What Is the Lord's True Church?

Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants 10

It cannot be a coincidence that this morning I arrived at and read The Words of Mormon in my Book of Mormon study. This brief insertion and commentary by Mormon is directly related to the revelations that we are studying in Doctrine and Covenants 10. Only an omnipotent and omniscient Father in Heaven could have perfectly planned and aligned not only Mormon’s inspired choices in writing, abridging, and compiling the plates as part of the solution for the loss of the 116 pages, but also my own scripture study this morning. Mormon’s message was the Lord’s message to me:

And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.

And my prayer to God is concerning my brethren, that they may once again come to the knowledge of God, yea, the redemption of Christ; that they may once again be a delightsome people. (Mormon 1:7-8)

The Lord worked in Mormon to do according to His will. Mormon did not know all the reasons for his decision to insert the small plates of Nephi into his abridgment of the large plates of Nephi and the rest of his record before handing down the plates to his son Moroni. Like Nephi, whose small plates he treasured, Mormon knew that he did not know all things. But Mormon knew and trusted that the Lord knows all things which are to come, and that the Lord worked through him. The Lord accomplished His will and His wise purpose through the whisperings and workings of His Spirit in Mormon.

Mormon followed the example of his great predecessor Nephi whose small plates he had recently discovered and cherished. Nephi’s example and words were fresh in Mormon’s mind and heart as he wrote of the workings of the Spirit of the Lord in him:

Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not. (1 Nephi 9:5)

And after I had made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon these plates; and that the things which were written should be kept for the instruction of my people, who should possess the land, and also for other wise purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord. (1 Nephi 19:3)

And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer.

Wherefore, I speak unto all the house of Israel, if it so be that they should obtain these things.

For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth weary me even that all my joints are weak, for those who are at Jerusalem; for had not the Lord been merciful, to show unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old, I should have perished also. (1 Nephi 19:18-20)

Subsequent prophets such as Enos and Alma were also instruments in the hands of God to accomplish His wise purposes. Like Nephi and other Book of Mormon prophets, Mormon had workings in the spirit or the workings of the Spirit of the Lord in him. Like Nephi, Mormon knew that he did not know all things, but like Nephi, he trusted in the Lord:

And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?

And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. (1 Nephi 11:16-17)

And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. (2 Nephi 4:19)

The Spirit of the Lord directed the creation of the Book of Mormon from the beginning, and the Lord accomplished His wise purposes through His servants, record keepers, and prophet-historians Nephi and Mormon. Moroni followed in the footsteps of his fathers and became the instrument in the hands of God for transmitting the Book of Mormon to the great latter-day prophet and seer Joseph Smith, Jr.

Like Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni, and all the prophets, Joseph Smith, Jr. knew that he wasn’t perfect, but he trusted in the Lord:

When did I ever teach any thing wrong from this stand? when was I ever confounded? I want to triumph in Israel before I depart hence and am no more seen— I never told you I was perfect— but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught— must I then be thrown away as a thing of nought?— I enjoin for your consideration, add to your faith, virtue, love &c I testify that no man has power to reveal it, but myself, things in heaven, in earth and hell— and all shut your mouths for the future— I commend you all to God, that you may inherit all things— & may God add his blessing Amen.

As we learn in our study of the Doctrine and Covenants this week, for a small moment Joseph Smith considered that all was lost because of his failure to fear God more than man. But God’s purposes cannot be frustrated. The Lord’s wise purposes were accomplished and will continue to be accomplished though His mortal servants may err and falter.

After the tragic loss of the 116 pages, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery wondered what to do. Should they retranslate the same pages from the plates? The Lord saw that enemies conspired to alter the words on the 116 pages in order to discredit the Book of Mormon. This conspiracy was not a surprise to the Lord. In fact, the Lord had prepared a plan to confound the conspiracy and promulgate His word thousands of years earlier when He inspired Nephi to inscribe a second record, on a separate set of plates, that covered the same time period:

And now, as I have spoken concerning these plates, behold they are not the plates upon which I make a full account of the history of my people; for the plates upon which I make a full account of my people I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore, they are called the plates of Nephi, after mine own name; and these plates also are called the plates of Nephi.

Nevertheless, I have received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates, for the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people.

Upon the other plates should be engraven an account of the reign of the kings, and the wars and contentions of my people; wherefore these plates are for the more part of the ministry; and the other plates are for the more part of the reign of the kings and the wars and contentions of my people.

Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.

But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen. (1 Nephi 9:2-6)

The Lord knew that evil and designing men would conspire against Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon even as Nephi composed his record more than two millennia earlier. The Lord knew that the 116 pages would be lost, that Joseph would think that all was lost, and that the conspirators would attempt to alter and discredit the Book of Mormon. As Nephi testified, the Lord knows all things from the beginning. The Lord prepares a way to accomplish all His works. He has all power. He fulfills all His words. Nothing can stop the Lord’s work:

I love that!

Last Sunday I had a conversation with a young man who was confused about the relationship between God’s omniscience and our agency. He considered that there is a conflict or a paradox in the fact that God knows all things and the fact that we have been blessed with the gift of agency. I recommended Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s book All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, specifically chapter two: “The Omniscience of an Omnipotent and Omniloving God.”

There seems to be much confusion and debate on the topic of God’s omniscience and our agency, and it’s certainly an interesting topic. But let me suggest that the Lord knew that there would be much confusion and debate on this topic, and for this reason He made it clear, by the voice of His prophets and by His own voice, that He knows all things:

Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:5)

But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. (2 Nephi 2:24)

O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it. (2 Nephi 9:20)

For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing. (Moroni 7:22)

And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and truth; but there is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all. (Moses 1:6)

My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee. (Abraham 2:8)

The Lord also made it clear that we are free to choose:

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nephi 2:27)

The Lord knows all things, and we are free to choose, and these two facts reinforce each other.

Let’s return to the solution to the problem of the lost 116 pages, the Book of Lehi (which 116 pages I hope to read someday). The explanation of and questions about God’s wise purposes in the Come Follow Me manual are helpful:

Nephi didn’t know why he was inspired to make two sets of records of his people. And Mormon didn’t know why he was inspired to include the second set with the gold plates. But both prophets trusted that God had “a wise purpose” (1 Nephi 9:5; Words of Mormon 1:7). Today we know at least part of that purpose: to replace the 116 lost pages of the Book of Mormon. What do you think the Lord wants you to learn from all this? Ponder that question as you read Doctrine and Covenants 10:34–52. You might also make a list of truths you learn about the Lord from these verses. How do these truths affect your relationship with Him? What impresses you about the Lord’s wisdom and foresight in preparing for the loss of the 116 pages?

These are great questions to ponder as we study D&C 10 together.

The Lord rebuked and chastened Joseph Smith, and because Joseph Smith repented, the Lord restored unto him the gift of translation and the interpreters. The Lord admonished Joseph Smith and taught him how to triumph over his enemies:

Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work. (D&C 10:5)

The Lord is the ultimate Intelligence Agent. His Divine reconnaissance work is unassailable. He sees and knows all things, even (and perhaps especially) the things that foolish mortals think we can hide. Nothing escapes His all-searching eye. I feel to exclaim along with Nephi’s brother, the prophet Jacob:

O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust! (Jacob 2:15)

The Lord watched over and protected Joseph Smith. He warned Joseph Smith and alerted him to his enemies’ schemes. Sadly, one of Joseph Smith’s best friends, a man in whom he trusted, sought to destroy him. Conspiracies were constantly being hatched against the Prophet Joseph Smith, but the Lord confounded them all.

Who was behind the conspiracy to destroy Joseph Smith and the work of the Lord? Could it have been… Satan? The devil sought to lay a cunning plan to destroy the work of the Lord. In this section the Lord reveals much about the tactics and machinations of the devil and those whom the devil stirs up to iniquity. In essence, the devil stirs up iniquity and deceives men into thinking that there is nothing wrong with lying and deceiving because everyone else is doing it.

Satan and his agents attempt to alter the words of good people and to lay snares to catch them. Like the scribes and pharisees who attempted to twist Jesus’ words and trap him with cunning questions, Satan’s agents did the same thing to Joseph Smith, and they do the same thing today. But the Lord will not tolerate such evil:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God. (D&C 10:28)

The Lord foiled the conspirators’ plans and commanded Joseph Smith not to retranslate, and not to show the translation unto the world until it was finished:

But behold, here is wisdom, and because I show unto you wisdom, and give you commandments concerning these things, what you shall do, show it not unto the world until you have accomplished the work of translation.

Marvel not that I said unto you: Here is wisdom, show it not unto the world—for I said, show it not unto the world, that you may be preserved.

Behold, I do not say that you shall not show it unto the righteous;

But as you cannot always judge the righteous, or as you cannot always tell the wicked from the righteous, therefore I say unto you, hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known unto the world concerning the matter. (D&C 10:34-37)

The Lord gave very specific instructions on how to proceed with the translation of the Book of Mormon and confound the conspirators, punctuating His instructions with this declaration:

I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. (D&C 10:43)

One of the reasons for the Lord’s direct intervention in this matter was that He had covenanted and promised with the authors of the Book of Mormon to preserve and transmit their words to future generations according to their prayers of faith and their faith in their prayers. What was the faith and hope of the Book of Mormon authors? What was their prayer?

Yea, and this was their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions.

Now, this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land;

And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life;

Yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be.

And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up.

And for this cause have I said: If this generation harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them.

Now I do not say this to destroy my church, but I say this to build up my church;

Therefore, whosoever belongeth to my church need not fear, for such shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. (D&C 10:48-55)

This is exactly what I meant by my previous posts in my study of the Doctrine and Covenants. The Book of Mormon prophets left a blessing on this land (America) and paved the way for the establishment of the Lord’s Church. What is the Lord’s Church? Among whom does the Lord establish His Church? The Lord’s Church consists of those who believe in His Gospel that was revealed to the Book of Mormon prophets, and the Lord builds up and establishes His Church among those who harden not their hearts.

In the following passages the Lord provides the clearest definition and description of His Church. This is what I meant in my attempt to distinguish between the Lord’s True Church and everything else. The Lord’s True Church consists of those who harden not their hearts and those who repent and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ contained in the Book of Mormon. The Lord’s True Church consists of those who fear the Lord and keep His commandments. The Lord contrasts His True Church with false churches in the last days:

But it is they who do not fear me, neither keep my commandments but build up churches unto themselves to get gain, yea, and all those that do wickedly and build up the kingdom of the devil—yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that it is they that I will disturb, and cause to tremble and shake to the center. (D&C 10:56)

This is a key to distinguishing between the True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Lord originally intended and established and everything else. Everything else, the false churches, are built up by wicked men who don’t fear God or keep His commandments. These false churches are built up to get gain, to do wickedly, and to build up the kingdom of the devil.

As we learned earlier in this section of the Doctrine and Covenants, it is not always easy to judge the righteous or to tell the wicked from the righteous. It is not always easy to distinguish between the True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and everything else. It is not always easy to discern the wheat from the tares, or the sheep from the goats.

But the Lord knows. The Lord will bless His true followers with eternal life, and He will disturb the rest. Toward the end of D&C 10, the Lord reveals Himself and His work to the Prophet Joseph Smith and to us. Jesus is the Son of God, the same who came unto His own and His own received Him not. He is the Light which shines in darkness.

The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that His other sheep were a branch of the house of Jacob. The Lord promised to bring to light the marvelous works of His other sheep, marvelous works which they did in His name. The Lord also promised to bring to light His Gospel which was ministered unto His other sheep, including the true points of His doctrine.

Why did the Lord promise to do all of this?

And this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so much contention; yea, Satan doth stir up the hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of my doctrine; and in these things they do err, for they do wrest the scriptures and do not understand them. (D&C 10:63)

Finally, the Lord promised to unfold to His Church this great mystery:

For, behold, I will gather them as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts;

Yea, if they will come, they may, and partake of the waters of life freely.

Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.

Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.

And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.

And now, remember the words of him who is the life and light of the world, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Amen. (D&C 10:65-70)