The Church of Jesus Christ does not accept the Doctrine and Covenants as scripture. The Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) is the theological source of certain teachings that distinguish within churches from the Restoration Movement as well as from the rest of Christianity: temples, sealings, baptism for the dead, degrees of glory, exaltation to godhood, and polygamy to name a few. None of these originate from the Bible or the Book of Mormon. They come from the D&C.
So the question matters. Is the D&C reliable and should it be treated and accepted as scripture? And if so, those doctrines demand serious attention. If it is not — if its revelations were altered, if they contradict the Bible and Book of Mormon, or if Joseph Smith himself admitted not all of them came from God — then everything built on it must be questioned and re-examined against what is written in the Bible and Book of Mormon.
Jesus taught a simple principle: a wise man builds on rock; a foolish man builds on sand (Matthew 7:24–27). This article asks a straightforward question: Is the D&C rock, sand, or even a mired mixture of both?
Here is what we will examine:
- What does scripture itself say about how much scripture God intended to give?
- Does the D&C add doctrines beyond what Christ declared complete?
- Were the revelations in the D&C changed after they were first received?
- Did Joseph Smith himself acknowledge that not all revelations were from God?
- Where does the D&C directly contradict the Bible and the Book of Mormon?
- What do the Bible and Book of Mormon already provide — and is it sufficient?
1. What Scripture Says About Scripture
The place to begin is with what God has already said about His own word.
The Book of Mormon prophesied that two records would come forth — the Bible (the record of Judah) and the Book of Mormon (the record of Joseph) — and that these two would “grow together” to confound false doctrine and establish peace (2 Nephi 3:12). Two Israelite, inspired writings. Not an ever-expanding library of additional books. God established that truth is confirmed through two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15), and the Bible and Book of Mormon fulfill that pattern.
More importantly, when Christ appeared to the Nephites, He declared His doctrine plainly — faith in Him, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost — and then said something that should stop us in our tracks:
“And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock.” — 3 Nephi 11:40
Christ’s doctrine is complete. He said so Himself. Anything that adds to it or takes away from it does not come from God — it comes from evil, and it is sand.
Where we are: Scripture prophesied two records, not three. Christ declared His doctrine complete. The standard is set.
2. The D&C Added “More”
With Christ’s warning in mind, consider what the Doctrine and Covenants introduced. These are teachings found in the D&C but absent from both the Bible and the Book of Mormon:
- Temple endowments with secret signs and tokens
- Celestial marriage and eternal sealing ordinances
- Baptism for the dead
- The doctrine that men can become gods
- Polygamy as a divine commandment
None of these appear in the Book of Mormon. Not one appears in Christ’s teachings to the Nephites. Not one appears in the New Testament.
Christ said His doctrine was faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost. He then warned that anything “more or less” comes from evil. The D&C introduced a great deal more. Revelations are not scripture; they are enlightenment and understanding, providing direction and clarity to that which exists. The question writes itself: Does the D&C represent the kind of “more” that Christ warned about?
Where we are: The D&C introduces major doctrines that go well beyond what Christ declared complete. By Christ’s own standard in 3 Nephi 11:40, this is a serious concern for revelations found within the D&C.
3. The Revelations Were Changed
This point is not a matter of interpretation — it is a matter of historical record. The Book of Commandments was published in 1833 and contained the earliest versions of Joseph Smith’s revelations. When the Doctrine and Covenants was published in 1835, several of those same revelations had been altered.
One example is telling. The Book of Commandments, Chapter 4, stated plainly:
“He has a gift to translate the book, and I have commanded him that he shall pretend to no other gift, for I will grant him no other gift.”
By 1835, this had been changed to: “no other gift until it is wisdom in me.” A door that God closed — “I will grant him no other gift” — was reopened by men. And through that reopened door came high priests, temple ceremonies, and additional changes that neither the original revelation nor the Book of Mormon ever authorized. David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, objected directly to these changes. Whitmer wrote that God does not change and work in such a manner — that this was man’s work, not God’s.
Nephi warned: “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 28:31). If the revelations in the D&C were changed by men to support new offices and doctrines, are they the word of God — or the precepts of men dressed in the language of revelation?
Where we are: Some of the D&C’s own revelations were altered between 1833 and 1835 to expand authority beyond what God originally granted. A witness to the Book of Mormon — David Whitmer — called it what it was.
4. Joseph Smith Admitted Not All Revelations Were from God
This is perhaps the most overlooked piece of the puzzle. When a revelation directed that the copyright to the Book of Mormon be sold in Canada — and the effort failed completely — Joseph Smith acknowledged the problem openly:
“Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil.”
This came from the Lord by revelation through the interpreters to Joseph himself. He admitted that his revelations were a mixture — some divine, some human, some worse. If that is true, then no revelation in the D&C can be accepted solely because Joseph said it came from God. Every revelation must be tested against established scripture.
And here is the critical question: if Joseph acknowledged that some of his revelations were not from God, on what basis should any person treat the entire D&C as equal to the Bible and the Book of Mormon?
Where we are: Joseph’s own admission means the D&C cannot be treated as uniformly trustworthy. Each teaching must be measured against the Bible and Book of Mormon — and when it contradicts them, the contradiction must be taken seriously and dismissed as a revelation not from God.
5. Where the D&C Directly Contradicts Scripture
This is where the rubber meets the road. The D&C introduces doctrines that directly contradict the Bible and the Book of Mormon on matters of fundamental importance.
Polygamy. D&C 132 commands plural marriage as a divine principle and threatens damnation for those who refuse. The Book of Mormon says the opposite. Jacob wrote: “For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; for I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts” (Jacob 2:27–28). D&C 132 says God commanded and justified polygamy. Jacob says God called it abominable. Both cannot be the word of God.
Exaltation to godhood. The teaching that souls can become gods comes from the D&C — not from scripture. The Bible is clear: “Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (Isaiah 43:10). And again: “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me” (Isaiah 45:5). The Book of Mormon echoes this: “I am the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Mormon 9:9). God does not change. He was not once a man who progressed to godhood, and no scripture teaches that path for us.
When a later document contradicts earlier scripture on matters this fundamental, the question is unavoidable: Which is the rock, and which is the sand?
Where we are: On polygamy, the nature of God, and other topics, the D&C directly contradicts both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. These are not minor discrepancies — they are irreconcilable and must be dismissed as false revelation. This is a key reason why The Church of Jesus Christ does not accept the D&C as scripture.
6. What the Bible and Book of Mormon Already Provide
If the D&C is set aside, is anything lost? The Bible and Book of Mormon together contain everything necessary for salvation. Christ Himself defined the gospel plainly: faith in Him, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 27:13–21). That is the gospel. It is not complicated. It does not require temple ceremonies, secret ordinances, or institutional programs. It requires the grace of Jesus Christ and surrender to Him.
The iron rod in Lehi’s dream is the word of God (1 Nephi 15:23–24) — fixed, reliable, unchanging. If the D&C introduces teachings not found in scripture, or worse, contradicts them, it is not the iron rod. It may contain truth mixed with error, as Joseph himself admitted. But it cannot stand as scripture equal to God’s already-confirmed word.
Paul warned the Galatians: “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). The arc of scripture is complete — Creation, Fall, Atonement, Judgment. The Book of Mormon restored truths that had been lost from the Bible. But the gospel itself does not expand. It was finished at the cross.
Where we are: The Bible and Book of Mormon provide everything needed for salvation. Christ said so.
Conclusion
Jesus Christ is revealed to individuals throughout the world today. The revelation of who Jesus is and what He did as contained in the Bible and Book of Mormon is absolute and a firm foundation. Revelations, dreams, tongues and visions are alive today in The Church of Jesus Christ supporting the word of God in print and the living Messiah. Those are not canon, but testimonial support for the Lord and His Kingdom upon the earth.
The Church of Jesus Christ does not accept the D&C as scripture equal to the Bible and the Book of Mormon. In considering the entire text and measuring the D&C against the Bible and Book of Mormon, we find that it falls short in many areas. When Joseph Smith died, leaders like William Bickerton recognized these dangers and built their faith on the Bible and Book of Mormon alone — a belief that continues in The Church of Jesus Christ for over 160 years.
The iron rod is the word of God. Hold fast to it.
“And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.” — 3 Nephi 11:40
