Topics / Covenants and Ordinances
Authority received, and constrained
Priesthood
The power to act in God's name, conferred by ordination from someone who holds it, organised in two orders, directed by keys, and conditional on how it is used. The constraints are as much a part of the doctrine as the authority.
22 min2 sections
The structure
| Aaronic | Melchizedek | |
|---|---|---|
| Proper name | The Priesthood of Aaron, including the Levitical | The Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God |
| Administers | Outward ordinances and the letter of the gospel | Spiritual things; the right of presidency |
| Key ordinances | Baptism; the sacrament | The gift of the Holy Ghost; temple ordinances; sealing |
| Offices | Deacon, teacher, priest, bishop | Elder, high priest, patriarch, seventy, apostle |
| Restored | 15 May 1829, by John the Baptist | May or June 1829, by Peter, James and John |
Priesthood is authority; keys are the right to direct where and how it is used. A person can hold the Melchizedek Priesthood in full and hold no keys at all, which describes most who hold it — and the distinction is what keeps revelation and ordinance work in order rather than in competition.
The constraints
36That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
41No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;
42By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—
Every item in the list is a restriction on the person holding the authority, not on the person under it. And verse 39 states the diagnosis without qualification: it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, to begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
Principle
Priesthood authority is delegated, directed by keys, and conditional on righteousness — and unrighteous dominion ends it.
What this topic holds
Authority is received by ordination from one who holds it, never assumed.
The purpose of priesthood is access — the power of godliness is manifest in its ordinances.
Check your reading
3 questions01What is the actual name of the Melchizedek Priesthood?
02What is the difference between priesthood and keys?
03What does D&C 121:39 say about almost all men given a little authority?
Where to go next
Sources
- Gospel Topics, "Priesthood"
- Gospel Topics Essay, "Joseph Smith's Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women"
- D&C 13; D&C 107; D&C 121 — The primary texts.