Mormons believe that the words of God are spoken and written down by prophets. The Apostle Peter said that “prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). Modern revelation echoes this:
And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, 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 (D&C 68:4).
What this means to Mormon is that the scriptures never end – God continues to speak to man and will continue to speak to man. Because prophets continue to speak today, scripture also continues. Thus, Mormon scripture is always added to. However, there are four books of scripture which are considered core books – with the mild exception of the Doctrine and Covenants (which is very rarely added to), they remain the same. These four books are called the standard works. They are, specifically, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
The Bible
Mormons use the King James Version of the Bible because Church founder Joseph Smith revised that version of the Bible by revelation. He corrected finer points of doctrine that were altered or omitted over years of translation and retranslation. These corrections (called the Joseph Smith Translation) are placed in the footnotes or, for longer corrections, the appendix of the Mormon edition of the Bible. The Mormon edition also carries extensive cross-references, an extensive index, maps, and a dictionary of biblical terms.
The Book of Mormon
This Mormon book is an ancient record of God’s dealings with a people somewhere on the American continent. Their civilization lasted a thousand years, from 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. The civilization was a Christian one, but one that suffered from pride, war, and false doctrines, and was eventually destroyed. Because it deals with a Christian people who were taught by prophets, and were visited by the resurrected Christ, the Book of Mormon is called another testament of Christ.
The Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants contains modern revelations, but does not contain every revelation that Mormon prophets have ever received. Most of the book consists of revelations given to Joseph Smith, the founder of the church. Many of these revelations deal with church organization and founding, unique doctrines – such as temples and the priesthood. Other prophets have added to the Doctrine and Covenants, usually when the revelation is very important to the organization of the church. The last addition was in 1978.
The Pearl of Great Price
The Pearl of Great Price is a small book of scripture in five parts. Of the five parts, three are translations by Joseph Smith, one is his history, and the last summarizes the core beliefs of the Mormon Church. The first, the Book of Moses, is an expansion on the book of Genesis. The second, the Book of Abraham, is partly Abraham’s account of the Creation – and what happened before – as well as an account of his own life. Joseph Smith-Matthew expands on Matthew 23: 39 and Matthew 24. Joseph Smith-History is an account written in 1838 by Joseph himself, of the creation and rise of the Mormon Church, beginning with Joseph’s first vision in 1820. The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements Joseph Smith composed to sum up what Mormons believe.
In addition to these Standard Works, Mormons also believe that the words of living prophets are scripture. These prophets continually reveal God’s will and help us in navigate the problems of modern life. Their words are published in books and magazines, like the Ensign and the Liahona, two of the official magazines of the Church
