Section 56
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 56 was dictated by Joseph Smith in June 1831 to address a specific administrative and financial dispute within the early Mormon community. Ezra Thayre had rebelled against a previous directive concerning property on Frederick G. Williams' farm, prompting this revelation. The text establishes a highly conditional framework for salvation, explicitly stating in verse 2 that those who do not keep the commandments will not be saved. Furthermore, it introduces a theological paradigm where God 'commands and revokes' (v. 4) based on human behavior, specifically revoking the mission calls of several men due to the rebellion of others. The revelation threatens Thayre with excommunication and financial loss if he does not repent and obey. The latter half of the text shifts to social and economic mandates, pronouncing severe woes upon rich men who withhold their substance from the poor, as well as poor men who are greedy, lazy, or covetous. It concludes with a promise that the pure in heart and the contrite will inherit the earth. For the believer, this text reinforces the absolute authority of the prophet over personal, financial, and spiritual matters, while cementing a works-based soteriology.
Key Figures
- Joseph Smith, Jun.: The prophet dictating the revelation, who is positioned as the mediator of God's specific commands and financial arrangements.
- Ezra Thayre: A church member chastised for pride and selfishness, threatened with being cut off from the church if he does not obey previous property directives.
- Thomas B. Marsh: A church member whose previous mission call is revoked and who is given a new command to travel to Missouri.
- Selah J. Griffin: Assigned to replace Ezra Thayre as Thomas B. Marsh's traveling companion to Missouri.
- Newel Knight: Instructed to remain in Thompson, Ohio, due to the rebellion of the people there, rather than traveling as previously commanded.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Conditional Salvation (Works-Righteousness)
Assertion
Salvation is strictly contingent upon taking up one's cross, following God, and keeping the commandments.
Evidence from Text
And he that will not take up his cross and follow me, and keep my commandments, the same shall not be saved. (D&C 56:2)
Evangelical Comparison
In D&C 56:2, salvation is explicitly tied to human performance: 'keep my commandments, the same shall not be saved.' This establishes a works-righteousness paradigm that is foundational to Mormon soteriology. In stark contrast, the Evangelical baseline, rooted in Sola Fide, asserts that justification is an instantaneous legal declaration by God based solely on the imputed righteousness of Christ, received by faith apart from works (Romans 3:28, Ephesians 2:8-9). While Evangelicals believe that true faith will inevitably produce good works (James 2), those works are the fruit of salvation, not the prerequisite for it. D&C 56 conflates justification and sanctification, placing the burden of eternal salvation squarely on the believer's ability to maintain obedience.
Divine Revocation and Mutable Decrees
Assertion
God actively commands and revokes His directives based on the obedience or rebellion of humans.
Evidence from Text
Wherefore I, the Lord, command and revoke, as it seemeth me good; and all this to be answered upon the heads of the rebellious, saith the Lord. (D&C 56:4)
Evangelical Comparison
D&C 56:4 presents a theology where God's commands are highly fluid, subject to revocation based on the 'stiffneckedness' of the people (v. 6). This portrays a reactive deity whose plans are thwarted or altered by human agency. In Evangelical Theology Proper, God is immutable (unchanging in His character, will, and covenant promises; Malachi 3:6, James 1:17). While Scripture contains anthropomorphic language of God 'relenting' (e.g., Jonah 3:10), His sovereign decrees and redemptive promises are never revoked. The casual revocation of mission calls in D&C 56 undermines the believer's confidence in the certainty of God's word, contrasting sharply with the biblical assurance that 'the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable' (Romans 11:29).
Works-Based Inheritance
Assertion
Eternal rewards and inheritances are distributed strictly according to an individual's works.
Evidence from Text
For according to that which they do they shall receive, even in lands for their inheritance. (D&C 56:13)
Evangelical Comparison
Verse 13 reinforces the transactional nature of Mormon theology: 'according to that which they do they shall receive.' While Evangelicalism acknowledges that believers will face the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive rewards for deeds done in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10), the actual 'inheritance' of eternal life and the kingdom of God is secured entirely by Christ's merit and granted to believers as adopted children (Romans 8:17, 1 Peter 1:3-4). In D&C 56, the inheritance itself is contingent upon human performance, blurring the line between the free gift of eternal life and the earning of specific rewards.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text explicitly conditions salvation on keeping commandments and introduces a mutable God who revokes commands based on human behavior, directly contradicting justification by faith alone and the immutability of God.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological chasm between D&C 56 and Evangelical Christianity is profound, centering primarily on Soteriology and Theology Proper. First, verse 2 explicitly denies Sola Fide by stating that anyone who does not 'keep my commandments, the same shall not be saved.' This creates a works-righteousness system where justification is contingent upon human performance and obedience to specific, modern prophetic directives. This directly violates Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 3:20, which declare that no one is justified by works of the law. Second, verse 4 introduces a mutable deity who 'commands and revokes' based on the 'stiffneckedness' of the people. This portrays God as reactive rather than sovereign, undermining the Evangelical understanding of God's immutability (Malachi 3:6) and the certainty of His decrees. If God's commands and promises can be revoked due to the sins of others, the believer is left with no objective basis for assurance of salvation.
For All Ages
Imagine you are given a free, lifetime ticket to an amusement park because your best friend paid for it. That's how the Bible describes salvation—Jesus paid the full price, and we get it just by trusting Him. But this text says you only get into the park if you carry a heavy backpack, follow every single rule perfectly, and give your money away. It also says the park owner might change the rules at any time if other people misbehave. This makes it very hard to know if you're ever truly safe, which is very different from the Bible's promise that Jesus's gift is final, secure, and cannot be taken away.
Friction Points
Sola Fide
Explicitly states that salvation requires keeping commandments (v. 2) and that rewards are based on works (v. 13).
Sola Scriptura
Presents new, binding revelation outside the biblical canon that dictates salvation and church standing.
Theology Proper (Immutability)
Portrays God as commanding and revoking His directives based on human rebellion (v. 4).
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Saved"
In This Text
Preservation from God's wrath and ultimate exaltation, contingent upon keeping commandments and obeying the prophet.
In Evangelicalism
Deliverance from the penalty of sin and the imputation of Christ's righteousness, received as a free gift by grace through faith alone.
"Commandment"
In This Text
Includes highly specific, temporary administrative orders (e.g., traveling to Missouri, settling property disputes).
In Evangelicalism
God's moral law, which is universal and unchanging, fulfilled in Christ.
"Repent"
In This Text
Reversing a specific administrative or financial decision (e.g., Ezra Thayre repenting of his property dispute).
In Evangelicalism
A fundamental change of mind and heart toward God and sin, leading to faith in Christ.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Being spared from God's indignation in the day of wrath and inheriting the earth/kingdom of God.
How Attained: By taking up one's cross, following the Lord, and strictly keeping His commandments (v. 2).
Basis of Assurance: Continuous obedience, submission to the prophet's directives, and maintaining a contrite spirit.
Comparison to Sola Fide: D&C 56:2 is a direct antithesis to Sola Fide. It explicitly states 'he that will not... keep my commandments, the same shall not be saved.' This stands in direct contradiction to Romans 3:28 ('For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law') and Galatians 2:16.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Hearken to the Lord (v. 1)
- Take up your cross and follow the Lord (v. 2)
- Keep the commandments (v. 2)
- Thomas B. Marsh must take up his journey speedily to Missouri (v. 5)
- Selah J. Griffin must go with Thomas B. Marsh (v. 5)
- Newel Knight must remain with the people in Thompson (v. 7)
- Contrite individuals may go to Missouri led by Newel Knight (v. 7)
- Ezra Thayre must repent of his pride and selfishness (v. 8)
- Ezra Thayre must obey the former commandment concerning the place where he lives (v. 8)
- Rich men must give their substance to the poor (v. 16)
- Poor men must have broken hearts and contrite spirits (v. 17)
- Poor men must stay their hands from laying hold upon other men's goods (v. 17)
- Poor men must labor with their own hands (v. 17)
Implicit Obligations
- Submit unquestioningly to Joseph Smith's authority regarding personal property, finances, and travel.
- Accept that God's directives may change abruptly and without warning.
- Prioritize church directives over personal financial security or property ownership.
Ritual Requirements
- While no specific ritual is detailed, the threat to be 'cut off out of my church' (v. 10) implies subjection to church disciplinary councils and the potential loss of saving ordinances.
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In verse 2, it says we must keep the commandments to be saved. How many commandments do we have to keep, and how perfectly, to have true assurance that we are saved?
- Verse 4 says God commands and revokes as He sees fit. If God's commands can change based on human behavior, how does this impact your trust in His promises for your eternal future?
- When you read verses 14 and 15 about sins not being pardoned because people seek their own counsel, how do you find peace when you inevitably make mistakes?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The broken heart and contrite spirit
The text correctly identifies that God desires a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In the Gospel, this is the exact posture of true biblical repentance—recognizing our total inability to save ourselves and throwing ourselves entirely on the mercy of Christ, rather than trying to earn salvation through works.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The burden of knowing that salvation is contingent upon keeping commandments (v. 2) creates a constant treadmill of performance. Believers can never be truly certain they have done enough, leading to either self-righteousness (if they think they are succeeding) or deep despair (when they inevitably fail).
The threat of being 'cut off' (v. 3, 10) for disobeying specific administrative directives instills a fear-based compliance to church leadership. It conflates obedience to God with obedience to the prophet's micromanagement of personal affairs.
If God can command and then revoke His commands (v. 4), the believer is left without a solid foundation. Promises may be withdrawn, leading to anxiety about whether God will actually follow through on His word regarding their salvation.