Scripture as the Mode of Becoming Vitally Alive through the God-Breathed Implanted Word (Logos) to Salvation (Deliverance) and Empowerment (Exaltation)

 Here is what former Bishop John Spong says in his book, This Hebrew Lord (pages 18-21, words in bold for emphasis and words in brackets are my own):

Our English words soul or spirit are our attempts to translate the Greek word psyche into English. In Greek psyche means the mind or the spirit; that is, the nonphysical aspect of our being. It is the word from which we get psychology, psychopathic, psychiatrist, etc. However, Christianity was not born in a Greek world, but in a Hebrew world. The Greek language was a resting place between the Hebrew original and our contemporary languages.

Behind the Greek word for psyche, we find two Hebrew words, nephesh and ruach; and by no stretch of the imagination did these Hebrew words mean the nonphysical aspect of our being. Indeed, had we translated nephesh and ruach directly into English, it is quite obvious that our words soul or spirit would be very inadequate vehicles to carry their meanings. Only the intermediate way station of the Greek language has in it the traditional connotations we read into our words.

Nephesh literally means "breath"-- more particularly, the "breath of God." Ruach literally means "wind"-- the "wind of God." The primary purpose of breath and wind was to animate, to make vital, to bring alive the whole person, body and mind. In a Hebrew context, a biblical context, to be spiritual was to be animated, vital, alive physically, all of which is quite different from its traditional religious meaning.[1]

In the Yahwist[2] writer’s story of creation (Gen. 2:4ff), which is approximately four hundred years earlier than the more familiar seven-day account of the priestly[3] writer (Gen. 1 :1-2:4), we find a rather anthropomorphic God who created man by molding him out of the dust of the earth, much as we might make a mud pie. But man was dead, inert, until God breathed his nephesh into him, and man -- Adam -- came alive. To be indwelt by the spirit, the breath of God, was not to be pious but to be alive, to be vital. The sign of the presence of the spirit was the presence of life. The function of spirit [the vitalizing breath of God] was to bring life. How different! How fresh! Again and again in the biblical story we find this insight confirmed. When Elijah’s spirit rested on Elisha, the result was the coming to full power, to live and be for Elisha.

In 597 B.C., Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, and the Hebrew people were carried off into exile. Among those who joined the long march to captivity was a priest named Ezekiel, whose prophetic career was pivotal in the history of Judah. Ezekiel had a vivid imagination. He constantly had dreams and visions of very exaggerated proportions and always in color. He knew that his nation was prostrate, his holy city occupied, his temple defiled, his people in captivity. Judah’s future seemed bleak; she was a dead nation. So Ezekiel had a dream. In this dream he saw a valley, and in that valley there was nothing but dead, dry bones -- a symbol of Judah. The voice of the Lord said, "Ezekiel, can these bones live again?" and Ezekiel answered, "Lord, only you know that."

Then the Lord caused his ruach -- his life-giving wind, his spirit --to blow over that valley, and there was a shaking, rattling, and rolling of bones the likes of which no vision has since produced. And that which had been dead was brought to life by the wind, the ruach, the spirit of God blowing over it. When the people of Judah responded to the spirit of God, the result was not that they became pious or religious, but that they became alive. Wherever you meet spirit [divine breath] biblically, it is announced by the presence of life.

In the Book of Acts, Luke portrays the disciples as waiting in the upper room for the empowerment they had been promised. Despite the resurrection, they were still fearful, still in hiding, not yet in possession of their life. Then, says Luke, there came a mighty rushing wind -- God’s ruach -- with tongues of fire, and they were filled with the spirit [divine breath]! They became self-possessed men, free of fear, alive to God and to each other. With the power and energy of whole people, they took on the world and turned it upside down for their Lord. The Holy Spirit [Sacred Breath] came at Pentecost and gave them life -- life that was to become the light of the world. That is the function of spirit, biblically: to give life.

We still have echoes of the biblical meaning of the word spirit in our language, but somehow we never seem to hear them when we are thinking theologically. We refer to a "spirited horse," alive and vital, as opposed to a "dispirited nag," swayback and inert. We hear of a "spirited address" or a "spirited debate," which means lively and animated, not tedious and boring. We refer to good Scotch whiskey as a "spirited beverage," by which we mean that it has punch and power that we fail to respect at our own risk. Our young people, under the influence of the music of black America, have begun to talk of "soul music"; that is, music into which the whole of life is thrown -- mind, body, and spirit; music that has the beat of a heart throbbing with life and emotion. Appropriately, the word soul was chosen to describe it.

Biblically then the function of the spirit [divine breath] is to make vital, to call into being, to free, to make whole, to establish community based on life. To be spiritual means to be alive. To be filled with the spirit means to be free to live. It does not mean to be turned toward the nonphysical, to be pious, to cultivate the virtues of the soul. Yet this has become its religious meaning. I yearn to be a spiritual man in the biblical sense. I am not at all eager to be a spiritual man in a religious sense.

James 1:21 (Expanded Bible):

… ·accept [welcome] God’s ·teaching [word] that is planted in your hearts, which can save ·you [L your souls; C referring to the whole person].

In chapter 3 of Salvation of the Soul by Arlen Chitwood, in section "2 In the Spiritual Realm," we read:

The Neshamah[:]

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath [the Neshamah] of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

 The roots of all biblical doctrine have been established in the book of Genesis.  This is the book of beginnings; and all Scripture beyond this point must, after some fashion, reach back and draw from this book.

In the account of the creation of man, insight is given into certain truths concerning “life” derived from God.  …. Creation itself did not produce life in this form.  Rather, God imparted life to man following his creation.  This life was produced by means of the breath of God, and it is here that “life” in relation to man is first mentioned in Scripture.

The Hebrew word translated “breath” in Genesis 2:7 is Neshamah.  The Neshamah of God produced “life.”  The word “God” in this verse is a translation of the plural noun, Elohim ….

… A first-mention principle has been established in Genesis 2:7, and life that man derives from God must always be in complete keeping with that set forth in this verse.  God alone initially “imparts” and subsequently “continues” and “sustains” life; and this entire sequence, having to do with God’s revealed work as it pertains to life, is always accomplished, in its entirety, through the Neshamah[/Breath] of God.

1. Impartation of Life ….

[The Holy Breath/The Spirit] breathes life into the one having no life, and through this work of the Spirit [Breath of God] man passes “from death to life” (John 5:24).

… The word “Spirit” in the Greek text is pneuma, a word that also means “breath.”  It is used in the latter sense in the New Testament to show life being produced through a “breathing in,” or death being wrought through a “breathing out.”  In Luke 8:55, life was restored to a young girl by her “spirit [breath]” returning; and in Luke 23:46, Christ terminated His life on the Cross by giving “up the spirit [lit. from the wording of the Greek text, He ‘breathed out’].”)

Thus, the Holy Spirit [Set-apart Breath] is the One who generates life in lifeless man ... in this manner is a “breathing in.”  God, through the instrumentality of the Holy [Breath] “breathes life into” ... man …. Or, in James 2:26, the same principle is seen relative to the physical body, as previously seen in Genesis 2:7:  “. . . the body without the spirit [‘breath’] is dead.”

… The Spirit [Breath] of God moved in the first chapter of Genesis, effecting a beginning of the earth’s restoration.  And the first thing recorded immediately following the Spirit’s [Breath’s] movement was the placement of light alongside the previously existing darkness, with a division established between the light and the darkness.

The [Breath] of God, in like manner, moves today, effecting a beginning of man’s restoration… And the first thing that God does for man is to place light alongside the previously existing darkness — place a new nature alongside the old nature, a new man alongside the old man — with a division established between the two (cf. Hebrews 4:12).

…. Complete restoration is not accomplished through the birth from above.  Rather, the person, through the birth from above, is brought into a state where a continued work can be accomplished.  And, over time, this continued work will complete man’s restoration.

Note the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:6; 5:17 in this respect:

 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ . . . Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [‘new creation’] . . . .”

2. Impartation of Life...

…. Life is generated through “breathing in” (initial work of the Spirit [Holy Breath]), retained through “the breath remaining” (a subsequent work of the Spirit [The Holy Breath]), and sustained through a “continued breathing in.”  Sustenance for life, “a continued breathing in,” is what is involved in 2 Timothy 3:16 [which reads from the EXB: “All Scripture is ·inspired by God [breathed out by God; L God-breathed] and is useful for teaching, for ·showing people what is wrong in their lives [refuting error; rebuking], for correcting faults, and for ·teaching how to live right [training in righteousness].” This verse, studied in the light of Genesis 2:7, is the key … The word “God-breathed” in 2 Timothy 3:16 is a translation of the compound Greek word theopneustos, which is simply the word for “God” (theos) and the word for “breath,” or “Spirit” (pneuma) added.  Thus, the translation “God-breathed” is not only a very literal translation, but, in the light of Genesis 2:7, it can only be the best of all possible translations.

The “Word of God,” through comparing Genesis 2:7 and 2 Timothy 3:16, is identified with the Neshamah of God — the breath of God.  The Word of God was given through the instrumentality of the Holy [Breath] (2 Peter 1:21), and is the element — the living organism — that the indwelling Holy [Breath] uses to sustain the life … 

Thus, in a full Scriptural respect, the Neshamah of God can only refer to both the Spirit and the Word [i.e. the Logos revealed in Scripture].  “Life” emanates from both (2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 4:12; James 2:26), and they are inseparably linked through one common denominator — Breath.

... the Holy [Breath], who gave the Word,... The Word of God alone is able to make one “wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15[:Expanded Bible: “... you have known the ·Holy Scriptures [or sacred writings] which are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus”].  That is to say, the Word of God [Scripture] alone can be used by the Holy [Breath] to bring about the Christian’s walk by faith (cf. Romans 10:17)....

Source: http://bibleone.net/theimplantedword.htm. Retrieved 2/21/18

How the "Standard Works" (Mormon Canon) itself Teaches The Authority of Scripture over Fallible Leaders

"It makes no difference what is written or what anyone has said, if what has been said is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, we can set it aside. My words, and the teachings of any other member of the Church, high or low, if they do not square with the revelations, we need not accept them. Let us have this matter clear. We have accepted the four standard works as the measuring yardsticks, or balances, by which we measure every man’s doctrine. “You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards in doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works. “Every man who writes is responsible, not the Church, for what he writes. If Joseph Fielding Smith writes something which is out of harmony with the revelations, then every member of the Church is duty bound to reject it. If he writes that which is in perfect harmony with the revealed word of the Lord, then it should be accepted”

 ~ Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 3:203-4.

 

 Joseph [Smith] instructed the sisters [of the Relief Society] that they were to “provoke the brethren to good works in looking to the wants of the poor . . . to assist by correcting the morals and strengthening the virtues of the community, and save the Elders the trouble of rebuking.” [28] Later, on April 28, 1842, he amended this by instructing as to how they were to provoke the brethren: “You must put down iniquity and by your good example provoke the Elders to good works.” [29] He also said, “Let the weight of innocence be felt which is more mighty than a millstone hung about the neck. Not war, not jangle, not contradiction, but meekness, love purity, these are the things that should magnify us.” [30] He encouraged them “to expound scriptures to all.” [31]

~ Sherrie Johnson (emphasis added) 

 

Mormon Scripture itself says "Scripture" is the ultimate authority rather than one of the leaders of the Restoration Branches. The following LDS Scriptures demonstrate this. All words in italics or bold are my own for emphasis:

… I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain; But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.  

~ Jacob 4:1-3

And now I, Jacob, am led on by the Spirit unto prophesying; … But behold, according to the scriptures, this stone [Christ] shall become the great, and the last, and the only sure foundation ...  

~ Jacob 4:15-16

BEHOLD, it came to pass that I Omni being commanded by my father, Jarom, that I should write somewhat upon these plates, to preserve our genealogy … and I had kept these plates according to the commandments of my fathers; and I conferred them upon my son Amaron. And I make an end. ... And behold, the ‘record of this people is engraven upon plates which is had by the kings, according to the generations; and I know of no revelation save that which has been written, neither prophecy; wherefore, that which is sufficient is written. And I make an end. ... And it came to pass that the people of Zarahemla, and of Mosiah, did unite together; and Mosiah was appointed to be their king. And it came to pass in the days of Mosiah, there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it; and he did interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God.

~ Omni 1: 1, 3, 11, 19-20 

… behold, he [Lehi] saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.

~ 1 Nephi 8:30

And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree? 

And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; 

~ 1 Nephi 15: 23-24

And upon these I [Nephi] write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven … For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them …

2 Nephi 4:15 

And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words.

2 Nephi 11:2

Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

2 Nephi 31:20

feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

2 Nephi 32:3

O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love;

Jacob 3:2 

Mosiah 1: 1-7: 

AND now there was no more contention in all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who belonged to king Benjamin, so that king Benjamin had continual peace all the remainder of his days. 2 And it came to pass that he had three sons; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the hand of the Lord. 3 And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that you should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.

4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.

5 I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.

7 And now, my sons, I would that you should remember to search them diligently, that you may profit thereby; and I would that you should keep the commandments of God, that you may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers.

JST Mathew 17: 10, 14 (compare KJV 17: 11-12):

10 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things, as the prophets have written. ...

... 14 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist, and also of another who should come and restore all things, as it is written by the prophets.

Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery] experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father. No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery, than the Holy Ghost fell upon him, and he stood up and prophesied many things which should shortly come to pass. And again, so soon as I had been baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, ... Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of. …

~ Joseph Smith History, 73-74

Note: D&C 9 below is about Oliver trying the spiritual gift of “translating” but he fails and he seems to think Joseph Smith might be making it up (verse 12) but instead it's explained to him the process of revelation; which appears to require a degree of creativity, as in the privilege of thinking of what to write, studying it out beforehand, and avoiding writer’s block (a stupor of thought) by trusting your gut (what “feels right”) as the words come spontaneously (“given” from the Lord) when writing scripture; which sound like the practice of midrash as practiced by the apostle Paul:

D&C 9: 1 Behold, I say unto you, my son, that because you did not translate according to that which you desired of me, and did commence again to write for my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., even so I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record, which I have entrusted unto him. 2 And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate. 3 Be patient, my son, for it is wisdom in me, and it is not expedient that you should translate at this present time. 4 Behold, the work which you are called to do is to write for my servant Joseph. 5 And, behold, it is because that you did not continue as you commenced, when you began to translate, that I have taken away this privilege from you. 6 Do not murmur, my son, for it is wisdom in me that I have dealt with you after this manner. 7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. 8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. 9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me. 10 Now, if you had known this you could have translated; nevertheless, it is not expedient that you should translate now. 11 Behold, it was expedient when you commenced; but you feared, and the time is past, and it is not expedient now; 12 For, do you not behold that I have given unto my servant Joseph sufficient strength, whereby it is made up? And neither of you have I condemned. 13 Do this thing which I have commanded you, and you shall prosper. Be faithful, and yield to no temptation. 14 Stand fast in the work wherewith I have called you, and a hair of your head shall not be lost, and you shall be lifted up at the last day. Amen.

… and the [Mormon] scriptures shall be given, even as they are in mine [Christ's] own bosom.

~ D&C 35:20

Joseph Smith began The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible by June 1830, beginning in the Old Testament with the book of Moses. During this time we read how the revelation are for expounding scripture, thus further presenting scripture itself as the ultimate authority]:

Behold, thou wast called and chosen to write the Book of Mormon, and to my ministry; … 5 And thou shalt continue in calling upon God in my name, and writing the things which shall be given thee by the Comforter, and expounding all scriptures unto the church. … 7 For thou shalt devote all thy service in Zion; and in this thou shalt have strength.

~ D&C 24: 1, 5, 7

The commandments and revelations become binding and authoritative and ready to be expounded upon as scripture when published as scripture and received in full:

D&C 42: 56-60:

 

Thou shalt ask, and my scriptures shall be given as I have appointed, and they shall be preserved in safety; And it is expedient that thou shouldst hold thy peace concerning them, and not teach them until ye have received them in full. And I give unto you a commandment that then ye shall teach them unto all men; for they shall be taught unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people. Thou shalt take the things which thou hast received, which have been given unto thee in my scriptures for a law, to be my law to govern my church; And he that doeth according to these things shall be saved, and he that doeth them not shall be damned if he so continue.

In D&C 28 below, Oliver is commissioned to speak by the Holy Spirit (Comforter), but only Joseph like Moses, is to produce scripture (dictate revelations and commandments that are then voted on by common consent). This position as the “head” of the revelatory gift is earned by Smith’s ability to translate (dictate/orate scripture) and not have a permanent "stupor of thought" as Oliver experienced (lacking the gift) as explained in D&C 9. Later, below in D&C 67, we will see that the Lord challenges others to produce scripture of the same caliber as Joseph’s dictations in order to demonstrate their Gift of the Spirit. This skill of mining scripture (reading backwards) to produce midrash and orate scripture as proof of having the “keys to reveal the word of the Lord,” accords with the precedent set in the New Testament: where all Christians have the protentional for the gifts of revelation but the apostle Paul wins his status and authority as an expert at echoing passages from the Hebrew Bible in his letters and epistles, while acting as a “Spiritual Master” of the Gifts of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 11:3-16: Spirit Possession and Authority in a Non-Pauline Interpolation (July 2005 Journal of Biblical Literature) by Christopher Mount). Joseph Smith also wins his status as a "Spiritual Master" who can "echoes" Scripture in his revelations and thus having the "keys of the mysteries" as we read in D&C 28 below:

D&C 28: 1-7:

Behold, I say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be given unto thee that thou shalt be heard by the church in all things whatsoever thou shalt teach them by the Comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments which I have given. But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses. And thou shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him, even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the church. And if thou art led at any time by the Comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom; And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church; For I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead.

Those in the church vying for the position of authority in producing revelations and commandments (Scripture) are challenged to write a revelation that basically matches Smith's ability to echoe previous Scripture as a "Spiritual Master," thus we in D&C 67 below the following:

D&C 67: 

1 Behold and hearken, O ye elders of my church, who have assembled yourselves together, whose prayers I have heard, and whose hearts I know, and whose desires have come up before me. 2 Behold and lo, mine eyes are upon you, and the heavens and the earth are in mine hands, and the riches of eternity are mine to give. 3 Ye endeavored to believe that ye should receive the blessing which was offered unto you; but behold, verily I say unto you there were fears in your hearts, and verily this is the reason that ye did not receive. 4 And now I, the Lord, give unto you a testimony of the truth of these commandments which are lying before you. 5 Your eyes have been upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and his language you have known, and his imperfections you have known; and you have sought in your hearts knowledge that you might express beyond his language; this you also know. 6 Now, seek ye out of the Book of Commandments, even the least that is among them, and appoint him that is the most wise among you; 7 Or, if there be any among you that shall make one like unto it, then ye are justified in saying that ye do not know that they are true; 8 But if ye cannot make one like unto it, ye are under condemnation if ye do not bear record that they are true. 9 For ye know that there is no unrighteousness in them, and that which is righteous cometh down from above, from the Father of lights. 10 And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual. 11 For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God. 12 Neither can any natural man abide the presence of God, neither after the carnal mind. 13 Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected. 14 Let not your minds turn back; and when ye are worthy, in mine own due time, ye shall see and know that which was conferred upon you by the hands of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. Amen.

Mormon Leaders are to be Stewards over the Revelations (Scriptures):

 

D&C 70:

1 Behold, and hearken, O ye inhabitants of Zion, and all ye people of my church who are afar off, and hear the word of the Lord which I give unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and also unto my servant Martin Harris, and also unto my servant Oliver Cowdery, and also unto my servant John Whitmer, and also unto my servant Sidney Rigdon, and also unto my servant William W. Phelps, by the way of commandment unto them. 2 For I give unto them a commandment; wherefore hearken and hear, for thus saith the Lord unto them— 3I, the Lord, have appointed them, and ordained them to be stewards over the revelations and commandments which I have given unto them, and which I shall hereafter give unto them, and which I shall hereafter give unto them; … 5 Wherefore, I have appointed unto them, and this is their business in the church of God, to manage them and the concerns thereof, yea, the benefits thereof.

Sidney Rigdon expounds the Scriptures revealed through Joseph:

D&C 100:

9 And it is expedient in me that you, my servant Sidney, should be a spokesman unto this people; yea, verily, I will ordain you unto this calling, even to be a spokesman unto my servant Joseph. 10 And I will give unto him power to be mighty in testimony. 11 And I will give unto thee power to be mighty in expounding all scriptures, that thou mayest be a spokesman unto him, and he shall be a revelator unto thee, that thou mayest know the certainty of all things pertaining to the things of my kingdom on the

Note that the Brighamite Sect (Utah-based LDS Church) appealed to “revelation” to change their policy on Priesthood ordination in 1978, which followed the pattern of a “revelation” being voted on by common consent before being published to become authoritative scripture:

 

To Whom It May Concern: 

2: 1: On September 30, 1978, at the 148th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the following was presented by President N. Eldon Tanner, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church: …

11 Recognizing Spencer W. Kimball as the prophet, seer, and revelator, and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of La er-day Saints, it is proposed that we as a constituent assembly accept this revelation as the word and will of the Lord. All in favor please signify by raising your right hand. Any opposed by the same sign. 12 The vote to sustain the foregoing motion was unanimous in the affirmative. Salt Lake City, Utah, September 30, 1978.