Why Does the Church of Jesus Christ Rely on Revelation?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to “The Articles of Faith” in the Pearl of Great Price and Official Declarations 1 (Plural Marriage) and 2 (Priesthood) in the Doctrine and Covenants. The lesson was titled simply “We Believe.” 

Since Joseph Smith’s First Vision, God has continued to guide His Church by revelation. In some cases, that revelation has included changes to the policies and practices of the Church. Official Declarations 1 and 2 announced this kind of revelation—one led to the end of plural marriage, and the other made the blessings of the priesthood available to people of all races. Changes like these are part of what it means to have a “true and living church” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30), with a true and living prophet, led by a true and living God.

But eternal truth doesn’t change, though our understanding of it does. And sometimes revelation casts additional light on truth. The Articles of Faith serve this clarifying purpose. The Church is solidly founded on eternal truth yet can grow and change “according as the Lord will, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (Doctrine and Covenants 46:15). In other words, “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9).

Some principles taught in this scripture block are (1) The Articles of Faith contain foundational truths of the restored gospel (The Articles of Faith); (2) The Church of Jesus Christ is guided by revelation (Articles of Faith 1:9; Official Declarations 1 and 2); (3) The work of God must move forward (Official Declaration 1), and (4) I can trust in the Lord, even when I do not have a perfect understanding (Official Declaration 2). This essay will discuss principle #2 about the Church of Jesus Christ being guided by revelation.

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of faith. Articles of Faith 1:9 states, “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”

Last week’s lesson and this week’s lesson were each about powerful revelations. Last week we studied two visions. The first was received by Joseph Smith and was about the Celestial Kingdom. The second was received by Joseph F. Smith and was about life after death. This week we studied two pieces of revelation, which are not classified as visions, but which had significant impact upon members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Official Declaration 1 ended plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was one of those cases where there would be problems whatever the decision, so the prophet of the Lord had to have revelation as to how to proceed. What did the Lord want him to do? The people believed that plural marriage was a commandment from God, and they had adjusted to living it. However, the U.S. Congress passed laws against plural marriage, and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the laws as constitutional.

President Wilford Woodruff understood that the U.S. government would confiscate the Logan, Manti, and St. George Temples and put most or all the leaders of the Church into prison if the Church of Jesus Christ did not stop practicing plural marriage. If this were to happen, the work of the Lord’s Church would stop. Yet, President Woodruff was willing to allow all of that to happen if it was the will of the Lord. Now we know that it was not the will of the Lord for His work to stop, and He told His prophet what to write in the Manifesto.

I have numerous ancestors who practiced plural marriage. As I understand the situation, my ancestors accepted plural marriage when they were called to practice it, and they accepted it when they were told to end it.

Official Declaration 2 ended the ban on black males of African descent holding the priesthood.

Slavery was rampant in the southern part of the United States when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in 1830 and even when President Brigham Young officially announced the ban in 1852. We do not know if slavery was part of the issue, but it took a long time for slavery and its effects to end in the United States.

 President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, effective on January 1, 1863, freed all the slaves in Confederate-controlled areas – a significant percentage of all the slaves in America. The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in December 1865. Congress passed more laws in the 1960s: Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. All of these acts show that the Lord was preparing the way for the ban to end.

For years, the Brethren felt that the time was close to end the ban and had been petitioning the Lord for some period of time. President Spencer W. Kimball felt strongly that this issue was affecting missionary work, and he made a practice of going to the Salt Lake Temple several times each day to pray about it. The revelation came on June 1, 1978, when the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were praying in the Salt Lake Temple about the matter. Each man received the revelation in their mind and heart. There was no doubt what the Lord wanted them to do.

No one today knows why there was a ban. From the time that I was a child, I heard that the ban would one day be lifted, but no one knew when it would happen. I remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard that the ban on priesthood had been lifted. I rejoiced that the time had come for priesthood and temple blessings to go to all worthy members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.