On 14 May 1843, JS preached a discourse in , Illinois, taking as his text the first chapter of 2 Peter. Verse 10 of this chapter includes the exhortation for the believing Christian to “make your calling and election sure.” This was a key text in the debate surrounding the doctrine of assurance, which Charles Buck, an influential Protestant theologian, defined as “the belief that we have an interest in the divine favour.” Buck contended that “the means to attain assurance are not those of an extraordinary kind, as some people imagine: such as visions, dreams, voices, &c.” Rather, assurance was communicated through such “ordinary” means as “self-examination, humble and constant prayer, consulting the sacred oracles, Christian communication, attendance on the divine ordinances, and perseverance in the path of duty.”

Although his revelations and teachings alluded to 2 Peter 1 as early as 1829, JS did not explicitly address the meaning of the phrase “make your calling and election sure” for another decade. In summer 1839, JS departed from the view of assurance advocated by Buck and others by teaching that individuals could make their “calling & Election shure” by following the principles of the gospel, by receiving salvific such as , and by faithfully serving God, after which the Lord would audibly declare, “Son thou shalt be exalted.” This declaration would be followed by a personal visitation by Jesus Christ as the “other comforter.” JS equated this process with being “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” mentioned in Ephesians 1:13.

JS revisited the subject during Sunday morning services on 14 May 1843, when he was briefly visiting with and to raise funds for the . In the discourse, JS first spoke of the necessity of acquiring divine “knowledge,” a word mentioned seven times in the first eight verses of 2 Peter 1. He then discussed 2 Peter 1:16–21, a passage recounting the time the apostles Peter, James, and John saw Jesus Christ glorified before them and heard a “voice from heaven” testify “that Jesus was the son of God.” JS argued that hearing that voice was insufficient to confirm to the apostles that their own callings and elections were sure, teaching that the reference to “a more sure word of prophecy” in 2 Peter 1:19 referred to receiving explicit confirmation that “they were in the heavens” and had the promise of eternal life. JS contended that other Christians rejected revelatory knowledge on this subject at their peril, since it was “the most glorious principle of the gospel” and “the main key that unlocks the heavens.”

recorded this discourse in his journal. The polished nature of the account suggests that Woodruff reconstructed JS’s words after the fact, likely from notes taken at the time. Woodruff also noted that “many other vary useful remarks were made on the occasion By Joseph the Seer.” JS revisited 2 Peter 1 two more times during the next week, on 17 May and 21 May 1843.