The Teachings of Joseph Smith

Once Joseph Smith is out of Liberty Jail and has returned to the saints in Nauvoo, IL, we see a decrease in the number of direct revelations from the Lord (“thus sayeth the Lord” revelations) and an increase in teaching and sermons by the prophet himself. Some of these teachings from the Nauvoo period, however, are found in the Doctrine and Covenants as canonized scripture.

The reason we don’t see earlier teaching of the prophet in the Doctrine and Covenants is largely because we don’t have copies of them. Only 10% of his teachings are documented and most of these are just a few sentences describing the subject matter with only a few being the sermon itself. In addition, the Prophet Joseph didn’t teach nearly as many sermons before his incarceration at Liberty Jail. The experiences he had there and his strengthened relationship with the Father molded him into the powerful public speaker he was after he was released.

Still, why are some of his teachings printed as scripture next to direct revelations from Heavenly Father? Sections 127-131 in the Doctrine and Covenants are all epistles and sermons of Joseph Smith and as we read them, perhaps we can get an answer to this question. At this point in the churches history, God has revealed a great deal of His doctrine and ordinances to His children, thus we see a drop in the number of direct revelations. People still need to be taught these doctrines as they progress spiritually, however, so letters and sermons from the prophet are not surprising and these writings contain further instructions and explanations not known to the public of the church. For example, Joseph prepared multiple sermons with further information regarding baptisms for the dead. This is a new commandment for the saints so his teachings become a primary source of knowledge. It is natural, then, that they would be published in the scriptures for the enrichment of the members of the church.

Most importantly, even though these sermons aren’t coming directly from the mouth of Heavenly Father, they are still inspired by His spirit. All of Joseph’s teachings were in accordance with the will of the Father concerning His children and have thus been made available to all those who desire to read them.