Section 83
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 83, received in April 1832, addresses the practical and economic implications of the Law of Consecration regarding the vulnerable within the early Latter-day Saint community. Specifically, it delineates the rights of women and children to financial support. It establishes a hierarchy of responsibility: first, husbands and fathers are responsible for their families; second, if the husband/father is absent or unable, the Church (via the Lord's storehouse) assumes responsibility for widows and orphans. Crucially, the text conditions church 'fellowship' for widows on their faithfulness, distinguishing between spiritual standing and legal property rights ('inheritances') protected by the laws of the land. This text serves as a foundational document for the LDS Church's welfare system, rooting social safety nets in divine mandate and communal consecration.
Key Figures
- The Lord
- Joseph Smith
- Husbands/Fathers
- Widows
- Orphans
- The Bishop (implied as keeper of the storehouse)
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
The Lord's Storehouse (Consecration)
Assertion
The Church is divinely mandated to maintain a storehouse through member consecrations to provide for widows, orphans, and the poor when family support fails.
Evidence from Text
And the storehouse shall be kept by the consecrations of the church; and widows and orphans shall be provided for (D&C 83:6)
Evangelical Comparison
In Evangelical theology, charity is a moral imperative flowing from the regenerate heart, often organized through diaconal ministries (Acts 6). However, D&C 83 frames this within the 'Law of Consecration,' a specific socio-economic order where property and resources are dedicated to the church hierarchy for redistribution. This differs from the New Testament model of voluntary giving (2 Corinthians 9:7) by establishing a centralized 'storehouse' system as a doctrinal requirement for the church's existence and the member's standing.
Conditional Fellowship
Assertion
A widow's spiritual standing and fellowship in the church are contingent upon her not being a 'transgressor' and remaining 'faithful.'
Evidence from Text
And if they are not faithful they shall not have fellowship in the church (D&C 83:3)
Evangelical Comparison
This text explicitly links 'fellowship'—a term often denoting both social acceptance and spiritual communion—to the condition of being 'faithful' and 'not found transgressors.' In the Evangelical baseline, standing before God is secured by Justification by Faith Alone (Sola Fide). While local church membership can be revoked for gross unrepentant sin (1 Corinthians 5), the language here suggests a legalistic framework where support and standing are earned through behavior, contrasting with the unconditional nature of God's adoption of the believer.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap
The primary theological gap lies in the source of authority and the nature of the church. D&C 83 operates under the premise that God is issuing new civil and ecclesiastical laws through Joseph Smith to build a literal Zion with economic structures. Evangelicalism views the Church as a spiritual body of believers, not a theocratic government with authority to manage land inheritances or demand consecration of property. Furthermore, the conditional nature of fellowship ('if they are not faithful') introduces a works-based maintenance of standing that obscures the security of the believer in Christ.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
Adds new 'laws of the church' via modern revelation not found in the Bible.
Universal Priesthood / Ecclesiology
Establishes a hierarchical priesthood structure to manage economic resources (Storehouse) rather than simple diaconal service.
Sola Gratia
Conditions 'fellowship' (and by extension, aid) on personal faithfulness rather than grace.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"Fellowship"
In This Text
Official standing in the organization, qualifying one for economic support and spiritual participation.
In Evangelicalism
Koinonia; spiritual participation in the body of Christ and with the Holy Spirit, based on shared faith.
"Storehouse"
In This Text
A physical repository and economic system for distributing consecrated goods.
In Evangelicalism
Often metaphorical in the NT (treasures in heaven) or referring to OT temple practices, not a mandated NT church institution.
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Implicitly linked to 'fellowship' in the church and obedience to its laws.
How Attained: Through faithfulness and adherence to the laws of the church (including consecration).
Basis of Assurance: Standing is maintained by not being a 'transgressor'.
Comparison to Sola Fide: The text emphasizes maintaining status through behavior ('if they are not faithful they shall not have fellowship'), contrasting with the permanence of justification by faith (Romans 8:38-39).
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- Husbands must support their wives.
- Parents must support their children until they are of age.
- The Church must provide for widows, orphans, and the poor via the storehouse.
Implicit Obligations
- Members must contribute 'consecrations' to maintain the storehouse.
- Widows must remain 'faithful' to maintain church fellowship.
Ritual Requirements
- Consecration of property/resources (implied context).
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- In verse 3, it says a widow loses fellowship if she is not faithful. How does the church define 'faithful' in this context?
- How does the concept of the 'Lord's storehouse' affect how you view your property and finances today?
- If fellowship is conditional on behavior, how does a member find assurance that they are accepted by God when they struggle with sin?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
The Storehouse
Just as the storehouse provides for those who lack, Christ is the bread of life who provides for our spiritual bankruptcy.
The Advocate for the Fatherless
God identifies Himself as the Father to the fatherless and defender of widows, ultimately fulfilled in Christ bringing us into God's family.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
The burden of 'consecration' implies that all property ultimately belongs to the church/Lord, creating a pressure to give beyond capacity or feel guilty for personal ownership.
For a widow or vulnerable person, the threat that 'if they are not faithful they shall not have fellowship' creates anxiety that their material survival and social acceptance are contingent on their performance.
+ Epistemology
Knowledge Source: Prophetic Revelation (Joseph Smith acting as mouthpiece).
Verification Method: Testimony of the Spirit regarding the truthfulness of Joseph Smith's calling.
Evangelical Contrast: Evangelicals test truth claims against the closed canon of Scripture (Acts 17:11), whereas this text relies on the acceptance of Joseph Smith's continuing revelation.
+ Textual Criticism
Dating: April 30, 1832
Authorship: Joseph Smith
Textual Issues: Part of the evolving revelations regarding the United Firm/Order. The language reflects the specific legal and social context of Independence, Missouri.