TL;DR

  • LDS theology teaches a single eternal gospel revealed to every prophet from Adam onward.
  • Ancient patriarchs held the same priesthood and ordinances restored by Joseph Smith.
  • The Great Apostasy caused doctrinal loss; the 1830 Restoration reunited all keys in the “Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.”
  • Modern scripture (Book of Mormon, revelations) affirms this timeless, global gospel.

An Everlasting Gospel from the Beginning#

From its founding, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has claimed it is not a new religion but a restoration of God’s original, primeval religion. In LDS belief, there is a single everlasting gospel or truth of God that never changes, revealed in every age or dispensation of time1. Early leaders taught that “there is but one Gospel, [and] there never was but one” and that this divine plan of salvation “is the same in every age of the world.”1 In other words, Mormons view their faith as the re-establishment of the one true gospel that has existed from Adam through all the patriarchs and prophets—echoing perennialist ideas of a single sacred teaching handed down through history, now received in its fullness.

Ancient Patriarchs Practiced the Same Religion#

Central to LDS theology is the belief that earliest biblical figures—Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham—worshiped God with the same core principles, priesthood authority, and ordinances practiced today. Joseph Smith taught that God revealed to Adam “the plan of ordinances for the salvation of his posterity” and “set the ordinances to be the same forever and ever,” charging Adam and his righteous descendants to pass down that true religion through the ages2.

Apostle John Taylor dramatized this continuity by portraying how Enoch, Jude, and Joseph Smith all “had the same Gospel” and spirit of revelation, enabling them to testify of identical truths across time3. In Taylor’s words: “I had just the same Gospel that Enoch had, and the same that Jude had; and I also testified of the same things, and we all agree.”3 This underscored the Mormon view that the gospel taught by Joseph Smith was literally the same faith and power known to ancient prophets.

LDS scripture further traces an unbroken priesthood lineage: “Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah…back to Enoch…and eventually to Adam.”4 Mormons affirm that Abraham worshipped the same God and made the same covenants as today’s church, inheriting the same authority in an unbroken line.

“Fullness of the Gospel” Restored in the Last Days#

Because this one true gospel was repeatedly given and then lost in periods of apostasy, Latter-day Saints see the modern church as the complete restoration of that ancient faith. A core tenet is that after the death of Christ’s original apostles, the world fell into a Great Apostasy, abandoning many doctrines, ordinances, and priesthood keys. Joseph Smith’s mission, Mormons assert, was to restore the fullness of God’s gospel on earth once more during the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times5, gathering all former truth and authority in preparation for the Second Coming.

Elder Wilford Woodruff observed that “their revelations and prophecies all point to our day and that great kingdom of God” to come in the last days6, while President Brigham Young stated that “there never was a prophet, from Adam down… but who had his eye upon this great dispensation of the last days.”7 Church presidents like Joseph Fielding Smith taught that “all the keys and powers of priesthood held by the prophets of former dispensations” must flow into this final era like clear streams flowing into a mighty river8. Heavenly messengers are believed to have restored these keys to Joseph Smith, ensuring the modern church possesses all authority and ordinances that ever existed anciently.

A Worldwide and Ongoing “Perennial” Truth#

The Book of Mormon is itself presented as “Another Testament of Jesus Christ,” containing the fullness of the gospel as taught by the resurrected Christ to people in the Western Hemisphere anciently."9 Its narrative affirms that Christ established his church among an Israelite-descended people in the Americas—complete with apostles, sacraments, and prophecy—demonstrating that God’s true gospel has appeared throughout time and across civilizations.

Joseph Smith urged believers to “receive truth, let it come from whence it may,” because all truth ultimately aligns with Christ’s gospel10. This inclusive stance mirrors perennial philosophy, yet Mormons assert that the fullness of that divine teaching is now uniquely restored in their church. The 2020 Bicentennial Proclamation reaffirms that Joseph Smith’s First Vision and subsequent revelations inaugurated the “restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21), uniting ancient covenants and keys in this final dispensation11.

FAQ #

Q 1. What is the Perennial Gospel in LDS belief?
A. Latter-day Saints teach there has been one eternal gospel, revealed to prophets from Adam through every dispensation, now fully restored in the modern church.

Q 2. Who held the original priesthood authority?
A. Early patriarchs like Adam, Enoch, and Abraham held the Melchizedek Priesthood and performed ordinances identical to those in today’s LDS Church.

Q 3. What prompted the Restoration in 1830?
A. Mormons believe the Great Apostasy after Christ’s apostles led to the loss of priesthood keys and pure doctrine, so God called Joseph Smith to restore them.

Q 4. How does the Book of Mormon illustrate the perennial truth?
A. It records Christ’s ministry and gospel ordinances among ancient Americans, showing the gospel’s global and ongoing dispensation.

Footnotes#

Sources#

1.	Woodruff, Wilford. Journal of Discourses, vol. 16 (October 1873): 263–264.
2.	Smith, Joseph. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2007).
3.	Taylor, John. Journal of Discourses, vol. 7 (January 1860): 360–362.
4.	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Doctrine and Covenants," https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/84.14?lang=eng.
5.	Young, Brigham. "The Restoration," Journal of Discourses, vol. 2 (October 1853): 162.
6.	Smith, Joseph Fielding. Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1 (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954).
7.	The Book of Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/title-page?lang=eng
8.	The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. "The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," ChurchofJesusChrist.org (April 6, 2020). https://news.churchofjesuschrist.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/200405-Proclamation.pdf

  1. Woodruff, Wilford. Journal of Discourses, vol. 16 (October 1873): 263–264. ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. Smith, Joseph. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2007), Ch. 8. ↩︎

  3. Taylor, John. Journal of Discourses, vol. 7 (January 1860): 360–362. ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. Doctrine and Covenants 84:14–16. ↩︎

  5. Doctrine and Covenants 27:13; Ephesians 1:10. ↩︎

  6. Woodruff, “Unchangeableness of the Gospel,” Journal of Discourses 16:264. ↩︎

  7. Young, Brigham. “The Restoration,” Journal of Discourses, vol. 2 (October 1853): 162. ↩︎

  8. Smith, Joseph Fielding. Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1 (1954): 167–168. ↩︎

  9. Book of Mormon, Title Page; 3 Nephi 11:37–39. ↩︎

  10. Smith, Joseph. “Receive Truth,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Ch. “Receive Truth.” ↩︎

  11. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org (April 6, 2020). ↩︎