The Articles and Covenants of the Church, known today as section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants, delineates the core doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and specifies how to perform priesthood duties and ordinances within the church. The Lord instructed Oliver Cowdery, as he prepared to write the first draft of the document, to “rely upon the things which are written,” specifically the Book of Mormon. He affirmed, “In them are all things written concerning the foundation of my church, my gospel, and my rock” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:3-4.
As Oliver drafted the document and as Joseph Smith refined it, they must have been grateful for Moroni’s longevity. After sharing the history of the Jaredites in the book of Ether, Moroni “had supposed not to have written any more” (Moroni 1:1, 4), but with a lot of time on his hands, he thought of a few additional bits of content which might be useful to us, and he compiled them into one last book, called the book of Moroni.
Chapters 2-6 of this book read like a handbook, so it’s not surprising that portions of those chapters find their way into section 20:
| Topic | Moroni | Doctrine and Covenants 20 |
|---|---|---|
| Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost | Moroni 2:2 | Doctrine and Covenants 20:41 |
| Priests and teachers ordained “according to the gifts and callings of God” and by the power of the Holy Ghost | Moroni 3:4 | Doctrine and Covenants 20:60 |
| The sacrament prayers | Moroni 4:3; Moroni 5:2 | Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79 |
| Requirements for baptism | Moroni 6:1-3 | Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 |
| Importance of frequent sacrament meetings | Moroni 6:5-6 | Doctrine and Covenants 20:75 |
| Names of former members removed from church records | Moroni 6:7 | Doctrine and Covenants 20:83 |
| Meetings conducted by inspiration from the Holy Ghost | Moroni 6:8 | Doctrine and Covenants 20:45 |
The instructions for baptism in Doctrine and Covenants 20:73-74 are also quite clearly derived from the Savior’s instructions in 3 Nephi 11:24-26.
But today, I’ve been thinking about some of the less obvious contributions of the Book of Mormon. For example, while the list of doctrines in verses 17-25 and 28 doesn’t specifically quote any passage from the Book of Mormon, all of those doctrines appear in the book:
| Doctrine and Covenants | Book of Mormon |
|---|---|
| 17. By these things we know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them; | “The Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:14) “God…being from everlasting to everlasting” (Moroni 7:22) “God…is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity” (Moroni 8:18) “He is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are” (Alma 11:39) |
| 18. And that he created man, male and female, after his own image and in his own likeness, created he them; 19. And gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him, the only living and true God, and that he should be the only being whom they should worship. 20. But by the transgression of these holy laws man became sensual and devilish, and became fallen man. | “…that God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen” (Alma 22:12) “They had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature” (Alma 42:10; see also Mosiah 16:3) “Man became lost forever, yea, they became fallen man” (Alma 42:6) |
| 21. Wherefore, the Almighty God gave his Only Begotten Son, as it is written in those scriptures which have been given of him. 22. He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them. 23. He was crucified, died, and rose again the third day; | “The Son…suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation” (Mosiah 15:5; see also Mosiah 3:7; Alma 7:11) “They will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead” (2 Nephi 25:13; see also Mosiah 3:10) |
| 24. And ascended into heaven, to sit down on the right hand of the Father, to reign with almighty power according to the will of the Father; | “Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God” (Moroni 7:27) “ll things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory with the powers of heaven” (3 Nephi 28:7) |
| 25. That as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved— | “Whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved” (3 Nephi 11:33) “Whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world” (3 Nephi 27:16) |
| 28. Which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite and eternal, without end. Amen. | “This is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end” (2 Nephi 31:21) “The Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:14) |
What’s striking about these verses is how they integrate words and phrases from various parts of the Book of Mormon in order to declare principles which permeate the book. Unlike the instructions in the prior table, which essentially copy Moroni, these declarations of doctrine represent a distillation of the central messages of the book, with words and phrases borrowed from many passages to emphasize the unity of its authors.
Jesus said that his church must be built upon His gospel. (See 3 Nephi 27:8.) By building the Articles and Covenants of the Church on principles and instructions from the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery established the restored Church of Jesus Christ on a solid foundation.
Today, I will be grateful for the role of the Book of Mormon as a foundation for establishing and maintaining the church of Jesus Christ. Like Joseph and Oliver, I will strive to internalize its messages and to follow its instructions as I contribute to His work.
Leave a Reply