Saturday, May 25, 2024

Note on D&C 25:15

In a recent dialogue, one question came up about a passage in the Doctrine and Covenants that, at first blush, seems to require sinless perfection:

 

Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come. (D&C 25:15; cf. D&C 46:33)

 

When one looks at Webster's 1828 dictionary, which reflects the English of Joseph Smith, the first definition is "without pause or cessation," but the second definition, which references Scripture, is "very often; in repeated succession; from time to time." The Old Testament text quoted to support this definition is 2 Sam 9:7:

 

Thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

 

That this is the case can be seen in how the King James elsewhere uses continual and continually. To quote from D. Charles Pyle:

 

Just what did continually mean to the Eastern mind? How is the word used in the Bible? There appears to be a wide range of meaning in the use of the words translated continually in English. The meaning ranges from a more literal meaning close to our own usage to a usage that clearly could not be understood to literally mean continually as we understand it. There are in fact several Hebrew words that are used but this is not important at this time. We simply do not know which word was used in Lehi's poetic father's-wish for his son, Laman. In the King James Bible version of the Old Testament, the following verses of scripture use the word continually in a limited sense in varying degrees not meaning permanent or continuous in our common Western understanding of the term:

 

Genesis 6:5; 8:3; 8:5; Exodus 28:29; 28:30; 29:38; Leviticus 24:8; Joshua 6:13; 1 Samuel 18:29; 2 Samuel 9:7; 9:13; 15:12; 19:13; 1 Kings 10:8; 2 Kings 4:9; 25:29; 1 Chronicles 16:6; 16:37; 16:40; 23:31; 2 Chronicles 9:7; 12:15; 24:14; Job 1:5; Psalms 34:1; 35:27; 38:17; 40:16; 42:3; 44:15; 50:8; 58:7; 69:23; 70:4; 71:3; 71:6; 71:14; 72:15; 74:23; 109:15; 109:19; 119:44; 119:109; 119:117; 140:2; Proverbs 6:14; 6:21; Isaiah 21:8; 51:13; 65:3; Jeremiah 6:7; 33:18; 52:33; Ezekiel 46:14; Daniel 6:16; 6:20; Hosea 4:18; 12:6; Obadiah 1:16; Habukkuk 1:17.

 

In the above references, even the words that seem literally to mean perpetually indicate what logically indicates a cessation of the activity in question for periods of time such as night, sleep, cessation in favor of other of life's everyday activities, or with intermittant periods where the action occurs repeatedly but not permanently except in a relative sense. A few indicate a brief, temporary period of continuous activity, and as such are excellent descriptions of what actually occurs in the wadis in the desert lands of the Middle East. An excellent analogy might be found in small children continually running in and out of the house or continually leaving the faucet running in the bathroom. There are other similar examples but these are not really of tantamount importance to the point being made in this response to Paulson. (D. Charles Pyle, "The River Laman: Bad Analogy or Another Paulson Stumblingblock?” [1998])

 

As we know, the KJV did influence the verbiage of both the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith’s revelations elsewhere. Furthermore, note the following instances in the D&C that have this meaning for “continually”:

 

Behold, I speak unto you, Hyrum, a few words; for thou also art under no condemnation, and thy heart is opened, and thy tongue loosed; and thy calling is to exhortation, and to strengthen the church continually. Wherefore thy duty is unto the church forever, and this because of thy family. Amen. (D&C 23:3)

 

And, behold, it is your duty to unite with the true church, and give your language to exhortation continually, that you may receive the reward of the laborer. Amen. (D&C 23:7)

 

And again, I say unto you that it shall be appointed unto him to keep the church record and history continually; for Oliver Cowdery I have appointed to another office. (D&C 47:3)

 

The difference between this quorum and the quorum of elders is that one is to travel continually, and the other is to preside over the churches from time to time; the one has the responsibility of presiding from time to time, and the other has no responsibility of presiding, saith the Lord your God. (D&C 124:140)

 

The idea of sinless perfection also flies in the face of texts that speak of the necessity of ongoing repentance and Christ being our heavenly high priest who intercedes for us (on this, see D&C 45:3-5, for e.g. [cf. Heb 2:17; 1 John 2:1-2]).