In the gospel, a covenant means a sacred agreement or mutual promise between God and a person or group of people. By making a covenant, God promises a blessing for obedience to certain commandments. He establishes the terms of His covenants and reveals these conditions to His prophets. When we choose to obey the terms of the covenant, we receive the promised blessings. If we choose not to obey, He retains blessings and, in some cases, punishment is also imposed. Covenant in a Religious Context: A religious covenant refers to god`s promise to mankind. Covenant: The word covenant is mainly used in religious contexts, as opposed to the word promise. God has also made special covenants with certain individuals or groups. He made special covenants with Adam, Enoch, Noah, the children of Israel, and Lehi (see Moses 6:31–36–52; Genesis 9:9–17; Exodus 19:5–6; 2 Nephi 1). He made a special covenant with Abraham and his descendants who bless the members of the Church and all the nations of the earth today. How do the commandments and promises of the Abrahamic Covenant apply to us? (Think about how this question applies in different situations, such as .
B at home, at work, in the community, or as missionaries.) As we accept the new eternal covenant, we agree to repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, receive our endowment, receive the covenant of marriage in the temple, and follow and obey Christ for the rest of our lives. As we keep our covenants, Heavenly Father promises that we will attain exaltation in the celestial kingdom (see D&C 132:20–24; see also chapter 47 of this book). From the beginning, the Lord has made covenants with His children on earth. When His people make covenants (or promises) with Them, They know what they expect from them and what blessings they can expect from them. They can do His work better on earth. Those who make covenants with the Lord and with whom the Lord makes covenants are known as the Lord`s covenant people. Church members are part of the Lord`s covenant people. Although He asked people to obey, God`s promises always far outweighed everything that those involved could ever gain from that obedience. God`s promises were not payments for human labor, but were given by God`s love. What was the problem with the Old Covenant and what really changed with the New Covenant? What does the Bible say again about the New Covenant? Alliance: An alliance can generally be defined as a formal agreement between two or more parties in which they agree to do or not to do something. When we are baptized in church, we make the Covenant the Lord made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Galatians 3:26–29).
When we are obedient, we inherit the blessings of this covenant. We have the right to receive help and guidance from the Holy Ghost. Worthy men have the right to hold the priesthood. The family can receive priesthood blessings. We can gain eternal life in the celestial kingdom. There are no greater blessings than these. The New Covenant offers not only the best promises of eternal life, but also the spiritual help that is absolutely necessary to fulfill our part of the agreement. It is ridiculous to think that we could never deserve forgiveness or eternal life! But still, God desires and demands our loyal obedience for our own good. He wants to give eternal life only to those who choose the path of peace and joy for eternity – not to those who choose the path of selfishness, rebellion and misfortune. One of the bible`s main covenants is the one God made with the nation of Israel on Mount Sinai. God promised to bless the nation, and the people agreed to obey God`s good and useful laws (Exodus 24:3).
For example, when we join the Church, we make several covenants with God (see chapter 20 of this book). At baptism, we join forces with the Savior to carry His name upon us. He promises, “All who repent and are baptized in my name, who is Jesus Christ, and endure unto the end, the same thing shall be saved” (D&C 18:22). We make a covenant with the Lord when we partake of the sacrament (see chapter 23 of this book). We promise to take His name upon us, to remember Him, and to obey His commandments. We are promised that the Holy Spirit will be with us. (See D&C 20:77–79.) When we receive temple ordinances, we make other sacred covenants and are promised exaltation for faithful obedience (see D&C 132; see also chapter 47 of this book). But MLB has a duty to at least try to live up to its contract with the players and its engagement with the public. In addition to the blessings we receive as the Lord`s covenant people, we have a great responsibility. The Lord promised Abraham that through His descendants the gospel would be brought to the whole earth. We assume this responsibility through the Church`s full-time missionary program and the missionary work of its members. This opportunity to preach the gospel to the whole world belongs only to the Lord`s Church and His covenant people.
The Bible has much more about God`s gracious agreements—His covenants—with mankind. Read more in this section about “covenants” and choose God`s way of life and hope based on His truth. What do we promise to do when we accept the gospel? What blessings does Heavenly Father give us as we keep these promises? Abraham`s blood descendants are not the only ones God calls His covenant people. When God spoke to Abraham, He said, “All who receive this gospel will be called according to your name and will be called your descendants [lineage], and they will be resurrected and blessed as their Father” (Abraham 2:10). Thus, two groups of people are included in the covenant with Abraham: (1) Abraham`s righteous descendants of blood, and (2) those who were accepted into his lineage by accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ (see 2 Nephi 30:2). Today, as we sign treaties to bind an agreement, in biblical times people shed blood to make an alliance to bind an agreement. The word covenant comes from a word that means “to cut.” In biblical times, when two people made a deal, they made a cut on their wrists and then shook hands with blood that mixed. The intention of this ritual was: “I will defend this agreement with my life. If I break it, I will die.
Thus, this is also the beginning of our modern handshake. The biblical testimony is the same as that of the martyrs. A witness who shared a statement raised a severed hand with dripping blood and said, “What I say is the truth and I defend it with my life.” This is the origin of an oath before a court. Leaders raise their hands for the same reason and take the oath. In Genesis 15, Abraham cuts the sacrificial animals in half and then falls asleep. In his dream, Abram sees a torch depicting God walking between halves. God swore an oath to Abram, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” Later, through Jesus, God defended His covenant with His life. This Sunday is Federal Sunday. There is no blood involved. Jesus took care of it. God keeps God`s promises for us. It is a chance to renew our promises to God.
This Sunday we will pray the covenant prayer in the Wesleyan tradition. It is a powerful prayer that must be memorized. You can easily remember this by remembering two lines a day between now and Saturday night. Promise: A promise is the assurance that something will be done or something will happen. .