Section 108
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 108 is a brief, personal revelation dictated by Joseph Smith in December 1835 for Lyman Sherman. Sherman, a devout follower who had previously been ordained a Seventy, approached Smith seeking to know his duty. The text is highly significant for its soteriological and ecclesiological mechanics: the Lord explicitly declares Sherman's sins forgiven specifically because he obeyed the command to seek counsel from 'him whom I have appointed' (Joseph Smith). This establishes the Prophet as a necessary mediator for divine direction and spiritual standing. The revelation provides Sherman with spiritual comfort ('let your soul be at rest') but immediately conditions future blessings on his strict observance of covenants ('be more careful henceforth in observing your vows'). It also previews the upcoming 'solemn assembly' (associated with the Kirtland Temple dedication), promising Sherman formal ordination and the right to preach, provided he remains faithful. The text concludes with a pastoral mandate to strengthen his brethren in all aspects of his life, accompanied by a promise of God's abiding presence.
Key Figures
- The Lord: The divine voice dictating the revelation, claiming authority to forgive sins, grant priesthood rights, and demand obedience.
- Lyman Sherman: The recipient of the revelation, a follower seeking to know his duty, whose sins are declared forgiven based on his submission to prophetic counsel.
- Joseph Smith ('him whom I have appointed'): The prophet and mediator of the revelation, positioned as the essential conduit for divine counsel and the one to whom Sherman had to submit to receive forgiveness.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Forgiveness Mediated Through Submission to Prophetic Authority
Assertion
The text asserts that a person's sins are forgiven as a direct result of obeying the command to seek counsel from God's appointed prophet.
Evidence from Text
Your sins are forgiven you, because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither this morning to receive counsel of him whom I have appointed.
Evangelical Comparison
In Evangelical theology, justification and the forgiveness of sins are attained by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Sola Fide, Solus Christus). Passages like Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 4:5 explicitly deny that human works or obedience to human mediators play any role in securing forgiveness. 1 Timothy 2:5 establishes that there is only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. In stark contrast, D&C 108:1 explicitly links the forgiveness of Lyman Sherman's sins to a specific act of obedience: traveling to receive counsel from Joseph Smith ('him whom I have appointed'). This elevates the Prophet to a quasi-mediatorial role, where submission to his authority becomes a prerequisite for experiencing God's forgiveness, fundamentally altering the biblical doctrine of justification.
Conditional Assurance and Covenantal Performance
Assertion
Spiritual blessings and divine promises are strictly conditional upon the believer's careful and ongoing observance of vows (covenants) and continued faithfulness.
Evidence from Text
arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows, which you have made and do make, and you shall be blessed... Behold, this is the promise of the Father unto you if you continue faithful.
Evangelical Comparison
Evangelical Christianity teaches that a believer's standing before God is secured by the imputed righteousness of Christ. Assurance of salvation is based on the objective reality of Christ's sacrifice and the sealing of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14, Romans 8:1, 38-39). While good works are the necessary fruit of genuine faith, they are not the condition for maintaining one's justified status. D&C 108 introduces a highly conditional framework for spiritual standing. Sherman is told to 'be more careful henceforth in observing your vows' to receive blessings, and the Father's promise is explicitly contingent: 'if you continue faithful.' This creates a performance-based theology where assurance is perpetually suspended upon the believer's ability to perfectly maintain their covenants, leading to a spiritual burden of uncertainty.
Exclusive Priesthood Authority for Ministry
Assertion
The right to preach the gospel and minister is not inherent to all believers but must be conferred through specific priesthood ordination by chosen leaders.
Evidence from Text
receive right by ordination with the rest of mine elders whom I have chosen... you shall have right to preach my gospel wheresoever I shall send you
Evangelical Comparison
The Evangelical doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6) asserts that every born-again Christian has direct access to God and is commissioned to share the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20). While churches ordain pastors for orderly administration and teaching, ordination is not a prerequisite for the 'right' to preach the gospel. D&C 108:4-6 teaches that the 'right to preach' is a specific authority granted only through formal 'ordination with the rest of mine elders.' This reflects the broader Mormon doctrine of exclusive priesthood authority, which claims that without the restored Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods, no one has the legitimate authority to act in God's name or preach His gospel.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text diverges fundamentally from Evangelicalism by mediating the forgiveness of sins through obedience to a human prophet and conditioning eternal promises on the strict, ongoing performance of vows.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between D&C 108 and Evangelical Christianity centers on the doctrines of Justification (Sola Fide) and Mediation (Solus Christus). In Evangelical theology, forgiveness is a forensic declaration by God based entirely on the imputed righteousness of Christ, received through faith alone. It is an unmerited gift (Romans 3:24-28). Furthermore, Christ is the sole mediator of the New Covenant (1 Timothy 2:5); no human priest or prophet stands between the believer and God to dispense or withhold forgiveness. In D&C 108, the architecture of salvation is fundamentally altered. Forgiveness is explicitly granted *because* Lyman Sherman performed a specific work of obedience: coming to receive counsel from Joseph Smith. This establishes a paradigm where submission to the institutional prophet is inextricably linked to one's standing before God. Furthermore, the text immediately pivots from forgiveness to conditional performance, warning Sherman to 'be more careful henceforth in observing your vows' to secure future blessings. This replaces the Evangelical assurance of salvation—rooted in Christ's finished work—with a covenantal treadmill where assurance is perpetually contingent upon the believer's behavioral exactness and institutional loyalty.
For All Ages
Imagine you owe a billion dollars to a King, and you can never pay it back. In the Bible, the King's Son pays your debt completely, and the King forgives you just because you trust His Son. You are free! But in this text, it's like the King says, 'I will forgive your debt, but ONLY because you went to my special servant to ask what to do, and you must be very careful to keep all your promises to me from now on, or else.' In the Bible, Jesus is the only one we need to go to for forgiveness. In this text, a man named Joseph Smith is put in the middle, and you have to obey him and keep working hard to make sure you stay forgiven.
Friction Points
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
Forgiveness is granted 'because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither... to receive counsel', making an act of obedience the basis for forgiveness rather than faith alone.
Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
Elevates Joseph Smith ('him whom I have appointed') to a mediatorial role where seeking his counsel is required to obtain God's forgiveness.
Universal Priesthood
Restricts the 'right to preach' the gospel to those who receive formal priesthood ordination from the church hierarchy.
Sola Scriptura
Presents new, binding revelation outside of the closed biblical canon.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Forgiven"
In This Text
A conditional state granted in response to specific acts of obedience (seeking prophetic counsel) that must be maintained by carefully observing vows.
In Evangelicalism
The complete, once-for-all removal of the penalty of sin, granted freely by grace through faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice (Colossians 2:13-14).
"Gospel"
In This Text
The comprehensive system of Mormon theology, including the necessity of restored priesthood authority, ordinances, and prophetic leadership.
In Evangelicalism
The good news of Christ's death for sins, His burial, and His resurrection, which alone saves those who believe (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
"Ordination"
In This Text
The literal conferral of divine priesthood power and authority (Aaronic or Melchizedek) necessary to act in God's name.
In Evangelicalism
The church's formal recognition of a person's calling and gifting for pastoral or ministerial leadership, not the impartation of exclusive mediatorial power.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: In this specific text, salvation is framed as having one's sins forgiven, having one's soul 'at rest' regarding spiritual standing, and receiving the Father's promises.
How Attained: Attained through a combination of obedience to prophetic counsel, making and carefully observing vows, and continuing faithful.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is highly conditional. While verse 2 offers temporary rest ('let your soul be at rest'), verses 3 and 5 immediately condition future standing on being 'more careful' to observe vows and 'if you continue faithful.'
Comparison to Sola Fide: This text stands in direct opposition to Sola Fide. Romans 4:4-5 states, 'Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.' D&C 108 requires the 'work' of obeying the prophet and keeping vows to secure and maintain forgiveness.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Let your soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing
- Resist no more my voice
- Arise up
- Be more careful henceforth in observing your vows
- Wait patiently until the solemn assembly shall be called
- Strengthen your brethren in all your conversation
- Strengthen your brethren in all your prayers
- Strengthen your brethren in all your exhortations
- Strengthen your brethren in all your doings
Implicit Obligations
- Submit to the counsel of Joseph Smith as God's appointed representative
- Attend the upcoming solemn assembly
- Accept ordination to the office of elder
- Preach the gospel wherever sent after ordination
- Maintain strict faithfulness to secure the Father's promises
Ritual Requirements
- Making and observing vows (covenants)
- Participation in a solemn assembly
- Receiving ordination by the laying on of hands
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In verse 1, the Lord says Lyman's sins are forgiven *because* he obeyed the command to get counsel from Joseph Smith. How does it feel to have your forgiveness tied to your obedience to a church leader?
- Verse 3 tells Lyman to be 'more careful henceforth in observing your vows.' Have you ever felt the pressure of needing to be 'more careful' to ensure you receive God's blessings? How do you know when you've been careful enough?
- If the promise of the Father is only yours 'if you continue faithful' (verse 5), how can you ever have true rest concerning your spiritual standing (verse 2) today?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The desire for the soul to be 'at rest concerning your spiritual standing' (v. 2).
Every person deeply desires to know where they stand with God and longs for spiritual rest. While D&C 108 offers a temporary rest that is immediately burdened by the demand to be 'more careful' with vows, Jesus offers true, permanent rest because He fulfilled all the vows and laws on our behalf.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The believer is placed on a performance treadmill. Even after being told their sins are forgiven, they are immediately warned to 'arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows.' This creates a hyper-vigilant spiritual state where the believer must constantly monitor their behavior to ensure they are being 'careful' enough to maintain God's favor.
Because the 'promise of the Father' is explicitly conditional ('if you continue faithful'), the believer can never possess absolute assurance of their salvation in the present moment. Their future standing is always in jeopardy based on their future performance.
The believer's relationship with God, their forgiveness, and their right to minister are entirely mediated through the institutional hierarchy (Joseph Smith, ordination by chosen elders). This fosters a deep reliance on the organization rather than a direct, unmediated relationship with Christ.