Section 118
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 118 was dictated by Joseph Smith on July 8, 1838, in Far West, Missouri, during a period of intense internal turmoil and external persecution for the Latter-day Saint movement. Several original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles had recently apostatized or been excommunicated (referred to in the text as 'those who are fallen'). This revelation serves as an administrative and prophetic directive to reorganize the church's highest governing bodies. It explicitly names John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richards to fill the vacancies in the Quorum. Furthermore, it commands the Twelve to depart the following spring for a mission 'over the great waters' (Great Britain) to preach the 'fulness' of the gospel. Most notably, verse 5 contains a highly specific, date-bound prophecy requiring the Apostles to take leave of the saints from the temple lot in Far West on April 26, 1839. This text is foundational for the LDS understanding of continuing apostolic authority, the necessity of maintaining a quorum of twelve men, and the prophetic foresight of Joseph Smith, as the fulfillment of the April 26 prophecy became a major apologetic cornerstone for the faith.
Key Figures
- The Lord: The claimed divine author of the revelation, speaking in the first person.
- Joseph Smith: The implicit recipient and conduit of the revelation.
- Thomas [B. Marsh]: The President of the Quorum of the Twelve at the time, commanded to remain in Zion to publish the word (though he would apostatize shortly after this revelation).
- John Taylor: Named as a new apostle to fill a vacancy; later became the third President of the LDS Church.
- John E. Page: Named as a new apostle to fill a vacancy.
- Wilford Woodruff: Named as a new apostle to fill a vacancy; later became the fourth President of the LDS Church.
- Willard Richards: Named as a new apostle to fill a vacancy; later became a counselor in the First Presidency.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Continuing Apostolic Quorum
Assertion
The office of Apostle is a continuing, necessary priesthood office, and a governing quorum of exactly twelve men must be maintained by replacing those who fall away.
Evidence from Text
Let the Twelve be organized; and let men be appointed to supply the place of those who are fallen. ... Let my servant John Taylor, and also my servant John E. Page, and also my servant Wilford Woodruff, and also my servant Willard Richards, be appointed to fill the places
Evangelical Comparison
In Mormon theology, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a vital, ongoing governing body possessing the priesthood keys necessary to administer the church and perform saving ordinances. When an apostle dies or is excommunicated (as was the case with the 'fallen' members mentioned in this section), a new man must be called by revelation to maintain the quorum's structure. This reflects the LDS belief in a 'restoration' of the exact organizational structure of the primitive church. Evangelical Christianity, adhering to Sola Scriptura, rejects the concept of a continuing apostolic office with universal governing authority. According to Ephesians 2:20, the church is 'built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.' A foundation is laid once. Furthermore, the biblical qualifications for an Apostle included being a physical eyewitness to the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:21-22, 1 Corinthians 9:1). While Matthias was chosen to replace Judas to maintain the symbolic number twelve for the tribes of Israel prior to Pentecost, the early church did not replace the Apostle James when he was martyred (Acts 12:2). Evangelicals believe the apostolic authority is preserved today not through a succession of men, but through the infallible, written teachings of the original apostles in the New Testament.
Modern Prophetic Revelation
Assertion
God continues to give direct, verbatim, administrative commands to the church through a modern prophet.
Evidence from Text
Verily, thus saith the Lord: Let a conference be held immediately
Evangelical Comparison
D&C 118 is presented as the direct, verbatim dictation of Jesus Christ ('Verily, thus saith the Lord'). It provides highly specific administrative instructions: holding a conference, naming specific individuals to specific offices, and setting exact dates and locations for missionary departures. This reflects the LDS epistemology that God actively manages His church through continuous, binding revelation given to a living prophet, which carries the same or greater weight than ancient scripture. Evangelical Christianity operates on the principle of Sola Scriptura, which asserts that the 66 books of the Bible are the sole, infallible, and sufficient rule of faith and practice. While Evangelicals believe God still guides, illuminates, and providentially directs His people, they reject the claim that any modern leader receives new, binding, infallible revelation. Hebrews 1:1-2 declares that while God spoke through prophets in the past, in these last days He has spoken definitively through His Son. Jude 1:3 urges believers to contend for the faith 'that was once for all delivered to the saints,' precluding the need for ongoing, structural revelations.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text establishes a mandatory, continuing apostolic hierarchy and relies on ongoing, extra-biblical revelation for church governance, both of which contradict the biblical doctrines of the sufficiency of Scripture and the universal priesthood of believers.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The fundamental theological gap between D&C 118 and Evangelical Christianity lies in ecclesiology and epistemology. The text presupposes the necessity of a 'restored' Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In Mormon theology, these men hold exclusive priesthood keys; without them, the church cannot function, and saving ordinances cannot be authorized. This directly violates the Evangelical understanding of the Universal Priesthood of Believers (1 Peter 2:9), which asserts that all Christians have direct access to God through Christ, our sole mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), without the need for an intervening apostolic hierarchy. Furthermore, the text violates Sola Scriptura. By presenting administrative directives as the verbatim voice of God, it normalizes an open canon where modern prophetic utterances carry divine authority. Evangelicals maintain that the apostolic era ended with the death of the original apostles and the completion of the New Testament. The foundation of the church was laid once (Ephesians 2:20), and the faith was delivered 'once for all' (Jude 1:3). Therefore, the mandate to continually replace 'fallen' apostles to maintain a quorum of twelve is seen not as a restoration of biblical truth, but as an unbiblical innovation that places undue authority in the hands of men.
For All Ages
Imagine you have a complete instruction manual for building a Lego castle. The manual says, 'This is everything you need, don't add any more pages.' That's how Evangelical Christians view the Bible. But in this text, Joseph Smith is writing new pages of instructions, saying God is giving him new rules about who should be the leaders and where they should travel. Also, the Bible says that Jesus is our only ultimate leader and we don't need a special group of twelve men to be in charge of us to get to God. But this text says that having exactly twelve special leaders (Apostles) is required, and if one leaves, they have to pick a new one to keep the group full.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
The text claims to be new, binding, verbatim revelation from God, adding to the canon and directing church affairs outside of biblical parameters.
Universal Priesthood
Establishes an exclusive, continuing apostolic hierarchy that mediates authority and governance over the church.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"The Twelve / Apostles"
In This Text
A specific, ongoing governing quorum in the LDS Church hierarchy that holds priesthood keys to direct the global church.
In Evangelicalism
The foundational, first-century messengers commissioned directly by the resurrected Christ to establish the early church, an office that is not perpetuated through succession.
"My gospel, the fulness thereof"
In This Text
The complete LDS theological system, including restored priesthood authority, modern revelation, and eventually temple ordinances.
In Evangelicalism
The good news of Christ's penal substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection, by which sinners are justified by grace through faith alone (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Implicitly tied to the 'fulness' of the gospel, which in Mormonism means exaltation in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom.
How Attained: By accepting the message promulgated by these authorized Apostles, which includes faith, repentance, baptism by proper authority, and enduring to the end.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is found in alignment with the Quorum of the Twelve and obedience to their directives.
Comparison to Sola Fide: While not explicitly detailing soteriology, the mandate to preach the 'fulness' of the LDS gospel inherently conflicts with Sola Fide. The LDS gospel requires ordinances performed by the very priesthood authority these Apostles are being called to administer. Evangelicals believe justification is by faith alone, apart from any church's priesthood authority or ordinances (Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16).
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Hold a conference immediately (v. 1)
- Organize the Twelve (v. 1)
- Appoint men to supply the place of those who are fallen (v. 1)
- Thomas [B. Marsh] must remain in Zion for a season to publish the word (v. 2)
- The residue of the Twelve must continue to preach from that hour (v. 3)
- Preach in all lowliness of heart, meekness, humility, and long-suffering (v. 3)
- Depart next spring to go over the great waters [to Great Britain] (v. 4)
- Promulgate the gospel and bear record of the Lord's name (v. 4)
- Take leave of the saints in Far West on April 26 next (v. 5)
- Take leave specifically on the building-spot of the Lord's house (v. 5)
- Appoint John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richards to fill the vacancies (v. 6)
- Officially notify the newly appointed men of their appointment (v. 6)
Implicit Obligations
- Submit to the authority of Joseph Smith as the conduit for these commands
- Willingness to leave families behind for extended periods to fulfill missionary duties
- Trust that God will provide for the families left behind
Ritual Requirements
- Gathering at the 'building-spot of my house' (the dedicated temple lot) to officially commence the mission
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- I noticed this section talks about replacing Apostles who had fallen away. When we look at the New Testament, they replaced Judas in Acts 1, but when the Apostle James was killed in Acts 12, they didn't replace him. Why do you think the early church stopped replacing Apostles?
- In Acts 1:21-22, Peter says a new apostle had to be someone who was with them from John's baptism and was an eyewitness to the resurrection. How does that biblical requirement fit with modern apostles being called?
- The fulfillment of the April 26 prophecy is an amazing historical story of bravery. But if we look at Deuteronomy 13, it says that even if a prophet's sign comes to pass, we must test their teaching about God. How do we test the teachings of modern prophets against the Bible?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
God's Provision for His Servants
The text highlights a deep trust that God cares for the needs of those who serve Him. This can bridge to the ultimate provision God made for our greatest need—our sin. Just as God promises to provide for physical families, He provided His Son to bring us into His eternal family, not based on our missionary service, but on Christ's finished work.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The text demands immense personal sacrifice—leaving families for years to travel 'over the great waters' to preach. While missionary zeal is commendable, in the LDS context, fulfilling these callings is deeply tied to one's spiritual standing, worthiness, and ultimate exaltation. The pressure to perform and the fear of being labeled 'fallen' (like the apostles they were replacing) creates a heavy burden of works-righteousness.
Because salvation and authority are mediated through this specific Quorum of the Twelve, the believer's faith is inextricably linked to the institution and its leaders. If a leader fails or the institution errs, it can cause a catastrophic faith crisis, because their trust is placed in a human hierarchy rather than solely in Christ.