D&C 84: The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood Explained
I was cleaning out the shop last week and found a chisel I had not used in years. It was a good chisel. I remembered the day I bought it. But it had been sitting in a drawer, wrapped in an oily rag, doing nothing. A tool that is not used is just a piece of metal with a handle. It does not become a tool until it touches wood.
I thought about that chisel when I read D&C 84. The Lord is talking about the priesthood, and he is saying something similar. The priesthood is not a status. It is a tool. And a tool has to be used to do what it was made for.
What Is the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood in D&C 84
The heart of this section is the oath and covenant, a two-way promise. On one side, the man who receives the priesthood agrees to be faithful and to magnify his calling. On the other side, God swears an oath that he will give that man all that the Father has.
That is a staggering promise. All that the Father has. I do not think I understand what that means. But I know what it means to make a promise and keep it. When I take on a commission for a piece of furniture, I tell the client what I will deliver and then I deliver it. That is the shape of a covenant. Someone promises something and someone else promises something back. Both sides keep their word.
And I will give him a crown of righteousness. And this is the oath and covenant of the priesthood: therefore, all those who receive the priesthood receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved. (Doctrine and Covenants 84:39-40)
The part that gets me is "which he cannot break." God binds himself. He does not have to, but he chooses to. That is the kind of commitment that changes how you live.
Difference Between Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthood in D&C 84
The section describes two orders of priesthood. The Aaronic holds the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel. It is about repentance and baptism, getting ready for something bigger. The Melchizedek holds the key of the knowledge of God. It is about the deeper ordinances and, eventually, seeing the face of God.
I think of it like the difference between a hand plane and a jointer. The hand plane gets the rough board ready. It takes off the high spots and makes the surface flat enough to work with. The jointer does the precise work. It creates the edge that will become the final joint. Both are necessary. You cannot skip the hand plane and go straight to the jointer. The wood will not be ready.
Verse 20 says something I keep coming back to: "in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest." The priesthood is not about titles or positions. It is about power, real power, the kind that changes people. The ordinances are the channel through which that power flows. Without them, the power stays on the shelf, like that chisel in the drawer.
What Does It Mean to Magnify Your Calling
Magnifying a calling does not mean making it bigger. It means making its effect more visible. A magnifying glass does not make the object larger. It makes the details clearer. That is what we are supposed to do with our callings. Not inflate them. Clarify them.
I have been a Sunday School teacher, a ward clerk, and a few other things over the years. The times I did it well were the times I stopped worrying about the title and started worrying about the people. That is magnifying. It means showing up early and preparing, caring about the one person in the room who is having a hard week.
The Lord says in verse 33 that those who receive the priesthood and magnify their calling are sanctified by the Spirit. That is the promise, not recognition or a bigger calling next time. Sanctification. Being made clean and whole.
Meaning of the Light of Christ in Doctrine and Covenants 84
Verses 45 through 47 describe something I find beautiful. The Lord says the Spirit gives light to every person who comes into the world. Every person, not just the baptized or the faithful. Every human being who has ever lived has received some measure of the Light of Christ.
For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world. (Doctrine and Covenants 84:45-46)
I think about this when I meet people who are not members of the church. They have light and they have truth. The Spirit is already working in them. My job is not to bring light where there is none but to help them recognize the light they already have, the same way the Lord instructed the Saints to remember the new covenant and not treat lightly what they had received.
There is a lamp in my shop that hangs over the workbench. It is not a bright lamp. But when I turn it on, I can see what I am doing. I can see the grain. I can see where the cut needs to be. The Light of Christ is like that lamp. It does not remove all the darkness. But it shows you where you are and where you need to go next.
How Do Ordinances Manifest the Power of Godliness
This is the practical question. How does a blessing or a baptism actually change anything? Verse 20 says the power of godliness is manifest in the ordinances. That means the ordinances are not symbolic. They are functional. Something happens when a priesthood holder raises his hand to give a blessing. Power moves.
I have been on both sides of that. I have given blessings to my children when they were sick and I have received blessings when I was the one who needed help. Something happens. I cannot explain it, but I have felt it. The room changes and the air changes. That is the power of godliness, the same power Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 1 when he writes about the God of all comfort.
The warning in verse 41 is serious. If someone receives the covenant and then turns away from it completely, they risk losing the forgiveness of sins. That is not a small thing. It means the priesthood is not something you can treat lightly. It is a sacred trust. Like a tool that can build or destroy depending on how you use it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the oath and covenant of the priesthood in D&C 84?
It is a two-way promise between God and the priesthood holder. The holder promises to be faithful and magnify his calling. God swears an oath to give him all that the Father has. God binds himself to this promise and cannot break it.
How does the Light of Christ differ from the Holy Ghost?
The Light of Christ is given to every person born into the world. It provides a basic sense of right and wrong and a connection to truth. The Holy Ghost is a specific gift given after baptism and confirmation. It sanctifies and reveals direct guidance.
What does it mean to magnify a priesthood calling?
It means to enlarge the influence of the calling through faithful service. The goal is not a bigger title but making sure the power of godliness is actually felt by the people you serve. A magnifying glass does not make things bigger. It makes them clearer.
What is the difference between the Melchizedek and Aaronic priesthoods?
The Aaronic priesthood is preparatory. It holds the key of the ministering of angels and focuses on repentance and baptism. The Melchizedek priesthood is the greater order. It holds the key of the knowledge of God and administers the deeper ordinances of the gospel.
I put the chisel back in the drawer after I found it. But I did not wrap it up again. I left it on the bench where I would see it the next morning. A tool belongs in the light, not in the dark. The priesthood is the same way. It belongs in the light, in the work, in the hands of someone who will use it.
-- D.