June 2, 2025, 4pm MDT
In a competitive world of voices, it can be more difficult than ever to identify the voice of the Lord. But Rosalynde Welch, associate director of BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute, says one Bible book is geared to help: Doctrine and Covenants.
In a recent episode of the Church News Podcast, Welch explained as evidence the doctrine and covenant as evidence, as evidence that Christ knows his people and continues to speak today.
“He wants to know and be known to us. He wants to meet and see each of us. He wants to be with us in the middle of our community,” she said. “I think I now know Jesus of Nazareth as Emmanuel. Jesus of history, once part of the ancient world, is now a living being in my life and in the life I share with my saints and communities.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptsoiwtafpg
Spiritual Translation: Make Revelation Personal
Welch explained that doctrine and covenants provide a window into the revelation process. “The Lord speaks to his prophets… according to their weaknesses and their language,” she said.
Studying the Bible is a form of spiritual translation. When the Lord speaks to Emma Hale Smith or Martin Harris, he speaks to all his children. “As we move from the situation of a revelation to its application in our own lives, we need a little translation,” Welch said.
This process opens the door to a personal encounter with Christ. “The love that radiates to you from the Savior through the Prophet’s intermediary has not diminished,” she said.
Themes for finding Jesus Christ
Welch recently helped publish “Themes of Doctrine and Contract.” She shared that a thematic approach can deepen personal applications.
She explains her goals in tracking themes through doctrine, and the covenant is the same as in other Bibles: to change your mind and convert. She added, “To give us experiences that allow us to feel the spirit, to know the Savior better and to be able to change through that encounter.”
Welch mentioned President Russell M. Nelson’s teachings about “Hessde” and the Hebrew word for God’s covenant love as an example of how thematic research can illuminate the character of Christ.
Lens for thinking about Celestial
One new theme is the role of ordinances that demonstrate God’s power. Reflecting Doctrine and Covenant 84:20–21, she explained the meaning that “the power of God” has become a “manifesto.”
She explained that the manifesto means making something visible. “Ordinances are one way in which the Lord makes himself visible and presents to us.”
Welch called the temple “lens,” focusing on the perspective and adjusting the disciples to God’s priorities. “Our contracts give shape to our efforts and our vision of where we are heading,” she says, and they “enable us to ‘think Celestials.’ ” he added.
Hope for repentance
From keen responsibilities to gentle encouragement for Martin Harris and Hiram Smith, the early sections reveal how the Lord works personally with his children.
Welch explained that repentance is very hopeful. “We can change. With the help of the Lord, we can become better than us.”
Step into God’s gift
The Lord’s revelation to Emma Smith in Section 25 serves as a model. Emma was called to comfort, encourage and lead. The Lord saw her as “capable, strong, powerful.”
“He calls her and step into those forces,” Welch said. “He looked at her like she couldn’t even see herself.”
Welch pointed out that the Lord is doing the same for all his children. “The Lord sees us in ways that we cannot even see ourselves, and he offers us opportunities.
When time becomes a temple
“The Lord’s Sabbath is simple and one of joys,” Welch said. “It’s a fundamental prejudice that reaches only the basics of our relationship with God.”
She quoted the Jewish philosopher Abraham Heschel. “If we observe it in full every week, it would make up a seventh of our lives,” she added.
Climbing Whitney, the highest peak in the US, used the x to climb snowy chutes (sequentially rising). She compared the image to the Law of the Lord and described it as a “ladder” leading to God in King Follett’s discourse.
“General Conference is an opportunity to receive more of the Lord’s Law. He intends to reveal to us a new section of the ladder,” she said. “What happens is that our characters change, our nature changes, we become like Saviors.”
God is “with us” – yet
Welch returned to her testimony that she was reading the Bible.
“He is in solidarity with our joy and our suffering,” she said. “He is protecting us, if we receive him, he will remain among us.”
