Section 31
Overview
Given in February 1829, prior to the formal organization of the Latter-day Saint church, this text (known in modern editions as Doctrine and Covenants Section 4) serves as a foundational missiological mandate for Mormonism. Addressed to Joseph Smith's father, it announces the imminent arrival of a 'marvellous work'—referring to the translation of the Book of Mormon and the subsequent restoration of the church. The text heavily repurposes King James biblical phraseology (drawing from Isaiah, John, Matthew, and 2 Peter) to establish a tone of divine authority. Theologically, it presents a profound departure from orthodox Protestant soteriology by explicitly linking the attainment of salvation and a 'blameless' standing before God to the adherent's exhaustive personal effort ('serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength' and 'he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might... bringeth salvation to his soul'). It outlines a specific set of virtues required to qualify for this divine work, effectively establishing a paradigm where human exertion and moral qualification are prerequisites for spiritual vindication at the last day.
Key Figures
- God: The divine authority demanding exhaustive service and offering salvation in exchange for diligent labor in the harvest.
- Joseph Smith, Sen.: The historical recipient of the revelation, representing the archetype of the called laborer in the Mormon tradition.
- Joseph Smith: The implicit prophetic mediator through whom this revelation is delivered.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Salvation through Labor (Works-Righteousness)
Assertion
Salvation is brought to the soul through the exertion of one's own might in the service of God.
Evidence from Text
he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perish not, but bringeth salvation to his soul
Evangelical Comparison
In Evangelical theology, salvation is entirely the work of God, accomplished through the penal substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ and applied to the believer by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Human works are the fruit of salvation, never the root or cause of it (Titus 3:5). This text, however, explicitly states that the act of thrusting in the sickle 'with his might' is what 'bringeth salvation to his soul.' This creates a synergistic or even anthropocentric soteriology where human labor is the mechanism by which one avoids perishing and secures salvation, fundamentally denying the sufficiency of Christ's finished work.
Conditional Blamelessness (Perfectionism)
Assertion
Standing blameless before God at the last day is contingent upon serving Him with the absolute totality of one's heart, might, mind, and strength.
Evidence from Text
see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day
Evangelical Comparison
The biblical standard for standing blameless before God is indeed perfection, but Evangelical theology recognizes that fallen humans are utterly incapable of this (Romans 3:23). Therefore, believers are presented 'blameless' solely because they are clothed in the imputed righteousness of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8, Jude 1:24, 2 Corinthians 5:21). This text shifts the burden of blamelessness onto the believer's own capacity to serve with 'all' their heart, might, mind, and strength. Because no human can perfectly sustain this level of exhaustive service, this doctrine inherently demands an impossible standard for justification.
The Marvellous Work (The Restoration)
Assertion
God is initiating a new, unprecedented era of spiritual work among humanity, distinct from previous eras.
Evidence from Text
Now, behold, a marvellous work is about to come forth among the children of men
Evangelical Comparison
The text claims a new 'marvellous work' is commencing, which in Mormon theology refers to the restoration of the gospel, priesthood authority, and the true church, implying that these were lost from the earth (the Great Apostasy). Evangelical Christianity rejects the premise of a total apostasy, relying on Christ's promise that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18) and that the faith was 'once for all delivered to the saints' (Jude 1:3). Therefore, claims of a new, restorative dispensation contradict the biblical doctrine of the preservation of the Church.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text fundamentally shifts the basis of salvation from God's grace received through faith to human exertion and exhaustive labor in God's service.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological chasm between this text and Evangelical Christianity centers on the doctrine of Justification. In orthodox Protestantism, justification is a forensic, instantaneous act of God wherein He declares a sinner righteous solely based on the imputed righteousness of Christ, received by faith alone (Sola Fide). The believer's works are the necessary fruit of this justification, but contribute nothing to its attainment. Conversely, this text establishes a framework of works-righteousness. It explicitly states that the believer 'bringeth salvation to his soul' by thrusting in his sickle 'with his might.' Furthermore, it makes standing 'blameless before God at the last day' contingent upon serving Him with 'all your heart, might, mind and strength.' This creates a conditional, performance-based soteriology that nullifies the sufficiency of grace. If salvation requires exhaustive human effort, then Christ's atonement is rendered insufficient on its own, directly violating Galatians 2:21: 'I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.'
For All Ages
Imagine you owe a billion dollars to a bank. Evangelical Christianity says Jesus paid your entire debt for you, and you just have to accept His receipt. Because He paid it, you are completely safe and 'blameless' in the eyes of the bank. You do good things because you are so thankful He paid your debt. This text, however, says that to be safe from the bank, you have to work with all your heart, mind, and strength, and if you work hard enough, your work will save you. It makes it depend on how hard you work, rather than on what Jesus already did.
Friction Points
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
The text asserts that human labor ('thrusteth in his sickle with his might') is what 'bringeth salvation to his soul.'
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Standing blameless is made contingent on flawless, exhaustive human performance ('serve him with all your heart...').
Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
The text claims to be a new, direct revelation from God, adding to the canon and establishing new requirements for salvation.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Salvation"
In This Text
A state attained by personal exertion, labor, and qualification through virtues, allowing one to stand blameless at the last day.
In Evangelicalism
Deliverance from the penalty of sin, granted as a free gift by God's grace through faith in Christ's finished work, apart from human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9).
"Blameless"
In This Text
A status achieved by serving God with the absolute totality of one's own heart, might, mind, and strength.
In Evangelicalism
A status granted to the believer because Christ's perfect record is credited to them, and their sins are washed away by His blood (Colossians 1:22).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Standing blameless before God at the last day and not perishing.
How Attained: By embarking in God's service, serving with all heart, might, mind, and strength, thrusting in the sickle with might, and developing a specific list of virtues.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is inherently unstable, based on the believer's ongoing self-evaluation of whether they are truly serving with 'all' their might and possessing all required virtues.
Comparison to Sola Fide: The text is antithetical 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.' This text demands the exact opposite: that the worker labors with his might to bring salvation to his soul.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Embark in the service of God
- Serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength
- Thrust in your sickle with your might
- Have an eye single to the glory of God
- Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence
- Ask and ye shall receive
- Knock and it shall be opened unto you
Implicit Obligations
- Accept Joseph Smith as a true prophet delivering God's words
- Recognize the emerging Latter-day Saint movement as the 'marvellous work'
- Engage actively in proselytizing and missionary labor (the 'harvest')
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- The text says we must serve with 'all' our heart, might, mind, and strength to stand blameless. Have you ever felt like you've truly given 'all' without any shortfall?
- If standing blameless depends on our ability to serve with all our might, what happens when we inevitably fall short or get exhausted?
- How do you reconcile the idea that thrusting in your sickle 'bringeth salvation to your soul' with Ephesians 2:8-9, which says salvation is not of works?
- If Jesus paid the full price for our sins on the cross, why would our own labor be required to 'bring salvation' to our souls?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The desire to serve God
The desire to serve God is a noble and beautiful thing. In the Gospel, however, we do not serve God to *earn* our salvation or to stand blameless; we serve Him out of profound gratitude because He has *already* saved us and declared us blameless through Christ.
The Harvest
Evangelicals also believe in the urgency of the Great Commission. We are called to labor in the harvest, but we go as ambassadors offering a free gift of grace, not as laborers trying to secure our own salvation through our proselytizing efforts.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
By making a 'blameless' standing before God contingent upon serving with 'all' of one's heart, might, mind, and strength, the text places an impossible, crushing burden on the adherent. Because human beings are flawed and finite, a sincere believer will constantly realize they are not giving 'all' they possibly could, leading to chronic feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and fear of the last day.
Because salvation is tied to the act of thrusting in the sickle with one's might, the believer can never have true assurance of salvation. The question 'Have I done enough?' can never be definitively answered in the affirmative, robbing the believer of the peace and rest that Christ promises.