Section 66b
Overview
Given in June 1831, this revelation (known in modern LDS editions as Doctrine and Covenants Section 53) is directed to Sidney Gilbert, an early convert and business partner of Newel K. Whitney. The text serves as a divine response to Gilbert's prayers regarding his specific calling and election within the newly formed church. The revelation outlines a clear, progressive, and works-oriented theology of salvation and church administration. Gilbert is commanded to forsake the world, take upon himself the priesthood ordinance of an elder, and preach a specific formula of salvation: faith, repentance, remission of sins, and the reception of the Holy Spirit exclusively through the laying on of hands. Furthermore, it establishes a transactional framework for spiritual progression, stating that future ordinances will be revealed 'according to your labor in my vineyard.' The text concludes with a stark conditional warning that only those who endure to the end will be saved. Historically, this text is significant as it helps establish the early administrative hierarchy of the LDS movement (mentioning the office of Bishop and church agents) while cementing the theological departure from Protestant grace-based salvation toward a system of priesthood authority, sequential ordinances, and lifelong performance.
Key Figures
- The Lord (Jesus Christ): The speaker of the text, identifying Himself as the crucified Savior who dictates church offices, ordinances, and the conditions for salvation.
- Sidney Gilbert: The recipient of the revelation, commanded to become an elder, preach, and serve as a financial/property agent for the church.
- Joseph Smith, Jr.: The prophet through whom the revelation is given, and whom Gilbert is commanded to accompany on a journey.
- Sidney Rigdon: An early prominent church leader whom Gilbert is also commanded to travel with.
- The Bishop: An unnamed administrative authority (historically Edward Partridge) under whose direction Gilbert is to act as an agent.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Exclusive True Church
Assertion
The text claims that the LDS church is the specific, exclusive body raised up by God in the last days.
Evidence from Text
...in this church, which I the Lord have raised up in these last days.
Evangelical Comparison
The text explicitly identifies the newly formed Mormon organization as 'this church, which I the Lord have raised up in these last days.' This establishes the LDS doctrine of the Restoration—the belief that the true church was lost to apostasy and had to be exclusively re-established through Joseph Smith. In stark contrast, Evangelical Christianity holds to the doctrine of the Universal Church (the Body of Christ), which consists of all regenerate believers across time and denominations (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). Evangelicals reject the premise of a total 'Great Apostasy' that would necessitate a restoration of the church, relying on Christ's promise in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church.
Necessity of Priesthood Ordinances
Assertion
The text asserts that specific ordinances, such as ordination to an elder and the laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost, are mandatory commandments.
Evidence from Text
Take upon you mine ordinances, even that of an elder... and the reception of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands.
Evangelical Comparison
This text mandates the 'reception of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands' as an ordinance tied to the office of an 'elder.' In LDS theology, this means the Holy Ghost can only be conferred by someone holding the restored Melchizedek Priesthood. Evangelical Christianity fundamentally rejects this mediating requirement. According to Ephesians 1:13-14 and Romans 8:9, the Holy Spirit seals a believer at the exact moment of faith in the Gospel. While the New Testament does describe the laying on of hands (Acts 8), Evangelicals view this as a descriptive historical event of apostolic validation, not a prescriptive, universal requirement for salvation or the reception of the Spirit, affirming the Universal Priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9).
Conditional Salvation and Works-Based Progression
Assertion
Salvation and the reception of further spiritual ordinances are strictly conditional upon a person's labor and their ability to endure to the end.
Evidence from Text
...and the residue shall be made known in a time to come, according to your labor in my vineyard. And again, I would that ye should learn that it is he only who is saved, that endureth unto the end...
Evangelical Comparison
The text introduces a highly transactional soteriology. First, it states that future ordinances will be revealed 'according to your labor in my vineyard,' tying spiritual progression directly to human effort. Second, it declares that 'it is he only who is saved, that endureth unto the end.' While Evangelicals believe that true faith will produce endurance (perseverance of the saints), they vehemently reject the idea that endurance is the *cause* or *requirement* for maintaining justification. In Evangelical theology, salvation is a completed reality the moment one believes (John 5:24, Ephesians 2:8-9). The believer is kept by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5), not by their own labor or ability to endure.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text shifts the basis of salvation from a completed act of grace received by faith alone to a progressive system requiring specific priesthood ordinances, ongoing labor, and lifelong endurance.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The fundamental theological gap between this text and Evangelical Christianity lies in the realms of Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) and Ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church). Evangelicals hold to Sola Fide and Sola Gratia—that justification is a forensic declaration by God where Christ's righteousness is imputed to the believer solely through faith, apart from any works or rituals (Romans 3:28, Ephesians 2:8-9). This text, however, constructs a synergistic model where salvation is a process contingent upon human performance. It requires the believer to receive specific 'ordinances' (which in LDS theology are saving rituals, not merely symbolic sacraments), labor in the vineyard to unlock further ordinances, and ultimately 'endureth unto the end' to achieve salvation. Furthermore, the text violates the Evangelical doctrine of the Universal Priesthood by insisting that the Holy Spirit can only be received through the 'laying on of hands' by an ordained elder of 'this church,' thereby inserting a human mediator and an institutional hierarchy between the believer and God.
For All Ages
Imagine you owe a billion dollars, and a rich king pays it all off for you. In traditional Christianity, you just have to believe and accept his gift, and you are completely debt-free forever. That's called grace. But in this text, it's like the king says, 'I paid your debt, but to actually be free, you have to join my specific club, go through special ceremonies with my leaders, work really hard in my fields, and if you keep working hard until the day you die, then you'll be saved.' It changes a free gift into something you have to work to keep.
Friction Points
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
The text makes salvation and spiritual progression contingent upon labor, endurance, and the reception of physical ordinances.
Universal Priesthood
Requires the mediation of an ordained 'elder' to confer the Holy Spirit via the laying on of hands.
Sola Scriptura
Presents new, extra-biblical revelation as binding commandments for the church.
Pneumatology (Doctrine of the Holy Spirit)
Implies the Holy Spirit is not received at the moment of faith, but subsequently through a priesthood ritual.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Ordinances"
In This Text
Mandatory, saving rituals that must be performed by authorized priesthood holders (e.g., ordination, laying on of hands).
In Evangelicalism
Symbolic sacraments (Baptism, Communion) that are outward signs of an inward grace, not requirements for justification.
"Saved"
In This Text
Ultimate exaltation or eternal life, which is conditional and only achieved by those who endure to the end.
In Evangelicalism
Deliverance from the penalty of sin, granted as a present, secure reality the moment one believes (John 5:24).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Salvation is defined as a final state achieved only at the end of one's life, contingent upon enduring faithfulness and obedience.
How Attained: Attained through a combination of faith, repentance, priesthood ordinances (baptism, laying on of hands), ongoing labor in the church, and enduring to the end.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is inherently unstable in this text, as it is entirely dependent on the believer's future ability to 'endureth unto the end' and their ongoing 'labor in my vineyard.'
Comparison to Sola Fide: This text stands in direct opposition to Sola Fide. While it mentions 'faith and repentance,' it immediately adds priesthood ordinances, labor, and endurance as co-requirements for salvation. Romans 4:5 states, 'But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.' This text demands work and endurance for justification.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Forsake the world
- Take upon you mine ordinances, even that of an elder
- Preach faith and repentance, and remission of sins
- Preach the reception of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands
- Be an agent unto this church in the place appointed by the bishop
- Take your journey with Joseph Smith, jr. and Sidney Rigdon
- Learn that it is he only who is saved, that endureth unto the end
Implicit Obligations
- Submit to the administrative authority of the bishop
- Labor diligently in the vineyard to qualify for future ordinances
- Obey future commandments that 'shall be given hereafter'
Ritual Requirements
- Ordination to the priesthood office of an elder
- The laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Spirit
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- When the text says that future ordinances will be made known 'according to your labor,' how do you know when you have labored enough to be worthy?
- If salvation is only for him 'that endureth unto the end,' is it possible to have absolute assurance of your salvation today?
- How do you reconcile the requirement of an elder laying hands on you to receive the Holy Spirit with Ephesians 1:13, which says we are sealed with the Spirit the moment we believe?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The desire for a 'calling and election'
Gilbert's prayer reveals a deep human longing for purpose, identity, and assurance before God. The Gospel fulfills this perfectly, not by giving us a checklist of labors, but by adopting us as children of God.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The believer is placed on a spiritual treadmill where future blessings and ultimate salvation are explicitly tied to their 'labor in my vineyard.' This creates a constant pressure to do more, serve more, and work harder, leading to spiritual exhaustion.
Because salvation is restricted to 'he only who is saved, that endureth unto the end,' the believer can never have true peace or assurance in this life. They must constantly wonder if their endurance will be sufficient.
By requiring an elder to confer the Holy Spirit and a bishop to direct their agency, the believer's relationship with God is heavily mediated by the church hierarchy, fostering a reliance on the institution rather than Christ alone.