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Restoration of the Priesthood

“Restoration of the Priesthood,” Topics and Questions (2023)

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blessing the sacrament

Gospel Study Guide

Restoration of the Priesthood

God has given the authority to act in His name

Imagine how your life would be different if God had not restored priesthood authority to make covenants, ordinances, and many other divine gifts available to you and your loved ones. An important part of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the message that because God loves His children, He has bestowed priesthood power and authority upon His servants in the Church. The priesthood includes the authority to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and carry out God’s work of salvation and exaltation. Millions today are blessed by the sacred covenants, ordinances, and other blessings given through the authority and power of God’s priesthood.

The priesthood of God has blessed His children throughout the history of the world. Following the death of Christ’s Apostles in New Testament times, the authority to act in God’s name was lost. Much later, in the 1800s, heavenly messengers came and conferred priesthood authority and priesthood keys upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. This restoration of God’s power was a significant part of the overall Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church. The authority and keys of the priesthood remain in the Church today.

What Is the Restoration of the Priesthood?

The priesthood is the power and authority to act in God’s name. This divine authority allows God’s children to receive ordinances and covenants that are essential for salvation and exaltation. That priesthood was lost after the deaths of the Lord’s Apostles in New Testament times. In the early 1800s, heavenly messengers restored the priesthood to the earth by conferring it upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

Topic overview: Restoration of the Priesthood

Related gospel study guides: Restoration of the Gospel, Joseph Smith, Aaronic Priesthood, Melchizedek Priesthood, Priesthood Keys, Priesthood Blessings, Covenants and Ordinances

Section 1

God Shares His Priesthood Power to Bless His Children

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people walking to temple

God has given priesthood power to His servants since the beginning (see Moses 6:7). The ancient patriarchs Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and countless others held the priesthood for the purpose of blessing God’s children. Through the priesthood, God authorized His people to share the gospel message and perform sacred ordinances as part of their worship. Whenever God has called prophets, He has directed them through divine revelation and given them the power and authority of the priesthood.

Today, every member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the privilege of receiving blessings associated with the priesthood of God. Through the priesthood, we can receive baptism, confirmation and the gift of the Holy Ghost, the temple ordinances, and much more. Through priesthood ordinances, “the power of godliness is manifest” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:20), preparing us to become more like our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Things to think about

  • Making and keeping covenants associated with priesthood ordinances creates an important spiritual connection between you and God. Elder Dale G. Renlund taught: “Keeping covenants made in baptismal fonts and in temples … provides us with strength to withstand mortality’s trials and heartaches. The doctrine associated with these covenants eases our way and provides hope, comfort, and peace.”1 What will you do to make and keep the covenants available to you through the priesthood? How can you support others and help them make covenants with God?

Activity for learning with others

  • Invite your group members to read the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson:

    “Because the Melchizedek Priesthood has been restored, both covenant-keeping women and men have access to ‘all the spiritual blessings of the church’ [Doctrine and Covenants 107:18] or, we might say, to all the spiritual treasures the Lord has for His children.

    “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God. Those who are endowed in the house of the Lord receive a gift of God’s priesthood power by virtue of their covenant, along with a gift of knowledge to know how to draw upon that power.”2

    What are some of the “spiritual treasures” or blessings you have received by receiving ordinances and making and keeping covenants?

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Section 2

The Resurrected John the Baptist Restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery

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John the Baptist giving the Aaronic priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery

The Lord has prepared an orderly way of distributing the authority of His priesthood. Men cannot take this authority upon themselves (see Hebrews 5:4). Only those who hold the priesthood can ordain others, and they can do so only when authorized by those who hold the keys for that ordination (see Articles of Faith 1:5).

While translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery came across passages about baptism. Joseph and Oliver had questions about it (see Joseph Smith—History 1:68) and decided to ask the Lord. They went into the woods to pray, and in answer to their prayer, John the Baptist appeared to them and gave them priesthood authority by the laying on of hands (see Doctrine and Covenants 13). He instructed them to baptize each other and ordain each other to the priesthood (see Joseph Smith—History 1:68–72).

Things to think about

  • Young Joseph Smith had questions about the religious teachings of his day. To seek guidance, he turned to God in prayer and was visited by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Read Joseph Smith—History 1:17–20. How does this passage help you better understand why the restoration of the priesthood was needed?

Activity for learning with others

  • With the members of your group, watch the video “Restoration of the Priesthood” (2:00), listening for the blessings that come into our lives because of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood. How can we claim the blessings of the Aaronic Priesthood more fully in our lives?

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Section 3

The Melchizedek Priesthood Was Restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by the Heavenly Messengers Peter, James, and John

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Peter, James, and John giving the Melchizedek priesthood to Joseph Smith

Within a month of the visit from John the Baptist, more heavenly messengers came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. This time, the New Testament Apostles Peter, James, and John conferred on Joseph and Oliver the Melchizedek Priesthood and the keys of God’s kingdom (see Doctrine and Covenants 27:12–13; 128:20). While the Aaronic Priesthood gave Joseph and Oliver authority to baptize, the Melchizedek Priesthood gave them authority to preside over the Church and officiate all ordinances needed to receive salvation and exaltation.

Later, Joseph Smith and other Church leaders were given additional priesthood keys, or the authority to oversee and direct certain parts of the Church and its mission. In the Kirtland Temple, other heavenly messengers—Moses, Elias, and Elijah—committed the keys of the gathering of Israel, the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham (which includes the restoration of the Abrahamic covenant), and the keys of the sealing power (see Doctrine and Covenants 110:11–16).

Things to think about

  • Every holder of the priesthood can trace his authority back to the sacred event of the restoration of the priesthood. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained: “We in the restored Church of Jesus Christ can trace the priesthood line of authority exercised by the newest deacon in the ward, the bishop who presides over him, and the prophet who presides over all of us. That line goes back in an unbroken chain to angelic ministers who came from the Son of God Himself, bearing this incomparable gift from heaven.”3 A man’s priesthood line of authority can be requested from Church headquarters.

Activity for learning with others

  • How have you felt your life change after receiving a priesthood ordinance? As you and the rest of the group consider this question, read this statement from Joseph Smith—History 1:74: “Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of.”

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Other Resources about the Restoration of the Priesthood