Section 38
Overview
Given in May 1829, this text (which corresponds to Section 12 in the modern LDS Doctrine and Covenants) is a personalized revelation dictated by Joseph Smith for Joseph Knight Sr., a close friend and early financial supporter of Smith during the translation of the Book of Mormon. The text heavily repurposes biblical idioms—such as the word being sharper than a two-edged sword, the field being white for harvest, and the necessity of faith, hope, and charity—to validate Smith's emerging movement as a 'great and marvelous work.' Theologically, the text establishes a transactional framework for salvation and divine calling. It explicitly links the act of laboring in this new movement ('thrust in his sickle') with the attainment of eternal life ('treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation'). Furthermore, it defines the prerequisites for participating in God's work as strict moral and behavioral compliance, establishing a paradigm where human effort and worthiness are the catalysts for divine approval and calling.
Key Figures
- God/Jesus Christ: The claimed divine speaker of the text, asserting authority, defining the terms of salvation, and identifying Himself as the light and life of the world.
- Joseph Knight, Sen.: The historical recipient of the revelation, an early associate of Joseph Smith who provided material support during the translation of the Book of Mormon, being called to labor in the new movement.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Works-Based Salvation (Treasuring up Salvation)
Assertion
Salvation is obtained as a direct result of one's spiritual labor and missionary effort.
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 in the kingdom of God...
Evangelical Comparison
In this text, salvation is presented as something a person must 'treasure up' by thrusting in their sickle 'with his might.' This creates a transactional soteriology where human effort (reaping/laboring) results in the acquisition of everlasting salvation. In stark contrast, Evangelical Christianity, rooted in Sola Fide, teaches that salvation cannot be earned by any amount of labor or good works. Romans 4:4-5 explicitly warns against this exact framework: 'Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.' By making salvation a reward for labor, the text denies the sufficiency of Christ's finished work.
Conditional Calling based on Effort
Assertion
A divine calling is activated or earned by a person's desire, effort, and obedience.
Evidence from Text
...whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God... give heed with your might, and then you are called.
Evangelical Comparison
The text asserts that a person becomes 'called' only after they 'thrust in his sickle' or 'give heed with your might.' This places the locus of divine calling squarely on human initiative and performance. In Evangelical theology, calling is an act of God's sovereign grace that precedes and enables human response. 2 Timothy 1:9 states that God 'has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.' The text's assertion reverses the biblical order of grace, making God's call contingent upon human action.
The Cause of Zion
Assertion
Believers are commanded to establish a specific, earthly religious cause identified as 'Zion.'
Evidence from Text
...keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion.
Evangelical Comparison
The command to 'establish the cause of Zion' is a foundational concept in early Mormonism, referring to the building up of the specific ecclesiastical and social structure of the Latter-day Saint movement. In Evangelical theology, the Kingdom of God is a spiritual reality inaugurated by Christ, not a specific new denomination or earthly organization to be 'brought forth' in the 19th century. This doctrine subtly shifts the believer's allegiance from the universal, invisible Church (the body of Christ) to a specific, exclusive earthly organization.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text fundamentally alters the basis of salvation from a free gift of grace to a wage earned through intense spiritual labor and obedience.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between this text and Evangelical Christianity centers on the doctrine of Justification. The text explicitly states that a person must 'reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation.' This is a clear articulation of works-righteousness, where human effort is the instrumental cause of attaining eternal life. It places the burden of salvation squarely on the believer's ability to labor 'with his might.' Evangelical theology, grounded in Sola Fide and Sola Gratia, vehemently rejects this premise. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares that salvation is 'not a result of works, so that no one may boast.' Romans 11:6 further clarifies that 'if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.' By framing salvation as something to be 'treasured up' through labor, the text denies the sufficiency of Christ's atonement and replaces the Gospel of grace with a covenant of works. Furthermore, the text redefines the 'work' of God not as believing in Christ (John 6:29), but as establishing a specific 19th-century religious organization ('the cause of Zion').
For All Ages
Imagine you want to go to a special theme park, but the ticket costs a billion dollars. In the Bible, Jesus pays for your ticket completely, and gives it to you as a free gift because He loves you. All you have to do is trust Him and accept it. But in this text, God says, 'If you work really, really hard in my field, you can earn your ticket.' The problem is, we can never work hard enough to earn it. The Bible says our salvation is a gift, not a paycheck for our hard work.
Friction Points
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
The text explicitly commands laboring/reaping in order to 'treasure up' everlasting salvation, making salvation a wage for works.
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Divine calling is presented as conditional upon human effort ('give heed with your might, and then you are called').
Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
The text claims to be direct, first-person revelation from God, adding to the closed biblical canon.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Salvation"
In This Text
A future reward ('treasure up') earned through intense labor, obedience, and establishing the LDS church.
In Evangelicalism
Deliverance from the penalty of sin, granted as a present reality and free gift through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
"Zion"
In This Text
The specific earthly organization, cause, and community of the Latter-day Saint movement.
In Evangelicalism
Historically Jerusalem; theologically, the dwelling place of God, the heavenly city, and the universal people of God (Hebrews 12:22).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God.
How Attained: Attained through intense labor ('thrust in his sickle with his might'), keeping commandments, and establishing Zion.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is inherently unstable in this text, as it relies on the believer's continuous and intense effort ('with his might', 'while the day lasts').
Comparison to Sola Fide: The text is entirely antithetical to Sola Fide. It presents a 'salvation by works' paradigm where the believer must 'treasure up' their own salvation through labor. Romans 4:4 explicitly condemns this: 'Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.'
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Give heed to my word
- Thrust in his sickle with his might
- Reap while the day lasts
- Ask of me
- Knock
- Keep my commandments
- Seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion
- Be humble
- Be full of love
- Have faith, hope and charity
- Be temperate in all things
- Give heed with your might
Implicit Obligations
- Accept Joseph Smith as the conduit for God's 'quick and powerful' word
- Recognize the emerging LDS movement as the 'great and marvelous work'
- Financially and materially support the work (historically relevant to Joseph Knight Sr.)
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In verse 2, it says we must reap with our might to 'treasure up' everlasting salvation. How do you know when you have reaped enough to secure that salvation?
- If salvation is something we 'treasure up' by our labor, how does that fit with Paul's teaching in Ephesians 2:8-9 that salvation is a gift and not a result of works?
- Verse 5 says 'give heed with your might, and then you are called.' Does this mean God's calling depends on our effort? How does this compare to 2 Timothy 1:9?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The desire to labor in God's harvest
The desire to serve God and share the truth is a beautiful, biblical concept. However, in the Gospel, we do not labor in the harvest to *earn* our salvation; we labor because we have *already* been freely saved. Our labor is the fruit of our salvation, not the root.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The text places an immense burden on the believer to perform. By stating that one must labor 'with his might' to 'treasure up' salvation, it creates a treadmill of endless effort. The believer can never truly rest in Christ's finished work because their salvation is contingent on their ongoing, maximum effort.
Because salvation and calling are tied to subjective metrics like 'with his might' and being 'temperate in all things,' the believer can never have true assurance. There is always the lingering question: 'Did I do enough? Was my might sufficient?'