D&C 1:1 - Part 1: My Church
D&C 1:1 – Hearken O ye people of my church…
To whom is the Lord speaking when he calls to the “people of my church?” I have wondered the meaning of the word “church” in this verse for a long time. Given its context in the opening section of the Doctrine and Covenants, most would suggest the word “chruch” implies the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was 1831 at the time Joseph Smith received this revelation, and the church was organized by that time. As I have pondered this section, that conclusion just never felt complete; as if it is not the whole picture. “My church,” the Lord says. There are many who claim to be of his chruch. What does it take to be his church?
The Lord defined to Joseph Smith the word “church” two years before the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established. The Lord addressed Joseph after the initial 116 pages of translated manuscript were lost by Martin Harris in 1828. In that revelation, the Lord says, “Behold, this is my doctrine – whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church. And now, behold, whosoever is of my church [has repented and come unto Christ], and endureth of my church [continues on in Christ and his doctrine] to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them” (D&C 10:67-69, emphasis added).
The Lord also defines his “doctrine” in 3 Nephi 11:31-34. It is an interesting parallel to the previous scriptures in D&C 10. His doctrine calls for true repentance and coming unto Christ through the correct mode of ordinances and sacrifices. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry had not yet been baptized when Joseph received the revelation in D&C 10. Joseph and Oliver were baptize in May 1829. Section 10 was written in April of that year or sometime earlier. Was Joseph part of the Lord’s church prior to his baptism? He acted and functioned as a prophet many years before baptism, as well as had personal face-to-face encounters with the Lord and his angels. Baptism is an integral part of coming unto Christ and true discipleship leads to baptism. Yet there must be more than baptism to be part of the Lord’s church.
Notice his use of the words “the same is my church” in D&C 10. The Lord states that the repentant person, “whosoever,” is the church. The Lord mentions no walls, no charters, no structures, no ledgers. He simply calls for repentance and faith in Christ; it is a simple yet profound relationship between the Savior and the individual. The church is the person who 1) repents, 2) comes unto Christ, and 3) endures in Christ. Therefore, the church is the disciple and the disciple is the church. Membership is written upon the fleshy tablets of his or her heart, not in dockets and on rolls of a chartered organization. Now don’t forget the scripture in 3 Nephi: baptism by the commission or authority of Christ is required in his doctrine after faith and repentance. Baptism is not the entrance into his church, though it may be in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Baptism is an ordinance that comes as a natural consequence of obedience to God, but is not the ticket for entering a church. This gives greater meaning to D&C 84:34.
Summarizing the Lord’s statement in 3 Nephi 27:5-10, those of the Lord’s church worship Christ only. If they worship another, then it be the church of another. The Lord speaks directly to the heart of the worshiper; if you are of his church than you worship him, and none else. I am reminded of those 3-D pictures where you have to focus your eyes just right to see the hidden images. Though there are intricate and repetitive designs that clutter the picture, you only see the true image as you adjust your eyes correctly, then it jumps out and you wonder how you didn't see it before. So it is with the “church” of Christ as we define it and then as the Lord defines it. The parameters are different, but they may overlap, and much of the true image is embedded and hidden within the other. Yet they are not the same. One has much greater depth and life (true and living) than the other. One is a communion “with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and...the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant” (D&C 107:19), the other a scaffolding to learn truth in this mortal world, hopefully guiding us to the other. Anyone can join a physical church, but only the pure in heart can become part of the church of the Firstborn, Gods “church”.
And in truth, membership in one church does not mean membership in the other. One can be a memer of a temporal church, even the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saint, yet not be a member of Christ’s church. And likewise, a person may be a member of the church of the Firstborn, and yet not be LDS, or a member of any church. An angel said to Nephi, “there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil” (1 Nephi 14:10).
To which church do we really belong?