Lecture 5
Overview
Lecture 5 of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants (part of the 'Lectures on Faith') represents a critical transitional phase in early Mormon theology. Originally delivered to the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio, this text systematically defines the nature of the Godhead, but does so in a way that sharply contrasts with both orthodox Christian Trinitarianism and later, mature Mormon polytheism. The lecture explicitly teaches a Binitarian view of God: it asserts there are only 'two personages' in the Godhead—the Father and the Son. The Father is defined as a 'personage of spirit, glory and power,' while the Son is a 'personage of tabernacle' (flesh). The Holy Spirit is stripped of distinct personhood and is instead defined merely as the shared 'mind' or power that unites the Father and the Son. Furthermore, the text introduces a severe form of Pelagianism, arguing that Jesus Christ's ability to keep the law and remain sinless proves 'that it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin.' This places an immense performance burden on the believer, suggesting that human beings possess the inherent capacity for sinless perfection. The text concludes with a catechetical Q&A section, heavily proof-texting the King James Bible to support its assertions. Historically, this lecture is of immense apologetic significance because its theology (specifically the Father being a spirit and the Godhead being only two personages) directly contradicts later Mormon revelations (such as D&C 130:22, which states the Father has a body of flesh and bones and the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit). Because of these irreconcilable theological contradictions, the LDS Church quietly removed the Lectures on Faith from their scriptural canon in 1921.
Key Figures
- The Father: Described as a personage of spirit, glory, and power, possessing all perfection and fullness.
- The Son (Jesus Christ): Described as a personage of tabernacle (flesh), the express image of the Father, who suffered, kept the law perfectly, and serves as a propitiation and Mediator.
- The Holy Spirit: Described not as a distinct personage, but as the shared 'mind' of the Father and the Son.
- Man/Saints: Beings who have the power to keep the law without sin, and who are called to grow from grace to grace to become joint heirs with Christ.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Binitarian Godhead
Assertion
The Godhead consists of exactly two personages (the Father and the Son), while the Holy Spirit is merely the shared mind or power between them.
Evidence from Text
There are two personages who constitute the great matchless, governing and supreme power over all things... They are the Father and the Son... possessing the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit
Evangelical Comparison
Lecture 5 presents a stark departure from orthodox Trinitarianism by explicitly teaching Binitarianism. It states unequivocally, 'There are two personages who constitute the great matchless, governing and supreme power... They are the Father and the Son.' When asked in the catechism section, 'How many personages are there in the Godhead?', the required answer is 'Two: the Father and the Son.' The Holy Spirit is systematically stripped of His distinct personhood and is redefined ontologically as the 'mind' shared by the Father and the Son. In contrast, Evangelical Christianity, based on the biblical witness, affirms that the Godhead consists of three distinct, co-equal, and co-eternal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Bible attributes personal characteristics to the Holy Spirit, such as having a will (1 Corinthians 12:11), speaking (Acts 13:2), and being able to be lied to as God (Acts 5:3-4). By reducing the Holy Spirit to a mere 'mind' or shared essence, Lecture 5 violates the foundational Christian doctrine of the Trinity.
The Spiritual Nature of the Father
Assertion
God the Father is a personage of spirit, distinct from the Son who is a personage of tabernacle (flesh).
Evidence from Text
The Father being a personage of spirit, glory and power... The Son... a personage of tabernacle, made, or fashioned like unto man
Evangelical Comparison
Lecture 5 defines the Father as a 'personage of spirit, glory and power,' explicitly contrasting Him with the Son, who is a 'personage of tabernacle' (meaning flesh or physical body). From an Evangelical perspective, the assertion that God the Father is spirit aligns with John 4:24 ('God is spirit'). However, the theological gap emerges in how this text separates the ontological nature of the Father and the Son into two distinct 'personages' rather than one divine essence. More significantly, this doctrine represents a massive internal contradiction within Mormonism itself. In 1843, Joseph Smith introduced a new revelation (now D&C 130:22) which explicitly states: 'The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.' Lecture 5's teaching that the Father is a spirit directly contradicts this later foundational LDS doctrine, which is the primary reason the LDS Church decanonized the Lectures on Faith in 1921.
Human Capacity for Sinless Perfection (Pelagianism)
Assertion
Because Jesus kept the law and remained without sin, it proves that mortal humans also have the inherent power to keep the law perfectly and remain without sin.
Evidence from Text
he kept the law of God, and remained without sin: Showing thereby that it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin.
Evangelical Comparison
One of the most severe theological deviations in Lecture 5 is its anthropology and hamartiology (doctrine of sin). The text asserts that Christ's earthly life of perfect obedience was meant to show 'that it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin.' This is a textbook definition of Pelagianism—the belief that original sin did not taint human nature and that mortal will is still capable of choosing good or evil without special divine aid, making sinless perfection attainable in this life. Evangelical Christianity vehemently rejects this based on the clear teaching of Scripture. Romans 3:10-23 declares that 'none is righteous, no, not one' and that 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.' 1 John 1:8 warns, 'If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' The biblical Gospel rests on the premise that man is entirely incapable of keeping the law perfectly (Galatians 3:10-11), which is precisely why Christ had to fulfill it on our behalf. By claiming man has the power to remain without sin, Lecture 5 nullifies the necessity of imputed righteousness and places an impossible legalistic burden on the believer.
Conditional Grace and Theosis
Assertion
Believers receive the Spirit by keeping commandments, and through this obedience, they grow from grace to grace to become equal heirs, possessing the same mind and glory as God.
Evidence from Text
which Spirit is shed forth upon all who believe on his name and keep his commandments: and all those who keep his commandments shall grow up from grace to grace, and become heirs of the heavenly kingdom... become one in him, even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one.
Evangelical Comparison
Lecture 5 outlines a soteriology based on progressive obedience. It states that the Spirit is shed upon those who 'believe on his name and keep his commandments,' and that by keeping these commandments, believers 'grow up from grace to grace.' The ultimate goal is a form of theosis or deification, where believers become 'one in him, even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one,' partaking of the exact same fullness and glory. Evangelical Christianity teaches Sola Fide—justification by faith alone. The Holy Spirit is not earned by keeping commandments; He is the promised seal given the moment a person believes the Gospel (Ephesians 1:13-14, Galatians 3:2). While Evangelicals believe in progressive sanctification (growing in holiness) and ultimate glorification, they reject the idea that grace is something one 'grows up from' through commandment-keeping. Grace, by biblical definition, is unmerited favor (Romans 11:6). Furthermore, while believers are united with Christ, they do not become ontologically 'one' with God in the sense of possessing His exact divine fullness and supreme power, maintaining the Creator-creature distinction.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
Lecture 5 denies the orthodox Trinity by limiting the Godhead to two personages and reducing the Holy Spirit to a shared 'mind.' It also denies Total Depravity by claiming humans have the power to live completely without sin.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between Lecture 5 and Evangelical Christianity is profound, centering primarily on Theology Proper (the nature of God) and Anthropology (the nature of man). Ontologically, Lecture 5 presents a Binitarian Godhead. It explicitly numbers the personages of the Godhead as 'Two: the Father and the Son.' It strips the Holy Spirit of personal agency, defining Him merely as the 'mind' or power shared by the Father and the Son. This directly violates the orthodox, biblical doctrine of the Trinity, which maintains that the one divine essence is shared fully and equally by three distinct persons. Furthermore, the text introduces a severe Pelagian anthropology. By asserting that Christ's sinless life demonstrates 'that it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin,' the text denies the biblical doctrine of Original Sin and Total Depravity. It suggests that human nature is not fundamentally corrupted by the Fall and that humans possess the inherent moral capacity to achieve sinless perfection. This fundamentally alters the nature of the Gospel; instead of Christ fulfilling the law because man is utterly incapable of doing so (Romans 8:3-4), Christ merely serves as a pacesetter, proving that man can achieve perfection through rigorous commandment-keeping. This violates Sola Fide and Sola Gratia, replacing the finished work of Christ with a performance-based system of progressive deification.
For All Ages
Imagine God is like a perfect triangle. Christians believe God is one 'What' (one God) but three 'Whos' (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). This is called the Trinity. But this text says God is only two 'Whos'—the Father and the Son—and that the Holy Spirit isn't a person at all, just the thoughts or 'mind' they share. That's a big difference from what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit being a real person who can speak, guide, and be grieved. Also, this text says that because Jesus lived a perfect life without sinning, it proves that you and I have the power to live perfectly without sinning too. But the Bible says that everyone makes mistakes and sins (Romans 3:23), and that's exactly why we need Jesus to save us. If we could be perfect on our own, we wouldn't need a Savior. The Bible teaches we are saved by trusting in Jesus' perfection, not by trying to be perfect ourselves.
Friction Points
Theology Proper (The Trinity)
Explicitly limits the Godhead to two personages and denies the distinct personhood of the Holy Spirit.
Anthropology (Total Depravity)
Claims that mortal man has the power to keep the law perfectly and remain without sin.
Sola Fide (Justification by Faith Alone)
Makes the reception of the Spirit and ultimate salvation conditional upon keeping commandments and growing from grace to grace.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Godhead"
In This Text
A governing council consisting of exactly two personages (Father and Son) who share one mind (the Holy Spirit).
In Evangelicalism
The divine nature or essence of the one true God, eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).
"Holy Spirit"
In This Text
The shared mind, glory, and power of the Father and the Son; not a distinct personage.
In Evangelicalism
The third Person of the Trinity, possessing intellect, emotion, and will, who is fully God.
"Grace to grace"
In This Text
A progressive process of spiritual advancement and deification achieved by keeping commandments.
In Evangelicalism
The unmerited favor of God, given freely to spiritually dead sinners, not earned by obedience.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Becoming heirs of the heavenly kingdom, joint heirs with Christ, and partaking of the fullness of the Father and the Son by possessing their same mind and glory.
How Attained: By believing on Christ's name AND keeping His commandments, thereby growing from grace to grace.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is based on one's ability to keep the law and remain without sin, as the text warns that those who walk not in the law have 'no excuse for their sins.'
Comparison to Sola Fide: Lecture 5 explicitly rejects Sola Fide by linking the shedding forth of the Spirit and the attainment of the heavenly kingdom to those who 'keep his commandments.' In contrast, Romans 4:4-5 teaches that salvation is credited to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Believe on his name
- Keep his commandments
- Let the student commit this paragraph to memory (referring to the paragraph defining the Godhead)
- Let the student commit this also (referring to the paragraph on the foundation of faith)
Implicit Obligations
- Accept the Binitarian definition of the Godhead as the 'sure foundation' for faith
- Strive for sinless perfection, as the text claims it is in the power of man to remain without sin
- Study and memorize scriptural proof-texts to defend this specific theology
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- I noticed in Lecture 5 it says there are 'two personages' in the Godhead and that the Father is a 'personage of spirit.' How do you reconcile this with D&C 130:22, which says the Father has a body of flesh and bones and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit?
- Lecture 5 says that Jesus's life shows 'it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin.' Do you feel you have the power to live completely without sin? How does that make you feel about your standing before God?
- If the Lectures on Faith were canonized as scripture in 1835 by Joseph Smith, why do you think the Church removed them from the Doctrine and Covenants in 1921?
- When Lecture 5 describes the Holy Spirit as just the 'mind' of the Father and Son, how does that fit with biblical passages where the Holy Spirit speaks, can be lied to, and makes decisions?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
Christ as Propitiation
This is a beautiful, biblical truth embedded in the text. A propitiation is a sacrifice that fully satisfies God's wrath. If Christ is truly our propitiation, then the burden of keeping the law perfectly (which the text wrongly demands) is lifted, because Christ's sacrifice was sufficient.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
By explicitly stating that Christ's life proves 'it is in the power of man to keep the law and remain also without sin,' the text places an absolutely crushing burden of perfectionism on the believer. If a believer sins, they cannot blame human weakness; according to this text, they had the power to remain without sin but failed. This leads to deep shame, anxiety, and a constant fear of being 'justly condemned by the law' with 'no excuse.'
For a modern Latter-day Saint reading this historical text, it creates severe cognitive dissonance. They are taught today that God the Father has a physical body and the Godhead is three distinct personages. Reading their founding prophet declare the exact opposite in a formally canonized (and later removed) text creates deep uncertainty about the reliability of prophetic revelation.