Peter and the Missionary List

In the famous missionary section in the Doctrine and Covenants about the qualification for those who are called to “embark in the service of God,” we have this injunction: “Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence” (D&C 4:2, 6).  The invitation to “remember” these attributes likely comes from the fact that the elements of the list were largely taken from the words of Peter in the Bible when he spoke of the divine nature: “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:5-7).  Though in a slightly different order, the verse in D&C 4 contains all of the same items as Peter’s list (President Nelson in note 11 of his last conference talk also noted that “here… the Lord added humility to Peter’s list”).    

I think it is fitting that this most important missionary list that we quote so often came from Peter.  First of all, the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter himself (with James and John) likely occurred only a few months after this revelation was given in 1829, thus enabling missionary work to really begin with the proper Priesthood authority to gather out Israel.  He was the one who held the keys for that in his day—to him Christ had said, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16:19).  Secondly, it was Peter who was given the charge by the Savior to lead the church in the 1^st century as they took the gospel to the Gentiles.  He was the president of the church when the apostles received the charge from their Master to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28:19).  It was also Peter specifically to whom the Lord emphasized in their famous encounter: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:16-17).  Surely that was a call to missionary work if nothing else.  Peter also was the one to receive the great revelation about the gospel going forth to the Gentiles that is now recorded in Acts 10.  Peter was indeed the man responsible for missionary work in the early Church.  Lastly, it is fitting that our modern day missionary list comes from Peter because he was himself an extraordinary missionary.  We don’t have the same amount of details about his missionary labors as we do about that of Paul’s, but we have enough to see the power with which he preached and performed his great work.  At the day of Pentecost he taught the people so powerfully that there were that day “about three thousand souls” added to the church (Acts 2:41).  Shortly thereafter we have record of his healing of a lame man followed by his great teachings to the people at Jerusalem about the “Holy One and the Just” whom they had rejected.  He taught with “boldness” and “with great power,” and with the other apostles he gave “witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 3:14, 4:13, 33).  When he was arrested because of his preaching the angel delivered him and he went right back to preaching at the temple without concern for his own safety.  He was beaten for his missionary service but left with John “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41).  Indeed Peter was a powerful missionary, and surely his many years of service allowed him to cultivate in himself “faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility and diligence” as he also taught.  As we recite those great attributes that we seek to develop we should remember the great example of Peter who did so much to spread the gospel in his day.