Section 83
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 83, received by Joseph Smith in April 1832 in Independence, Missouri, addresses the practical, legal, and ecclesiastical complexities of the early Latter-day Saint communal economic system, known as the Law of Consecration. During this period, church members were attempting to establish 'Zion' by consecrating their properties to the church, which were then redistributed as 'inheritances.' This revelation provides administrative clarity on what happens to the temporal support of women and children when a husband or father dies, or when a member loses their standing in the church. The text establishes a hierarchy of temporal responsibility: husbands are responsible for wives, and parents for children. If the primary provider is lost or unable to provide, the burden shifts to the institutional church via the 'Lord's storehouse,' which is funded by the 'consecrations' of the members. Significantly, the text intertwines spiritual standing with ecclesiastical fellowship, stating that women retain fellowship if they are 'not found transgressors' and are 'faithful.' However, it also demonstrates a pragmatic approach to the 'laws of the land,' ensuring that even if individuals lose their church fellowship due to unfaithfulness, they are not legally stripped of their property inheritances. This text is foundational for the modern LDS Church's extensive welfare program, establishing the theological precedent that caring for the poor, widows, and orphans is an institutional mandate funded by the consecrated sacrifices of the Saints.
Key Figures
- The Lord: The claimed divine author of the revelation, dictating church law and administrative order.
- Women/Widows: Identified as a vulnerable class with a divine claim to maintenance from their husbands or the church.
- Children/Orphans: Identified as dependents with a claim on their parents until of age, and subsequently on the church if necessary.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Conditional Fellowship
Assertion
Church fellowship is contingent upon faithfulness and the absence of transgression.
Evidence from Text
and if they are not found transgressors they shall have fellowship in the church. And if they are not faithful they shall not have fellowship in the church
Evangelical Comparison
In Evangelical Christianity, church membership and fellowship are important aspects of the Christian life, and church discipline (including excommunication) is practiced for unrepentant, egregious sin (1 Corinthians 5). However, a believer's ultimate standing before God is secured by the imputed righteousness of Christ through faith alone (Sola Fide). Loss of local church fellowship does not equate to a loss of justification if the person is truly born again. In Latter-day Saint theology, 'fellowship in the church' carries profound eternal weight. Because Mormonism teaches that exaltation (the highest degree of heaven) requires participation in priesthood ordinances administered exclusively by the LDS Church, losing fellowship or being deemed a 'transgressor' jeopardizes one's eternal destiny. Therefore, the requirement to be 'not found transgressors' to maintain fellowship places a heavy burden of performance on the adherent, contrasting sharply with the Evangelical assurance that 'there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus' (Romans 8:1).
The Law of Consecration and the Lord's Storehouse
Assertion
The church is mandated to maintain a storehouse to care for the poor, funded by the consecrations (offerings/property) of the members.
Evidence from Text
And the storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the church; and widows and orphans shall be provided for, as also the poor.
Evangelical Comparison
The biblical mandate to care for widows, orphans, and the poor is undeniable and heavily emphasized in Evangelicalism (James 1:27, 1 Timothy 5). The early Christian church also practiced voluntary communal sharing to ensure no one was in need (Acts 2:44-45). In this regard, the ethical thrust of D&C 83 aligns with biblical values. However, the divergence lies in the institutionalization and theological weight of the 'consecrations.' In early Mormon history, the Law of Consecration required members to deed their property to the Bishop, receiving back a stewardship. While this specific practice was later modified to tithing, the underlying doctrine remains: consecration is a binding covenant required for temple worthiness and exaltation. In contrast, Evangelicalism teaches that giving should be cheerful, voluntary, and not under compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7), and it is a fruit of salvation rather than a covenantal requirement to maintain standing in God's true church.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
While the ethical mandate to care for the poor is shared, the text diverges by framing this care within a system of continuing revelation, mandatory 'consecrations,' and conditional church fellowship that impacts eternal standing.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap in D&C 83 is subtle but significant, resting primarily on authority and the nature of covenantal obedience. Ethically, the text aligns beautifully with the biblical heart for the marginalized. However, epistemologically, it asserts the authority of Joseph Smith to dictate new, binding 'laws of the church' directly from the mouth of God. This violates the Evangelical pillar of Sola Scriptura, which maintains that the biblical canon is closed and sufficient. Furthermore, the text integrates temporal welfare into the LDS framework of conditional worthiness. The requirement that women must be 'not found transgressors' to maintain fellowship highlights a works-righteousness paradigm. In Mormonism, church fellowship is the gateway to temple ordinances, which are required for exaltation. Therefore, a transgression that breaks fellowship has eternal soteriological consequences. In contrast, Evangelicalism teaches Sola Fide—justification by faith alone. While a Christian may face church discipline for unrepentant sin, their justification before God cannot be lost, as it is anchored in Christ's finished work, not their ongoing behavioral perfection. Finally, the 'consecrations' mentioned refer to the LDS Law of Consecration. While Evangelicals believe in radical generosity, it is viewed as a fruit of the Spirit and a voluntary act of worship under grace, not a formalized, institutional law required to build a literal, earthly Zion.
For All Ages
Imagine a family where the parents tell the older kids to help take care of the younger kids. Both Christians and Mormons agree this is a good and loving rule. Christians believe God gave us all the rules we need in the Bible, and we help others because we love God and are already safe in His family. In this text, the Mormon church says God gave a new rule to their leader, Joseph Smith. It says that to stay in good standing with the church, you have to follow these rules and not be a 'transgressor' (a rule-breaker). It also says members have to give their property to the church's storehouse. For Christians, giving is a free choice made out of love, not a requirement to stay in God's good graces, and we don't believe God is adding new rules to the Bible.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
The text claims to be a direct, verbatim revelation from God ('thus saith the Lord') adding new laws to the church, violating the closure and sufficiency of the biblical canon.
Sola Fide
Fellowship (and by extension, access to saving ordinances) is conditioned upon not being a 'transgressor,' placing the burden of maintaining spiritual standing on human performance.
Sola Gratia
The institutionalization of 'consecrations' as a law shifts Christian giving from a response to grace into a mandatory requirement for spiritual standing.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Fellowship"
In This Text
Good standing in the institutional LDS Church, which is a prerequisite for saving ordinances and eternal progression.
In Evangelicalism
Communion with God and other believers, based on shared faith in Christ (1 John 1:3). Loss of local church fellowship does not equate to loss of salvation.
"Consecrations"
In This Text
A formal covenant and law requiring members to dedicate their time, talents, and property to the LDS Church to build up Zion.
In Evangelicalism
The act of setting oneself apart for God's service; giving is viewed as a voluntary, cheerful offering (2 Cor 9:7).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: This text does not explicitly define eternal salvation, but deals with temporal salvation (maintenance) and ecclesiastical standing (fellowship).
How Attained: Fellowship is maintained by being 'faithful' and 'not found transgressors.'
Basis of Assurance: Assurance of fellowship is based on obedience to church laws and avoiding transgression.
Comparison to Sola Fide: The text's requirement to avoid transgression to maintain fellowship contrasts with Sola Fide. While Evangelicals agree that believers should avoid sin, justification is secured by faith alone, not by maintaining a transgression-free record.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Husbands must provide maintenance for their wives.
- Parents must provide maintenance for their children until they are of age.
- The church must provide for widows, orphans, and the poor through the Lord's storehouse.
- The storehouse must be kept and funded by the consecrations of the church.
Implicit Obligations
- Members are obligated to contribute 'consecrations' to the church to ensure the storehouse is funded.
- Women must avoid transgression and remain faithful to maintain their fellowship in the church.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- I love how this section emphasizes caring for widows and orphans. How does the Lord's storehouse operate today compared to how it was set up in 1832?
- Verse 2 mentions that women retain fellowship if they are 'not found transgressors.' In your experience, how does the church determine what level of transgression breaks fellowship?
- When you think about the requirement to be 'faithful' and 'not transgressors' to stay in good standing, does that ever feel like a heavy burden to carry?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The Lord's Storehouse
Just as the storehouse provides temporal salvation for the poor and orphaned who cannot provide for themselves, Jesus Christ is the ultimate storehouse of grace. We are all spiritually bankrupt and orphaned by sin, but Christ provides for our spiritual poverty out of His infinite riches, asking only that we receive it by faith.
Care for the Fatherless and Widows
This text reflects God's deep, biblical love for the vulnerable. We can bridge this to the Gospel by showing that God didn't just set up a system to care for the fatherless; He adopted us as His own children through Christ.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The explicit condition that one must be 'not found transgressors' to maintain fellowship places a constant burden of behavioral perfection on the adherent. Because LDS fellowship is tied to temple access and eternal families, the fear of committing a transgression that severs this fellowship can cause significant spiritual anxiety.
The mandate of 'consecrations' reinforces the idea that one's temporal resources must be formally surrendered to the institution to maintain spiritual standing, blurring the line between voluntary generosity and mandatory works.