prove ourselves in all things, that we might be found worthy of exaltation in the Celestial Family of our Divine Parents.
Article 17
WE BELIEVE that as man now is, God once was; and that as God now is, man may become, through obedience to all the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. Indeed, the Father hath declared unto us, that even though we are fallen and that as mortals “we shall die,” still we are gods, for all of us are His children. And the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. And though it doth not yet appear what we shall be in the Resurrection, still we know that when the Father shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is; and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth Himself, even as our Divine Father is pure.
Article 18
WE BELIEVE as Christ has commanded, that we should “be perfect, even as our Father which is in Heaven is perfect”; and that God will give no commandment unto His children, save He shall prepare a way for them to accomplish that which He hath commanded them.
Article 19
WE BELIEVE that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, might, mind, strength and soul. And the second is like unto it, that we should love one another, even as Christ has loved us.
Brethren and Sisters, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is a God of Love. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His Love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit, for God is a God of Love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him and he who loveth God, loveth his brother also.
Article 20
WE BELIEVE circumcision to be the essential token of the Abrahamic Covenant; that its essentiality was decreed by the Father, and that it pertains more particularly to the laws and ordinances of the Church of the Firstborn, rather than those of the Church of Christ. Circumcision of the manchild is understood as a covenant on the part of parents in Israel, that they will train up their children to live a life of chastity and sexual purity, both in mind and body; and on the part of children as they begin to mature, that they will live a life of moral cleanliness.
Contemporary Issues
Article 21
WE BELIEVE that whenever God sets up His Kingdom, the Devil will set up a counterfeit, and that the so-called “New World Order” is Satan’s counterfeit to the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, which will ultimately be established by God — when the kingdoms of this world shall be thrown down and the Ancient of Days sits, and the Son of Man come with the clouds of Heaven. At that day the Kingdom and Dominion shall be given to the Saints of the Most High God.
Article 22
WE BELIEVE the theory of evolution to be the greatest fraud ever perpetrated upon the posterity of God the Father. It is the creation myth of atheism — the dogmatic propaganda of the kingdom of Satan — and the pseudoscience of dupes. It has been utterly refuted by the researches of modern science, yet it continues to be presented as fact and foisted upon the minds of innocent children in public schools.
For Brother Collier’s extended treatment of this article, see Organic Evolution: Doctrine of Devils.
Article 23
WE BELIEVE abortion to be the shedding of innocent blood and that homosexuality is an abomination. Ultimately all nations, governments, people or societies who participate in or condone such wickedness, shall be destroyed by God, just as were Sodom and Gomorrah.
Article 24
WE BELIEVE that God made man and woman to be together and that it is not good for them to be alone; that radical feminism is a disgrace to womanhood and blasphemy against our Divine Mother. Indeed, there is no greater calling, nor higher honor than that of a woman who is the wife of a righteous man and the mother of a godly posterity.
WE BELIEVE that no male chauvinist, nor any female chauvinist, shall ever enter into the Celestial Kingdom of God.
Notes
- Fred C. Collier, The Church of the Firstborn: Its Articles of Faith and a Short History from the Time of Adam to the Present, Doctrine of the Priesthood, Vol. 18 No. 1 (April 2001; 2nd ed. February 2012), 3–12. ↩
- Collier, The Church of the Firstborn: Its Articles of Faith and a Short History, Doctrine of the Priesthood, Vol. 18 No. 1, 5. ↩
- Collier, The Church of the Firstborn: Its Articles of Faith and a Short History, Doctrine of the Priesthood, Vol. 18 No. 1, 6. ↩