Section 44
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 44 is a brief but administratively significant revelation dictated by Joseph Smith in February 1831 in Kirtland, Ohio. The text serves as a divine summons for the elders of the newly formed church to gather from various regions for a conference. Theologically, it establishes a conditional promise regarding the Holy Spirit, asserting that the Spirit will be poured out upon the elders contingent upon their faithfulness and exercise of faith. Practically, the text outlines a multi-step strategy for the early Mormon movement: gather, preach repentance, convert the masses, and use those numbers to legally organize under the 'laws of man.' This legal organization is explicitly framed as a defensive measure to prevent enemies from having power over them and to break the 'bonds' of their adversaries. Finally, the text reinforces the early Mormon commitment to social welfare, commanding the elders to visit and administer relief to the poor and needy in accordance with the 'law' (referring to the recently revealed Law of Consecration in D&C 42).
Key Figures
- The Lord: The claimed divine author of the text, speaking in the first person, issuing commands and conditional promises.
- Joseph Smith: The implicit recipient and prophetic mediator of the revelation, establishing his authority to summon the elders.
- Elders of the church: The primary audience, commanded to assemble, preach, organize, and care for the poor.
- Enemies: An unnamed but heavily emphasized out-group described as seeking to destroy the Lord's people.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Prophetic Authority and Continuing Revelation
Assertion
The text asserts that God speaks directly through modern prophets to issue contemporary, administrative, and strategic commands to His church.
Evidence from Text
Behold, thus saith the Lord unto you my servants, it is expedient in me that the elders of my church should be called together
Evangelical Comparison
This text operates on the foundational Mormon premise of an open canon and continuing revelation. By using the prophetic formula 'thus saith the Lord,' Joseph Smith positions his administrative directives (calling a meeting, organizing legally) as the very words of God. In contrast, Evangelical Christianity adheres to Sola Scriptura, maintaining that the 66 books of the Bible are the sole, infallible rule of faith and practice. While Evangelicals believe God can guide believers providentially, they reject the idea that any modern leader can dictate new, universally binding scripture or append new revelations to the closed canon (Jude 1:3, Revelation 22:18-19).
Conditional Outpouring of the Spirit
Assertion
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the elders is contingent upon their personal faithfulness and active exercise of faith.
Evidence from Text
And it shall come to pass, that inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my Spirit upon them in the day that they assemble themselves together.
Evangelical Comparison
Verse 2 presents a synergistic pneumatology where the presence and manifestation of the Holy Spirit are conditional ('inasmuch as they are faithful'). The Spirit's outpouring is treated as a reward for human performance and obedience. Evangelical theology, rooted in Sola Fide and Sola Gratia, teaches that the Holy Spirit is given as a permanent seal and guarantee at the exact moment a person believes the Gospel (Ephesians 1:13-14). While Evangelicals believe believers can 'grieve' or 'quench' the Spirit in terms of fellowship and power (Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:19), the actual giving and presence of the Spirit is an unconditional gift of grace, not a wage earned by being sufficiently 'faithful.'
Theocratic Preservation and Legal Organization
Assertion
The church must gain converts to achieve the numbers necessary to organize legally, which will provide divine and legal protection against enemies.
Evidence from Text
And many shall be converted, insomuch that ye shall obtain power to organize yourselves according to the laws of man; That your enemies may not have power over you
Evangelical Comparison
The text explicitly links the spiritual act of preaching and conversion to the pragmatic goal of obtaining socio-political 'power' to organize under human law. This legal standing is promised as a means to break the bonds of enemies and ensure preservation. While Evangelical churches also organize legally (e.g., as 501c3 nonprofits), they generally maintain a sharper distinction between the Kingdom of God and earthly political power (John 18:36). The Evangelical focus is typically on spiritual warfare against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12), whereas this text exhibits a distinct early Mormon focus on physical, legal, and communal preservation against literal, earthly adversaries.
Mandatory Social Welfare (The Law)
Assertion
Believers are commanded to administer relief to the poor and needy as a requirement of keeping God's newly revealed law.
Evidence from Text
Behold, I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done according to my law which ye have received.
Evangelical Comparison
Verse 6 commands the care of the poor, which aligns beautifully with biblical mandates (James 1:27, 1 John 3:17). However, the phrase 'according to my law which ye have received' refers specifically to the Law of Consecration revealed earlier that same month in D&C 42. In Mormon theology, this 'law' was a specific economic system of property consecration and redistribution managed by the bishop. Evangelicals view generosity and care for the poor as an outflow of grace and a moral imperative of the New Covenant, but reject the idea that God instituted a new, binding, centralized economic system through Joseph Smith.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text diverges from Evangelicalism by asserting an open canon with new binding laws, and by teaching that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is conditional upon human faithfulness rather than being a guaranteed gift of grace.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The primary theological gap in this text centers on pneumatology and the doctrine of grace. Verse 2 establishes a transactional relationship with the Holy Spirit: 'inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my Spirit upon them.' This creates a paradigm where the presence and power of God are contingent upon human performance. In contrast, Evangelical theology, rooted in Sola Fide and Sola Gratia, views the giving of the Holy Spirit as an unconditional promise to all who believe the Gospel. According to Ephesians 1:13-14, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit at the moment of belief, serving as a guarantee of their inheritance. Furthermore, the text violates Sola Scriptura by introducing new, binding ecclesiastical laws ('my law which ye have received') through a modern prophet. The Evangelical baseline insists that the 66-book Bible is the sole infallible rule of faith. When this text commands obedience to newly revealed laws and structures, it shifts the believer's ultimate authority from the finished, sufficient Word of God to the ongoing, evolving dictates of a human institutional leader.
For All Ages
Imagine if your parents told you, 'We will only give you a hug and show you we love you IF you are perfectly well-behaved today.' That would make you feel like you have to earn their love. This text says God will only pour out His Spirit on the leaders IF they are faithful enough. But the Bible teaches something different. The Bible says that when we believe in Jesus, God gives us the Holy Spirit right away as a free gift, like a permanent stamp that says 'You belong to me!' We don't have to earn the Holy Spirit by being good enough; we get the Holy Spirit because Jesus was good enough for us.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
The text claims to be direct, verbatim revelation from God, adding new commands and 'laws' outside of the biblical canon.
Sola Gratia / Sola Fide
The text makes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit conditional upon the believers' faithfulness and performance, rather than an unconditional gift of grace received by faith alone.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"My law"
In This Text
Refers specifically to the newly revealed administrative and economic directives given to Joseph Smith, particularly the Law of Consecration (D&C 42).
In Evangelicalism
Refers to the moral law of God (the Ten Commandments) or the Law of Christ (loving God and neighbor), not a 19th-century communal economic system.
"Elders"
In This Text
An office in the Melchizedek Priesthood held by many male members of the church, who are summoned as a collective body.
In Evangelicalism
A spiritually mature leader/pastor/overseer of a local congregation (presbyteros), tasked with shepherding the flock (1 Peter 5:1-2).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: The text does not explicitly define eternal salvation, but focuses on temporal salvation (preservation from enemies) and the conversion of others.
How Attained: Temporal preservation is attained by gathering, preaching, converting numbers, and organizing legally.
Basis of Assurance: Assurance of God's favor (the Spirit's outpouring) is based on the adherent's ongoing faithfulness and exercise of faith.
Comparison to Sola Fide: The text's requirement that believers must be 'faithful' to receive the Spirit contrasts with Sola Fide, which teaches that the Spirit is received entirely by faith in Christ's finished work, not by maintaining a standard of faithfulness (Galatians 3:2).
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Elders must be called together from the east, west, north, and south.
- Elders must go forth into the surrounding regions.
- Elders must preach repentance unto the people.
- The church must organize itself according to the laws of man.
- Believers must visit the poor and the needy.
- Believers must administer relief to the poor and needy.
Implicit Obligations
- Elders must obey the summons issued by Joseph Smith.
- Elders must maintain personal faithfulness to qualify for the outpouring of the Spirit.
- The community must maintain a defensive posture against perceived enemies.
Ritual Requirements
- Assembling together in a formal conference setting.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In verse 2, the Lord says He will pour out His Spirit 'inasmuch as they are faithful.' How do you know when you have been faithful enough to receive the Spirit?
- When you read about the need to organize legally so that 'enemies may not have power over you,' how does that compare to Jesus's teaching that His kingdom is not of this world?
- Verse 6 commands caring for the poor. How does your ward or community fulfill this today, and how does it point people to Jesus?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
Caring for the poor and needy
The command to care for the poor is a beautiful reflection of God's heart. We can bridge this to the Gospel by explaining that just as we are called to administer relief to those who are physically poor, Jesus came to administer spiritual relief to us, because we are all spiritually bankrupt. We bring nothing to the table, but Christ became poor so that we might become rich in Him.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The believer is placed on a performance treadmill regarding the Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit's outpouring is explicitly conditioned on being 'faithful,' any lack of spiritual feeling or manifestation can be internalized as a personal failure to be faithful enough.
The text heavily emphasizes the presence of 'enemies' who seek to 'destroy my people' and have 'power over you.' This cultivates an 'us vs. them' persecution complex, causing adherents to view outsiders with suspicion and fear.