“This Generation Shall Have My Word through You”
Lesson 13 Our Heritage pgs. 23-25,41,58 and Bible
Dictionary, “Joseph Smith Translation”, pg. 717
The Lord declared that the people in this
dispensation would receive His word through Joseph Smith
In D&C 5:10, the words “this generation” refer to this
latter-day dispensation—our day.
President Brigham Young said: “What I have received from
the Lord, I have received by Joseph Smith”. This statement could be made by any
Latter-day Saint—including you. The
latter-day scriptures, priesthood ordinances, priesthood organization, Relief
Society organization, and temple building came from the Lord through the
Prophet Joseph Smith.
A prophecy in Moses 1:40-41 is being fulfilled. After the
Prophet Joseph Smith was raised up by the Lord, His words are now “had again among the children
of men.”
Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, we received the Book of
Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and the Joseph Smith
Translation of the Bible. Joseph was an
instrument in the Lord’s hand in restoring ancient scriptures and many
revelations given to him became latter-day scriptures. Speaking about Joseph Smith, Elder LeGrand
Richards said: “As
far as our records show, he has given us more revealed truth than any prophet
who has ever lived upon the face of the earth.” (Ensign, May 1981,
33)
In the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 3:11-15 contains a prophecy
about Joseph Smith. Verse 12’s
“writings” refers to the Book of Mormon and the Bible. These ancient scriptures have blessed our
lives by bringing us to a better knowledge of the Lord’s covenants, eliminating
contention, and establishing peace. For class discussion, think
about what the Book of Mormon means to you.
From 1823 to 1831, more than 60 revelations were given to
Joseph Smith from the Lord. Most Church
members could not access these revelations for study and instruction since only
a few handwritten copies, usually in the hands of missionaries and a few
others. While attending a conference of
about a dozen leaders in late 1831 in Ohio, it was decided that the Book of
Commandments would be published to make the revelations more widely available. Oliver Cowdrey and John Whitmer were selected
to take the revelations to Independence, Missouri, for printing.
Completing the 1000-mile journey in January 1832, Cowdrey
and Whitmer worked with William W. Phelps to get the first 160 pages printed by
July 1833. But later that month, the
printing press and many unbound pages of the Book of Commandments were
destroyed by a mob. The pages that
could be salvaged were bound into a few copies of the Book of Commandments, but
that still did not make the revelations widely available as had been
hoped. It wasn’t until 1835 when the
first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants was published, including 45
additional revelations, that these scriptures reached many of the Saints. For class discussion, think of a couple of your
favorite passages from the Doctrine and Covenants.
Appropriately named, the Pearl of Great Price is small like
a pearl, but of great worth to the Saints. Although it spans the eternities
from before our pre-mortal existence until our post-mortal eternal lives, it is
only 61 pages long. Those pages contain
doctrine on the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement, Free moral Agency, and this
latter-day dispensation. Five parts
comprise this book of the Standard Works:
§
Selections from the Book of Moses
§
The book of Abraham
§
Joseph Smith—Matthew
§
Joseph Smith—History
§
The Articles of Faith
Review the last five paragraphs of the Introductory Note at
the beginning of the Pearl of Great Price to benefit from an explanation of the
background of each part of this book of scripture.
The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible came about
because many parts of the Bible were changed, causing the loss of many plain
and precious truths during the Great Apostasy when the Lord withdrew the
fullness of the gospel from the earth. Reading the 8th Article of
Faith makes clear that we believe the Bible “as far as it is translated correctly”.
Soon after the Church was restored, Joseph was instructed to
begin making inspired corrections to the King James Version. References to these instructions include
D&C 35:20; 37:1; 45:60-61; 73:3-4; 93:53.
Because he did as instructed, we now have the inspired revisions in the Joseph Smith Translation of
the Bible (JST). It is not
what would normally be thought of as a “translation” because it was not
translated from one language to another—the only text was the King James
Version, but Joseph was guided by the Spirit to make corrections and restore
some passages that had been completely lost.
Two excerpts from the JST are found in the Pearl of Great
Price—the book of Moses and Joseph Smith—Matthew. In the LDS scriptures, excerpts are also found in the appendix
following the Bible Dictionary and in the footnotes of the King James Version
of the Bible. A comparison of some passages may help us understand the value of
the JST:
The translation of the Bible is intertwined with the
revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants because revelations were received as
the Prophet inquired further about corrections and additions to the Bible. His questions resulted in answers that
produced an improved Bible as well as doctrinal teachings in the D&C. Together, they amount to a great restoration
of truth and doctrinal integrity that was missing prior to the Prophet’s
reception of these inspired teachings. (For further information, read the 2nd
full paragraph of page 24 of Our Heritage and the heading of D&C 76 as
well as D&C 76: 15-19). Our
leaders have and do encourage us to use the Joseph Smith Translation in our
studies of the scriptures.
While many gospel doctrines and principles were left
unclear, incorrect, or incomplete in existing volumes of scripture at the time
of Joseph Smith’s youth, we were given the clear, correct, complete principles
and doctrines as a result of his faithful service as he received revelation and
inspiration.
Examples of principles or doctrines that needed
clarification or correction included:
Subject Scriptures
given thru Joseph Smith
Physical nature of the Godhead Joseph Smith—History 1:17, D&C
130:1, 22
Melchizedek Priesthood D&C 84:19-25;
107:1-8, 18-19
Mode of Baptism D&C
20:71-74; 3 Nephi 11:22-26
3 Kingdoms of Glory D&C
76:50-112; 131:1
Our Potential—Being like Father D&C 88:107; 93:20; 132:20-24
Lesson
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