Section 39
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 39 is a revelation dictated by Joseph Smith in January 1831, directed at James Covel, a man who had been a Methodist minister for forty years. The text opens with the first-person voice of Jesus Christ, heavily utilizing Johannine language (John 1) to establish divine authority, identifying Himself as the 'Great I Am' and the 'light and the life of the world.' The revelation quickly pivots from biblical-sounding Christology to a redefinition of the Gospel. In verse 6, the 'gospel' is explicitly defined as repentance, water baptism, and the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost. Covel is told that despite his past works, he has previously rejected Christ due to pride, and he is now commanded to be baptized to 'wash away' his sins. Furthermore, he is ordered to abandon his current life, relocate to Ohio where the early Latter-day Saints were gathering, and preach this newly restored 'covenant.' The text serves as a critical transitional document in early Mormonism, emphasizing the necessity of rebaptism (invalidating Protestant ordinations and baptisms), the physical gathering of the Saints to a geographic 'Zion' (Ohio), and the exclusive authority of Joseph Smith's movement to administer the Holy Ghost via the laying on of hands.
Key Figures
- Jesus Christ: The claimed speaker of the text, asserting divine authority, defining His gospel, and issuing direct commands regarding church organization and geographic relocation.
- James Covel: A Methodist minister of forty years who is the recipient of this revelation. He is used as an archetype of the Protestant world—possessing some good works but ultimately lacking the 'fulness' of the gospel and requiring rebaptism.
- Joseph Smith: The implicit mediator of the text. Though not named in the verses, his role as the exclusive conduit for Christ's voice establishes his absolute prophetic authority over Covel's life and ministry.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
The Definition of the Gospel
Assertion
The text explicitly defines the gospel as a sequence of actions and ordinances: repentance, water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Evidence from Text
And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost (v. 6)
Evangelical Comparison
In D&C 39:6, the 'gospel' is defined as a process of human compliance to ordinances: repentance, water baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost. This represents a fundamental shift from the biblical definition of the Gospel. In Evangelical theology, based on 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, the Gospel (Evangelion / Good News) is the historical, finished work of Jesus Christ—His life, substitutionary death for sins, burial, and resurrection. Ordinances like baptism are the *response* to the Gospel, not the Gospel itself. By defining the Gospel as a set of rituals, this text shifts the focus from Christ's finished work to human performance and institutional mediation.
Baptismal Regeneration and Necessity
Assertion
Water baptism is presented as the necessary mechanism for the washing away of sins and the prerequisite for receiving the Holy Spirit.
Evidence from Text
Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on my name, and you shall receive my Spirit (v. 10)
Evangelical Comparison
The text commands James Covel—a man who had been a Christian minister for 40 years—to be baptized to 'wash away' his sins. This asserts that his previous faith and Protestant baptism were invalid, and that remission of sins is intrinsically tied to the physical act of water baptism administered by Joseph Smith's movement. Evangelical theology, rooted in Sola Fide, teaches that justification and the forgiveness of sins occur at the moment of faith (Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:8-9). The Holy Spirit is given as a seal upon believing (Ephesians 1:13), not as a secondary step contingent upon a water ritual.
Impartation of the Holy Ghost via Laying on of Hands
Assertion
The gift of the Holy Ghost is imparted specifically through the physical laying on of hands by authorized administrators following water baptism.
Evidence from Text
And again, it shall come to pass that on as many as ye shall baptize with water, ye shall lay your hands, and they shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (v. 23)
Evangelical Comparison
Verse 23 establishes a rigid, ritualistic formula for receiving the Holy Ghost: it requires the physical laying on of hands by someone with the proper authority (in this context, the newly restored priesthood). This creates a mediated system where human administrators control access to the Holy Spirit. In contrast, Evangelical Christianity teaches the immediate indwelling of the Holy Spirit upon belief. Romans 8:9 states that 'if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ,' indicating that one cannot be a Christian without the Spirit, and the Spirit is received by hearing with faith (Galatians 3:2), not by a post-baptismal ritual.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text redefines the Gospel from the finished work of Christ to a mandatory sequence of rituals (baptism, laying on of hands) administered by a newly restored priesthood, invalidating all prior Christian faith and baptism.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The fundamental theological gap between D&C 39 and Evangelical Christianity lies in Soteriology and Ecclesiology. Evangelicals hold to Sola Fide—that justification is a forensic declaration by God based solely on the imputed righteousness of Christ, received by faith alone. In stark contrast, D&C 39 explicitly defines the 'gospel' as a composite of repentance, water baptism, and the laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost. This creates a system of ritual necessity and institutional mediation. Furthermore, the text invalidates historic Christianity. By commanding a 40-year Methodist minister to be baptized to 'wash away' his sins, the text asserts that his decades of faith in Christ and his previous Protestant baptism were entirely void of saving power. This introduces the Mormon concept of the 'Great Apostasy' and the need for a 'Restoration' of priesthood authority. Evangelicals reject this premise entirely, holding to 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), requiring no 19th-century restoration of authority or ordinances.
For All Ages
Imagine you have a friend who paid for your ticket to get into a theme park. The ticket is fully paid for, and you just have to trust your friend and walk in. That is the biblical Gospel—Jesus paid for our sins completely, and we just trust Him. But this text says that trusting Jesus isn't enough. It says you have to go to a specific new ticket booth, get washed in a specific way by a specific person, and have them put their hands on your head, or else you can't get in. It changes the good news from 'Jesus did it all' to 'You must do these rituals with our specific church.'
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
The text claims to be direct, new revelation from Jesus Christ, adding to the canon and demanding obedience to extra-biblical mandates.
Sola Fide
The text makes water baptism and the laying on of hands absolute requirements for the remission of sins and receiving the Holy Ghost, denying justification by faith alone.
Universal Priesthood
The text implies that only specific individuals (Joseph Smith's movement) have the authority to baptize and lay on hands to impart the Holy Ghost.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"The Gospel"
In This Text
A set of requirements and ordinances: repentance, water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost (v. 6).
In Evangelicalism
The good news of Christ's life, substitutionary death, and resurrection, which saves believers by grace through faith (1 Cor 15:1-4, Romans 1:16).
"Wash away your sins"
In This Text
The literal removal of sins contingent upon the physical act of water baptism administered by LDS authority (v. 10).
In Evangelicalism
The spiritual cleansing accomplished by the blood of Christ at the moment of faith, of which baptism is an outward symbol (1 John 1:7, Revelation 1:5).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Salvation (often termed exaltation or eternal life in broader LDS theology) is framed here as being 'gathered unto me in time and in eternity' (v. 22) and escaping the impending judgment (v. 18).
How Attained: Attained by receiving the 'fulness of the gospel,' which is explicitly defined as repentance, water baptism, and the laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost, followed by sanctification and obedience to church leaders.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance is based on compliance with the ordinances and ongoing obedience to the Prophet's commands (e.g., moving to Ohio, preaching).
Comparison to Sola Fide: This text stands in direct opposition to Sola Fide. Romans 4:5 states, 'But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.' D&C 39 requires physical works (baptism, laying on of hands) as the instrumental cause of receiving the Spirit and washing away sins.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Hearken and listen to the voice of Jesus Christ (v. 1)
- Arise and be baptized (v. 10)
- Wash away your sins (v. 10)
- Preach the fulness of the gospel (v. 11)
- Labor in the vineyard and build up the church (v. 13)
- Bring forth Zion (v. 13)
- Do not go to the eastern countries, but go to the Ohio (v. 14)
- Call faithful laborers into the vineyard (v. 17)
- Go forth crying repentance and the kingdom of heaven is at hand (v. 19)
- Baptize with water (v. 20)
- Lay hands on the baptized to give the gift of the Holy Ghost (v. 23)
Implicit Obligations
- Abandon previous Protestant (Methodist) ministry and ordinations as invalid
- Submit entirely to the prophetic authority of Joseph Smith, who is dictating this revelation
- Accept that one's previous Christian life was insufficient or marked by 'pride and the cares of the world' (v. 9)
Ritual Requirements
- Water baptism administered by the newly restored church
- The laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In verse 6, Jesus defines His gospel as repentance, baptism by water, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. How does this compare to the Apostle Paul's definition of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4?
- James Covel was a Christian minister for 40 years. Why do you think verse 10 tells him he needs to be baptized to 'wash away' his sins? Does this mean his previous faith in Christ was invalid?
- If the Holy Spirit is given by the laying on of hands after baptism (v. 23), how do we understand passages like Acts 10:44-48, where the Holy Spirit fell upon people *before* they were baptized in water?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The desire for 'deliverance' and a 'greater work'
Every believer desires their life to matter and to be delivered from the 'cares of the world.' We can affirm this desire, but redirect it to the truth that true deliverance is found in resting in Christ's finished work, and our 'greater work' is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), which requires no new priesthood or geographic gathering.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
For a convert from Protestantism (like Covel), this text imposes the heavy burden of declaring their entire previous Christian life, spiritual experiences, and relationship with Jesus as invalid or insufficient. It demands they view their past faith as tainted by 'pride' and requires them to start over through LDS ordinances.
The text places the believer under the absolute control of the Prophet. God's voice is used to dictate where a person must live (Ohio) and what career they must pursue. This creates a dynamic where questioning the Prophet's logistical commands is equated with rejecting Jesus Christ Himself.
Verse 18 states that judgment will be stayed 'inasmuch as they do repent and receive the fulness of my gospel, and become sanctified.' This places the burden of averting divine judgment squarely on the ongoing performance and sanctification of the members, rather than on the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ.