At the beginning of the year, President Russel M. Nelson invited church members to prepare for the upcoming April General Conference by studying the account of Joseph Smith's First Vision as found in the Pearl of Great Price. To enhance that study, I have decided to make a brief comparative analysis of the different recorded accounts of the First Vision. I will limit this study to those written or dictated by the Prophet Joseph himself.
About a 10-15 minute read. The PDFs will be difficult to read on a mobile device.
Copyright 2019 Benjamin James
Imagine you are on a nature hike, and you come across an amazing vista. You stand there for a few minutes, trying to take in the wondrous beauty of the earth. When you get back home, you tell your family how the sun in the sky was a blazing ball of fire, and the trees waved in the wind so beautifully, and how the mountains stood like an impenetrable fortress. You tell them how glad you are to be a part of a family with them, and how grateful you are to God for making this incredible world. You invite them to go on a hike with you sometime in the future.
A couple of days later, your friends ask you how you enjoyed the hike. You talk about how you could see for miles in the clear air, and how peaceful it was to have time to contemplate. You encourage them to go on the same hike sometime.
What has happened here? You experienced something amazing, but the story heard by the two different groups was not the same. You weren't lying, just emphasizing different parts of your experience. Your family is religious, but maybe your friends aren't. It would be a little strange to try to convince your friends to go on the hike by telling them how spiritual it made you feel. But it was so impactful to you that you want everyone else to experience it for themselves too.
This is similar to what I believe happened with Joseph Smith. At four different times, he recorded or dictated his story of seeing God and Jesus Christ. What he experienced in the Sacred Grove was so incredible, he had a hard time putting it into words. And when he did, he focused on different things for the different groups of people he was speaking to, across a 16 year period. With this in mind, I hope we can understand better why there are multiple recorded versions of the First Vision. Joseph Smith was not lying; I believe he was trying to share his remarkable experience with those he cared about, to help them also feel the love of God and gain their own personal inspiration.
Reading the different accounts, one can see that the prophet had different purposes in mind when telling the story, whether it was teaching about forgiveness, or the coming forth of the fulness of the gospel. But one unifying point of description is that he was filled with light. God is the Lord of Glory, and "above the brightness of the sun" is about as close as mortals can get to describing the light and beauty of an eternal being, the Creator of the Universe, appearing in power. Other ways he tried to describe this appearance include: a "pillar of flame," "enwrapped in a heavenly vision," and "the Lord opened the heavens upon me."
This has always been one of the roles of prophets: to testify of God and the Savior. What Joseph Smith received in this miraculous experience was perhaps the most important spiritual experience that happened since the Resurrection of Christ. His first-hand witness of the reality, and importantly the nature, of God and the Son cut through the confusion and lies being spread in his time. And still today, it is a source of great joy to people who learn about the First Vision, because then they finally understand God as a loving Father, and not as a mysterious higher power.
All of the accounts do a good job of painting a picture of doubt and confusion. Joseph, thankfully, believed in an important truth which allowed him to see the conflict for what it was. He believed that "if God had a church it would not be split up into factions, and that if he taught one society to worship one way, and administer in one set of ordinances, he would not teach another principles which were diametrically opposed."
As Paul asks in the New Testament, "Is Christ divided?" (1 Cor. 1:12-13). There is only one way to be saved; since God "is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34-35), he would not tell one group a different way to salvation than another. How then could we trust what he said if he changed his mind all the time? Thus, we should not be surprised when the Lord said to Joseph that "all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines."
But we should be glad that there is opposition, because without it there could not be right or wrong. (See 2 Nephi 2:11,16) Imagine if Joseph had prayed, and without any opposition, the Lord had visited him. Despite Joseph's experience, there would be some who would say it was of the devil (some did that anyway), as he can transform "himself nigh unto an angel of light" (2 Nephi 9:9). But because there was first an attack from the adversary, the contrast of the two makes it clear which was darkness and which was light.
Another way this opposition possibly helped the young Joseph was in teaching him that revelation is not easy. He had put in a lot of preparation before praying, so he was aware that it was not something to be taken lightly. But the act itself being so difficult taught Joseph that revelation is not an easy thing to obtain, but certainly worth it.
We can take these lessons for ourselves - revelation is something to be worked for, not something to be asked on a whim. Our current culture encourages instant gratification (see Elder Uchtdorf, the section The Problem of Now), so some may not be willing to pay the price at first thought. However, I believe that the light we receive and the lessons we learn from asking for divine guidance are worth the effort and wait that may be required of us.
Joseph's "concerns for the welfare of [his] immortal soul" resonate with those who spend time pondering the things of God. One of the beautiful things about this is that it testifies that we can all receive forgiveness for our sins. And it teaches that God is merciful, willing to forgive all those who call on him for mercy. Imagine what a relief that must have been for Joseph, after all his worry, to hear the words "Thy sins are forgiven thee"! We too can receive forgiveness as we humble ourselves and pray for the Lord's grace.
About a 10-15 minute read. The PDFs will be difficult to read on a mobile device.
Stories
Imagine you are on a nature hike, and you come across an amazing vista. You stand there for a few minutes, trying to take in the wondrous beauty of the earth. When you get back home, you tell your family how the sun in the sky was a blazing ball of fire, and the trees waved in the wind so beautifully, and how the mountains stood like an impenetrable fortress. You tell them how glad you are to be a part of a family with them, and how grateful you are to God for making this incredible world. You invite them to go on a hike with you sometime in the future.
A couple of days later, your friends ask you how you enjoyed the hike. You talk about how you could see for miles in the clear air, and how peaceful it was to have time to contemplate. You encourage them to go on the same hike sometime.
What has happened here? You experienced something amazing, but the story heard by the two different groups was not the same. You weren't lying, just emphasizing different parts of your experience. Your family is religious, but maybe your friends aren't. It would be a little strange to try to convince your friends to go on the hike by telling them how spiritual it made you feel. But it was so impactful to you that you want everyone else to experience it for themselves too.
This is similar to what I believe happened with Joseph Smith. At four different times, he recorded or dictated his story of seeing God and Jesus Christ. What he experienced in the Sacred Grove was so incredible, he had a hard time putting it into words. And when he did, he focused on different things for the different groups of people he was speaking to, across a 16 year period. With this in mind, I hope we can understand better why there are multiple recorded versions of the First Vision. Joseph Smith was not lying; I believe he was trying to share his remarkable experience with those he cared about, to help them also feel the love of God and gain their own personal inspiration.
The Vision
We'll start by looking at what Joseph Smith said about the vision itself, to get a sense for his amazing experience. It is my hope that juxtaposing these accounts will give new insights to the reader.Reading the different accounts, one can see that the prophet had different purposes in mind when telling the story, whether it was teaching about forgiveness, or the coming forth of the fulness of the gospel. But one unifying point of description is that he was filled with light. God is the Lord of Glory, and "above the brightness of the sun" is about as close as mortals can get to describing the light and beauty of an eternal being, the Creator of the Universe, appearing in power. Other ways he tried to describe this appearance include: a "pillar of flame," "enwrapped in a heavenly vision," and "the Lord opened the heavens upon me."
This has always been one of the roles of prophets: to testify of God and the Savior. What Joseph Smith received in this miraculous experience was perhaps the most important spiritual experience that happened since the Resurrection of Christ. His first-hand witness of the reality, and importantly the nature, of God and the Son cut through the confusion and lies being spread in his time. And still today, it is a source of great joy to people who learn about the First Vision, because then they finally understand God as a loving Father, and not as a mysterious higher power.
Questions and Concerns
One of the main concerns that young Joseph had, was trying to figure out which church he should join. Members of the church often quote James 1:5-6 to teach about this.All of the accounts do a good job of painting a picture of doubt and confusion. Joseph, thankfully, believed in an important truth which allowed him to see the conflict for what it was. He believed that "if God had a church it would not be split up into factions, and that if he taught one society to worship one way, and administer in one set of ordinances, he would not teach another principles which were diametrically opposed."
As Paul asks in the New Testament, "Is Christ divided?" (1 Cor. 1:12-13). There is only one way to be saved; since God "is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34-35), he would not tell one group a different way to salvation than another. How then could we trust what he said if he changed his mind all the time? Thus, we should not be surprised when the Lord said to Joseph that "all religious denominations were believing in incorrect doctrines."
Opposition
As sure as there is a God in heaven, there is also a devil, and we see that taught as well in a couple of the accounts. We will go into the world, and the devil will try to stop us from believing or experiencing spiritual things.But we should be glad that there is opposition, because without it there could not be right or wrong. (See 2 Nephi 2:11,16) Imagine if Joseph had prayed, and without any opposition, the Lord had visited him. Despite Joseph's experience, there would be some who would say it was of the devil (some did that anyway), as he can transform "himself nigh unto an angel of light" (2 Nephi 9:9). But because there was first an attack from the adversary, the contrast of the two makes it clear which was darkness and which was light.
Another way this opposition possibly helped the young Joseph was in teaching him that revelation is not easy. He had put in a lot of preparation before praying, so he was aware that it was not something to be taken lightly. But the act itself being so difficult taught Joseph that revelation is not an easy thing to obtain, but certainly worth it.
We can take these lessons for ourselves - revelation is something to be worked for, not something to be asked on a whim. Our current culture encourages instant gratification (see Elder Uchtdorf, the section The Problem of Now), so some may not be willing to pay the price at first thought. However, I believe that the light we receive and the lessons we learn from asking for divine guidance are worth the effort and wait that may be required of us.
Forgiveness
Let us not forget another main theme that drove Joseph to act: he desired forgiveness. Anyone who seriously contemplates the state of their soul will be able to recognize their own imperfections. It seems that young Joseph was rather serious for his age, and noticed that his actions did not live up to the commandments of God.Joseph's "concerns for the welfare of [his] immortal soul" resonate with those who spend time pondering the things of God. One of the beautiful things about this is that it testifies that we can all receive forgiveness for our sins. And it teaches that God is merciful, willing to forgive all those who call on him for mercy. Imagine what a relief that must have been for Joseph, after all his worry, to hear the words "Thy sins are forgiven thee"! We too can receive forgiveness as we humble ourselves and pray for the Lord's grace.
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