The Worth of Souls is Great
Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants 18
Oliver Cowdery wanted to know how to build up the Lord’s Church, and the Lord’s instruction to him was to rely upon the things which are written. The Lord taught Oliver to live by His word:
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)
And I now give unto you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life.
For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God. (Doctrine and Covenants 84:43–44)
And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God. (Doctrine and Covenants 98:11)
The Lord commanded Oliver to rely specifically upon the things that he had written, namely the Book of Mormon, because it is true, and because it contains all things concerning the foundation of His Church, His Gospel, and His Rock. The Book of Mormon, therefore, is exactly as Joseph Smith testified:
I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.
The Lord instructed Oliver to build up His Church upon the foundation of His gospel and His Rock. The Gospel and Rock of Jesus Christ are contained in the Book of Mormon.
If the world was already ripening in iniquity in June of 1829 when this revelation was given, can you imagine how ripe it is today? Is it fully ripe? Only God can judge that. But the remedy is the same today as it was in the early 1800s:
Behold, the world is ripening in iniquity; and it must needs be that the children of men are stirred up unto repentance, both the Gentiles and also the house of Israel. (D&C 18:6)
Speaking of relying upon the things which are written in the Book of Mormon, this verse reminds me of one of Nephi’s prophecies:
But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts.
But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.
For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish; (2 Nephi 28:17-19)
Stirred up unto repentance… the Book of Mormon stirs us up unto repentance. The Doctrine and Covenants stirs us up unto repentance.
It seems as though Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer may have wondered about Joseph Smith’s calling and mission, and the Lord, in this revelation, redirected their attention toward their own duty:
Wherefore, as thou hast been baptized by the hands of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., according to that which I have commanded him, he hath fulfilled the thing which I commanded him.
And now, marvel not that I have called him unto mine own purpose, which purpose is known in me; wherefore, if he shall be diligent in keeping my commandments he shall be blessed unto eternal life; and his name is Joseph.
And now, Oliver Cowdery, I speak unto you, and also unto David Whitmer, by the way of commandment; for, behold, I command all men everywhere to repent, and I speak unto you, even as unto Paul mine apostle, for you are called even with that same calling with which he was called. (D&C 18:7-9)
The Lord spoke to Oliver and David even as He spoke to Paul his apostle. Thus, the Lord restored the holy apostleship. What is an apostle?
The word means “one sent forth.” It was the title Jesus gave (Luke 6:13) to the Twelve whom He chose and ordained (John 15:16) to be His closest disciples during His ministry on earth and whom He sent forth to represent Him after His Ascension into heaven. The calling of an Apostle is to be a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world, particularly of His divinity and of His bodily resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:22; D&C 107:23).
Twelve men with this high calling constitute an administrative council in the work of the ministry. When a vacancy occurred with the death of Judas Iscariot, Matthias was divinely appointed to that special office as a member of the council (Acts 1:15–26). Today twelve men with this same divine calling and ordination constitute the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The title was also applied to others who, though not of the number of the original Twelve, yet were called to serve as special witnesses of the Lord. Paul repeatedly spoke of himself as an Apostle (Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; 9:1; Gal. 1:1). He applied the title to James, the Lord’s brother (Gal. 1:19), and also to Barnabas (1 Cor. 9:5–6; see also Acts 14:14). The New Testament does not inform us whether these three brethren also served in the Council of the Twelve as vacancies occurred therein, or whether they were Apostles strictly in the sense of being special witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is referred to as an Apostle in Heb. 3:1–2, a designation meaning that He is the personal and select representative of the Father.
Jesus Christ’s original Church was built in the same way and upon the same foundation:
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Ephesians 2:20)
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11)
Why did the Lord call Joseph, Oliver, and David, and restore the holy apostleship? What was the purpose of it all?
Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; (D&C 18:10)
I like the introduction to this section and this verse in the Come Follow Me manual:
There are many different ways to try to measure a person’s worth. Talent, education, wealth, and physical appearance can all affect how we evaluate each other—and ourselves. But in God’s eyes, our worth is a much simpler matter, and it is stated clearly in Doctrine and Covenants 18: “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (verse 10). This simple truth explains so much of what God does and why He does it. Why did He instruct Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to establish the Church of Jesus Christ in our day? (see verses 1–5). Because the worth of souls is great. Why does He “command all men everywhere to repent” and send Apostles to preach repentance? (verse 9). Because the worth of souls is great. And why did Jesus Christ suffer “death in the flesh” and “the pain of all men”? (verse 11). Because the worth of souls is great. If even one of these souls chooses to accept the Savior’s gift, He rejoices, for “great is his joy in the soul that repenteth” (verse 13).
Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.
How great is the worth of souls in the sight of God? So great that God sent His Only Begotten and Beloved Son to die for each one of us:
For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.
And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. (D&C 18:11-12)
Repentance is the most joyful thing that we can do and declare. It is all the more joyful when we consider how the Lord feels about the truly penitent:
And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! (D&C 18:13)
It is difficult for us mortals to comprehend the worth of souls in the sight of God and the greatness of the Lord’s joy in the soul that repenteth. For this reason it may be helpful to review the Lord’s parables that are recorded in Luke 15 in the New Testament: the parables of the lost sheep, the piece of silver, and the prodigal son. The publicans and sinners drew near to Jesus Christ to hear Him, and He taught them the worth of souls.
Similarly, the Lord taught Joseph, Oliver, and David the worth of souls and their role in assisting Him in His work:
Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.
And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me! (D&C 18:14-16)
This is why I write.
This is why, many years ago, I embarked upon the great adventure of a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to seek out and gather the Lord’s lost sheep in southern Italy.
This is why God does what He does, why He instructed Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to establish His Church, why He commands all men everywhere to repent, and why our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died.
Let’s continue our study of D&C 18 in the next post.