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The Author of Salvation or Destruction

The Author of Salvation or Destruction

Last updated on: June 16, 2026 at 6:58 am by Delisa Hargrove

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The Author of Salvation or Destruction 2026-06-16T06:58:44-10:00 Delisa Hargrove

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One name of Jesus Christ that always catches my attention is Author. Considering Jesus the “author and finisher of [my] faith” has always meant that He is the “originator or creator of an original work;” that original work being my reason and purpose for faith and salvation.

Author of Destruction

While reading Helaman 8:28 last week, I really honed in on Gadianton and the evil one also being authors, but of destruction.

Helaman 8:28

And behold, they both belong to your secret band, whose author is Gadianton and the evil one who seeketh to destroy the souls of men.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines author as

AU’THOR, noun [Latin auctor. The Latin word is from the root of augeo, to increase, or cause to enlarge. The primary sense is one who brings or causes to come forth.]

1. One who produces, creates, or brings into being; as, God is the author of the Universe.

2. The beginner, former, or first mover of any thing; hence, the efficient cause of a thing.

One other passage in the Book of Mormon identifies the evil one as an author of destruction.

Helaman 6:28-30

6:28[A]nd it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this land; who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction, and to an everlasting hell.

6:29 Yea, it is that same being who put it into the heart of Gadianton to still carry on the work of darkness, and of secret murder; and he has brought it forth from the beginning of man even down to this time.

6:30 And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men.

Author of Salvation

The New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as the Author of salvation.

Two Greek words are translated as author in the King James Bible. I enjoyed finding the scriptural references and diving into the original Greek to see what I could learn about Jesus Christ’s authorship.

Hebrews 12:1-2

12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Author here is archégos: Leader, Author, Pioneer, Prince … a chief leader — author, captain, prince. … [P]roperly, the first in a long procession; a file-leader who pioneers the way for many others to follow. 747 (arxēgós) does not strictly mean “author,” but rather “a person who is originator or founder of a movement and continues as the leader – i.e. ‘pioneer leader, founding leader’ “

Isn’t that an incredible definition?!

Acts 3:15

The Interlinear Bible translates the word archégos in Acts 3:15 like so

Moreover [the] Author of life you killed whom God has raised up out from [the] dead whereof we witnesses are.

Hebrews 5:8-9

The second Greek word for author occurs in verse 9.

5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Author here is aitios: Responsible, cause … causative, i.e. (concretely) a causer — author.

Application in Discourse

All of these definitions expanded my concept of the role of “author.”

author of salvation or destruction

Photo by Tony Litvyak on Unsplash

Here is a fascinating excerpt from Journal of Discourses 13:274, “The Word of Wisdom—Spiritualism,” given by Brigham Young on October 30, 1870 (highlighting and paragraphs added), that gives concrete voice to the juxtaposition of authorship of Jesus Christ and Satan.

It was revealed to me that if the people did not receive the spirit of revelation that God had sent for the salvation of the world, they would receive false spirits, and would have revelation. Men would have revelation, women would have revelation, the priest in the pulpit and the deacon under the pulpit would have revelation, and the people would have revelation enough to damn the whole nation, and nations of them, unless they would hearken to the voice of God. It was not only revealed to Joseph, but to your humble servant, that false spirits would be as prevalent and as common among the inhabitants of the earth as we now see them.

Seeing that I have got on this thread, I will ask, Is there any revelation in the world? Yes, plenty of it. We are accused of being nothing more nor less than a people possessing what they term the higher order of Spiritualism. Whenever I see this in print, or hear it spoken, “You are right,” say I. “Yes, we belong to that higher order of Spiritualism; our revelations are from above, yours from beneath. This is the difference. We receive revelation from Heaven, you receive your revelations from every foul spirit that has departed this life, and gone out of the bodies of mobbers, murderers, highwaymen, drunkards, thieves, liars, and every kind of debauched character, whose spirits are floating around here, and searching and seeking whom they can destroy; (Psalms 63:9, Helaman 8:28, D&C 10:27) for they are the servants of the devil, and they are permitted to come now to reveal to the people.” It was not so once, anciently or formerly, when there was no Priesthood on the earth, no revelations from Heaven. Then the Lord Almighty shut up this evidence, and all intercourse between men on the earth and the foul spirits, so that the latter could not deceive and destroy the former with their revelations. But God has spoken now, and so has the devil; Jesus has revealed his Priesthood, so has the devil revealed his, and there is quite a difference between the two.

One forms a perfect chain, the links of which cannot be separated; one has perfect order, laws, rules, regulations, organization; it forms, fashions, makes, creates, produces, protects, and holds in existence the inhabitants of the earth in a pure and holy form of government, preparatory to their entering the kingdom of Heaven.

The other is a rope of sand; it is disjointed, jargon, confusion, discord, everybody receiving revelation to suit himself. If I were disposed to go into their rings I could make every table, every dot, every particle of their revelations prove that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I could lay my hands on the table with them, and if I would consent to have the spirits wrap, I would make them prove every time that Joseph Smith was a prophet; but let me go, and another man come along, a wicked man, and he would have all the evidence he desired that Joseph was not a prophet of God. I could make them say, every time, that this is the Church of Christ; while a wicked man might enter the circle and he would be told that this was not the Church of Christ; and this is their system—it is confusion and discord. It is like a rope of sand. There is no order, no organization; it cannot be reduced to a system, it is uncertainty.

That is the difference between the two spiritual systems—yes, this is the higher order of spiritualism, to be led, governed, and controlled by law, and that, too, the law of heaven that governs and controls the Gods and the angels. There is no being in heaven that could endure there, that could abide the heavens unless he is sanctified, purified, and glorified by law, and lives by law. (D&C 88:22; D&C 88:34) But take the other party, and it is without law.

Well, what is it? Death. What is that? Dissolution of the body. And what will be next? The second death,(D&C 76:37) and I leave every person to speculate to suit himself with regard to that; but the Scriptures say “Blessed is he on whom the second death hath no power;” (Revelation 20:6) and they who serve God and keep His commandments, that receive the holy Priesthood of the Son of God, have something tangible, and if they live according to this law the second death has nothing to do with them. (Revelation 2:11)

They are above it, free from it, they are masters of it, for they command in the name of Jesus, and their words are obeyed; and what they say shall be done, is done. This is the authority that God gives. As the Scriptures say, “Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven; (Matthew 16:19) and whosesoever sins you remit on earth, shall be remitted to them in heaven; and whosesoever sins ye retain on earth, are retained in heaven.” (John 20:23) This is the authority of the kingdom of God on the earth, and we possess and expect nothing less.

What a great delineation of the goals and works of the Author of Salvation and destruction!

My main takeaways included

expanding my definition of author to include: “Leader, Author, Pioneer, Prince … a chief leader — author, captain, prince. … [P]roperly, the first in a long procession; a file-leader who pioneers the way for many others to follow.”
recognizing that by receiving the Author of Salvation, “they who serve God and keep His commandments, that receive the holy Priesthood of the Son of God, have something tangible, and if they live according to this law the second death has nothing to do with them. (Revelation 2:11)

They are above it, free from it, they are masters of it, for they command in the name of Jesus, and their words are obeyed; and what they say shall be done, is done.”
recognizing Jesus Christ as the Author of Salvation is more than acknowledging that He “wrote” the “playbook” for salvation; it is an opportunity to be immersed in that plan and to act with the power and authority of God in rejecting death, hell, and destruction.

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