Section 11
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 11 is a revelation directed to Hyrum Smith, Joseph Smith's older brother, during the translation phase of the Book of Mormon in May 1829. The text serves as a foundational document for early Mormon ecclesiology, epistemology, and missionary zeal. Speaking in the first person as Jesus Christ, the text commands Hyrum to wait before preaching, instructing him to first 'obtain' the word by studying both the existing Bible and the forthcoming Book of Mormon translation. Theologically, the text establishes several key Mormon paradigms: it introduces an open canon by commanding adherence to new revelations and warning against denying the spirit of prophecy; it redefines epistemology by linking truth verification to subjective emotional states ('fill your soul with joy'); and it establishes a works-based soteriology where salvation is 'treasured up' through rigorous labor and keeping commandments with 'all your might, mind and strength.' For the Evangelical analyst, D&C 11 is highly significant because it heavily plagiarizes phrasing from the King James Version of the Bible while simultaneously undermining the Evangelical pillars of Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide. It places a severe performance burden on the believer, demanding absolute obedience as the prerequisite for spiritual success and participation in the 'cause of Zion.'
Key Figures
- Jesus Christ: The claimed first-person speaker of the text, asserting divine authority, demanding obedience, and promising the Spirit.
- Joseph Smith: The prophet and conduit through whom the revelation was allegedly received via the Urim and Thummim.
- Hyrum Smith: The direct recipient of the revelation, commanded to assist in the work, study the new translation, and prepare for future ministry.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Conditional Salvation via Labor (Works-Righteousness)
Assertion
Salvation is something that must be 'treasured up' by the believer through rigorous labor and keeping the commandments with all their might.
Evidence from Text
whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation... Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength. (D&C 11:3, 20)
Evangelical Comparison
In D&C 11, salvation is explicitly framed as a wage or reward for intense spiritual and physical labor. The believer is commanded to 'thrust in his sickle with his might' specifically so 'that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation.' Furthermore, verse 20 defines the believer's work as keeping the commandments with 'all your might, mind and strength.' This creates a strict works-righteousness paradigm. In stark contrast, Evangelical Christianity, rooted in Sola Fide, teaches that salvation cannot be earned, treasured up by human effort, or maintained by perfect obedience. Romans 4:4-5 explicitly warns against this Mormon paradigm: '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.' Ephesians 2:8-9 further solidifies that salvation is a gift, entirely excluding human boasting or labor.
Open Canon and Continuing Revelation
Assertion
God is actively bringing forth new scripture (the Book of Mormon) which must be studied alongside the Bible, and denying new revelation brings spiritual condemnation.
Evidence from Text
study my word which hath gone forth among the children of men, and also study my word which shall come forth among the children of men, or that which is now translating... Deny not the spirit of revelation, nor the spirit of prophecy, for wo unto him that denieth these things (D&C 11:22, 25)
Evangelical Comparison
D&C 11 establishes the foundation for an open canon in Mormonism. It commands the reader to study not only the word that 'hath gone forth' (the Bible) but equally the word 'which shall come forth' (the Book of Mormon, which was 'now translating'). It places a divine 'woe' (curse) upon anyone who denies this new spirit of revelation. Evangelical Christianity operates on Sola Scriptura, holding that the 66-book biblical canon is closed, sufficient, and the sole infallible rule of faith. Evangelicals look to Jude 1:3, which speaks of the faith 'once for all delivered to the saints,' and Revelation 22:18, which warns against adding to the words of God's book. The Evangelical view is that the apostolic era ended, and with it, the writing of normative, binding scripture.
Subjective Epistemology (Truth via Emotion)
Assertion
Truth and divine approval are verified through internal, subjective feelings of joy and mental enlightenment imparted by the Spirit.
Evidence from Text
I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me (D&C 11:13-14)
Evangelical Comparison
The text provides a specific formula for knowing truth: God will impart the Spirit, which will cause a feeling of joy in the soul, and 'by this shall you know' the truth of all things. This elevates subjective emotional experience to the level of an infallible epistemological standard for verifying new scripture (the Book of Mormon). In Evangelical theology, while the Holy Spirit certainly brings joy (Galatians 5:22) and illuminates the mind to understand Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:12-14), subjective feelings are never the ultimate test of truth. The heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Instead, Evangelicals test all spiritual claims, prophecies, and feelings against the objective, completed revelation of the Bible (Acts 17:11, 1 John 4:1).
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
D&C 11 diverges fundamentally from Evangelicalism by reopening the biblical canon, establishing a works-based soteriology where salvation is earned through maximum human effort, and relying on subjective emotion to verify truth.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between D&C 11 and Evangelical Christianity is severe, primarily fracturing along the lines of authority (Sola Scriptura) and salvation (Sola Fide). First, D&C 11 explicitly commands the acceptance of new, extra-biblical revelation (the Book of Mormon) and places a curse on those who deny this continuing revelation. This shatters the Evangelical commitment to a closed, sufficient canon. Second, the text redefines salvation from a monergistic act of God's grace to a synergistic wage earned by human labor. Verse 3 commands the believer to 'treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation' by thrusting in a sickle, and verse 20 demands that the believer keep the commandments with 'all your might, mind and strength.' This creates a legalistic paradigm where justification is contingent upon maximum human performance, directly violating Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 3:20. Finally, the text heavily plagiarizes King James Version phraseology (e.g., Hebrews 4:12, John 4:35) while claiming to be the direct, spontaneous voice of Christ in 1829, raising critical issues regarding the nature of inspiration and the integrity of the prophetic voice.
For All Ages
Imagine you have a friend who says, 'If you work really, really hard and do all your chores perfectly with all your strength, I will give you a free gift.' That doesn't make sense, right? A gift is free, not earned by doing chores. In this text, it says that people have to work with all their might and keep all the rules to get salvation. But the Bible teaches that salvation is a truly free gift from Jesus because He already did all the work on the cross. Also, this text says we should expect new books of scripture, like adding new chapters to a book that the author already finished. Christians believe the Bible is completely finished and gives us everything we need to know about God.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
Commands the acceptance of new scripture (Book of Mormon) and ongoing revelation, placing a 'woe' on those who deny it.
Sola Fide
Makes salvation contingent upon 'thrusting in the sickle' and keeping commandments with 'all your might, mind and strength.'
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Salvation"
In This Text
A reward or state that is 'treasured up' through intense labor and keeping commandments with all one's might.
In Evangelicalism
Deliverance from the penalty of sin, granted as a free gift by God's grace through faith alone, apart from works.
"My word"
In This Text
Includes the Bible, but explicitly expands to include the Book of Mormon ('that which is now translating') and ongoing revelations through Joseph Smith.
In Evangelicalism
The completed, 66-book canon of the Old and New Testaments.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God (v3), equated with eternal life and being made 'rich' (v7).
How Attained: Attained by human effort: desiring to reap, thrusting in the sickle with one's might (v3), and keeping the commandments with all might, mind, and strength (v20).
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is based on the believer's continuous exertion of effort and the subjective feeling of joy imparted by the Spirit.
Comparison to Sola Fide: D&C 11 stands in direct opposition to Sola Fide. Romans 4:4 states, 'Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.' D&C 11:3 explicitly frames salvation as a wage earned by labor ('reap... that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation'). It replaces the finished work of Christ with the continuous, exhausting work of the believer.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- give heed to my word (v2)
- thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts (v3)
- ask of me... knock (v5)
- keep my commandments (v6, v9, v18, v20)
- seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion (v6)
- Seek not for riches but for wisdom (v7)
- Say nothing but repentance unto this generation (v9)
- assist to bring forth my work (v9)
- put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good (v12)
- need not suppose that you are called to preach until you are called (v15)
- Wait a little longer (v16)
- hold your peace (v18, v22)
- appeal unto my Spirit (v18)
- cleave unto me with all your heart (v19)
- be patient until you shall accomplish it (v19)
- keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength (v20)
- Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word (v21)
- study my word which hath gone forth (v22)
- study my word which shall come forth... or that which is now translating (v22)
- seek the kingdom of God (v23)
- Build upon my rock (v24)
- Deny not the spirit of revelation, nor the spirit of prophecy (v25)
- treasure up in your heart until the time (v26)
Implicit Obligations
- Accept Joseph Smith as the exclusive mouthpiece of Jesus Christ.
- Accept the Book of Mormon as equal in authority to the Bible.
- Provide moral and likely temporal support to Joseph Smith during the translation process.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In verse 20, it says your work is to keep the commandments with 'all your might, mind and strength.' Have you ever had a day where you didn't give 100% of your strength? How do you find peace when you fall short of 'all'?
- Verse 3 talks about 'treasuring up' salvation by thrusting in your sickle. How does this idea of working for salvation compare to Ephesians 2:8-9, where Paul says salvation is a gift and not of works?
- I noticed that verse 2 sounds exactly like Hebrews 4:12 from the King James Bible. Why do you think Jesus, speaking in 1829, would use the exact English translation created by scholars in 1611?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
Obtaining the Word before Preaching
We can agree with our LDS friends that one must truly know God's word before sharing it. We can use this shared value to invite them to deeply study the New Testament with us, to 'obtain' the biblical Gospel of grace, which will then loose their tongue to praise Christ's finished work.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
Verse 20 demands that the believer keep the commandments with 'all your might, mind and strength.' Because no human being can sustain absolute, 100% perfection in thought and deed, this creates a crushing burden of inadequacy. The believer is trapped in a cycle of trying harder, inevitably failing, and feeling unworthy of the salvation they are supposed to be 'treasuring up.'
Because truth is verified by subjective feelings ('fill your soul with joy' v13), the believer's assurance is only as stable as their emotional state. When depression, doubt, or spiritual dryness occurs, the believer may feel they have lost the Spirit or that their previous testimonies were false, leading to deep spiritual anxiety.