Doctrine and Covenants Study
The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revelations given primarily to Joseph Smith during the Restoration of the Church. It is unlike any other scripture - it speaks directly to our dispensation, addresses specific people and situations, and contains some of the clearest doctrinal teaching in all of Latter-day Saint scripture. LDS Sunday School helps you understand any section with its historical background and plain-language meaning.
Scripture for Our Own Dispensation
The Doctrine and Covenants is unlike the other standard works in one important way. It was not translated from an ancient record. It is a collection of revelations given mostly to Joseph Smith between 1823 and 1844, addressing the actual people, places, and problems of the early Church. When you read it, you are reading God's word given directly to the dispensation you belong to.
That immediacy is its strength. The Old Testament requires you to bridge thousands of years of culture. The Doctrine and Covenants speaks in the language of the nineteenth century, but the situations feel close: people wondering about their standing before God, leaders needing correction, saints under persecution. The doctrine on priesthood, eternal marriage, the degrees of glory, and continuing revelation is clearer here than anywhere else in scripture.
Why Historical Context Changes Everything
Almost every section carries a date and a setting, and knowing that setting changes how the revelation reads. Section 121 is not an abstract essay on power. Joseph Smith wrote it from Liberty Jail in the winter of 1838 and 1839, after months in a cold cell while his people were driven from Missouri. The tenderness of its counsel on gentleness and long-suffering comes from a man in genuine anguish.
Section 89, the Word of Wisdom, was given in 1833 in a School of the Prophets where men chewed and spat tobacco. Section 76, the vision of the degrees of glory, came while Joseph and Sidney Rigdon were revising the Bible and reached John chapter 5. Learning the occasion of a revelation is not trivia. It is the difference between reading words and hearing them answered to a real need.
How to Study a Section
Start by reading the section heading, which gives the date and circumstances. Then read the revelation slowly, watching for the question behind it. Many sections are answers to something Joseph asked, and finding the question makes the answer land. The historical introductions in the Come Follow Me manual and the Joseph Smith Papers add depth when a section assumes knowledge you do not have.
Pay attention to the voice. In much of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord speaks in the first person, saying I and me directly. These are His words to His Church. When a section names people or places you do not recognize, or refers to events you cannot place, LDS Sunday School can supply the historical background and plain-language meaning so any section is ready to study or teach.
Key Principles
- ✓Each section was given in a specific historical context - knowing that context changes everything
- ✓Section 76 contains the vision of the degrees of glory - one of the most expansive doctrinal revelations
- ✓Section 89 is the Word of Wisdom - the health law of the Church
- ✓Section 121 contains Joseph Smith's Liberty Jail letter - among the most comforting words in scripture
- ✓The Official Declarations at the end address significant moments in Church history
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Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
What is the Doctrine and Covenants?
The Doctrine and Covenants is one of the four standard works of the Church. It is a collection of revelations, most given to the Prophet Joseph Smith during the Restoration, along with a few from later Church presidents. Unlike the Book of Mormon, it was not translated from an ancient record. It speaks directly to the people and needs of the latter-day Church.
Why do the Doctrine and Covenants sections have dates and headings?
Each section was given in a specific historical situation, and the heading records the date, place, and circumstances. Knowing the context often makes the meaning clear. Section 121, for example, reads very differently once you know Joseph Smith wrote it from Liberty Jail during the winter his people were driven from Missouri. The headings help you read each revelation as an answer to a real need.
What is the Word of Wisdom?
The Word of Wisdom is the health law of the Church, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 89 and given to Joseph Smith in 1833. It counsels members to avoid alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee, and to use meat sparingly while eating grains, fruits, and vegetables. It also promises physical and spiritual blessings. Living it is required for a temple recommend.
How should I study the Doctrine and Covenants?
Begin with the section heading to learn the date and setting, then read the revelation slowly, looking for the question it answers. Many sections respond to something Joseph Smith asked God. Reading the Lord's first-person words with that context in mind brings them to life. Adding the historical background from reliable Church sources deepens sections that assume knowledge you may not yet have.