Verses 1–10 of the revelation came in answer to the Saints’ questions about the nature of the gathering. Specifically, they had asked if Church members should gather to only one location or remain in separate settlements. The Lord instructs the elders to go forth into the “regions westward” and “build up my church in every region” (D&C 42:8). For the first time in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord makes mention of the city of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem, also called Zion, is described in the Book of Mormon as “a new Jerusalem which shall be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph” (Ether 12:6). In a revelation given only a few months prior, the Lord gave the first hint of the city’s location when He revealed that the city would be built “on the borders by the Lamanites” (D&C 28:9), or near what was then the boundary of the United States.

Before Joseph Smith arrived in Ohio, he was engaged in translation of the book of Genesis, which revealed further details about the New Jerusalem. In a prophecy given to the ancient prophet Enoch, the Lord promised that in the latter days He would send forth righteousness and truth “to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem” (Moses 7:62).

Even as Joseph Smith was in Ohio receiving the Law of the Church, Oliver Cowdery was continuing his journey westward toward the U. S. border, eventually arriving in Missouri. A few months after Oliver’s arrival, Joseph Smith and several elders of the Church were called upon to travel to Missouri, where the location of the New Jerusalem was designated as Independence, Missouri (D&C 57:2).

The second part of the Law came in answer to the question of what is “the law regulating the Church in her present situation until the time of her gathering.” It discusses nine different topics and consists of D&C 42:11-69. The first part of the law could be designated as the law of teaching and authority. The Lord specifies that those who teach and preach in the Church must be ordained by one who has authority (D&C 42:11). The use of ordained here is analogous to the way “set apart” is used in the Church today and it applied to both men and women who were called to teach (D&C 25:7). The men and women called to teach in the Church were expected to draw their instruction primarily from the scriptural canon, which at the time consisted of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The Lord also instructs that teachings shall be drawn from the articles and covenants; these are the revelations He was giving to the latter-day prophets of the Church. Parts of these revelations would eventually join the canon as the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price.

These instructions remain as vital to the Church today as they were in the period of the early Restoration. Remembering them will benefit both members of the Church and our larger society. Elder D. Todd Christofferson warned, “Today the Bible and other scripture are readily at hand, yet there is a growing scriptural illiteracy because people will not open the books.” Explaining the importance of the scriptural canon, he added, “Scripture tutors us in principles and moral values essential to maintaining civil society, including integrity, responsibility, selflessness, fidelity, and charity. In scripture, we find vivid portrayals of the blessings that come from honoring true principles, as well as the tragedies that befall when individuals and civilizations discard them. Where scriptural truths are ignored or abandoned, the essential moral core of society disintegrates and decay is close behind. In time, nothing is left to sustain the institutions that sustain society” (“The Blessings of Scripture,” April 2010 General Conference).

This section of the Law gives commandments to the Church. The commandments here are closely aligned with the Ten Commandments presented to the Israelites in Exodus 20. At the same time, the commandments given in Doctrine and Covenants 42 are a renewal of the law, declared again in the latter days. The Ten Commandments were part of a preparatory law delivered by Moses and later fulfilled by Jesus Christ (see Matthew 5:21–22, 27–28; 3 Nephi 15:2–9; Romans 13:8–10). Though the Ten Commandments were part of the preparatory law, the principles the commandments were based on are eternal, and they were renewed through this revelation to Joseph Smith. The commandments given here also expound and provide further explanation on how the law works.

For instance, in these verses the Lord declares that “he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come” (D&C 42:18). Using other scriptures for a larger context, the word killing as used here does not refer to self-defense, legal executions, or lives taken in the course of military service. Rather, it refers to “the shedding of innocent blood” (Alma 39:5). Murderers cannot be saved from the pains of their suffering until the Resurrection. The scriptures speak of murder as an unforgiveable sin that may be pardoned. The unpardonable sin—denial of the Holy Ghost—is later defined clearly in Doctrine and Covenants 76:32–35. Murderers can be pardoned through the Atonement of Jesus Christ once they have answered the full demands of justice.

Speaking on this subject, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness. David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully, with tears for the murder of Uriah, but he could only get it through hell; he got a promise that his soul should not be left in hell. . . . This is the case with murderers” (JS History, vol. E-1, 1922, JSP). At a different time, the Prophet added, “If the ministers of religion had a proper understanding of the doctrine of eternal judgment, they would not be found attending the man who had forfeited his life to the injured laws of his country by shedding innocent blood; for such characters cannot be forgiven, until they have paid the last farthing. The prayers of all the ministers in the world could never close the gates of hell against a murderer” (Discourse, 16 May 1841, as Reported by Times and Seasons, 430, JSP).

Doctrine and Covenants 42:30–42 constitute the first instructions given in this dispensation concerning the law of consecration. In some ways, consecration began in the Church as a grassroots effort. When Joseph Smith arrived in Kirtland he found new converts already attempting to implement a form of communal living. One contemporary observer outside of the Church noted, “Isaac Morley had contended that in order to restore the ancient order of things in the Church of Christ, it was necessary that there should be a community of goods among the brethren; and accordingly a number of them removed to his house and farm, and built houses and worked and lived together, and composed what is here called the ‘Big Family,’ which at this time consisted of 50 or 60, old and young” (Josiah Jones, “History of the Mormonites,” The Evangelist 9 [1 June 1831]: 132).

The “family” and other new converts in Kirtland launched these efforts out of a sincere desire to adhere to the scriptures, but a lack of specific direction caused problems to emerge almost immediately. Church Historian John Whitmer recorded, “The disciples had all things in common, and were going to destruction very fast as to temporal things. . . . Therefore they would take each other’s clothes and other property and use it without leave, which brought on confusion” (John Whitmer, History, 1831–circa 1847, p. 11, JSP). When Joseph Smith arrived in Kirtland in February 1831, a number of members clamored to know the Lord’s will concerning the practice of communal living. It is likely in response to these requests, the Lord provided these instructions, which revealed the foundational principles of consecration.

The most basic approach to understanding consecration is to examine the meaning of the word itself and how it was used in the time of the early Restoration. An 1828 dictionary defined consecration as “the act or ceremony of separating from a common to a sacred use.” The entry further adds, “Consecration does not make a person or a thing holy, but declares it to be sacred, that is, devoted to God or to divine service” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary). This is a broad definition of the term but is perhaps the most useful in comprehending the wide range of practical applications of the law of consecration. Throughout the history of the Church, the terms law of consecration and united order both refer to attempts to devote the Church’s temporal and spiritual resources to assisting the poor and needy. In practice, these attempts took many forms. While for the early Saints in Kirtland or Nauvoo the law of consecration was markedly different than today’s practice, Saints in all ages make a covenant to offer their resources to the sacred use of God’s kingdom (Casey Paul Griffiths, “A Covenant and A Deed Which Cannot Be Broken,” in Foundations of the Restoration, 2016).

The Lord’s instructions for consecration begin, “Behold thou shalt consecrate all thy properties that which thou hast unto me with a covenant and deed which cannot be broken and they shall be laid before the Bishop of my church” (Revelation, 9 February 1831 [D&C 42:1–72], p. 3, JSP). The inclusion of the word “all” leads the reader to believe that every single item of an individual’s property must be turned over to priesthood leaders. The Prophet and his associates clarified this wording in later revisions of the revelation, most significantly in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, which changed the passage to instruct the Saints to “consecrate of thy properties.” The change in wording first appeared in The Evening and Morning Star, July 1832. It has remained consistent in every published version of the revelation down to the present day (Doctrine and Covenants, 1835, p. 122, JSP). Consecration of properties denotes a sacrifice of resources to benefit the poor but leads away from a completely communal interpretation of the law, which would require all property to be given to the Church.

This clarification is further supported by the next item of instruction the Lord provides in the revelation, directives for the priesthood leaders administering the law. Priesthood leaders must provide a stewardship that allows participants to be stewards over their “own property, or that which he has received by consecration, as much as is sufficient for himself and family” (D&C 42:32). Additional revelations confirmed that while unity was a primary goal of the law, equality was a relative term. After receiving the Lord’s counsel in the earliest copies of the revelation, Church leaders provided stewardships not only according to the needs and wants of an individual or family.

When the revelation was first published in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Prophet was inspired to add the phrase “according to his circumstances” (Doctrine and Covenants, 1835, 122, JSP). He also added provisions that clarified that if an individual chose to no longer participate in the law, they retained their stewardship but could not reclaim what was consecrated (D&C 42:37; 51:5). Private ownership of property and voluntary participation served as key principles of the law from the start. Joseph Smith and other Church leaders wrote in an 1833 letter, “Every man must be his own judge how much he should receive and how much he should suffer to remain in the hands of the Bishop. . . . The matter of consecration must be done by mutual consent of both parties” (Letter to Church leaders in Jackson County, Missouri, 25 June 1833, JSP).

See Griffiths, “A Covenant and A Deed Which Cannot Be Broken,” 2016.

Another key component of the law consisted of the use of surpluses to provide for “a storehouse, to administer to the poor and the needy” and also for purchasing land, “building houses of worship,” and “building up of the New Jerusalem” (D&C 42:34–35). Other revelations instruct that the storehouse be directed under the hands of a bishop or Church agents “appointed by the voice of the church” (D&C 51:12–13). The storehouse was “common property of the whole church” with every individual improving on their “talents”—a word denoting both the New Testament currency and the gifts and abilities given by the Lord (D&C 82:18). An undergirding motivation for the law was the need for the Saints to sacrifice in order to build a faithful community with the New Jerusalem on their spiritual horizons (Craig James Ostler, “Consecration,” in Doctrine and Covenants Reference Companion, 108).

While today the Church operates a number of bishops’ storehouses around the world that are intended to help provide for the poor and needy, the resources available through consecration are much larger than can be contained in a few buildings. President Thomas S. Monson taught, “The Lord’s storehouse includes the time, talents, skills, compassion, consecrated material, and financial means of faithful Church members. These resources are available to the bishop in assisting those in need” (President Thomas S. Monson, “Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare,” Ensign, Sept. 1986, 5).

See Griffiths, “A Covenant and A Deed Which Cannot Be Broken,” 2016.

The Lord commanded the Saints to avoid pride, to be modest in dress, and to be clean (D&C 42:40–41). The revelation also commanded the Saints to avoid idleness, warning “he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer” (D&C 42:42). By no means do these statements represent a comprehensive treatment of all of the Lord’s commandments to early Saints concerning consecration. Our aim here is simply to provide a summary of the key principles of the law.

These principles have remained consistent throughout the history of the Church. Since 1831, successive generations of Church leadership have applied them in a wide variety of circumstances. This adaptation is logical given the varied situations in which the Saints have found themselves, from times when the entire Church membership consisted of a handful of people to today, when millions of Saints live in diverse places around the globe. But in all circumstances, the basic concepts and principles the Lord revealed in 1831 remain the same. President J. Reuben Clark succinctly captured the essence of consecration when he taught, “The basic principle of all the revelations on [the law of consecration] is that everything we have belongs to the Lord; therefore, the Lord may call upon us for any and all of the property which we have, because it belongs to him. This, I repeat, is the basic principle” (Church News, 1 Sept. 1945, 4).

Doctrine and Covenants 42:43–52 could be titled the Law of Sickness and Healing. Miracles of healing are often included in the scriptures as signs manifest among the followers of Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:1; 3 Nephi 17:9). More complicated are situations in which faith is manifest and people are not healed. The Lord specifies that those with faith can be healed, as long as they are not “appointed unto death” (D&C 42:48). There are instances in which the worthiness and faith of all involved are sufficient, but it is simply time for the person to move on to the next life.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf counseled concerning the power and limits of faith: “Faith is powerful, and often it does result in miracles. But no matter how much faith we have, there are two things faith cannot do. For one, it cannot violate another person’s agency. . . . God will invite, persuade. God will reach out tirelessly with love and inspiration and encouragement. But God will never compel—that would undermine His great plan for our eternal growth.” Pertaining to those who may be appointed to die, President Uchtdorf taught, “The second thing faith cannot do is force our will upon God. We cannot force God to comply with our desires—no matter how right we think we are or how sincerely we pray” (“Fourth Floor, Last Door,” October 2016 General Conference).

Do Latter-day Saints still live the law of consecration? Commitment to the law remains one of the covenants made as part of the temple ordinances. While the law of tithing was revealed in 1838 and became an important element of Church practice, it did not replace or cause a repeal of the law of consecration. Consecration was always a more holistic law encompassing all areas of life, not just finance. President Gordon B. Hinckley said bluntly, “The law of sacrifice and the law of consecration were not done away with and are still in effect” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 1997, 639).

Though the titles and initiatives of consecration have changed, the principles remain consistent. President Henry B. Eyring taught,

[The Lord] has invited His children to consecrate their time, their means, and themselves to join with Him in serving others. His way of helping has at times been called living the law of consecration. In another period His way was called the united order. In our time it is called the Church welfare program. The names and the details of operation are changed to fit the needs and conditions of people. But always the Lord’s way to help those in temporal need requires people who out of love have consecrated themselves and what they have to God and to His work. (“Opportunities to Do Good,” April 2011 General Conference)

One illustration of the power and limits of faith in matters of healing is found in Jesse Knight’s story. Jesse Knight was the scion of one of the most famous families in Church history, the son of Newel and Lydia Knight, early stalwarts in the Church. Despite his illustrious heritage, as a young man living in the Utah Territory, Jesse found himself estranged from the Church. He was uninterested in actively serving in it, and he was seemingly destined to lead a life outside of the faith. Jesse’s religious awakening came when his youngest daughter, Jennie, became deathly ill. The water on Jesse’s ranch had been contaminated by a dead rat. Jennie, who was only two years old, ran such a high fever that doctors told the Knights she would soon pass away.

When his wife, Amanda, decided to call the local elders from the Church, Jesse stopped her saying, “No, it would be hypocritical, now that the doctors have given her up, for me to resort to such a thing,” adding, “I have no faith in the Church.” Amanda replied, “I have, and think my feelings should have consideration at such a serious moment.” Jessie backed down and the elders soon arrived. After they gave Jennie a blessing she immediately rose up from her bed and commented on the flowers placed in the window. She made a full recovery, but another of the Knights’ children, eighteen-year-old Minnie, soon became very ill. Minnie told her parents that when Jennie became ill, she had prayed and asked God to take her life and spare her sister’s. She believed she would die thirty days from the time she became sick and, true to her prompting, passed away thirty days later. She was the only child of the Knights who had been baptized.

Jesse was twisted in knots by the miraculous healing of one of his daughters, followed so soon by the loss of another. He remembered that when Minnie was a baby she had become deathly ill with diphtheria. At the time, Jessie had promised God that if his daughter was spared, he would return to Church and serve faithfully. She was healed, but in the following years he did not keep his promise. Reflecting on her death, he wrote, “How keenly I felt the justice of her being taken from us!” He pleaded with God for forgiveness, later writing, “My prayer was answered and I received a testimony.” Jesse was left to acknowledge that the faith of Amanda to call the elders and the specific prayer of faith of Minnie produced a desirable outcome. Yet Minnie, seemingly appointed to death, was not saved. The entire family received a difficult lesson on the nature of faith and healing. From that time forward, Jesse lived as a committed Latter-day Saint, as did his family. Another of his daughters, Inez, even became one of the Church’s first two female missionaries (J. Michael Hunter, “Jesse Knight and His Humbug Mine,” Pioneer 51, no. 2, 2004, 9).

The Lord promises Joseph and the Saints further revelation that they may know the “mysteries and peaceable things” of the kingdom (D&C 42:61). He also promises to make covenants that will allow the Saints to be established in Ohio and in the New Jerusalem. For the next seven years, the Church was administered through two primary centers, Kirtland, Ohio, and different points in Missouri. During this time the majority of the revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants were received; these revelations comprise sections 41 through 123. As the Lord promised, these revelations unfolded the basic mysteries and knowledge necessary to operate the Church. More revelations came later during the Nauvoo period and during the leadership of the subsequent presidents of the Church, but the Ohio and Missouri revelations provide the foundation upon which the later Church was built.

Among the most vital of these revelations was the restoration of priesthood keys given to restore the Church and kingdom of God, which are here defined as the same thing (D&C 42:69). Joseph Smith taught that “the fundamental principles, government, and doctrine of the church are vested in the keys of the kingdom” (JS History, vol. A-1, 285, JSP).

This passage specifies that bishops would receive assistance from counselors called from among the members of the Church. While Bishop Partridge and his counselors were to be supported through consecration, today most Church officers receive paid compensation for their labor. While there have been differences in the way the Church has been administered over time, throughout most of its history the Church has not had a professional ministry. These verses do open the door for a small number of employees to receive payment from the Church, but these employees hold no ecclesiastical position based on their employment.

It is true that those called to full-time service in the Church, such as the general officers, receive a stipend for support. However, this stipend comes from the private investments of the Church, and not from the offerings of members. President Gordon B. Hinckley explained, “The living allowances given the General Authorities, which are very modest in comparison with executive compensation in industry and the professions, come from this business income and not from the tithing of the people” (“Questions and Answers,” October 1985 General Conference). Likewise, the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, published in cooperation with the Church, clarifies that “unlike local leaders, who maintain their normal vocations while serving in Church assignments, General Authorities set aside their careers to devote their full time to the ministry of their office. The living allowance given General Authorities rarely if ever equals the earnings they sacrifice to serve full-time in the Church” (Marvin K. Gardner, “General Authorities,” Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1992).

In a statement made about bishoprics, but which applies equally to all who serve in the Church, President Boyd K. Packer taught, “Neither the bishop nor his counselors are paid for what they do. They too pay their tithes and offerings, and they devote endless hours to their calling. They are paid only in blessings, as are those who serve with them” (“The Bishop and His Counselors,” April 1999 General Conference).

The final part of the revelation, received a few weeks later on February 23, 1831, deals with how various offenses among Church members should be handled. Offenses such as stealing and lying are delivered to the civil authorities of the land. Other offenses, such as immorality, improper behavior, and apostasy, constitute an offense against the laws of the Church and are handled by Church leaders. President James E. Faust explained, “Those who have keys, which include the judicial or disciplinary authority, have the responsibility for keeping the Church cleansed from all iniquity (see D&C 20:54; D&C 43:11). Bishops, stake presidents, mission presidents, and others who have the responsibility of keeping the Church pure must perform this labor in a spirit of love and kindness. It should not be done in a spirit of punishment, but rather of helping. However, it is of no kindness to a brother or sister in transgression for their presiding officers to look the other way” (“Keeping Covenants and Honoring the Priesthood,” October 1993 General Conference).

Doctrine and Covenants 42 includes the first introduction of Church membership councils designed to assist individuals who have been involved in the most serious sins. These meetings have at varying times gone by different names, but they have always had the same basic purpose. The 2020 Church handbook explains, “Most repentance takes place between an individual, God, and those who have been affected by a person’s sins. However, sometimes a bishop or stake president needs to help Church members in their efforts to repent. . . . When assisting members with repentance, bishops and stake presidents are loving and caring. They follow the example of the Savior, who lifted individuals and helped them turn away from sin and turn toward God (see Matthew 9:10–13; John 8:3–11)” (General Handbook, 2020, 32.0).