Scriptures

The main purpose of scriptures is to testify of Jesus Christ. We can come to know God and Jesus Christ better as we study the scriptures. The scriptures will also help us know what to do so that we can return to be with Them and receive eternal life.

We learn from modern revelation that when God’s prophets and apostles write or speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, their words “shall be scripture” and “shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.”

The official, canonized scriptures of the Church, often called the standard works, are the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

We Are Blessed as We Study the Scriptures Every Day

Latter-day prophets counsel us to study the scriptures daily. They encourage individual and family scripture study. They also encourage us, as Nephi encouraged his brothers, to liken the scriptures to ourselves. In other words, they ask us to find ways that these sacred accounts and teachings apply in our lives today. They invite us to “search the scriptures” and “feast upon the words of Christ.”

Daily, meaningful scripture study helps us be open to be guided by the Holy Ghost. It builds faith and strengthens us against temptation.

We Are Invited to Study All of the Standard Works

In the Church we are invited to study all of the standard works to help us learn about and become more like God and Jesus Christ. The scriptures help us know what to do as we face different challenges.

The Holy Bible

The Bible is the word of God. It is a witness for God the Father and Jesus Christ. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revere the Bible and are encouraged to read it and follow its teachings. We can receive strength, comfort, and guidance as we study and learn from it.

The Church uses many translations of the Bible in various languages. In some languages, the Church publishes its own edition of the Bible, which includes footnotes, subject indexes, and other study aids.

Generally, members use a Church-preferred or Church-published edition of the Bible in Church classes and meetings. This helps maintain clarity in discussions and consistent understanding of doctrine. Other Bible translations may also be used.

Some individuals may benefit from translations that are both doctrinally clear and also easier to understand. Examples of such translations can be found in the Church’s Holy Bible list.

The Bible can be difficult to understand. It would be appropriate to use a simpler Bible translation for youth and children or any who would benefit.

At times there can be doctrinal differences between translations. Reviewing modern-day scriptures such as the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price and the teachings of latter-day prophets can help to resolve differences.

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

The Book of Mormon is a record of God’s interactions with people who lived in the ancient Americas. Prophets of the Lord engraved the original record on gold plates. The Lord declared that the Book of Mormon contains “the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The primary purpose of the Book of Mormon is to convince all people “that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” It teaches that all people “must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.”

On September 22, 1827, an angel named Moroni—who had been the last Book of Mormon prophet and who appeared on that September day as a resurrected being—delivered this record to Joseph Smith. By the gift and power of God, Joseph translated it into English. Since then, the Book of Mormon has been translated into many other languages.

Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon is “the keystone of our religion, and a man [will] get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” It is another witness for the truths taught in the Bible. It also restores “plain and precious” truths that have been lost from the Bible through errors in translation or “taken away” in attempts to “pervert the right ways of the Lord.” The Book of Mormon teaches that the Bible and the Book of Mormon were intended to “grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace.”

Near the end of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni teaches us how we can know the book is true: “When ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” We can learn of the truthfulness of the other books of scripture in the same way.

Learn more about the translation of the Book of Mormon.

The Doctrine and Covenants

The Doctrine and Covenants contains revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It also includes a few revelations given to other latter-day prophets following Joseph Smith. This book of scripture is unique because it is not a translation of ancient documents. It is a collection of revelations given by the Lord to His chosen prophets in the latter days.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that the Doctrine and Covenants is “the foundation of the Church in these last days, and a benefit to the world, showing that the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom of our Savior are again entrusted to man.”

The Pearl of Great Price

The Pearl of Great Price contains the book of Moses, the book of Abraham, the Prophet Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of Matthew chapter 24, and some writings of the Prophet Joseph.

The book of Moses is a small excerpt from Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of the Bible. It is a more complete record of Moses’s writings at the beginning of the book of Genesis. It restores doctrine and teachings that were lost from the Bible and gives additional information about the plan of salvation, the Creation of the earth, and the Lord’s interactions with Adam and Eve and with Enoch.

The book of Abraham contains writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt. His writings were given by revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith. This book contains truths about the premortal Council in Heaven, the Creation of the earth, the nature of God, and the priesthood. You can learn more about the translation and historical context of the book of Abraham by reading the Gospel Topics essay and the Church and Gospel Questions entry on this topic.

Joseph Smith—Matthew is an excerpt from Joseph Smith’s inspired revision of the Bible and adds to our knowledge of the Savior’s teachings about His Second Coming.

In addition, the writings of Joseph Smith in the Pearl of Great Price include:

Joseph Smith—History, which is an excerpt from the Prophet’s history of the Church. It is an account of the events leading to the Restoration, including the First Vision, the visits of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph, the account of Joseph getting the gold plates, and the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood.
The Articles of Faith, which the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote as basic statements of Church belief and doctrine.