COVENANTS WITH GOD

What is a Covenant?

In a Gospel sense, a Covenant is a binding and solemn compact, agreement, contract, or mutual promise between God and a single person or a group of chosen persons.

How can a Covenant be made with God?

God has always required His children to make Covenants with Him.  God promises to bless us if we make and follow the Covenant, and we promise to obey Him.

God sets the terms of gospel covenants, which we can accept and obey and this brings blessings in this life and exaltation in the life to come, or we can reject them and reap the consequences.

To keep our covenants, we must give up activities or interests that prevent us from honoring those covenants. 

We should desire and strive to keep them and those Covenants should remind to repent daily each day of our lives.

By serving others and keeping the Commandments we retain a remission of our sins. 

Covenants are made by ordinances like baptism. 

These ordinances are administered by priesthood authority that has been restored again to the earth in 1829.

To make a Covenant with God, His mind and will must be known having to do with the particular contractual relationship involved.

Covenants come only by direct revelation between God and the person making the covenant.

As far as people now living, the only people that can make a Covenant with God, because of having the companionship or Gift of the Holy Ghost, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

This sounds arrogant but that is the situation of the world at this time.

As we keep our part of the baptismal covenant, God promises the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, a remission of our sins, and being born again. 

The Prophet and the Apostles, who are considered prophets, seers and revelators, are the only spiritual leaders receiving revelation for the church and the World.  

The members, because of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, receive revelations for their personal lives.

Through sacred ordinances, such as baptism and confirmation, we learn about and experience God’s power (see D&C 84:20).

Jesus taught that we must be baptized by immersion for the remission, or forgiveness, of our sins by someone holding the priesthood authority that has been restored since 1829. 

Priesthood Authority.

If you call yourself a doctor and have not gone to, and graduated from, medical school, you are not a doctor.  You do not have authority from the medical school who Authenticates you to act in the profession as a doctor.

The priesthood is the same.  If you have gone to a religious school and come out with a diploma saying you are a minister, priest or pastor, you have their authority to practice it on the earth, in this life, but what is done is not recognized out of this life and in the eternities by God Himself.

That authority has to come from God Himself, through His appointed servants the same way that Moses ordained Aaron and the Lord ordained His Twelve Apostles, namely, by the Laying on of Hands by those already holding the Authority. 

Then what they do on earth and in the Eternities will be recognized by God here on earth and after this life.

Baptism is an essential ordinance of salvation. No person can enter the kingdom of God without being baptized.

Christ set the example for us by being baptized even though He was perfect and did not need it. 

Baptism by immersion is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior.

Little children do not need to be baptized and are redeemed through the mercy of Jesus Christ (see Moroni 8:4–24).

They are not to be baptized until they reach the age of accountability, which is eight years of age, being revealed by modern revelation by a latter day prophet.  (See D&C 68:27).

OTHER OFFICIAL ORDINANCES.

The New and Everlasting Covenant is the fullness of the gospel and embraces within its terms and conditions every other covenant that Deity ever has made or ever will make with men. (See D&C 132: 5-7)

The New and Everlasting Covenant is the Covenant of Eternal Marriage, not marriage until death do us part. 

This marriage is recognized by God in the Eternities meaning your family will continue, intact, as a family and you will be able to have children forever.

The provisions of this covenant are that if men will believe, repent, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and endure in righteousness to the end, they shall have an inheritance in the Celestial World.

Taking the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday will renew those baptismal covenants and salvation is assured.

Some of the Covenants God makes with us are:  

1.  Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy.  (Exodus 20: 8-11)

2.  Paying Tithes and Offerings.  (Malachi 3: 7-10)

3.  Keeping the Words of Wisdom.  (Doctrine and Covenants 89)

There are many others.

To remember to keep the Covenants is a standing obligation resting upon the Lord’s people.

Those who keep the Covenants have the Lord’s promise that all things will work together for their good.

In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith on August 6, 1833, the Lord said:

Doctrine and Covenants 98: 3

3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.

You are blessed if you keep the commandments and the covenants you have made, and because of this, you will obtain mercy.  (D&C 54: 6)

For further information, go to www.lds.org

Comments are welcome.