Come, Follow Me - March 16, 2025 - D&C (19) 20-22

 

Come, Follow Me

Section 19 – “Learn of Me”

Sections 20-22 “The Rise of the Church of Christ”

March 3-9 and 10-16, 2025

Quotations and Additional Information

A (D&C 19:1-3) Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said:

“Many Bible and modern scriptures speak of a final judgment at which all persons will be rewarded according to their deeds or works or the desires of their hearts. But other scriptures enlarge upon this by referring to our being judged by the condition we have achieved. …

“… The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts––what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts––what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become” (“The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32).

B (D&C 19:9-8, 10-11) Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated:

“To hell there is an exit as well as an entrance. Hell is no place to which a vindictive judge sends prisoners to suffer and to be punished principally for his glory; but it is a place prepared for the teaching, the disciplining of those who failed to learn here upon the earth what they should have learned. True, we read of everlasting punishment, unending suffering, eternal damnation. That is a direful expression; but in his mercy the Lord has made plain what those words mean.

“ ‘Eternal punishment,’ he says, is God’s punishment, for he is eternal; and that condition or state or possibility will ever exist for the sinner who deserves and really needs such condemnation; but this does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer.

“No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state. The Lord has not abated in the least what he has said in earlier dispensations concerning the operation of his law and his gospel, but he has made clear unto us his goodness and mercy through it all, for it is his glory and his work to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1930, 97).

C (D&C 19:15-20) Elder Dallin H. Oaks wrote:

“There is a relationship between sin and suffering that is not understood by people who knowingly sin in the expectation that all the burden of suffering will be borne by Another, that the sin is all theirs but that the suffering is all His. That is not the way. Repentance, which is an assured passage to an eternal destination, is nevertheless not a free ride.

“Let us recall two scriptures: (1) ‘Repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment’ (Alma 42:16); and (2) the Savior said that he had suffered these things for all, ‘that they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent they must suffer even as I’ (D&C 19:16–17).

“This obviously means that the unrepentant transgressor must suffer for his own sins. Does it also mean that a person who repents does not need to suffer at all because the entire punishment is borne by the Savior? That cannot be the meaning because it would be inconsistent with the Savior’s other teachings.

“What is meant is that the person who repents does not need to suffer ‘even as’ the Savior suffered for that sin. Sinners who are repenting will experience some suffering, but because of their repentance and the Atonement, they will not experience the full, ‘exquisite’ extent of eternal torment the Savior suffered” (Oaks, “Sin and Suffering,” Ensign, July 1992, 71–72).

D (D&C 20:1) When the restored Church was officially organized on April 6, 1830, it was called the Church of Christ. In 1834, a Church council approved the title “Church of the Latter Day Saints” as a preferred alternative name for the Church. Finally, in a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in April 1838, the Lord declared that His Church would be called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see D&C 115:4).

E (D&C 20:29) Elder Dale G. Renlund taught:

“Enduring to the end is not a separate step in the doctrine of Christ—as though we complete the first four steps and then hunker down, grit our teeth, and wait to die. No, enduring to the end is actively and intentionally repeating the steps” (“Lifelong Conversion” Brigham Young University devotional, Sept. 14, 2021)

F (D&C 20:30-31) Elder D. Todd Christofferson wrote:

Justification and sanctification are the fruit of the Atonement’s “infinite virtue,” which virtue we also refer to as mercy or grace. . . . [and] which grace is a gift to man based on faith.

Justification

Because of “the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice,” Jesus Christ can satisfy or “answer the ends of the law” on our behalf. Pardon comes by the grace of Him who has satisfied the demands of justice by His own suffering, “the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). He removes our condemnation without removing the law. We are pardoned and placed in a condition of righteousness with Him. We become, like Him, without sin. We are sustained and protected by the law, by justice. We are, in a word, justified.

Thus, we may appropriately speak of one who is justified as pardoned, without sin, or guiltless.

Yet glorious as the remission of sins is, the Atonement accomplishes even more. That “more” is expressed by Moroni:

Sanctification

“And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot” (Moro. 10:33).

To be sanctified through the blood of Christ is to become clean, pure, and holy. If justification removes the punishment for past sin, then sanctification removes the stain or effects of sin. The Prophet Joseph Smith testified:

“And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us—

“That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear [justify] the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness” (D&C 76:40–41). 

A Gift

This marvelous pardon that relieves us of the punishment that justice would otherwise exact for disobedience and the purifying sanctification that follows are best described as gifts, or the gift of grace.

Given the magnitude of the gift of grace, we would never suppose, even with all the good we could possibly do in this life, that we had earned it. It is just too great. “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do,” says Nephi (2 Ne. 25:23). It is, and will always be, in truth, the gift of God through His divine Son.

But, as Nephi implies, there is something we can do, something that all who are accountable must do. To have effect, the gift must be accepted . . .

Thus, it is not that we earn these gifts, but rather that we choose to seek and accept justification and sanctification. Since the Savior paid for our sins and satisfied justice for us, we become debtors to Him rather than to justice. We must therefore meet the stipulations He has established for forgiveness and cleansing. (D. Todd Christofferson, Ensign, June 2001)

G (D&C 20:37) President Ezra Taft Benson taught:

“Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having a ‘broken heart and a contrite spirit’” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson [2014], 83).

H (D&C 21:1, 4-5) Brother Steven C. Harper observed:

“The Lord addresses the Saints through Joseph, commanding them to patiently receive and obey all of the words and commandments Joseph receives from him and to walk in holiness. The Lord promises the Saints redemption for obedience to this command.

“He has seen Joseph's diligence, heard his prayers, and counted the tears he has shed for Zion. Joseph is not flawless, but he is the Lord's choice for a mortal mouthpiece. The Lord will magnify him, for his words and his life testify that Jesus was crucified by sinners for sinners and that his atonement absolves the sins of the contrite”. (Steven C Harper, Making Sense Of The Doctrine And Covenants, Section 21)

I  (D&C 22:1-2) Elder McConkie wrote:

“The new and everlasting covenant is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The sum of all gospel covenants that God makes with mankind is called "the new and everlasting covenant" and consists of several individual covenants, each of which is called "a new and an everlasting covenant." It is "new" when given to a person or a people for the first time, and "everlasting" because the gospel of Jesus Christ and Plan of Salvation existed before the world was formed and will exist forever (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 479-80).”

 

Additional Information Not Used In The Lesson

D&C 19

D&C 19:2 “Finished the will of him whose I am.”

The phrase “having accomplished and finished the will of him whose I am” refers to the completion of the Savior’s mortal mission, particularly His Atoning sacrifice.

Christ declared:

“I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Nephi 11:11).

President Ezra Taft Benson taught how accomplishing the will of Heavenly Father endowed Jesus Christ with power:

“To qualify as the Redeemer of all our Father’s children, Jesus had to be perfectly obedient to all the laws of God. Because He subjected Himself to the will of the Father, He grew ‘from grace to grace, until he received a fulness’ of the Father’s power. Thus He had ‘all power, both in heaven and on earth.’ (D&C 93:13, 17.)” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson [2014], 92).

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D&C 19:15–17. “Repent or suffer as the Savior suffered”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught the following about the choice to repent or suffer:

“Let not Jesus’ redemption for us stop at the immortalizing dimension of the Atonement. … Let us grasp the proffered gift of eternal life! We will end up either choosing Christ’s manner of living or His manner of suffering!” (“Overcome … Even As I Also Overcame,” Ensign, May 1987, 72).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson explained why we must choose to repent:

“If a man rejects the Savior’s Atonement, he must redeem his debt to justice himself. … An unredeemed individual’s suffering for sin is known as hell. It means being subject to the devil and is described in scriptural metaphors as being in chains or a lake of fire and brimstone. (“Redemption,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 112, endnote 4).

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D&C 19:23. “Learn of me, … and you shall have peace in me”

President Thomas S. Monson taught that studying the revealed word of God is one way we can learn of the Savior and receive His peace in our lives:

“Fill your mind with truth. We do not find truth groveling through error. Truth is found by searching, studying, and living the revealed word of God. We adopt error when we mingle with error. We learn truth when we associate with truth.

“The Savior of the world instructed, ‘Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith’ [D&C 88:118]. He added, ‘Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me’ [John 5:39].

“He invites each of us, ‘Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me’ [D&C 19:23]” (“Be Thou an Example,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 98).

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D&C 20

The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded that in June 1829, in the home of Peter Whitmer Sr., the voice of God commanded him and Oliver Cowdery to ordain one another as elders but specified that they should delay the ordination until their brethren could assemble and provide their consent by vote (see The Joseph Smith Papers, Histories, Volume 1: Joseph Smith Histories, 1832–1844, ed. Karen Lynn Davidson and others [2012], 326; see also D&C 128:21).

While it is not known exactly when the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 20 was received, the Prophet Joseph Smith summarized the flow of divine direction: “In this manner did the Lord continue to give us instructions from time to time, concerning the duties which now devolved upon us, and among many other things of the kind, we obtained of him the following, by the Spirit of Prophecy and revelation; which not only gave us much information, but also pointed out to us the precise day upon which, according to his will and commandment, we should proceed to organize his Church once again, here upon the earth” (in The Joseph Smith Papers, Histories, Volume 1: Joseph Smith Histories, 1832–1844, 336; spelling standardized). Those instructions became known as the “Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ.”

The complete text of the Articles and Covenants was written soon after the organizational meeting held on April 6, 1830, and provides an overview of the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ and of offices and ordinances in it. At the first conference of the Church, held on June 9, 1830, at the home of Peter Whitmer Sr., the Articles and Covenants were read and presented to the membership for approval (see The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 1: July 1828–June 1831, 116–26). Over the next few years, the Articles and Covenants, now Doctrine and Covenants 20, was amended from time to time as the Prophet Joseph Smith continued to receive revelation concerning the structure of the Church. For example, Doctrine and Covenants 20:65–67 was added after the office of high priest was revealed in Kirtland, Ohio, in June 1831 (see the section heading to D&C 52).

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D&C 20:9. The Book of Mormon contains “the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ”

The Lord defined “the fulness of the gospel” (D&C 20:9) as “the covenant which I have sent forth to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel” (D&C 39:11). The Doctrine and Covenants contains several revelations that indicate that the Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel (see D&C 20:9; 27:5; 42:12; 135:3).

President Ezra Taft Benson explained:

“The Lord Himself has stated that the Book of Mormon contains the ‘fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.’ (D&C 20:9.) That does not mean it contains every teaching, every doctrine ever revealed. Rather, it means that in the Book of Mormon we will find the fulness of those doctrines required for our salvation. And they are taught plainly and simply so that even children can learn the ways of salvation and exaltation. The Book of Mormon offers so much that broadens our understandings of the doctrines of salvation. Without it, much of what is taught in other scriptures would not be nearly so plain and precious” (“The Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Jan. 1992, 5).

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D&C 20:17–36. “By these things we know”

In Doctrine and Covenants 20:17, the phrase “by these things” refers to the truths we know through the Book of Mormon (see D&C 20:8–10). Through the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel, Latter-day Saints have been given a clearer understanding of the doctrines related to our personal salvation, especially the central role of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

President Ezra Taft Benson taught:

“In the twentieth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord devotes several verses to summarizing the vital truths which the Book of Mormon teaches. (See vs. 17–36.) It speaks of God, the creation of man, the Fall, the Atonement, the ascension of Christ into heaven, prophets, faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, endurance, prayer, justification and sanctification through grace, and loving and serving God.

“We must know these essential truths. Aaron and Ammon and their brethren in the Book of Mormon taught these same kinds of truths to the Lamanite people (see Alma 18:22–39), who were ‘in the darkest abyss’ (Alma 26:3). After accepting these eternal truths, the Book of Mormon states, those converted Lamanites never did fall away. (See Alma 23:6.)

“If our children and grandchildren are taught and heed these same truths, will they fall away? We best instruct them in the Book of Mormon at our dinner table, by our firesides, at their bedsides, and in our letters and phone calls—in all of our goings and comings” (“A New Witness for Christ,” Ensign, Nov. 1984, 7).

The phrase “we know” is used several times in Doctrine and Covenants 20:17–36 (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:17, 29, 30, 31, 35). It reflects a spirit of testimony and reminds Church members that these fundamental doctrines shape our beliefs.