"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God." (Articles of Faith 9)
The primary purpose of this blog post is to expound just a little on two works of scripture unique to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints known respectively as 1) The Doctrine and Covenants and 2) The Pearl of Great Price. As mentioned previously, although we as members of the church believe in God's ability to continue to reveal things to us, His children (or in other words, "give us more scripture or more of His word"), we do not ignore the divine worth and teachings of the Holy Bible any less than any other Christian denomination.
**NOTE: If you wish to get in contact with missionaries of the Church to learn more, you can do so at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/missionary-visit
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Although I would firstly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ and the Bible, I wanted to provide some basic information regarding what the Doctrine and Covenants is, or what The Pearl of Great Price is, since I reference both regularly throughout this blog.
In order to review the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' stance on subjects relevant to this blog post, I highly encourage you to revisit the following blog posts of mine:
Because you can find many answers to any relevant questions you may have in the links I've included above, I don't want to spend too much time repeating what I've already written there. Additionally, I invite you to read directly from the Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price for yourself if you so like here:
THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS
Unlike the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which is the translation of an ancient record written between 600 B.C. - 420 A.D., the Doctrine and Covenants is truly "modern-day" revelation, meaning that the revelations and writings contained therein occurred beginning in the early 1800s, with a few later added in the 1900s. Most of the revelations in this compilation were received through Joseph Smith Jr., the first prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Others were issued through some of his successors in the Presidency (see headings to D&C 135, 136, and 138, and Official Declarations 1 and 2).
When we speak of "revelations" regarding the Doctrine and Covenants, we are talking about instruction given from God, our Heavenly Father, through the living prophet. At the very beginning of the Restoration, which you will be familiar with if you read the previous blog posts, in the early 1800s, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in an occasion referred to as "The First Vision". Thereafter, important components to restore the fullness of the gospel occurred such as the restoration of priesthood keys, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the organization of the church in 1830. From the time that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ first called Joseph Smith to be the prophet of the time, whenever revelation regarding the kingdom of the Earth was needed, it came to him, just as it comes to the current living prophet today. Over the course of the years, especially during the first few decades, a lot of questions had to be answered. In some instances, instruction to the prophet came in a vision, and in many cases, revelation came from "the voice of the Lord". Therefore, when we read the Doctrine and Covenants, you will notice that it is often Jesus Christ himself who is speaking in the first person.
In the revelations, one hears the tender but firm voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking anew in the dispensation of the fulness of times; and the work that is initiated herein is preparatory to His Second Coming, in fulfillment of and in concert with the words of all the holy prophets since the world began.
These sacred revelations were received in answer to prayer, in times of need, and came out of real-life situations involving real people. The Prophet and his associates sought divine guidance, and these revelations certify that they received it. In the revelations, one sees the restoration and unfolding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times. The westward movement of the Church from New York and Pennsylvania to Ohio, to Missouri, to Illinois, and finally to the Great Basin of western America and the mighty struggles of the Saints in attempting to build Zion on the earth in modern times are also shown forth in these revelations.
Several of the earlier sections involve matters regarding the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon (see sections 3, 5, 10, 17, and 19). Some later sections reflect the work of the Prophet Joseph Smith in making an inspired translation of the Bible, during which many of the great doctrinal sections were received (see, for example, sections 37, 45, 73, 76, 77, 86, 91, and 132, each of which has some direct relationship to the Bible translation).
In the revelations, the doctrines of the gospel are set forth with explanations about such fundamental matters as the nature of the Godhead, the origin of man, the reality of Satan, the purpose of mortality, the necessity for obedience, the need for repentance, the workings of the Holy Spirit, the ordinances and performances that pertain to salvation, the destiny of the earth, the future conditions of man after the Resurrection and the Judgment, the eternity of the marriage relationship, and the eternal nature of the family. Likewise, the gradual unfolding of the administrative structure of the Church is shown with the calling of bishops, the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Seventy, and the establishment of other presiding offices and quorums (See "Church Organization"). Finally, the testimony that is given of Jesus Christ—His divinity, His majesty, His perfection, His love, and His redeeming power—makes this book of great value to the human family and “worth to the Church the riches of the whole Earth” (See heading to D&C 70).
The revelations were originally recorded by Joseph Smith’s scribes, and Church members enthusiastically shared handwritten copies with each other. To create a more permanent record, scribes soon copied these revelations into manuscript record books, which Church leaders used in preparing the revelations to be printed. Joseph and the early Saints viewed the revelations as they did the Church: living, dynamic, and subject to refinement with additional revelation. They also recognized that unintentional errors had likely occurred through the process of copying the revelations and preparing them for publication. Thus, a Church conference asked Joseph Smith in 1831 to “correct those errors or mistakes which he may discover by the Holy Spirit.”
After the revelations had been reviewed and corrected, Church members in Missouri began printing a book titled A Book of Commandments for the Government of the Church of Christ, which contained many of the Prophet’s early revelations. This first attempt to publish the revelations ended, however, when a mob destroyed the Saints’ printing office in Jackson County on July 20, 1833.
Upon hearing of the destruction of the Missouri printing office, Joseph Smith and other Church leaders began preparations to publish the revelations in Kirtland, Ohio. To again correct errors, clarify wording, and recognize developments in Church doctrine and organization, Joseph Smith oversaw the editing of the text of some revelations to prepare them for publication in 1835 as the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. Joseph Smith authorized another edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, which was published only months after the Prophet’s martyrdom in 1844.
In the 1981 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, three documents were included for the first time. These are sections 137 and 138, setting forth the fundamentals of salvation for the dead; and Official Declaration 2, announcing that all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color.
THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
The name "Pearl of Great Price" was inspired by the parable in Matthew 13:45-46. "The Pearl of Great Price" is an umbrella term, just as "the Bible" contains several books and teachings written by multiple authors, so does the Pearl of Great Price. These include the following:
The Book of Moses: An extract from the book of Genesis of Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible, which he began in June 1830.
The Book of Abraham: An inspired translation of the writings of Abraham. Joseph Smith began the translation in 1835 after obtaining some Egyptian papyri. The translation was published serially in the Times and Seasons beginning March 1, 1842, at Nauvoo, Illinois. (See also "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham")
Joseph Smith -- Matthew: An extract from the testimony of Matthew in Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible (see Doctrine and Covenants 45:60–61 for the divine injunction to begin the translation of the New Testament).
Joseph Smith -- History: Excerpts from Joseph Smith’s official testimony and history, which he and his scribes prepared in 1838–39 and which was published serially in the Times and Seasons in Nauvoo, Illinois, beginning on March 15, 1842.
The Articles of Faith: A statement by Joseph Smith published in the Times and Seasons on March 1, 1842, in company with a short history of the Church that was popularly known as the Wentworth Letter.
These items were translated and produced by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and most were published in the Church periodicals of his day.
The first collection of materials carrying the title Pearl of Great Price was made in 1851 by Elder Franklin D. Richards, then a member of the Council of the Twelve and president of the British Mission. Its purpose was to make more readily accessible some important articles that had had limited circulation in the time of Joseph Smith. As Church membership increased throughout Europe and America, there was a need to make these items available. The Pearl of Great Price received wide use and subsequently became a standard work of the Church by action of the First Presidency and the general conference in Salt Lake City on October 10, 1880.
CANON AND THE STANDARD WORKS
For your information, there are a few terms that you may hear within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from time to time regarding the scriptures we use. One of those is "Standard Works" which are the volumes of scripture officially accepted by the Church, including the Holy Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. In some places, copies of the scriptures are printed in combination, meaning you might come across some or all of the Standard Works bound into one book.
The one shown to the left is an example of a Quadruple Combination. Likewise, you may see a "Triple Combination" with everything but the Bible (which is often large enough to warrant a separate copy of its own). But these days, most people have digital copies which you can use for free on the Church's official app "Gospel Library" or online at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures?lang=eng which is the website I cite for all my scripture references on this blog.
The Standard Works are canonical books. When we think of something being "canon" in everyday life, we think of it as being "official" or "fact". The word "canon" is of Greek origin, originally meaning “a rod for testing straightness,” now used to denote the authoritative collection of the sacred books used by the true believers in Christ.
Elder Harold B. Lee, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and later prophet of the Church, discussed why the scriptures are called the Standard Works:
“How do we measure whether or not one’s teachings are true or false? If anyone teaches beyond what the scriptures teach, we may put it down as speculation except one man who has the right to bring forth any new doctrine—that is the one man who holds the keys—the prophet, seer, and revelator who presides in that high place. And no one else. If anyone presumes to bring forth what he claims to be new doctrine you may know that it is purely his own opinion and you label it as such regardless of his position in the Church. If it contradicts something that is in the scriptures, you may label it immediately that it is false. That is why we call the scriptures our four Standard Church Works. They are the standards by which we measure all doctrine and if anything is taught which is contrary to that which is in the scriptures, it is false. It is just that simple.”
On another occasion, he taught:
“All that we teach in this Church ought to be couched in the scriptures. It ought to be found in the scriptures. We ought to choose our texts from the scriptures. If we want to measure truth, we should measure it by the four standard works, regardless of who writes it. If it is not in the standard works, we may well assume that it is speculation, man’s own personal opinion; and if it contradicts what is in the scriptures, it is not true. This is the standard by which we measure all truth”.
Therefore, there can be no debate as to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' position regarding scripture. The Bible as well as the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price TOGETHER constitute a standard of truth. They are ALL the word of God. Together they help us understand doctrine more thoroughly. They all have the same objective to point us to Christ and lead us to Eternal Life.
Therefore, I urge you to look for the spiritual value in these precious books which I know to be the word of God. I challenge you to avoid getting caught up and tangled in the details of their physical creation and trust in the Lord, through prayer and in faith, that these books are true. And if they are true, we will be blessed to abide by their precepts. And again, if the Book of Mormon is true, then we have a true and living prophet today that speaks for God in all things and is able to give us more of His word. Therefore, may we do all that we can and treasure the words in our hearts, and live accordingly.
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