Orson Hyde, Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson, and William E. McLellin were all relatively new converts when the Lord spoke these words to them. Later, all four of these elders received a call to serve as members of the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in this dispensation, but at the time this revelation was given, they were simply elders sent forth to preach. The oldest among the four, Orson Hyde, was twenty-six when this revelation was given. Yet in spite of their youth and relative inexperience, the Lord told these elders that they had the power to speak scripture when moved upon by the Holy Ghost.

The Lord’s definition of scripture given in this passage is the most expansive and useful explanation provided in all of the standard works. Scripture is the mind of the Lord, the will of the Lord, the word of the Lord, the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation (D&C 68:4). It can be declared by people in the highest positions within the Church, or by those in the lowest positions. It can be given by anyone regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or personal background. Anyone who speaks through the Holy Ghost and with the mind, will, word, and voice of the Lord can give scripture.

However, in providing such a broad definition of scripture, we must also be thoughtful and careful. Not everyone who claims to have received scripture actually has. To measure the validity of proposed scripture, we use the scriptural canon. The Bible Dictionary in the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible defines canon as “a word of Greek origin, originally meaning ‘a rod for testing straightness,’ now used to denote the authoritative collection of the sacred books used by the true believers in Christ.” Whenever anyone claims to have received new scripture, it must be measured and compared to the already established canon consisting of the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price as well as the Spirit.

For instance, when Hiram Page claimed to have received new scripture through the medium of a seer stone (D&C 28), Joseph Smith immediately became concerned because Page’s revelations “were entirely at variance with the order of Gods house, as laid down in the new Testament, as well as in our late revelations” (Joseph Smith—History, vol. A-1, p. 54, JSP). The revelations received through Page’s seer stone did not align with the established canon and therefore were not scripture. Part of the reason members of the Church are asked to continually study the standard works is to help them recognize false scripture when it emerges.

New scripture comes to the Church every day. Whether spoken by prophets and apostles or ministering brothers and sisters, it is given wherever and whenever it is needed. While the canon keeps us from being deceived, we must also recognize the generosity of God in speaking to His children, and the multitude of heavenly messengers constantly influencing us.

In proclaiming that His servants have the power to declare scripture, the Lord also empowers them to go forth with His authority to declare His words. In a revelation received only a few weeks earlier, the Lord had warned against too much zeal in seeking out signs (D&C 64:7–12). Here He counsels His servants that if they are focused on carrying out their duties and bringing people unto Christ, they will be “blest with signs” (D&C 68:10). This confirms to the reader that signs are meant to strengthen existing faith, not to create faith from nothing. Signs are granted to those who already demonstrate their faith through their works.

The Lord even promises here that those who serve diligently will know the signs of the Second Coming. These signs have been sought by disciples in all ages of the world. The Lord reminds us that knowledge about the Savior’s return is best obtained when we focus our efforts and energies on blessing others. Fixating too much on the details surrounding the Second Coming can ironically cause us to be less prepared for His coming.

The remainder of the revelation addresses the qualifications for a bishop to serve in the Church. At this time, there was only one bishop in the Church, Edward Partridge, though the Lord told the Church that “other bishops” would soon be set apart to carry out similar duties. The Lord specifies that bishops must be high priests and must be worthy to serve in this calling. The revelation mentions that literal descendants of Aaron have a legal right to the bishopric, but there are also several qualifying factors.

First, if a literal descendant of Aaron was identified, he would only have the right to serve in the position of bishop, as head of the Aaronic Priesthood. When most members of the Church think of a bishop, they think of the head of their local ward, who is appointed as a bishop, or the head of the Aaronic Priesthood, and also as the presiding high priest in the ward. A legal descendant of Aaron would have the right to serve as bishop, but not as presiding high priest. Second, a person could not claim on his own to be a literal descendant of Aaron with a legal right to the bishopric. The revelation explains that the person would have to be identified, found worthy, and anointed by the First Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood. The individual could not identify himself as a literal firstborn son of Aaron through a patriarchal blessing or by his own revelation. God’s house is a house of order, and in this instance, the First Presidency would have to receive revelation to identify a literal descendant of Aaron.

Many promises are made in the scriptures, particularly in the Doctrine and Covenants, to the descendants of Aaron and the tribe of Levi (D&C 13; 68:15-20; 84:18, 27-35; 107:13-17, 69-76). At the same time, promises made to our ancestors are weighed against the Lord’s requirement of worthiness to serve in the work. While the Savior’s words here hint at a larger role of the descendants of Aaron in the latter-day work, these promises still await their fulfillment. John the Baptist told Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery that priesthood would never be taken again “until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness” (D&C 13). Joseph Smith and Malachi taught the Lord “shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:24). No doubt the sons of Levi, including the descendants of Aaron, will play an important part in the Lord’s work before His coming.

This passage refers only to the members of the Presiding Bishopric. High priests who are set apart to serve as bishops typically serve under the direction of a stake president. If they commit a serious sin or transgression, they are held accountable before the presiding high priests of the stake, specifically the stake presidency. Since the members of the Presiding Bishopric of the Church serve without a geographical area of stewardship, they are accountable to the presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood generally, or the First Presidency.

An 1835 revelation to Joseph Smith clarified this point of stewardship: “The most difficult cases of the church, inasmuch as there is not satisfaction upon the decision of the bishop or judges, it shall be handed over and carried up unto the council of the church, before the Presidency of the High Priesthood. . . . And after this decision it shall be had in remembrance no more before the Lord; for this is the highest council of the church of God, and a final decision upon controversies in spiritual matters” (D&C 107:78, 80).

After addressing the role of bishops, the revelation speaks to the most fundamental unit of the Church, the family. The Family Proclamation teaches that “parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

In this passage, one of the responsibilities given to parents is to teach their children and ensure that their children are baptized at eight years old, the age commonly referred to as the age of accountability. The earliest known reference to this teaching was given in the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis. In the passage the Lord tells Abraham, “I will establish a covenant of circumcision with thee, and it shall be my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations; that thou mayest know forever that children are not accountable before me until they are eight years old” (Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 17:11).

While the age of eight is given as the general age of accountability and is the earliest a person can enter into the baptismal covenant with the Lord, sin and accountability must be understood in a more complex way. A revelation given to Joseph Smith in September, 1830, teaches that “little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten; Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me” (D&C 29:46–47). For most people, accountability does not come suddenly at the age of eight but gradually develops as they are taught right from wrong. Parents should not wait until children are eight years old to begin teaching them the dangers of sin and how to follow the commandments. Parents are not freed from their obligations when their children become accountable for their own actions. In a reciprocal relationship, parents guide and help children throughout their lives, while raising and nurturing children helps their parents learning the divine art of godhood.

At the end of the revelation, the Lord reiterates His earlier expectations of the Saints living in Zion to keep the commandments and be diligent in their duties. The members of the Church living in Missouri were held to a higher standard when it came to the law of consecration. But this passage also emphasizes how integral healthy families are to the successful implementation of the principles of consecration. Both idlers and parents who neglect to teach their children about the dangers of greed are mentioned in the same verse by the Lord. Alongside the charity and generosity necessary to build Zion, the value of self-reliance was to be enshrined in the hearts of the people.

The principles of self-reliance as part of the law of consecration continue to be valued among the Saints in our day. President Thomas S. Monson taught, “Let us be self-reliant and independent. Salvation can be obtained on no other principle” (“Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare,” Ensign, Sept. 1986, 3). In this greatest work of gathering Israel and building Zion we must not be idle.

President M. Russell Ballard implored the Saint to “be innovative. As we work to magnify our callings, we should seek the inspiration of the Spirit to solve problems in ways that will best help the people we serve. We have handbooks of instruction, and their guidelines should be followed. But within that framework are substantial opportunities to think, to be creative, and to make use of individual talents. The instruction to magnify our callings is not a command to embellish and complicate them. To innovate does not necessarily mean to expand; very often it means to simplify… Being innovative also means that we do not have to be told everything we should do. The Lord said, “It is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant”  D&C 58:26 We trust you, brothers and sisters, to use inspiration. We trust that you will do so within the framework of Church policies and principles. We trust that you will be wise in counseling together to help build faith and testimony in the lives of those whom you serve” (M. Russell Ballard, “O Be Wise,” General Conference, October, 2017).