What Are the Keys of the Aaronic Priesthood?
Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants 13 and Joseph Smith History 1:66-75
On May 15, 1829, an angelic messenger appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in response to their prayers. Joseph and Oliver had been translating and transcribing the Book of Mormon, and they had probably finished much of the Third Book of Nephi when they retired to the woods near Harmony, Pennsylvania to inquire of the Lord concerning baptism:
When Joseph and Oliver came to the account of Jesus’s personal ministry to the Nephites, they began to wonder if anyone in their day had authority to administer the true church of Christ. They were especially concerned about baptism. On May 15, 1829, they left the Smith home where they were working to find a secluded spot to pray in a wooded area nearby.
I believe that Joseph and Oliver probably already wondered about baptism and the authority to baptize before this time because they had already translated the Book of Mosiah that contains an account of Alma who was baptized along with Helam in the waters of Mormon. But the question of baptism and the authority to baptize may have been brought to their attention again as they translated Third Nephi.
The Lord had already instructed Joseph Smith in his First Vision not to join any of the myriad churches in his region because they were all corrupt:
My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter was. I replied, “Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.” I then said to my mother, “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.” It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy? (Joseph Smith-History 1:18-20)
In his “An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, 1840,” Orson Pratt sheds further light on young Joseph Smith’s experiences leading up to his First Vision in the Sacred Grove and how those experiences prepared Joseph Smith for the miraculous events that we are studying this week in the Doctrine and Covenants:
When somewhere about fourteen or fifteen years old, he began seriously to reflect upon the necessity of being prepared for a future state of existence: but how, or in what way, to prepare himself, was a question, as yet, undetermined in his own mind: he perceived that it was a question of infinite importance, and that the salvation of his soul depended upon a correct understanding of the same. He saw, that if he understood not the [p. [3]] way, it would be impossible to walk in it, except by chance; and the thought of resting his hopes of eternal life upon chance, or uncertainties, was more than he could endure. If he went to the religious denominations to seek information, each one pointed to its particular tenets, saying—“This is the way, walk ye in it;” while, at the same time, the doctrines of each were, in many respects, in direct opposition to one another. It, also, occurred to his mind, that God was not the author of but one doctrine, and therefore could not acknowledge but one denomination as his church; and that such denomination must be a people, who believe, and teach, that one doctrine, (whatever it may be,) and build upon the same. He then reflected upon the immense number of doctrines, now, in the world, which had given rise to many hundreds of different denominations. The great question to be decided in his mind, was—if any one of these denominations be the Church of Christ, which one is it? Until he could become satisfied, in relation to this question, he could not rest contented. To trust to the decisions of fallible man, and build his hopes upon the same, without any certainty, and knowledge, of his own, would not satisfy the anxious desires that pervaded his breast. To decide, without any positive and definite evidence, on which he could rely, upon a subject involving the future welfare of his soul, was revolting to his feelings. The only alternative, that seemed to be left him, was to read the Scriptures, and endeavour to follow their directions.
When I consider the proliferation of denominations of Christianity today, and even the proliferation of branches of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ, I feel much the same as young Joseph Smith must have felt. Thankfully, Joseph Smith turned to studying the scriptures and the scriptures (specifically a passage in James 1:5) turned him to the Lord, to seek Him in prayer. Joseph Smith sought God’s true Doctrine and Church:
From this promise he learned, that it was the privilege of all men to ask God for wisdom, with the sure and certain expectation of receiving, liberally; without being upbraided for so doing. This was cheering information to him: tidings that gave him great joy. It was like a light shining forth in a dark place, to guide him to the path in which he should walk. He, now, saw that if he inquired of God, there was, not only, a possibility, but a probability; yea, more, a certainty, that he should [p. 4] obtain a knowledge, which, of all the doctrines, was the doctrine of Christ; and, which, of all the churches, was the church of Christ.
In the midst of our modern war of words and tumult of opinions, certainly God’s promise to give liberally and without upbraiding to those who ask Him applies just as much to us today as it did to Joseph Smith in the early 1800s.
In response to his sincere petitions, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in a glorious vision. The Lord forgave Joseph Smith of his sins and imparted intelligence unto him:
He was also informed upon the subjects, which had for some time previously agitated his mind, viz.—that all the religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines; and, consequently, that none of them was acknowledged of God, as his church and kingdom. And he was expressly commanded, to go not after them; and he received a promise that the true doctrine—the fulness of the gospel, should, at some future time, be made known to him; after which, the vision withdrew, leaving his mind in a state of calmness and peace, indescribable.
Surely throughout the entire process of obtaining the Gold Plates and translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith received the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and was prepared to restore the power and authority of the priesthood and the True Church of Jesus Christ.
The process of translating and transcribing the Book of Mormon transformed Joseph and Oliver and prepared them to receive the Priesthood and baptism. And who better to restore the Aaronic Priesthood and the ordinance of baptism than he who had been commissioned to prepare the way of the Lord in the meridian of time, namely John the Baptist. As John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord in the meridian of time, Joseph Smith prepared the way for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
In response to their prayer, John the Baptist appeared as an angel, a resurrected being, to Joseph and Oliver:
We still continued the work of translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying:
Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. (Joseph Smith-History 1:68-69)
This revelation and conferral of the Aaronic Priesthood is also recorded in D&C 13.
Finally, Joseph Smith found the power and authority of the Priesthood that he had sought earlier among the many different Christian denominations. This power and authority came directly from God through His messenger John the Baptist. In his history, Joseph Smith shared more details about this miraculous experience:
He said this Aaronic Priesthood had not the power of laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, but that this should be conferred on us hereafter; and he commanded us to go and be baptized, and gave us directions that I should baptize Oliver Cowdery, and that afterwards he should baptize me.
What is the Priesthood of Aaron? What are the keys of the ministering of angels? What are the keys of the gospel of repentance and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins?
Aaron was Moses’ elder brother who was appointed to assist Moses in leading the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Aaron was also appointed to be Moses’ spokesman. On Mount Sinai, Moses received directions from the Lord to appoint Aaron and his four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar to the Aaronic Priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood was and is the lesser Priesthood or preparatory Priesthood. Because the children of Israel hardened their hearts and were rebellious, the Lord removed Moses and the Great Priesthood from the midst and left them with the lesser Priesthood:
And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;
Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb.
For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power. (D&C 84:26-28)
Thus, as the resurrected John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph and Oliver, he prepared them for something greater:
Accordingly we went and were baptized. I baptized him first, and afterwards he baptized me—after which I laid my hands upon his head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood, and afterwards he laid his hands on me and ordained me to the same Priesthood—for so we were commanded.*
The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. It was on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized. (Joseph Smith-History 1:71-72)
When I was twelve years old I received the Aaronic Priesthood from my father. This is the same Aaronic Priesthood that John the Baptist conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, passed down in a direct line from John the Baptist (under the direction of Peter, James, and John) to Joseph Smith, Jr., to the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon (Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris), to Brigham Young, to Joseph Fielding Smith, to George Albert Smith, to Grant Colvin Cluff to Ralph Louis Hancock, to Ralph Cornel Hancock, to me.
Thus, like Joseph and Oliver, I am a fellow servant with John the Baptist. Like Joseph and Oliver, I have received, in the name of Messiah, the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.
What exactly are these keys?
Keys are the rights of presidency, or the power given to man by God to direct, control, and govern God’s priesthood on earth. Priesthood holders called to positions of presidency receive keys from those in authority over them. Priesthood holders use the priesthood only within the limits outlined by those who hold the keys. The President of the Church is the only person on earth who holds and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys (D&C 107:65–67, 91–92; 132:7).
This is another explanation of Priesthood Keys in the LDS Topics and Questions:
Every day, you probably have the experience of opening doors by using a key. Holding keys can be symbolic of a person having authority and access. Priesthood keys held by the Lord’s servants authorize them to direct how priesthood authority and power are used in the work of salvation and exaltation.
Jesus Christ holds all the keys of the priesthood pertaining to His Church. He has conferred upon each of His Apostles all the keys that pertain to the kingdom of God on earth. The President of the Church is the only person authorized to exercise all those priesthood keys.
Temple presidents, mission presidents, stake presidents, bishops, and quorum presidents also hold priesthood keys that allow them to preside over and direct the work they have been commissioned to do. Because of the keys of the priesthood, we can have access to the ordinances, covenants, blessings, and powers we need in order to return to live with our Heavenly Father and our Savior and become like Them.
Read Oliver Cowdery’s account of his experience with the resurrected John the Baptist:
“After writing the account given of the Savior’s ministry to the remnant of the seed of Jacob, upon this continent, it was easy to be seen, as the prophet said it would be, that darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people. On reflecting further it was as easy to be seen that amid the great strife and noise concerning religion, none had authority from God to administer the ordinances of the Gospel. For the question might be asked, have men authority to administer in the name of Christ, who deny revelations, when His testimony is no less than the spirit of prophecy, and His religion based, built, and sustained by immediate revelations, in all ages of the world when He has had a people on earth? If these facts were buried, and carefully concealed by men whose craft would have been in danger if once permitted to shine in the faces of men, they were no longer to us; and we only waited for the commandment to be given ‘Arise and be baptized.’
“This was not long desired before it was realized. The Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the consistent prayer of the humble, after we had called upon Him in a fervent manner, aside from the abodes of men, condescended to manifest to us His will. On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us, while the veil was parted and the angel of God came down clothed with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked for message, and the keys of the Gospel of repentance. What joy! what wonder! what amazement! While the world was racked and distracted—while millions were groping as the blind for the wall, and while all men were resting upon uncertainty, as a general mass, our eyes beheld, our ears heard, as in the ‘blaze of day’; yes, more—above the glitter of the May sunbeam, which then shed its brilliancy over the face of nature! Then his voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, ‘I am thy fellow-servant,’ dispelled every fear. We listened, we gazed, we admired! ’Twas the voice of an angel from glory, ’twas a message from the Most High! And as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were wrapped in the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? Nowhere; uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and deception had fled forever!
“But, dear brother, think, further think for a moment, what joy filled our hearts, and with what surprise we must have bowed, (for who would not have bowed the knee for such a blessing?) when we received under his hand the Holy Priesthood as he said, ‘Upon you my fellow-servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer this Priesthood and this authority, which shall remain upon earth, that the Sons of Levi may yet offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness!’
“I shall not attempt to paint to you the feelings of this heart, nor the majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us on this occasion; but you will believe me when I say, that earth, nor men, with the eloquence of time, cannot begin to clothe language in as interesting and sublime a manner as this holy personage. No; nor has this earth power to give the joy, to bestow the peace, or comprehend the wisdom which was contained in each sentence as they were delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit! Man may deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave; but one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind. The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall never cease.”—Messenger and Advocate, vol. 1 (October 1834), pp. 14–16.
This is true.
Joseph Smith described the experience of baptism as follows:
Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father. No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery, than the Holy Ghost fell upon him, and he stood up and prophesied many things which should shortly come to pass. And again, so soon as I had been baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men. We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the God of our salvation.
Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of. In the meantime we were forced to keep secret the circumstances of having received the Priesthood and our having been baptized, owing to a spirit of persecution which had already manifested itself in the neighborhood. (Joseph Smith-History 1:73-74)
This is also true.
Thus John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery which enabled them, with the authority of Jesus Christ, to be baptized. The Lord later described the Aaronic Priesthood as “the first priesthood”:
And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias;
Which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto the first priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and ordained even as Aaron; (D&C 27:7-8)
My claim (as well as the claim of all those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) to hold the lesser priesthood, the Aaronic Priesthood that holds the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, therefore, rests on the assertion that this Priesthood has been handed down from the Lord, through John the Baptist, to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and down through the aforementioned Priesthood line of authority to me.
There are many different keys that the Lord conferred upon Joseph Smith and others of His servants. But the Aaronic Priesthood keys prepared the way for greater blessings and the rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.