Section 123
Overview
Written by Joseph Smith while imprisoned in Liberty Jail in March 1839, Doctrine and Covenants Section 123 serves as a directive to the Latter-day Saints to compile an exhaustive record of their sufferings, property losses, and abusers in Missouri. Smith frames this administrative task of gathering affidavits and libelous publications as a profound spiritual mandate—an 'imperative duty' owed to God, angels, and future generations. The text explicitly links the persecution of the Mormons to the 'creeds of the fathers' (traditional Christian orthodoxy), which Smith characterizes as an 'iron yoke' and the 'handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.' This section establishes a stark dichotomy between the LDS Church as the sole repository of truth and all other Christian sects, whose members are depicted as 'pure in heart' but blinded by the craftiness of men. Theologically, the text posits a conditional deliverance: the Saints must exhaust their own efforts in documenting and publishing these injustices before they can claim God's promise of intervention and salvation. This reinforces a paradigm where human effort and institutional vindication are prerequisites for divine action.
Key Figures
- Joseph Smith: The author and prophet, directing the church from prison and framing administrative tasks as divine mandates.
- The Saints: The followers of Mormonism, tasked with the imperative duty of gathering records of their persecution.
- Heavenly Father / God: The divine figure whose intervention and deliverance are contingent upon the Saints fulfilling this documentary duty.
- Angels: Heavenly beings to whom the Saints owe a duty and with whom they will eventually stand.
- The pure in heart among all sects: Potential converts currently blinded by false traditions and the craftiness of men.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Anti-Creedalism and the Great Apostasy
Assertion
Traditional Christian creeds are the source of corruption, persecution, and are described as demonic chains.
Evidence from Text
...that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies... It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell. (D&C 123:7-8)
Evangelical Comparison
In D&C 123, Joseph Smith explicitly condemns the 'creeds of the fathers,' attributing them to a spirit of murder, tyranny, and oppression. He describes these creeds as 'lies' and the 'fetters of hell.' This aligns with the foundational LDS narrative of the Great Apostasy, which claims that all traditional Christian churches became corrupt and lost the truth. In stark contrast, Evangelical Christianity holds that the historic creeds (such as the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, and Chalcedonian Definition) are vital, accurate distillations of biblical orthodoxy, particularly regarding the Trinity and the nature of Christ. Evangelicals believe the Holy Spirit has preserved the core truths of the Gospel through the church age (Matthew 16:18), rejecting the notion of a total apostasy that required a 19th-century restoration.
Conditional Divine Deliverance (Works-Prerequisite)
Assertion
God's intervention and salvation are contingent upon the Saints first doing everything in their power, specifically fulfilling the duty of documenting their persecutions.
Evidence from Text
...as the last effort which is enjoined on us by our Heavenly Father, before we can fully and completely claim that promise which shall call him forth from his hiding place... let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God... (D&C 123:6, 17)
Evangelical Comparison
The text establishes a paradigm where divine action is triggered by human effort. Smith instructs that the Saints must present the 'whole concatenation of diabolical rascality' as a 'last effort' before they can 'claim that promise' of God's intervention. Verse 17 summarizes this: 'do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still... to see the salvation of God.' This mirrors the broader LDS soteriology found in 2 Nephi 25:23 ('saved by grace, after all we can do'). Evangelical Christianity, grounded in Sola Gratia and Sola Fide, teaches that salvation and divine favor are unmerited gifts (Ephesians 2:8-9). While believers are called to obedience, God's redemptive action is never held hostage to human performance or the completion of administrative duties.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text asserts that traditional Christian creeds are demonic and that human effort (documenting grievances) is required to activate God's deliverance.
Theological Gap (Explained)
D&C 123 presents a profound divergence from Evangelical theology in two primary areas: its view of historic Christianity and its conditional framework for divine action. First, the text explicitly demonizes the 'creeds of the fathers,' describing orthodox Christian theology as an 'iron yoke' and the 'fetters of hell.' This reflects the LDS doctrine of the Great Apostasy, which necessitates a complete restoration of truth through Joseph Smith. Evangelicals, conversely, view the historic creeds as faithful, essential summaries of biblical truth (such as the Triune nature of God and the dual nature of Christ) and believe the gates of hell have never prevailed against Christ's church (Matthew 16:18). Second, the text establishes a works-righteousness paradigm for deliverance. Smith teaches that the Saints must complete an exhaustive administrative task—documenting their persecutions—as a 'last effort' before they can 'claim that promise' of God's salvation. This directly contradicts the Evangelical doctrine of Sola Gratia, which asserts that God's saving and delivering actions are entirely unmerited and not contingent upon human performance or the fulfillment of institutional mandates (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
For All Ages
Imagine you are stuck in a deep pit. Evangelical Christianity says Jesus climbs down, picks you up, and carries you out just because He loves you, and you just have to trust Him. This text from Joseph Smith says that before God will rescue you, you have to write down the names of everyone who pushed you into the pit, collect all the mean things they said about you, and give that list to the government. It also says that the beliefs of regular Christians (like believing in the Trinity) are actually lies from the devil that caused you to be pushed into the pit. Christians believe our beliefs come from the Bible and that God rescues us as a free gift, not because we did a bunch of paperwork first.
Friction Points
Universal Church / Preservation of the Saints
Asserts that traditional Christian creeds are lies and the 'fetters of hell,' implying a total apostasy of the historic church.
Sola Scriptura
Elevates a contemporary administrative directive (gathering affidavits) to the level of divine, imperative duty required for salvation/deliverance.
Sola Gratia / Sola Fide
Makes God's intervention and the revelation of His arm contingent upon human effort ('before we can fully and completely claim that promise... let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power').
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Salvation of God"
In This Text
Temporal deliverance from enemies and ultimate vindication, contingent upon the Saints doing 'all things that lie in our power.'
In Evangelicalism
Deliverance from the penalty and power of sin through the substitutionary atonement of Christ, received by faith alone.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: In this specific context, salvation refers primarily to temporal deliverance, divine vindication against enemies, and the unfolding of God's purposes for the LDS church.
How Attained: By exhausting human effort ('doing all things that lie in our power') and fulfilling specific institutional duties (documenting persecution).
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is found in knowing one has completed the required tasks ('then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance').
Comparison to Sola Fide: This text stands in direct opposition to Sola Fide. It teaches that assurance and salvation/deliverance come *after* human effort is maximized. Romans 4:4-5 teaches that to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Gather knowledge of all facts, sufferings, and abuses put upon the Saints.
- Gather records of property damages and personal injuries.
- Gather names of all persons involved in oppressing the Saints.
- Appoint a committee to take statements and affidavits.
- Gather libelous publications, magazines, encyclopedias, and histories.
- Publish these records to the world and present them to the heads of government.
- Waste and wear out lives in bringing to light hidden things of darkness.
- Do all things that lie in your power cheerfully.
Implicit Obligations
- Maintain a posture of grievance against the broader society that persecuted the church.
- View traditional Christian denominations and their creeds as corrupt, blinded, and demonic.
- Trust Joseph Smith's prophetic authority to define administrative tasks as eternal, imperative duties.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In D&C 123:17, it says we must do all things that lie in our power before we can stand still to see God's salvation. How do you know when you've truly done 'all things in your power'?
- The text mentions that the 'creeds of the fathers' are the chains of hell. Have you ever read the historic Christian creeds, like the Apostles' Creed, to see what they actually say?
- If God's deliverance requires us to first complete a 'last effort' of our own, how does that compare to the biblical idea of grace being a free gift?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The desire for justice and vindication from oppression.
The Saints deeply desired justice for the wrongs done to them. The Gospel teaches that God is perfectly just and will right all wrongs. However, instead of us needing to compile a list of grievances to force God's hand, God took the ultimate injustice—our sin against Him—and poured out His wrath on Christ on the cross, satisfying justice and offering mercy.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The believer is burdened with the impossible standard of doing 'all things that lie in our power' before they can have 'utmost assurance' of God's help. This creates a constant anxiety of never having done enough to merit divine intervention.
The text cultivates a profound 'us vs. them' mentality, requiring adherents to view the outside Christian world as blinded, corrupt, and influenced by demonic creeds. This fosters spiritual isolation and a perpetual posture of victimhood.