The 1981 Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants states that “...this book (is) of great value to the human family and of more worth than the riches of the whole earth.”  (The 2013 edition changes that to read “...of great value to the human family and ‘worth to the Church the riches of the whole Earth,’” thus making the statement harmonize with what is stated in the heading to D&C 70).

That statement is attention-getting and astounding—but it is not outlandish.  I believe it is verily so.  It is a book of scripture, taking its place beside the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Pearl of Great Price.  It is unique among the Standard Works “because it is not a translation of an ancient document.”  It “is of modern origin and was given of God through his chosen prophets.”  In it “one hears the tender but firm voice of the Lord Jesus Christ speaking anew in the dispensation of the fulness of times.”  (Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell observed that “if asked which book of scripture provides the most frequent chance to ‘listen’ to the Lord talking, most individuals would at first think of the New Testament.  The New Testament is a marvelous collection of the deeds and many of the doctrines of the Messiah.  But in the Doctrine and Covenants we receive the voice as well as the word of the Lord.  We can almost ‘hear’ him talking.”  (Ensign, Dec. 1978, 4).

The Standard Works are a series of testaments.  We have the Old Testament; the New Testament; the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ; and what Wilford Woodruff called Our Testament, the Doctrine and Covenants.

President Ezra Taft Benson said that “The Book of Mormon is the ‘keystone’ of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone.”  (Ensign, Jan. 2005, 26).  A capstone is the apex, the acme, or the crowning point.

The Doctrine and Covenants is truly a superlative book.  Its language is sublime.  To say that Joseph Smith wrote it is ludicrous.  I reverence Joseph Smith.  I admire him.  I am grateful for what he accomplished.  I stand in awe of him, his intellect, and his works; but despite all that he was, all that he did, and all that he became capable of, he could not have written this sublime book.  Anyone who reads it closely must agree that it could only have been dictated by the Lord.

The scope and principles it puts forth are breath-taking.  Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote, “Every doctrine taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is found, either outlined or shadowed forth, in the book of Doctrine and Covenants.  As far as I know, there is no doctrine taught by the Church which is not found in some way or form in this book...No other one of our sacred books can lay the same claim to a full survey of all the doctrines of the Church.”  (Quoted in Ensign, Jan. 2009, 52).

The doctrines that are unique to, or which are spelled out in, the Doctrine and Covenants include eternal marriage, the eternity of the family unit, priesthood offices and functions, administration of the Church, ordinances and covenants, the law of health, the law of consecration, baptism for the dead, the spirit world, the three degrees of glory, the destiny of the earth, the potential for man to become as God, the purpose of temples, the purpose of mortality, and the nature of the Godhead.

Many or most of those doctrines are only hinted at in the other Standard Works, but in the Doctrine and Covenants they are laid out plainly to the understanding of any seeker of truth.  These doctrines constitute the “great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures” promised to the obedient in section 89 of that book.  These are treasures of knowledge that are open and available to everyone in the world, but they’re only to be understood by those who commit themselves to lives of discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ.

President Wilford Woodruff made a superlative statement about one section in this superlative book.  He said, “I consider that the Doctrine and Covenants (contains) the most Godlike proclamations ever made to the human family...The ‘Vision’ (section 76)...(is) a revelation which gives more light, more truth and more principle than any revelation contained in any other book...It makes plain to our understanding our present condition, where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going to.”  (Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  Wilford Woodruff [2004], 120-21).

Truly the book of Doctrine and Covenants is “Our Testament.”  In it we plainly hear the Lord’s voice inviting us to come unto Him, and to partake of the incomparable blessings He has reserved for the faithful.