D&C 26

Section Overview

What happens in D&C 26

Received in July 1830 at Harmony, Pennsylvania, for Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and John Whitmer. This brief revelation establishes the principle of common consent in Church governance.

Scripture

Study, Preach, and Common Consent

Study note

The three are instructed to devote time to studying the scriptures and preaching. All things in the Church are to be done by common consent, through prayer and the sustaining of the body.

1 Behold, I say unto you that you shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the scriptures, and to preaching, and to confirming the church at Colesville, and to performing your labors on the land, such as is required, until after you shall go to the west to hold the next conference; and then it shall be made known what you shall do.

2 And all things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith, for all things you shall receive by faith. Amen.

Key Themes

Themes in D&C 26

Common consent in Church governanceStudy and preaching as primary dutiesDemocratic principles in religious organizationPrayer as a foundation for decision-making

Scripture Connections

How this section connects to Christ

D&C 26 2 Acts 15:22-28

The principle of common consent echoes the Jerusalem Council described in Acts, where the apostles and elders made decisions together that 'seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us.'

D&C 26 1 2 Timothy 2:15

The instruction to study connects to Paul's counsel to Timothy about being a diligent student of the word of truth.

Apply This Today

Living D&C 26

The principle of common consent means that Church members are not passive observers but active participants in the governance of the Church. When we raise our hands to sustain a calling or decision, we are exercising a divinely appointed right and accepting a responsibility to support what we have sustained.

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