Lesson 27: Doctrine and Covenants 18

Doctrine and Covenants 18:1–13

“Remember the Worth of Souls Is Great in the Sight of God”

Jesus with children of the world

In response to early Church leaders seeking the Lord’s will on how to build up His Church, the Lord gave a revelation to Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer that is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 18. The Lord taught these men important truths about the worth of our souls. This lesson can help students feel that the worth of their souls is great in the sight of God.

Possible Learning Activities

Our worth

Consider beginning class by writing the following incomplete statement on the board. Invite students to come up with realistic ways to complete it. Ask them why youth might feel this way.

In the world we live in, we may feel tempted or pressured to base our worth on .

Alternatively, you could write the following words on the board: Looks, Achievements, and Possessions. Ask students why some youth may feel tempted or pressured to base their worth on these things. Ask what other things youth may feel tempted to use as a basis for their worth.

Take a moment to ponder how you feel about your personal worth and why. On what do you tend to base your worth? As you study today, look for truths that can help you feel your worth in the sight of God.

The Lord teaches about the worth of souls

The following summary can help students understand the context for the verses they will study in Doctrine and Covenants 18.

In June 1829, Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer received a revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 18. The revelation was about calling twelve Apostles in the last days and building up the Church. In addition to these instructions, the Lord shared with Oliver and David powerful truths about our worth.

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–11 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider inviting students to mark doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so they can locate them easily.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 18:9–13 to see what the Lord taught about our value to Him.

• What did you like or learn from these verses?

As students share, write on the board the truths they discovered. These are some truths they may identify:

• The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.

• My worth is so great that Jesus was willing to suffer and die so I can repent.

It may be helpful to know that the next lesson (“Doctrine and Covenants 18:11–16”) focuses more on the joy the Savior feels when we repent.

• How does the Savior’s suffering and death for us demonstrate our worth to Him?

• How might it affect us to base our worth on Heavenly Father’s and the Savior’s love for us instead of on worldly labels?

Deepen your understanding

To help students deepen their understanding of the truths from Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–11, consider providing students with copies of the accompanying handout and inviting them to complete one or more of the study options. Display these options or provide them as a handout.

Remembering Our Worth to God

Choose one or both of the following options to help you better understand and appreciate your worth to God.

Option 1

Study about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and ponder His love for you. You could read some of the following verses: Isaiah 53:3–5; Luke 22:41–44; John 3:16–17; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 19–20; Alma 7:7, 10–13. You could also find different verses to study.

Consider recording cross-references you want to remember. You could note them in your scriptures next to Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–11, write them in your study journal, or use your Gospel Library app to create tags or links.

Option 2

Study what Church leaders have taught about our worth to God. Use Gospel Library or other resources to find relevant statements or talks. You could search for terms like “worth” or “God’s love” to help you find resources. The following statement by Sister Joy D. Jones, former Primary General President, is one example of what you might find.

Sister Joy D. Jones

Let me point out the need to differentiate between two critical words: worth and worthiness. They are not the same. Spiritual worth means to value ourselves the way Heavenly Father values us, not as the world values us. Our worth was determined before we ever came to this earth. “God’s love is infinite and it will endure forever.”

On the other hand, worthiness is achieved through obedience. If we sin, we are less worthy, but we are never worth less! We continue to repent and strive to be like Jesus with our worth intact. As President Brigham Young taught: “The least, the most inferior spirit now upon the earth … is worth worlds.” No matter what, we always have worth in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. (Joy D. Jones, “Value beyond Measure,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 14)

After sufficient time, give students an opportunity to share what they learned. They could share first in pairs, and then willing students could share with the class.

Create an environment where all are respected and know their contributions are valued: Look for opportunities to thank students for their answers and let them know that you value the ways they participate. For more training on how to communicate value, see the training titled “Create an environment where all are respected and know their contributions are valued.” This training is found in Teacher Development Skills: Love Those You Teach.

The class may find it helpful if a list of classmates’ favorite resources were compiled on the board. Students could copy this list for personal reference.

Relating it to your life

Sharing modern-day stories or experiences could help students feel their worth to God. Before asking students to discuss the following question, consider sharing your own example of how you have felt your worth to God. You could also show the video “The Hope of God’s Light” (6:46), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and invite students to look for how one man came to know his worth in God’s eyes.

• What experiences from your life or others’ lives have helped you feel that the worth of your soul is great in the sight of God?

Invite students to do something to reflect more deeply on their worth in the sight of God over the next week or two. Give them class time to prepare what they will do. The following list includes ideas you could share. The lesson “Assess Your Learning 2” will follow up on students’ experiences with this activity.

Determine how you will ponder your worth in the sight of God over the next few weeks. Here are some ways you could do this:

• Create a reminder and place it where you can see it regularly. This could be a poster or a smartphone background that includes an image and maybe even words from the scriptures.

• Pray each morning and night to understand more clearly how your Father in Heaven sees you.

• Plan a regular time to reflect in your journal about your worth.

• Spend time on multiple occasions reading and studying more deeply your patriarchal blessing. Think about how you could approach it differently to really understand what your Father in Heaven wants you to know and feel about yourself.

Bear testimony of God’s love and the infinite worth of each student, shown through the Savior’s Atonement.

Memorize

You may want to help students memorize the doctrinal mastery reference and key scripture phrase during this lesson and review them in future lessons. The key scripture phrase for Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–11 is “The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” Ideas for memorization activities are in the appendix materials under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.”

Additional Resources

How does God show us how much we are worth to Him?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles pointed out what Heavenly Father offers us that demonstrates our worth to Him:

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

What our Heavenly Father offers us is Himself and His Son, a close and enduring relationship with Them through the grace and mediation of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. We are God’s children, set apart for immortality and eternal life. Our destiny is to be His heirs, “joint-heirs with Christ” [Romans 8:17]. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Our Relationship with God,” Liahona, May 2022, 79)

What is the worth of a soul?

Consider watching “My Brother’s Keeper” from time code 1:54 to 4:24 to see an example of a powerful response to this question.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, taught:

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

We know from modern revelation that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” [Doctrine and Covenants 18:10]. We cannot gauge the worth of another soul any more than we can measure the span of the universe. Every person we meet is a VIP [Very Important Person] to our Heavenly Father. …

One woman who had been through years of trial and sorrow said through her tears, “I have come to realize that I am like an old 20-dollar bill—crumpled, torn, dirty, abused, and scarred. But I am still a 20-dollar bill. I am worth something. Even though I may not look like much and even though I have been battered and used, I am still worth the full 20 dollars.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “You Are My Hands” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 69)

President Uchtdorf also explained:

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

While we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, “What is man in comparison to the glory of creation?” God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind [see Moses 1:38–39]. In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.

This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation—worlds without end—within our grasp. And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “You Matter to Him,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 20)

Supplemental Learning Activities

An alternate beginning to the lesson

Show various items or pictures of items such as candy, clothes, cell phones, or cars, and ask students what they or others might be willing to pay for each thing. Help students understand that the worth of something can be determined by what someone is willing to pay for it.

Then invite students to read Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–11 to see their worth and what someone was willing to pay for them.

Video

Consider showing the video “Am I Good Enough?” (3:28), which illustrates several concerns youth may have about their worth and how to overcome those concerns.

Scenarios

After helping students identify and understand the truths in this lesson, consider displaying the following scenarios. Or you could invite students to think of other common situations in which youth may not understand or feel their worth. Ask how knowing the truth about their worth would make a difference for each of these youth.

• Maya constantly compares herself to others and feels that they are more talented and gifted than her.

• Kallie worries frequently about what others think about her.

• Taft spends a lot of time and money trying to keep up with the trends in his school so others will see him as fashionable.

Write a letter

Near the conclusion of the lesson, help students think about how they could share what they learned with someone else. They could ponder possible thoughts and feelings of someone who does not understand their worth to God. Invite students to use what they have learned and felt in this lesson to write a brief letter to this person. They could include phrases from the scriptures or other resources (along with their references) as well as personal experiences. If students think of someone specific, they could consider giving them the letter or sending it in a text message.

Remembering Our Worth to God