The Quest for Knowledge of the Most Important Things
More Reflections on D&C 14, 15, and 16
J.J.
The Whitmer family learned about Joseph Smith and the translation of the Book of Mormon through Oliver Cowdery who had stopped to visit the them in the spring of 1829 on his way to work as scribe for Joseph Smith. Oliver Cowdery wrote letters to David Whitmer about the translation of the Book of Mormon, and the Whitmers, like the Knights, were persuaded and convinced to help Joseph and Oliver. When David traveled to Harmony, Pennsylvania to help Joseph and Oliver move to Fayette, New York, he proposed to give them their board free of charge:
Upon our arrival, we found Mr. Whitmer’s family very anxious concerning the work, and very friendly towards ourselves. They continued so, boarded and lodged us according to proposal, and John Whitmer, in particular, assisted us very much in writing during the remainder of the work.7 Emma arrived at the Whitmer home shortly after Joseph and Oliver and also acted as a scribe.
- Joseph Smith, “History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834],” 21–22.
During the period of translation at the Whitmer home, Oliver Cowdery also dictated a revelation called “Articles of the Church of Christ,” and Joseph and Oliver received the word of the Lord and revelation regarding key ordinances and meetings. What are the “Articles of the Church of Christ”? Why aren’t these articles in the Doctrine and Covenants? These are the articles or the revelation that Oliver Cowdery received:
A commandment from God unto Oliver [Cowdery] how he should build up his Church & the manner thereof——
Saying Oliver listen to the voice of Christ your Lord & your God & your Redeemer & write the words which I shall command you concerning my Church my Gospel my Rock & my Salvation. Behold the world is ripening in iniquity & it must needs be that the children of men are stirred up unto repentance both the Gentiles & also the House of Israel for behold I command all men everywhere to repent & I speak unto you even as unto Paul mine apostle for ye are called even with that same calling with which he was called Now therefore whosoever repenteth & humbleth himself before me & desireth to be baptized in my name shall ye baptize them And after this manner did he command me that I should baptize them Behold ye shall go down & stand in the water & in my name shall ye baptize them And now behold these are the words which ye shall say calling them by name saying Having authority given me of Jesus Christ I baptize you in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Ghost Amen And then shall ye immerse them in the water & come forth again out of the water & after this manner shall ye baptize in my name For behold verily I say unto you That the Father & the Son & the Holy Ghost are one & I am in the Father & the Father in me & the Father & I are one
And ye are also called to ordain Priests & Teachers according to the gifts & callings of God unto men & after this manner shall ye ordain them Ye shall pray unto the Father in my name & then shall ye lay your hands upon them & say In the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to be a Priest or if he be a Teacher I ordain you to be a Teacher to preach repentance & remission of sins through Jesus Christ by the endurance of faith on his name to the end Amen And this shall be the duty of the Priest He shall kneel down & the members of the Church shall kneel also which Church shall be called The Church of Christ & he shall pray to the Father in my name for the church & if it so be that it be built upon my Rock I will bless it And after that ye have prayed to the Father in my name ye shall preach the truth in soberness casting out none from among you but rather invite them to come And the Church shall oft partake of bread & wine & after this manner shall ye partake of it The Elder or Priest shall minister it & after this manner shall he do he shall kneel with the Church & pray to the Father in the name of Christ & then shall ye say O God the Eternal Father [p. [1]]
we ask thee in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ to bless & sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it that they may
eat<eat> in remembrance of the body of thy Son & witness unto thee O God the Eternal Father that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son & always remember him & keep his commandments which he hath given them that they may always have his spirit to be with them AmenAnd then shall ye take the cup & say O God the Eternal Father we ask thee in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ to bless & sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it that they may do in remembrance of the blood of thy Son which was shed for them that they may witness unto thee O God the Eternal Father that they do always remember him that they may have his spirit to be with them Amen
And now behold I give unto you a commandment that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh & blood unworthily when ye shall minister it for whoso eateth & drinketh my flesh & blood unworthily eateth & drinketh damnation to his soul Therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat & drink of my flesh & blood ye shall forbid him nevertheless ye shall not cast him out from among you but ye shall minister unto him & shall pray for him unto the Father in my name & if it so be that he repenteth & is baptized in my name then shall ye receive him & shall minister unto him of my flesh & blood but if he repenteth not he shall not be numbered among my people that he may not destroy my people For behold I know my Sheep & they are numbered nevertheless ye shall not cast him out of your Synagogues or your places of worship for unto such shall ye continue to minister for ye know not but what they will return & repent & come unto me with full purpose of heart & I shall
heal<heal> them & ye shall be the means of bringing Salvation unto them Therefore keep these sayings which I have commanded you that ye come not under condemnation for wo unto him whom the Father condemneth——
And the church shall meet together oft for prayer & suplication casting out none from your places of worship but rather invite them to come And each member shall speak & tell the church of their progress in the way to Eternal life
And there shall be no pride nor envying nor strifes nor malice nor idoletry nor witchcrafts nor whoredoms nor fornications nor covetiousness nor lying nor deceits nor no manner of iniquity & if any one is guilty of any or the least of these & doth not repent & shew fruits
meets<meats> for repentance they shall not be numbered among my people that they may not destroy my people [p. [2]]And now I speak unto the Church Repent all ye ends of the Earth & come unto me & be baptized in my name which is Jesus Christ & endure to the end & ye shall be saved Behold Jesus Christ is the name which is given of the Father & there is none other name given whereby man can be saved Therefore all men must take upon them the name which is given of the Father for in that name shall they be called at the last <day> Therefore if they know not the name by which they are called they cannot have place in the Kingdom of my Father Behold ye must walk uprightly before me & sin not & if ye do walk uprightly before me & sin not my grace is sufficient for you that ye shall be lifted up at the last day Behold I am Jesus Christ the Son of the liveing God I am the same which came unto my own & my own received me not I am the light which shineth in darkness & the darkness comprehendeth it not these words are not of men nor of man but of me Now remember the words of him who is the first & the last the light & the life of the world And I Jesus Christ your Lord & your God & your Redeemer by the power of my Spirit hath spoken it Amen—— And now if I have not authority to write these things judge ye behold ye shall know that I have authority when you & I shall be brought to stand before the j[u]dgement seat of Christ Now may [the grace] of God the Father & our Lord Jesus Christ be & abide with you all & fi[na]lly save you Eternally in his Kingdom through the Infinite atonement which is in Jesus Christ Amen—— Behold I am Oliver I am an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God the Father & the Lord Jesus Christ Behold I have written the things which he hath commanded me for behold his word was unto me as a burning fire shut up in my bones & I was weary with forbearing & I could forbear no longer
Amen——
Written in the yea[r] of our Lord & Saviour 1829—— A true copy of the articles of the Church of Christ &c [p. [3]]
Students of the Book of Mormon will notice the influence of the Book of Moroni in Oliver Cowdery’s revelation.
During this time, Joseph and Oliver also had to tend to numerous inquirers, some seeking the truth, other seeking to destroy the Lord’s work. Joseph applied for a copyright to the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith and Martin Harris spoke with printers about publishing the Book of Mormon. “In the meantime,” Joseph Smith wrote, “David, John, and Peter Whitmer Jr became our zealous friends and assistants in the work.” They were “anxious to know their respective duties,” and “desired with much earnestness” that Joseph would inquire of the Lord concerning them. Joseph inquired of the Lord by means of the Urim and Thummim, and the results of his inquiry are now recorded in D&C 14, 15, and 16.
In my previous post on the Whitmers, we began to examine the Lord’s revelation to David Whitmer in particular. In this first revelation to the Whitmer brothers the Lord repeats the theme of declaring repentance. At the end of the revelation, the Lord reveals Himself again as the Light of the World “a light which cannot be hid in darkness,” as the Great Creator, “who created the heavens and the earth,” and as “the Son of the living God.”
Because Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and because His light cannot be hidden in darkness, His Gospel must also shine forth:
Wherefore, I must bring forth the fulness of my gospel from the Gentiles unto the house of Israel. (D&C 14:10)
The Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it could not be hidden for long. It now shines forth, as all of God’s light must shine forth. Much of the Lord’s revelation to David Whitmer contains commandments and counsel that are generally applicable to each one of us, but the revelation concludes on a very personal note:
And behold, thou art David, and thou art called to assist; which thing if ye do, and are faithful, ye shall be blessed both spiritually and temporally, and great shall be your reward. Amen. (D&C 14:11)
The next revelation, D&C 15, was given to John Whitmer, whom the Prophet Joseph Smith commended in particular for his writing assistance. John Whitmer was a few years older than Joseph Smith and David Whitmer. He later became one of the eight witnesses of the Book of Mormon, and he assisted Joseph Smith in arranging and copying revelations. He was also later called as Church Historian and began a history of the Church called “The Book of John Whitmer” (1831-1838). I look forward to reading this book in The Joseph Smith Papers. Like his brother David, John Whitmer was excommunicated from the Church for reasons that we can investigate later.
The Lord knew John Whitmer, just as He knew Oliver Cowdery and revealed to him that which only Oliver Cowdery knew. John Whitmer had often wondered about and desired to know something specific, and the Lord responded to his righteous desire and request in the following brief revelation:
Hearken, my servant John, and listen to the words of Jesus Christ, your Lord and your Redeemer.
For behold, I speak unto you with sharpness and with power, for mine arm is over all the earth.
And I will tell you that which no man knoweth save me and thee alone—
For many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of the most worth unto you.
Behold, blessed are you for this thing, and for speaking my words which I have given you according to my commandments.
And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen. (D&C 15:1-6)
The beauty and simplicity of John Whitmer’s desire and the Lord’s revelation might conceal its profundity. John Whitmer’s desire may remind us of Mary’s attention to the “one thing needful,” and it even reminds me of the very definition of philosophy articulated by one of the greatest minds of the 20th century:
Philosophy, being knowledge of our ignorance regarding the most important things, is impossible without some knowledge regarding the most important things. By realizing that we are ignorant of the most important things, we realize at the same time that the most important things for us, or the one thing needful, is quest for knowledge of the most important things, or philosophy. In other words, we realize that only by philosophizing can man’s soul become well-ordered. (p. 122)
John Whitmer wanted to know that which would be of the most worth unto him. He knew that he was ignorant regarding the most important things, and therefore that the one thing needful was to seek for the most important things. His soul was well-ordered enough to seek for the most important things, and he was blessed to know that he could ask the Lord to reveal unto him the answer. The Lord blessed John Whitmer for his desire, his inquiry, and for speaking His words. Whereas philosophers will remain ignorant until they ask the Lord, John Whitmer received the truth:
And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen. (D&C 15:6)
John Whitmer learned early in his life something that many never discover even after a lifetime of living. What is the most important thing? What is of the most worth unto us? Is it power or possessions or prominence or wealth? Is it fame or material possessions? Is it career aspirations or honors or applause or success? What is it? The most important thing, the thing of most worth unto us is to declare repentance unto this people, that we may bring souls unto Christ and rest with them in the kingdom of our Father.
The great ancient patriarch Lehi put it this way:
Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. (2 Nephi 2:8)
And Alma the Younger put it this way:
For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all—for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people. (Alma 7:7)
The Lord summed it all up in His revelation to Moses:
For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)
Why is bringing souls unto Christ of such great worth?
Apparently John Whitmer’s brother Peter Whitmer, Jr. was also somewhat of a philosopher. The Lord’s revelation to Peter Whitmer, Jr. is practically identical to His revelation to John Whitmer:
Hearken, my servant Peter, and listen to the words of Jesus Christ, your Lord and your Redeemer.
For behold, I speak unto you with sharpness and with power, for mine arm is over all the earth.
And I will tell you that which no man knoweth save me and thee alone—
For many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of the most worth unto you.
Behold, blessed are you for this thing, and for speaking my words which I have given unto you according to my commandments.
And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen. (D&C 16:1-6)
S.D.G.