D&C 63: Faith First, Signs After, and the Work of Gathering

I had a piece of cherry clamped to the bench Saturday morning and I was checking the fit for the tenth time. It was the last joint before glue-up on a nightstand I'd been building for my youngest. I'd measured it twice and cut it once, but I still couldn't bring myself to apply the glue. I wanted proof the joint was right before I committed.

That's the impulse this chapter has something to say about. The desire to see the finished piece before you commit to the process. The demand for a sign before you'll believe.

D&C 63 picks up the thread on signs, faith, and what happens when you need evidence before you'll trust God. It also contains some of the most practical instructions in the Doctrine and Covenants about gathering, land, and the physical work of building Zion. It's worth sitting with both parts.

What Does D&C 63 Say About Signs Following Those Who Believe

The key verse in this chapter is verse 9. The Lord says that signs follow those who believe, not the other way around. It's sequential in a way I keep thinking about.

Wherefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses — for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed — and the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, upon Mount Zion in the Lord's house, whose children are ye; and also many whom I have called and sent forth to build up my church. For the faithful shall be blessed with signs following, even as the Lord hath said.

I read that as a straightforward order of operations. Belief comes first, and the signs come after. They confirm what you already chose to trust. It's like dry-fitting a joint before you glue it. You trust the cut because you measured carefully and your tools are sharp. You don't wait for the glue to dry to find out whether the measurements were right.

Verses 7 through 9 sharpen the point. The Lord warns against those who seek signs but will not believe unless they get one. He calls it an evil and adulterous generation. That's strong language. But I think the warning makes more sense when you consider what's really being asked for. It's a demand, not a modest request for confirmation. The same pattern shows up way earlier in the Book of Mormon with Sherem in Jacob 7, where he demands a sign before he'll believe. It's a demand that God operate on the skeptic's terms. Show me what I want to see, and then I'll decide if I trust you.

The problem is that demands like that don't lead anywhere stable. A skeptic who gets a sign will just need another one because the first could have been a coincidence. The hunger compounds instead of ending.

Why Did the Lord Warn Against Seeking Signs in This Chapter

Verse 6 is where the warning falls most sharply. The Lord says a commandment is given that those who seek signs shall not receive them, and that signs come by faith, not by the will of men. This isn't a blanket condemnation of every request for help though.

The difference seems to be in the posture of the heart. The person who seeks a sign as a condition for belief is holding God at arm's length. They're saying, I'll trust you once you prove you're worth trusting. And the Lord's response in this chapter is that the posture itself is the problem. You can't start a relationship by negotiating the terms of surrender.

I think about this when I'm working in the shop and a join isn't quite right. I can stand there and demand the wood tell me how to fix it. Or I can work with what I know. Plane the high spot, check the fit, plane again. The action comes before the result.

The Call to Gather and Instructions on Purchasing Land

The second half of D&C 63 is a shift in tone. From verse 20 onward, the Lord gives everyday, logistical instructions about the gathering to Zion and the purchase of land in Missouri. It's a reminder that the spiritual work is always attached to something physical.

The saints were moving. They were selling property and pooling resources and traveling to a place they'd never seen based on a revelation. The instructions in these verses about purchasing land and managing resources are not small details. They're part of the same obedience that the faith-and-signs verses address. You don't wait for a sign about which plot of land to buy. You follow the instruction you've already been given and you act.

There's something grounding about that. The chapter could have ended with the doctrinal warning about signs and left it there. But it doesn't. It goes straight into the practical work of building a community. The Lord seems to be saying that the same faith that trusts without a sign is the faith that packs up and moves to Missouri when you're told to.

The Danger of Disobedience and the Call to Repentance

Verses 10 through 19 contain sobering warnings for those who know the truth and then turn from it. The language is direct. The Lord speaks about those who have been warned and still choose disobedience.

But I don't read it as harshness for its own sake. It reads like someone who knows what's coming and is trying to get people to avoid it. The same impulse that makes a parent warn a kid not to touch the hot stove. The warning comes from knowledge, not anger.

There's a tension here between the mercy of God and the seriousness of covenant keeping. D&C 63 doesn't try to resolve that tension. It just states both sides and lets the reader sit with it.

Does This Chapter Have Anything to Say About Signs Versus Faith Today

I think it does, but probably not in the way people expect. The obvious application is about people today who say they'd believe if God gave them a sign. Fair enough. The chapter speaks directly to that.

But I think the subtler problem is when we treat the gospel itself as transactional. When we go through the motions expecting a specific payoff. When obedience becomes a negotiation instead of a response. That's the same posture the chapter warns about, just wearing different clothes.

Faith is a slower path. It doesn't offer immediate confirmation. It asks you to trust the cut and apply the glue and wait for the joint to cure before you know for sure it held. Most of the time it does. That's what experience teaches. But you can't get to the experience without going through the waiting first.

D&C 63: Instructions on Purchasing Land in Zion and Gathering

The closing verses of the chapter circle back to the practical side. Instructions about land purchases, the boundaries of Zion, and the importance of following the appointed leaders. It's almost anticlimactic after the intensity of the warnings earlier. But I think that's intentional.

The Lord is not just concerned with whether you believe the right things. He's concerned with where you live, who you buy land from, how you manage your resources, and whether you can build a community that lasts. The same God who speaks about signs and faith is the same God who tells you how to handle a land contract.

I like that about the chapter. It refuses to stay spiritual. It keeps dragging the reader back to the workbench.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does D&C 63 say that everyone who asks for a sign is wicked?

No. The chapter is aimed at people who demand a sign as a condition for believing, not at someone who honestly seeks guidance. The difference is in the heart. A person who says I will not believe unless you show me what I demand is in a different position than someone who says I believe but I need help understanding.

What is the relationship between faith and signs in this chapter?

Faith comes first. Signs follow those who believe. The chapter presents it as a sequence, not an exchange. You don't hand over a sign and get faith in return. You exercise faith first, and the confirmation comes after.

Why is the gathering to Zion and land purchase included in this chapter?

Because the Lord treats spiritual and temporal things as connected. The same revelation that warns about the danger of demanding signs also gives instructions about buying property and building a community. Faith that doesn't show up in practical decisions may not be faith at all.

What does the chapter teach about signs people see today?

The principle still applies. People have always wanted external proof before committing to belief. The chapter doesn't say signs don't exist. It says they follow faith, not the other way around. If you're waiting for a sign to believe, you may be waiting for something that can't arrive because you've put it on the wrong side of the equation.

How does D&C 63 connect to the earlier revelations about Zion?

This section extends the instructions from earlier revelations about the land of Zion and the gathering of the saints. It provides more specific direction about how to proceed. The pattern in D&C is that doctrinal principles and practical logistics come in the same package.

I keep thinking about that cherry joint on Saturday. I eventually did apply the glue and clamp it up. I'd measured twice and cut once and the fit was right. It just didn't feel right until I committed to it. That's the thing about faith. You don't always get to see the fit before you apply the glue.

-- D.