In the New Testament an account reaches us of a man who could cast out devils in the name of Christ but who knew not Christ:
"John said to Him, 'Teacher, we saw someone else driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not accompany us.'
"'Do not stop him,' Jesus replied. 'For no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak evil of Me. For whoever is not against us is for us'" (Mark 9:38 – 40, BSB).
Apparently, the stranger who did not accompany the Lord and his ordained disciples was not working any false miracles or else Jesus' response may have been different. But Jesus insisted, rather, that the man was operating on righteous principles. This naturally begs the question from Mormon minds: can a person cast out devils without priesthood?
The scriptures say yes, and they further enjoin many miracles to those who possess faith but where no mention of priesthood is made:
"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well" (Mark 16:17 – 18, BSB).
Commenting on these verses, Joseph Smith pointed out to the sisters of the Relief Society that, though a person could "call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14, BSB), there was no requirement—where anointing was not present—for the priesthood:
"No matter who believeth, these signs, such as healing the sick, casting our devils, etc., should follow all that believe, whether male or female.... [He] further remarked, there could be no evil in it, if God gave His sanction by healing; that there could be no more sin in any female laying hands on and praying for the sick, than in wetting the face with water; it is no sin for anybody to administer that has faith, or if the sick have faith to be healed by their administration" (STPJS, pp. 224 – 225, emphasis added).
Here Joseph Smith obviously espouses the same belief of Jesus, that no one doing good works by the power of faith could be denied as being sanctioned for their faith in Christ.
But that this sanctioning could extend to the performing of ordinances cannot be maintained in the face of the scriptural record. In it we read of a group of virtuous and faithful people, evidenced by their ready acceptance of Paul's teachings and administration of baptism among them, but who had at first partaken of unauthorized ordinances:
"While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled across the hill country to Ephesus, where he met some of the Lord's followers. He asked them, 'When you put your faith in Jesus, were you given the Holy Spirit?'
"'No!' they answered. 'We have never even heard of the Holy Spirit.'
"'Then why were you baptized?' Paul asked.
They answered, 'Because of what John taught.'
Paul replied, 'John baptized people so they would turn to God. But he also told them someone else was coming, and they should put their faith in him. Jesus is the one that John was talking about.'
"After the people heard Paul say this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Paul placed his hands on them. The Holy Spirit was given to them, and they spoke unknown languages and prophesied. There were about twelve men in this group" (Acts 19:1 – 7, CEV).
Commenting on this passage, Joseph Smith confirmed that the need for these men to be re-baptized had to do with their never having been properly baptized by authority in the first place. Had that been the case, they would have received the Holy Spirit in the first place as a sign of its sanction:
"When Paul came to certain disciples, he asked if they had received the Holy Ghost. They said, No. Who baptized you, then? We were baptized unto John’s baptism. No, you were not baptized unto John’s baptism, or you would have been baptized by John. And so Paul went and baptized them, for he knew what the true doctrine was, and he knew that John had not baptized them" (STPJS, p. 336).
"It seems...that some sectarian Jew had been baptizing like John, but had forgotten to inform them that there was one to follow by the name of Jesus Christ, to baptize with fire and the Holy Ghost—which showed these converts that their first baptism was illegal, and when they heard this they were gladly baptized, and after hands were laid on them, they received the gifts, according to promise, and spake with tongues and prophesied..." (Ibid., p. 263, emphasis added).
Thus we see that the power of faith unto good works has its limit in divine sanction at the performance of the ordinances of salvation. A person, no matter how good intentioned his heart may be, cannot merely believe himself into a state of authority. Though certain signs follow them that believe, "there are certain key words and signs belonging [only] to the Priesthood which must be observed in order to obtain [certain] blessing[s]" (Joseph Smith, STPJS, p. 199).
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