This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Doctrine and Covenants 3-5, which includes the Lord chastising Joseph Smith for giving Martin Harris the first 116 pages of the translated Book of Mormon, which Martin Harris subsequently lost.
Following are a few quotes from past and present leaders about these sections of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Doctrine and Covenants 3
“The Lord has special love and concern for His precious daughters. He knows of your wants, your needs, and your fears. The Lord is all powerful. Trust Him.
“The Prophet Joseph Smith was taught that ‘the works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught’ (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1). …
“Sisters, I testify that these promises … apply to each of you in your troubling circumstances today. They are precious and remind each of us to be of good cheer and to have joy in the fulness of the gospel as we press forward through the challenges of mortality.”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, October 2020 general conference, “Be of Good Cheer”
“Sometimes God manifests His love by chastening us. It is a way of reminding us that He loves us and that He knows who we are. His promised blessing of peace is open to all those who courageously walk the covenant path and are willing to receive correction.
“When we recognize the chastening and are willing recipients, it becomes a spiritual surgery. Who likes surgery, by the way? But to those who need it and are willing to receive it, it can be lifesaving. The Lord chastens whom He loves. …
“Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration, was chastened. After Joseph lost the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript, the Lord both corrected and showed love by saying: ‘You should not have feared man more than God. … You should have been faithful. … Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen. … Remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent’ (Doctrine and Covenants 3:7–10).”
— Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, General Authority Seventy, April 2021 general conference, “God Loves His Children”
“The Prophet Joseph Smith learned from firsthand experience that the Lord expects us to avoid misery by living His gospel and wants us to understand that we can repent. When he lost the 116 pages of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon translation by giving in to the persuasions of men, Joseph was miserable. The Lord told him: ‘You should have been faithful; and [God] would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble’ (Doctrine and Covenants 3:8). Such is the case for each of you young men: be faithful, and you will be supported by the hand of God. The Prophet was then reminded that — as with each of us — he would be forgiven if he repented. Imagine what joy he felt when he heard the Lord state, ‘But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen’ (Doctrine and Covenants 3:10).”
— Elder Marcus B. Nash, General Authority Seventy, October 2006 general conference, “The Great Plan of Happiness”
“Joseph’s candor about his shortcomings is evident in the fact that one of the first revelations he recorded in writing and published to the world was a crushing rebuke he received from the Lord. The first 116 manuscript pages of the Book of Mormon translation were lost because 22-year-old Joseph yielded to entreaties and loaned them to Martin Harris. ‘Behold,’ the Lord declared, ‘how oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men’ (Doctrine and Covenants 3:6). The Lord told Joseph to repent or he would be stripped of his prophetic role. …
“The Prophet Joseph had no role models from whom he could learn how to be a prophet and leader of the Lord’s people. He learned from heavenly messengers and from the harvest of his unique spiritual gifts. He had to rely on associates who had no role models either. They struggled and learned together, and the Prophet’s growth was extremely rapid.”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1996 general conference, “Joseph, the Man and the Prophet”
“True personal worth comes from a secure relationship with Heavenly Father. Individual worth is intrinsic, it is internal; it is eternal. It is something that cannot be taken from us when the blossom of youth fades, when economic conditions leave us desolate, when sickness or handicaps befall us, or when prominence and visibility are obscured.
“Many are led astray by the false doctrines of the world that youthfulness, beauty, adornments, possessions, power, titles or attainments are what make one worthwhile. As in Book of Mormon times, there are those who want to become popular in the eyes of the world rather than do what God expects. The Lord counseled Joseph Smith early in his ministry, ‘You should not have feared man more than God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 3:7).”
— The late Sister Joanne B. Doxey, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 1987 general conference, “Strengthening the Family”
Doctrine and Covenants 4
“When you hear the word ‘embark,’ what do you think of? A ship setting sail? Joining a great cause? The beginning of a journey?
“When you ‘embark in the service of God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 4:2), you’re joining the greatest journey ever. You’re helping God hasten His work, and it’s a great, joyful and marvelous experience.
— The Young Men general presidency in the January 2015 Liahona article, “This Marvelous Work”
“Knowing by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ is important and necessary. But earnestly coming unto Him and giving our whole souls as an offering requires much more than merely knowing. Conversion requires all of our heart, all of our might, and all of our mind and strength (see Doctrine and Covenants 4:2).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2012 general conference, “Converted unto the Lord”
“When the sisters of Relief Society look ‘with an eye single to the glory of God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 4:5), they can experience rich spiritual insights and share deep spiritual strength together. …
“I testify that connections forged among covenant women in Relief Society can indeed enlighten, enliven and enrich the journey of life because we can help each other learn how to put the Lord first in our hearts and in our lives.”
— Sister Anne C. Pingree, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 2004 general conference, “Walking towards the Light of His Love”
“Listen to those words, my young brethren: valiant, courage, strength, active, true. We don’t need spiritually weak and semicommitted young men. We don’t need you to just fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed or to receive a testimony. We just don’t have time for that. We need you to be filled with ‘faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 4:5).”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2002 general conference, “The Greatest Generation of Missionaries”
“Seeking implies so much more than merely looking. ‘Seek’ means energy, direction, passion, purpose. To seek requires all our ‘heart, might, mind and strength’ (Doctrine and Covenants 4:2). We sisters are good at using our hearts and our hands in the Lord’s work. But we must also use our minds.”
— Sister Elaine L. Jack, then the Relief Society general president, October 1994 general conference, “‘Seek, and Ye Shall Find’”
Doctrine and Covenants 5

“In many ways the gospel of Jesus Christ is like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. When Joseph Smith came on the scene, perhaps 100 pieces were in place. Then Joseph Smith came along and put many of the other 900 pieces in place so that people could say, ‘Oh, now I understand where I came from, why I am here and where I am going.’ As for Joseph Smith’s role in the Restoration, the Lord defined it clearly: ‘This generation shall have my word through you’ (Doctrine and Covenants 5:10).”
— Elder Tad R. Callister, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2009 general conference, “Joseph Smith — Prophet of the Restoration”
“While Joseph Smith was translating the Book of Mormon, the Lord revealed that, in addition to the Prophet’s testimony, the world would have ‘the testimony of three of my servants, whom I shall call and ordain, unto whom I will show these things’ (Doctrine and Covenants 5:11). ‘They shall know of a surety that these things are true,’ the Lord declared, ‘for from heaven will I declare it unto them’ (Doctrine and Covenants 5:12). …
“The three men chosen as witnesses of the Book of Mormon were Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris. Their written ‘Testimony of Three Witnesses’ has been included in all … of the Book of Mormon the Church has published since 1830. …
“The solemn written testimony of three witnesses to what they saw and heard — two of them simultaneously and the third almost immediately thereafter — is entitled to great weight. Indeed, we know that upon the testimony of one witness great miracles have been claimed and accepted by many religious people, and in the secular world the testimony of one witness has been deemed sufficient for weighty penalties and judgments. …
“The testimony of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon stands forth in great strength. Each of the three had ample reason and opportunity to renounce his testimony if it had been false, or to equivocate on details if any had been inaccurate. As is well known, because of disagreements or jealousies involving other leaders of the Church, each one of these three witnesses was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by about eight years after the publication of their testimony. All three went their separate ways, with no common interest to support a collusive effort. Yet to the end of their lives — periods ranging from 12 to 50 years after their excommunications — not one of these witnesses deviated from his published testimony or said anything that cast any shadow on its truthfulness.
“Furthermore, their testimony stands uncontradicted by any other witnesses. Reject it one may, but how does one explain three men of good character uniting and persisting in this published testimony to the end of their lives in the face of great ridicule and other personal disadvantage? Like the Book of Mormon itself, there is no better explanation than is given in the testimony itself, the solemn statement of good and honest men who told what they saw.”
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1999 general conference, “The Witness: Martin Harris”
“My focus, in a few headlines, will be on the remarkable man whom the Lord repeatedly and affectionately called ‘my servant Joseph’ (Doctrine and Covenants 5:7). What followed Joseph Smith’s prayer in the spring of 1820 irrevocably illuminated our view of God, ourselves, others, life, even the universe. A young boy in a small grove of trees began receiving answers to mankind’s oldest and largest questions. But young Joseph certainly did not go into the Sacred Grove seeking the restoration of the holy priesthood and the holy endowment, the sealing power and all the keys thereof. He did not even know of their existence. He merely wanted to know which of several churches to join. His prayer was for personal and tactical guidance. The response, however, was of global and eternal significance.”
— The late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1992 general conference, “‘My Servant Joseph’”
