I wanted friends who understood me, who shared my values, but I always had to keep my guard up. When you are the only one with the values of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is always something coming up. With the Word of Wisdom particularly, most of the world is very different with their values.

Value your values

Especially in high school it was hard to find friends who shared my values. But I had goals to be married in the temple, and to be someone I could be proud of. I knew my Heavenly Father wanted me to succeed too. So, I leaned on Him often.

I would pray in my heart as I walked the halls of the school. I said silent prayers when I was on a date. Any time I felt like I needed His guidance or strength, I said a prayer. I often prayed to find good friends who would help me keep my values and my covenants. And the Lord guided me to find many of them!

Movie disaster

One time I remember being at a party and the kids there wanted to watch a movie. So, we went to rent one and I decided I needed to be part of the decision-making process so maybe I could steer them away from anything rated R.

Despite my best efforts they decided on an NC-17 movie. UGH!! I really liked these kids, but there was no way I could stay and watch that movie. So, I called my mom, and she came and got me.

Even though I was embarrassed I knew I had chosen wisely. The next Monday at school everyone who had been at the party told me how glad I should be that I went home. They said the movie was awful and they didn’t know what they were thinking choosing to watch it.

One gal even told me that she wished she had the courage I did to leave the party. It was at that moment that I learned there are those of other faiths who value our values. And in keeping my values high I was making it easier for them to do the same.

Gaining strength to keep your values strong

And nobody held it against me that I didn’t stick around for the show. It was eye opening! I could be friends and still keep my covenants! Because real friends valued me just for being me.

And each time I kept my promises to myself I gained strength to keep them more easily the next time. The scriptures talk about this in Alma 32: 27-29.

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than ^adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

 

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a ^aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a ^bseed may be planted in your ^cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your ^dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to ^eenlighten my ^funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

 

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

Growing your faith

I love how the Lord assures us that even having a desire to know, or a desire to have faith, is enough to help it grow. And as it grows, and as your strength grows, so does your closeness to God.

I found that visualizing my goals helped me keep my values and stay on the covenant path. I got my endowments in the Washington DC temple when I was 21, with no plans to go on a mission. I wanted to be sealed in the temple when I got married. So, I kept a picture of the temple on my dresser.

Then as I was dating guys more seriously, I found another reminder to keep my values in clear sight. I used my favorite sealing room in the DC temple as inspiration, and made a bracelet out of the colors in the room. They were lavender and cream, and so gorgeous. Looking at it and feeling it on my wrist brought my goals of temple marriage mind. I still love that temple and the strength it gives me.

You can do it

Everyone will face challenges to their resolve in their lives. That is part of the opposition in all things that this earth is particularly good at giving us. But the Lord has not left us to fend for ourselves. He has promised that He will make up the difference. All we need to do is want to succeed, want to have faith, and He will help us with the rest.

To read more of Abby’s articles in her Living in Harmony column, click here.

We can pray, set reminders around, and even wear reminders. And when the moments of decision come, we must act. It is in those moments we will see what we are made of.

We will gain strength as we keep our promises to ourselves and to the Lord. And as we surround ourselves with others who are trying to stay close to God, and keep on the covenant path, this will be easier. You will never regret keeping your values high.

Abby Christianson

Abby is capable and caring. She is learning more about Autism and parenthood every day. Having completed training to be an RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) for ABA therapy she is beginning to understand her son. And even though she is the first to admit she makes a lot of mistakes, she is so grateful to be on this journey. She comes from a family with many autistic members. She invites us to join her, as she shares her adventures. She wishes to emphasize that Autism is a difference not a defect. If you or a family member have autism, Abby wants you to know that the challenges can be overcome, and there are blessings in autism. You or your loved one are not sick or broken. Together we will teach the world this new language.

via sheknows.com

With the advent of minivans and car seats, jockeying for seats has minimized. However, I experienced the wonderfully reckless times of no seat belt laws and laying in the back window for more room.

As the oldest of eight kids, I usually sat where I wanted most of the time. I remember when I was younger, I preferred to sleep curled up on the floor behind the passenger seat rather than be mauled by arms and legs sprawling across the back seat. We experienced a lot of issues where people touched someone else or breathed their air.

At different ages, different children sat by the window to reduce carsickness. One of the few times we stopped on road trips was to fill up with gas or to clean up vomit. We learned quickly to make room for the sick ones.

When my family moved from Boise, Idaho, to Midland, Texas, I was 12 years old and extremely sick. I sat in the coveted front passenger seat the entire trip because it was the only non-driver seat with a window that rolled down and my dad didn’t want to stop when I felt nauseous. So he instructed me to roll down the window and put my head at the back of the window to throw up. The whole side of the van was totally covered and so revolting when we pulled into Midland.

One of the exciting perks about getting my driver’s license was actually being the driver on our family road trips. The driver’s seat became my favorite seat and I learned to drive long distances without stopping so dad would let me keep driving. (We were a very destination-driven family, driving very long distances as directly as possible to visit family and wanting to reach the destination ASAP rather than meander along the way.)

Because positioning and shot-gunning and place-backing were such a huge part of my childhood traveling existence, I laughed when a simple statement made by Nephi finally connected to my consciousness.

Build A Ship to Cross the Waters AKA Really Long Road Trip

The Lord commanded Nephi and his family to build a ship. Initially, his older brothers refused to help. Ultimately, the Lord intervened to encourage their participation.

And it came to pass that they did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of curious workmanship. And the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship.

It seemed like the family came together and worked unitedly on the ship. But then Nephi recorded, “…after I had finished the ship…” so I’ve wondered if that united effort was short-lived or if Nephi was the skilled laborer to finish up the details of the ship.

And it came to pass that after I had finished the ship, according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord.

We Did Go Down Into the Ship

Ultimately, the ship was completed and it was time to sail to the promised land. And here are the verses that struck me with all my large family, road tripping memories:

And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father, that we should arise and go down into the ship.

 

And it came to pass that on the morrow, after we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us, we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever thing we had brought with us, every one according to his age; wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our wives and our children.

Everyone according to his age… with our wives and our children.

Would you call shotgun on the ship soon to become your home for an undetermined amount of time? Were some spots more desirable than others? Maybe every spot on the ship was equally awesome. However, that hasn’t been my experience as I’ve ridden on ships.

Have you tried to calculate how many people were confined to this boat together dealing with incalculable unknowns? This takes “are we there yet” to infinity and beyond.

Were members of Lehi’s family seasick? Did they fear crossing unknown waters in an untried craft? Did they have enough room to spread out and run around or were they all cramped in a small space?

While squishy, our family road trips are cherished memories. We laughed and played games. We belted out the words to every album that made it into the car. Songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “One More Minute” became acapella road trip anthems, much to mom’s chagrin. We got tired of people’s limbs touching us, but for the most part, since dad strategized most of the drive to be during the night while kids slept, we all endured briefly and then arrived at grandparents’ homes.

Most importantly, my family all liked each other. Because of that, small irritants were just annoyances. No one ever tied up a sibling or put everyone’s lives in danger for vengeance.

As I’ve read this story, I’ve wondered about the circumstances that led Laman and Lemuel to bind Nephi and face the Lord’s wrath in the form of near-death by storm.

I’ve wondered how they prepared food for so many people. Did they share the food they took? Did they fight over food when someone ran out? Someone had to have run out of the good stuff. I’ve wondered if they fished as they went along. I’ve wondered if they saw whales and dolphins and how the stars looked different from the skies at Jerusalem.

Claiming Space By Age

But I’ve never thought about boarding the ship and claiming space. Knowing my family dynamics and the importance of age order, I can imagine how that went down.

So Nephi, who followed the Lord’s directions and found the ore and made the tools and faithfully built the ship, humbly acquiesced.

…we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever thing we had brought with us, every one according to his age…

To me, this says that Nephi as the youngest brother with a family probably boarded with his wife, children, and provisions last. Nephi, who built the ship, was last to board and find a place for his family.

Covenant-Keeper Nephi

I immediately thought of King Benjamin’s covenant dialogue. His description of a covenant person totally depicted Nephi to me:

And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

 

And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

 

And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due. (Mosiah 4:11-13)

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

Nephi lived his covenant. He tasted of the Lord’s goodness. He rejoiced… And this tiny little phrase of boarding according to age rather than involvement in building the ship witnesses to me that being a covenant keeper truly enables someone to grow in their relationship with God so that he “will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably.” Even if he is bound hand and foot on the ship he built and left to die.

And so I thank Nephi for that tiny phrase in his ancient record that showed me what I needed to see today.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Before Adam and Eve ever entered the Garden of Eden, or even before the world was formed, we lived with our Heavenly Parents. Through a process of creation that I don’t quite understand, our spirit/souls were created—with personalities, gender, & especially our divine characteristic of Choice. We lived in Heaven before coming to Earth.

God taught us, His children. We grew—all of us… Billions of souls. We wanted to be like Him, but we could not—yet. His experiences were so beyond the realm of our existence. Yet, like any mortal father, His greatest joy and desire was that we could gain experience and have joy and become like Him.

During the great council in Heaven, Father presented a glorious plan whereby an earth would be prepared. We would come to that earth, clothing our spirits with bodies of flesh & blood, learn of Him, and choose.

Father is perfect, pure & has said that no unclean thing can dwell in His presence. He knew we would often make poor choices and the eternal law of Justice would negate our ability to return to Him, so He prepared the most glorious Way. The Savior Jesus Christ agreed to break the bands of sin and death—to atone for all of our sins, the sins of others to us, as well as our grief, fears, burdens, and sorrows if we would choose to repent of those sins.

Some rejected the plan, objecting to the notion that through choice, we could choose to “fail” to return to God and ultimately desiring His honor for themselves. The book of Revelation records this event as war in heaven where Michael & his angels fought against the dragon, Satan; then, Satan & his angels were cast down to the earth.

The First Married Couple—Adam and Eve

God introduced Adam & Eve into the Garden of Eden—the first married couple on this earth. Father gave two seemingly opposite commandments—one to multiply & replenish the earth and the other to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

I love how already in the story, the Father obviates the need for His Son—commandments enable us to see God’s standard and the paramount need for a Savior who can reconcile us with God. So, the couple realizes that without a Fall, they cannot keep the first commandment and they partake of the fruit, complete the Fall to mortality’s flesh and blood. Then, Adam and Eve are able to bear children and teach them of the Father’s plan of happiness and the commandments and necessary ordinances to return to Him.

And they also died.

When we die, of course, our body is buried in the earth until the Resurrection, but our immortal spirit goes to the spirit world to await the Savior’s triumphant Second Coming, our resurrection and final judgment. The Savior referred to this place to the thief on the cross.

Peter wrote of a vision where he saw the Savior’s spirit, while His body was in the tomb, going to the Spirit world and preaching to those who had been disobedient. How many people have lived and died without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ!? And yet, God, in His infinite justice & mercy, prepares a way for all to learn of Christ and accept Him and the ordinances necessary for Salvation.

The Savior organized the hosts of the righteous to continue preaching to those who had not heard His gospel. That work still continues.

Jesus Christ’s Atonement—the most important event of our eternity—overcame all of the effects of the Fall and enabled the possibilities of Resurrection and life after this life! The scriptures speak of two types—immortality and eternal life. Immortality means to be saved from the awful grasp of death and hell and receive a resurrected body of flesh and bones. All men and women who have been born in this life will be resurrected because of Christ’s atoning grace.

Eternal life means to be saved from the awful grasp of death and hell, to be resurrected with a glorified body of flesh and bones, and to live eternally in the presence of God.

 Paul specifically taught of varying levels of salvation—one glory Celestial, one glory Terrestrial, one glory Telestial (sun, moon, stars). The scriptures testify that all will recognize Jesus is the Savior, but still not all will accept Him and repent of their sins (telestial). Some will accept Him as their Savior, but not choose to follow the ordinances He commanded (terrestrial).

Some, like Cain & Judas, have had great knowledge of Jesus Christ, but “crucified Him unto themselves & put Him to an open shame.” These become the sons of Perdition forever to dwell in the lake of fire and brimstone. Lucifer & his angels who originally rejected Jesus Christ during the War in Heaven are also in this group of damned souls. They will not be resurrected because they never received a body at all. (Eternal damnation means no salvation in any glory.)

The final group gains eternal life and are those whose faith and works are consistent with the principles and ordinances of the Gospel of Christ. They are valiant in their testimonies of Him (celestial).

New and Everlasting Covenant—A Celestial Covenant

God covenanted with Abraham that if he were righteous, He would establish a new and everlasting covenant with him. This covenant promised Abraham eternal life, priesthood, numberless posterity, and land.

Jacob sealed blessings on the head of his sons before he died. Some of those blessings related to their posterity.

Malachi declared that the hearts of the fathers must be sealed to their children and the hearts of the children sealed to their fathers or the whole world would be cursed and the whole purpose of the earth wasted.

Jesus promised His Apostles that what they sealed on earth would be sealed in heaven. Elijah sealed the heavens from rain. Jeremiah sealed prophecies about the destruction of the house of Israel. There are so many examples of how the sealing power of heaven functions on Earth.

One of the most important ways to participate in sealing is by fulfilling ordinances given by God to man. Ordinances like baptism, the confirmation of the gift of the Holy Ghost, sacrament, washing and anointing, marriage are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.

Throughout the ages, consistently and with great promise, these ‘acts’ are mortal acts and they have to be done in the earthly sphere. If righteousness is maintained by works and through faith on the Savior’s grace, the ordinance is sealed on earth. And bound in heaven. And eternal.

So what about those who didn’t hear the “good news” while on Earth? The Savior’s vicarious act of ransoming us teaches us the way we can benefit others—not in the magnitude of ransoming sin, of course—but that the eternal principles to which God adheres is merciful, just, and fair to all of His children.

While teaching about the resurrection, Paul exclaimed, “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?”

The Savior established His Holy House, the temple, as the authorized place for ordinances necessary for salvation to be performed on behalf of those who died without hearing the Gospel.

As genealogies are traced, a mortal person takes the name (one by one) of someone who has died and performs the ordinances for them, or on their behalf. Does this negate the deceased’s free will? Absolutely not! The spirit man or woman can decline the work. But everyone will be given the opportunity to accept or reject the work done for them.

The Savior taught that there will be so much work to do to ensure that every person has the opportunity to accept or reject His word that a Millennium would be necessary after His Second Coming to finish the work—before the resurrection & final judgment.

Once when the Sadducees and Pharisees were arguing about whether there be a resurrection, the Sadducees asked Jesus to which husband a woman who was married to a man who died and then given to each of his brothers would marry in the resurrection. Of course, these men didn’t believe in a resurrection at all anyway, but Jesus provided critical evidence that after the resurrection, these ordinances are not performed. Everything must be done before the resurrection.

Qualifications for Marriage in the Celestial Kingdom

However, marriage is not eternal unless—1) Performed by proper authority/priesthood, 2) Performed in the proper place, 3) the covenant (the couple & God) is upheld with pure fidelity and righteousness. This sealing is only efficacious for those who obtain the celestial kingdom and eternal life.

If one is not sealed in marriage, one cannot enter the highest realm of the celestial kingdom.

In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.

So, in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, families created on this earth continue with husband sealed to wife after the example of our Heavenly Parents.

Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.

 

Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.

 

For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.

 

And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.

 

And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

So, What Does Celestial Marriage Mean to Me? Everything!

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

The sole desire of my heart is to be resurrected to eternal life and live with God forever. The majority of my life’s intent has been spent seeking, finding, understanding and applying spiritual truths through the Spirit of God.

I know I am His child. I know He has a plan for His children. Because of that plan, especially because of the grace of Jesus Christ, I act with faith and repent of my sins and strive to magnify the covenants I have made with God.

Marrying Anthony in the temple was, for me, the single most important decision I have ever made—the culminating decision of a lifetime of decisions. But, the journey didn’t end at the temple doors. We believe in an eternity together if we keep our covenants. Because of that possibility, I truly have joy!!!

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.

 

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

As a child of the last days born in a time of promise, I’ve been given much. What, then, does the Lord require?

What Does the Lord Require?

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

 

I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.

 

I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men.

 

Behold, this is the tithing and the sacrifice which I, the Lord, require at their hands, that there may be a house built unto me for the salvation of Zion….

 

And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes….

 

Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.

Basically, the Lord wants a willing covenant keeper who will do what He asks in building up the Kingdom of God on Earth. Those opportunities come in big and small ways.  Sometimes we can’t even see the impact of our efforts—but the requirement isn’t to see an impact, but to do His will.

How is the Lord Bound?

This promise by the Lord engenders trust in Him. He promises to always fulfill His part of our covenant.

Have you experienced binding the Lord through your obedience to fulfill His word?

A really vivid Old Testament story depicts this principle.

The Old Testament prophet Joshua

The house of Israel rejected Joshua and Caleb’s recommendation to follow Jehovah’s command and fight their way into Canaan. That decision caused Israel to traverse the wilderness instead of eating milk and honey until the unbelieving generation died. All of them died except for Joshua and Caleb.

Appointed prophet, Joshua announced that it was time. Israel passed over Jordan. The Lord gave specific commandments in conquering the nations, including what they could and could not retain from the conquered people. The house of Israel agreed and the conquest began. In the strength of the Lord, and with unusual strategy, Israel defeated Jericho.

The children of Israel next faced Ai.  Ai seemed a much smaller foe, so Joshua sent fewer men. Israel’s army assumed they’d completely conquer again. But they didn’t. Ai’s small force smote them and the Israelites fled.

Shocked at the defeat, Joshua reacted. This part of the story showed me that Joshua fully believed that the Lord was bound when he did what He said. Joshua had done what the Lord said, but they failed. And Joshua fully felt betrayed.

The Lord Was Not Bound Because of Sin

And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

 

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

 

O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

 

For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

 

And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

 

Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

 

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

 

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

Sinner Identified, Israel Acts According to the Lord’s Command

The next morning, as the Lord commanded, Joshua brought all the tribes of Israel together. From the tribe of Judah, he selected a family and went man by man through the family until he came to Achan. The Lord designated Achan as the man who sinned.

Achan stealing spoils of war

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

 

And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

 

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

 

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

 

And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.

 

And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

 

And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

 

And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

Then the Lord told Joshua to war against Ai again. Since Israel removed the sin, now the Lord was bound when they did what He said.

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

Joshua went up against Ai again, this time victoriously.

The story is shockingly visual in one sense. Do I view my sins as graphically as this? One man willfully disobeyed the Lord’s commandment. One man’s sin caused the death of others. The whole house of Israel purged the sinners from their midst. Once cleansed, they again approached the Lord for His covenant promise. And thusly bound, the Lord fulfilled His promise.

Elder James E. Talmage said: “‘Mormonism’ has taught me that God holds himself accountable to law even as he expects us to do. He has set us the example in obedience to law….[W]e have the divine word for it: ‘I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.’ He operates by law and not by arbitrariness or caprice.”

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

That singular view changed one Sunday as I sat watching the Sacrament proceedings. The Holy Ghost riveted me to the logistics. At the appropriate time, those who pass the Sacrament stand up and approach the table. Those blessing the Sacrament move the white cloth to uncover either the bread or the water. The cloth covers the entire Sacrament until the appropriate time; then it is uncovered at the appropriate times, and then it is covered again in four stages.

Those awaiting the tokens of the Sacrament come to the table where the covering is removed, allowing them to receive the token from someone with authority to give it. When the cloth moves aside, tokens are received.

Suddenly, the white cloth looked like other white cloths in my life. The Sacramental cloth was suddenly a veil. Through that veil, I approach tokens designed for me to think of His physical body: HIM.

Instead of focusing on His death and Atonement, I viewed the Sacramental table as a testament that He overcame death through His Atonement. The sacramental emblems represented sanctified tokens of life, for me now, immediately.  If I’ve prepared, the bread and water, blessed by the priesthood power of God, sanctify my soul.

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

Sanctified Souls

Sanctify means “set apart as or declare holy; consecrate, free from sin; purify.”  It denotes a true remission of sins and the ability to approach the throne of God confidently clean and pure.

Sanctification is a prerequisite to celestial salvation.

And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it.

Therefore, it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory; For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father; 

That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified. And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.

While we generally view obtaining celestial glory as something occurringafter this life, many in the scriptures received the Lord’s assurance in this life (their calling and election) that they obtained celestial glory.

Viewing the Sacramental emblem covering as a veil invites this train of thought.  The Sacrament sanctifies. Sanctified souls come into the presence of God.

Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.

Sanctified souls “always have His Spirit,” Christ’s Spirit, with them, because that is the promise of the Second Comforter.

Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; …when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions-Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the First Born.

So as making baptismal covenants is preparatory to receiving the Holy Ghost, keeping those same covenants leads to uncovering the veil through sacramental sanctification preparatory to receiving the Second Comforter, Jesus Christ.

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

The Sacrament is the personal ordinance we repeatedly perform for ourselves alone. It’s become a repeated reminder, and constant commandment, of the opportunity that awaits “that they may always have his Spirit to be with them” without a veil.  Literally. Completely. Forever.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Covenant availability

Unless stated otherwise, all quotes come from an October, 2011 Conference talk entitled, “Covenants” by Russell M. Nelson

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, what do we do, that is of lasting consequence, that is not directly associated with a covenant? I pretty much drew a blank on that question. Everything I can think of that is of greatest value and that lasts the longest is tied to a covenant. Usually, it is directly tied to a covenant.

Outside of the LDS faith, where in the Christian community do you hear people talking about making and keeping sacred covenants with God? Unless it has something to do with either baptism or marriage, in which case it is usually referred to as a sacrament, you don’t really hear much about covenants.

Our church and our faith is replete with talk about covenants. We start talking to converts about covenants during the lessons about the gospel, and the conversation about covenants never ends. In our church we bump into another covenant at every turn. Most notable is our participation each and every Sunday in the Sacrament, which is the renewal and re-commitment of our baptismal covenants.

From the time we get baptized until we have entered the temple, almost all we hear is temple this and temple that, and all the covenants we make in the temple. All of our highest forms of worship are centered around making covenants with God, our Father. What’s up with that?

What are covenants?

When the Lord sets the terms for granting us blessings, He attaches those terms to existing laws. If we obey this set of laws we are promised this set of blessings. Each set of blessings God promises His children are based on obedience to a specific set of laws. This way all blessings come from measurable and demonstrable behavior. There is no question in His mind as to whether we have earned a particular blessing, because either we have honored His terms or we have fallen short. If we fall short of the terms we agreed to He can bless us or withhold the blessings, based on how well we did and what our intentions and motives were behind our actions. Yes, He is able to measure such things.

Covenants are the legal and binding contracts used in the eternal worlds. God sets the terms and we either accept them or reject them based on our moral agency.

“… in a religious context, a covenant is much more significant. It is a sacred promise with God. He fixes the terms. Each person may choose to accept those terms. If one accepts the terms of the covenant and obeys God’s law, he or she receives the blessings associated with the covenant. We know that “when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”

So covenants are heaven’s version of the binding contract. Covenants are almost always verbal. Sometimes we accept a covenant with an agreed upon physical gesture. Either way we always have to physically demonstrate our willingness to participate in the covenant. When we accept the covenant of baptism we physically go down into the water and submit to the act of baptism. When we renew that covenant we eat and drink the figurative body and blood of Christ in the form of bread and water.

Why covenants?

Even in the pre earth life we participated in covenants. The gospel of Christ that includes a Savior and Redeemer was given to us by way of covenant before we ever came to earth.

God promised to send a Savior for His children, asking in turn for their obedience to His law.

Before we could come to earth we all agreed to the gospel plan offered by our Father, and administered to us by covenant. This is how we “kept” our first estate, we accepted our Father in Heaven’s plan for our exaltation through the use of our moral agency by way of a Savior, who was Jesus Christ.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson in a talk entitled “Why Marriage, Why Family” said the following about the covenants we made with God, our Father before coming to earth.

If, while with God in the premortal spirit world, we would agree to participate in His plan—or in other words “keep [our] first estate”—we would “be added upon” with a physical body as we came to dwell on the earth that He created for us.

If, then in the course of our mortal experience, we chose to “do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God [should] command [us],” we would have kept our “second estate.”

It is because of covenants

Everything that happens between Christ and mankind happens because of covenants already made. When Jesus visited the Nephites in 3 Nephi 20:26 he taught them that the Father sent Him to them specifically because they were the children of God’s covenant. His purpose was to honor God’s covenant with His people and to turn them away from their sins. Elder Nelson worded it this way:

The Savior explained the importance of their identity as children of the covenant. He said, “The Father having raised me up unto you first, … sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant.”

The Savior used an interesting phrase. He called the people the children of the covenant. What covenant is He referring to? He is referring to the Abrahamic covenant. When God revealed to Abraham that he, Abraham was one of His noble and great ones, His most valiant children, He made promises to Abraham based on Abraham’s faithfulness to the covenant the Lord offered Him. The promises of this covenant are the covenants of godhood, which include eternal increase, eternal marriage, priesthood power, and exaltation in the eternities with a celestial body.

These promises, these covenants are only available to those who are willing to live according to the commandments given us by the prophets through Christ’s direction. Anyone who is willing to live the commandments is allowed to receive the covenants, but only those who do accept the covenants and are faithful to them to the end of their lives will be honored with the grand rewards of what we refer to as the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage.

The ancient prophets knew that not all the people of the earth would enjoy the opportunity to receive these blessings in their day and time. They knew from the Lord that the world as a whole would not be offered this set of covenants until the latter days. These ancient prophets were promised that in the latter days everyone would be offered this blessing.

To facilitate that promise, the Lord appeared in these latter days to renew that Abrahamic covenant. To the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Master declared:

“Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, … my servant Joseph. …

“This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham.”

With this renewal, we have received, as did they of old, the holy priesthood and the everlasting gospel. We have the right to receive the fullness of the gospel, enjoy the blessings of the priesthood, and qualify for God’s greatest blessing—that of eternal life.

Until the Savior’s day the blessings of the covenant were restricted to just the descendants of Abraham, specifically the posterity of his grandson Jacob (Israel). Today, if a person is not genetically a descendant of Israel they are adopted into the line of Abraham when they accept the Abrahamic covenant. Either way the blessings and the promises are the same.

The Lord promised that scattered Israel would be gathered together again in the last days and that His covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) would be offered once again to their posterity.

The Book of Mormon is a tangible sign that the Lord has commenced to gather His children of covenant Israel. This book, written for our day, states as one of its purposes that “ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel … is already beginning to be fulfilled. … For behold, the Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house of Israel.”

Blessings of covenants

In his talk Elder Nelson said:

The greatest compliment that can be earned here in this life is to be known as a covenant keeper.

Why? Because there is only one set of covenants being offered by our Father in Heaven, and that is the Abrahamic covenant. Those who accept those covenants and keep faithful to their commitment to live by them to the end of their mortal lives are those who will be rewarded with godhood and the right to have a family in the eternities. These are the people who will live in the presence of the Father and the Son forever.

Those who kept their first estate will be rewarded with a resurrected body and a kingdom of glory based on what level of righteous behavior they were comfortable with in mortality. Everyone will be very happy with the Lord’s generosity.

Final Thoughts

To read more of Kelly Merrill’s articles, click here.

Covenants are only offered to those seeking to be exalted after this life. The process of covenant keeping began long before this life, and will continue long after this life. The covenants offered to us in this life were created before the world was formed, and everything Christ does in reference to our salvation is in keeping with those covenants we all accepted before birth. But only those who accept the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage, the temple covenants, and keep faithful to them will receive eternal life in the presence of God.

Yes, we are a covenant people. Can you even imagine any privilege greater than what we have been offered through baptism in the Lord’s Church? These covenants are administered only through the Melchizedek priesthood, and exist only in this Church. This is why covenants matter.

Kelly P. Merrill

Kelly Merrill is semi retired and writes for https://gospelstudy.us. He lives with his wife in Idaho. His strength is being able to take difficult to understand subjects and break them down into understandable parts. He delights in writing about the gospel of Christ. Writing about the gospel is his personal missionary work to the members of the Church and to those of other faiths who are wanting to know more about Christ’s gospel and His Church.

gospelstudy.us

I have often thought of those who’ve been saved from a burning building or any other perilous situation. How do they repay their hero? Of course they are grateful, but no amount of money could ever be sufficient. Unless they follow their hero around for the rest of their lives in order to be there at the exact time he might need saving, they can never repay their champion fully. One story I heard involving a mountain climbing expedition where a hiker was saved by one of his fellow mountaineers was related in this way. The hiker said, “You never forget him.”

“We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.” As the Third Article of Faith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I consider this a two-way covenant. The first half outlines what our Savior promises to do—to save us through His sacrifice, mercy and grace. The second half is our part—to be obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Some may wonder if this means we are instruments in our own salvation. I would rather think of it as a debt of gratitude to an otherwise unrecompensable act of mercy. Or more simply put, a way to never forget Him.

There is no question in the heart and mind of every true follower of Christ that the atoning sacrifice He made for all mankind was the most supreme act of saving grace. The question does arise, however as to whether or not mankind must do something in return for this gift. It is obvious that we cannot repay the Savior—what He did was something no one else could have accomplished. But does He expect anything from us in return? I believe the Bible points to numerous examples of what He asks of us. A prophet and apostle of the Lord in these latter days, Dallin H. Oaks, stated it this way. “We receive God’s grace because of the Atonement. We can’t raise ourselves from the dead, so the Resurrection is an example of His grace. We can’t purify ourselves from sin, so the Lord’s forgiveness is another example of grace. But before He will forgive us, we must repent—that’s our part, our works.

“Besides repentance, our works also include receiving ordinances, keeping covenants, and serving others. While these works are necessary for salvation, they aren’t sufficient. They are not enough because we can’t live perfect lives, but we can do our best to live righteously. By doing so, we invite the Lord’s grace into our lives and qualify for the gift of salvation.” (March 2005 Ensign)

A Christian author, C. S. Lewis, compared grace and works to the blades of a pair of scissors. Both are necessary. To ask “Are you saved by grace or works?” is like asking “Do you cut with this blade or that one?” We need both blades to make a perfect cut. So as the Lord provides the grace of His atoning sacrifice, we show Him our dedication through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel—a two-way covenant.

No one can comprehend the suffering Christ had experienced both in Gethsemane and on the cross. It is a debt we cannot possibly repay. But like those who have experienced the heroic acts of being rescued from a burning building by a fire fighter or from the grips of a terrorist by a soldier, something changes inside of you when you realize you’ve been saved. You are not the same person you once were. You value your life much more because you have faced death more closely. You never forget your rescuer. You do not look at life the same anymore because of the perspective you have been given. And I would venture to say, you make wiser choices in your everyday life based on your change of heart.

So, too, does a true convert to Jesus Christ have a change of heart, and thus a change of behavior. To become truly converted to Jesus Christ requires that depth of change. To feel an eternal bond that connects your spirit to His is a life-altering experience. Ask anyone who has felt the promptings of the Holy Ghost testify to them of the forgiving power of the Savior’s atonement, the truthfulness of the restored gospel, the saving grace of His mercy and love. Their experiences are personal and undeniable. They are as real to them as the act of being physically saved by a fire fighter or a soldier. More so, even, because the saving power of Christ is eternal.

It is only natural to want to give back to the person who saved your life. In the case of Jesus Christ, we could not possibly make up for what He did. But we don’t have to. He only requires we remember Him in small ways. His life was an example of how we should live—we can remember Him by being more like Him. He demonstrated how we should act—what manner of men or women we should be—even as He is. He led by example in His teachings. His parables were stories of how we should treat our brothers. If He did not mean for us to change our ways, why would He have spent three years of His life in ministry teaching repentance, forgiveness, kindness, and to keep the commandments of God? He even received baptism—a remission of sins—when He had never sinned at all. He was baptized out of obedience, not necessity. He knew baptism was an ordinance that was required for salvation, and so he complied with this ordinance.

In comparison to what He did for us, the Savior does not require much. And when we think how He gave His life for us, the least we can do is remember Him. His end of the covenant was the hard part. Ours is easy—it’s also renewable, each Sunday when we partake of the sacrament. We promise to always remember Him, so that we can have His spirit to be with us. What a beautiful gift He gives us, one we can deeply appreciate if we truly have a change of heart.

Nanette ONeal

Nanette O’Neal loves the gospel and is very happy to share her testimony on LDS Blogs. She is a convert to the church and still feels the spirit burn strong within her heart. She graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts with a degree in music education and has taught children and adults in the private and public sphere for over twenty years. Nanette continues to study the gospel and the art of writing. She writes weekly inspirational articles on her blog and is currently working on an LDS fantasy novel series, A Doorway Back to Forever. You can find her at NanetteONeal.blogspot.com. Nanette has a wonderful husband, talented son, and three beautiful dogs.

And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives (Mosiah 5: 7-8).

He promised them the name of Christ, if they wrote it in their hearts, would never be blotted out unless they became unworthy of it through sin. Certainly, taking on the name of Christ is a serious matter. It would be entirely disrespectful to do so and then to regularly abuse his name. People will judge Christ by the behavior of His followers. He Himself said that if we love Him, we must keep His commandments. This means that if we are unwilling to make sacrifices of some worldly pleasures in order to honor His name, we are suggesting we do not love Him, in which case we should not be wearing His name. No one is perfect, but we’re expected to be working towards perfection, repenting when we fall short.

Dallin H. Oaks, a Mormon apostle, explained what it means to take the name of the Savior on us:

We see that we take upon us the name of Christ when we are baptized in his name, when we belong to his Church and profess our belief in him, and when we do the work of his kingdom…..

“Willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ can therefore be understood as willingness to take upon us the authority of Jesus Christ.… Our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ affirms our commitment to do all that we can to be counted among those whom he will choose to stand at his right hand and be called by his name at the last day. In this sacred sense, our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ constitutes our declaration of candidacy for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Exaltation is eternal life, ‘the greatest of all the gifts of God’ (D&C 14:7)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1985, 102–3, 105; or Ensign, May 1985, 80–81, 83).

This, then, is not an honorary title. It means that salvation is more than merely saying a few words and then going about our lives just as we did before. We don’t earn Heaven, but we do demonstrate our love for Jesus Christ, as He taught, by keeping the commandments and showing that He means so much to us we are willing to do anything He asks of us. When done in a spirit of love, obedience to the commandments is an essential part of salvation because it signifies we have truly had a change of heart—our whole lives have changed.

If our lives haven’t changed, what is the point of becoming a Christian? Christianity, taking on the name of the Savior, accepting the atonement of Jesus Christ—these things are all meant to change our lives, both now and for eternity.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet, finished his long sermon on Jesus Christ by discussing Jesus’ baptism. Remember that this sermon occurred about 559–545 B.C., so Jesus has not been born yet. However, Nephi has seen visions that taught him about the life of Jesus Christ.

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

Nephi reminded his people that he had taught of a prophet who would baptize Jesus Christ. This, of course, was John the Baptist. He addressed the issue of why Jesus Christ needed to be baptized at all. Baptism is most often referred to as a way to wash away our sins after we repent, so we can be born again and start over in God’s eyes. Jesus Christ was perfect and had no sins.

Nephi explained that Jesus, although not needing repentance, was baptized to fulfill all righteousness:

Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.

And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.

And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son (2 Nephi 31:7-11).

Jesus set the example for us by being baptized. Nephi asked his listeners if they could really think baptism was optional when even Jesus Christ was baptized. Clearly, it is not. Baptism has a number of spiritual purposes. One is to wash away our sins. Another is to obey God’s commands. Another is to make our first covenant with God.

A covenant is a two-way promise between God and man. God sets the terms and we must fulfill our part in order to receive His part. When we are baptized, we promise to take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ and to keep His commandments. In return, God promises to forgive us when we repent and to let us live with Him forever.

Why Do We Have to Obey the Commandments?

As we’ve mentioned in previous articles, obedience to the commandments has to be done for the right reasons:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel (2 Nephi 31:13).

Being baptized allows you to begin working to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, also known as the baptism of fire. The Holy Ghost testifies to us of truth, keeps us safe, and guides us along the path back to God.

For many, it is an easy thing to commit to accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and to be baptized. Those are one-time events. The harder part is to press forward and endure to the end. It’s not enough to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and then to go on living as you did before you made that change. Baptism is the beginning, not the end.

“Coming unto Christ is not a single event with a fixed point of beginning or ending; rather, it is a process that develops and deepens during a lifetime. As an initial step in the process, we certainly must obtain knowledge and learn about Jesus and His life, teachings, and ministry. But truly coming unto Him also requires consistent obedience and striving to become like Jesus in our thoughts, motives, communications, and actions. As we ‘press forward’ (2 Ne. 31:20) on the pathway of discipleship, we can draw near unto the Savior with the expectation that He will draw near unto us; we can seek Him diligently with the hope that we shall find Him; we can ask with confidence that we shall receive; and we can knock anticipating that the door shall be opened unto us (see D&C 88:63)” (“Because We Have Them before Our Eyes,” New Era, Apr. 2006, 2).

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Baptism is the first formal covenant Mormons make.

A covenant is a two-way promise between God and man. God sets the terms, but if we keep our part of it, God will always keep his part. They’ve been a part of God’s relationship with mankind from the earliest days. The Old Testament is filled with stories of covenants God made with His people and the results that came about when people chose to obey or disobey the covenant.

You don’t have to be Mormon to make a covenant with God. Throughout the Bible, we find many places where God has asked us to do something and told us what He will do for us if we obey. As you read the Bible, begin marking those verses and recording them in a notebook. Be sure to record both the commandment and the promise. Then, as you pray, make a personal covenant with God to honor His request.

For instance, the Sermon on the Mount offers these possibilities for covenants:

 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (See Matthew 5.)

In verse seven, we have the two parts required for a covenant. Your job is to be merciful. Your reward is to obtain mercy for yourself. In verse eight, you are asked to be pure in heart. If you do this, God covenants that you will see Him.

If you chose verse seven as your personal covenant, you would probably first want to find out what it means to be merciful. You might click on the word merciful if you went to the online verse I linked to. It would give you a link to the topical guide. If you click that, you get a list of scriptures related to the word merciful. The first scriptures are from the Old Testament. These are followed by New Testament verses. The remaining scriptures are from LDS-specific books. The Bible verses are from the King James translation, which is a very standard version of the Bible.

To begin you study on mercy, you would read each of the scriptures from the books of scripture you want to study. As you do so, you’ll record in your notebook what is expected of a merciful person, why it matters to God, and what God will give you if you are merciful. You may want to note people in the Bible who were merciful to use as role models.

As an example, you will encounter this scripture:

21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he (Proverbs 14:21). This tells you that mercy includes being kind to the poor. This aspect of mercy even comes with a whole new promise, making it a covenant all its own. If you are compassionate toward the poor, you will be happy.

You can see this covenant study will not be as simple as you expect. Now that you’ve learned that mercy includes your treatment of the poor, you will need to study the scriptures to learn how God wants you to treat the poor.

Of course, you don’t have to know or master everything about mercy in order to get started. You can choose the first thing you encounter and start living that. As you learn more, you can add to your commitment to living God’s commandments, gradually improving your ability to live the law of mercy.

You will find that the commandments tend to interconnect. Over time you’ll discover that your study of mercy will have you living many other commandments as well. This means that you can start perfecting yourself with just one covenant, but that it will spiral out until you are living all of them. God has told us the extreme importance of keeping the commandments. “21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” The process of making a covenant with God will help you to be a doer, not just a sayer.

Making covenants is a sacred experience. It must never be made lightly and it should not be made for the reward. Covenants are a sign that you love God and want to obey Him and that you trust Him, even when it comes to making hard choices. Making a covenant with no thought of reward, knowing the reward might not even come until the next life, is a sincere act of love and faith. After all, when you love someone on earth, you are willing to change your life and to make sacrifices for that person. Your willingness to do this for God should be even greater.

As long as you’re keeping a notebook that contains your research, why not also record your experiences with the covenant? What are your thoughts about what you’ve learned as you’ve researched? What actions did you take to carry out your end of the covenant? How did those choices change you as a person? How did they change the lives of others? What blessings have you seen in your life as a result of living that covenant?

As you monitor the miracles and pleasures that come with obedience from love and faith, your faith will increase and you’ll find it easier to make the next covenant or to move to keeping that covenant at a higher level. Your commitment to the covenant will increase.

God has asked us to make certain formal covenants in prescribed settings and under guidance from those in authority. Those are also important to make and although everyone makes them, they are entirely personal, made between you and God. For instance, in the Old Testament, God made a covenant with Abraham. This was a formal covenant, entered into in a prescribed way. For Mormons, these covenants are made at set times, such as baptisms and in the temple, but they are regularly renewed.

We need strong Christians who can persevere against hardship, who can sustain hope through tragedy, who can lift others by their example and their compassion, and who can consistently overcome temptations. We need strong Christians who can make important things happen by their faith and who can defend the truth of Jesus Christ against moral relativism and militant atheism.

What is the source of such moral and spiritual power, and how do we obtain it? The source is God. Our access to that power is through our covenants with Him. A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God (see Bible Dictionary, “Covenant,” 651). In these divine agreements, God binds Himself to sustain, sanctify, and exalt us in return for our commitment to serve Him and keep His commandments.

We enter into covenants by priesthood ordinances, sacred rituals that God has ordained for us to manifest our commitment. Our foundational covenant, for example, the one in which we first pledge our willingness to take upon us the name of Christ, is confirmed by the ordinance of baptism. It is done individually, by name. By this ordinance, we become part of the covenant people of the Lord and heirs of the celestial kingdom of God.

Other sacred ordinances are performed in temples built for that very purpose. If we are faithful to the covenants made there, we become inheritors not only of the celestial kingdom but of exaltation, the highest glory within the heavenly kingdom, and we obtain all the divine possibilities God can give (see D&C 132:20). (See D. Todd Christofferson, “The Power of Covenants,” Liahona, May 2009, 19–23.)

Elder Christofferson, in the talk referenced above, suggests three important benefits that come from making formal covenants with God.

The first is that we are strengthened by the gifts and benefits that come from making and keeping sacred covenants. Each time we keep the commandments, we are blessed by God for what we’ve chosen to do. The more commandments we keep, the more continual the flow will be. This doesn’t mean you will have a trial-free life. No one gets that because trials are part of the purpose of life. It does mean you’ll feel God’s presence more continually as you reap the benefits promised to us for each commandment.

The second benefit is to enjoy increased faith. Alma, a book of Mormon prophet, taught that in order to develop faith, we only need to have a desire to gain faith. From this we can begin to act like a person with faith. As we do this and we see how God blesses us, our faith grows. Each time we keep a commandment, our faith increases because we begin to understand the purpose behind the commandment—commandments are not random assignments—and that increases our faith in God’s wisdom and power.

Finally, he suggests we are strengthened with the power of Godliness as we keep our covenants. God promised us the presence of the Holy Ghost when He was gone from the earth. The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead who does not have a body. His purpose is to testify to us of truth and to help us make wise choices and to remain safe. The Holy Ghost can’t be where wickedness is, so in order to enjoy His presence and His help, we need to obey the commandments and keep our sacred covenants. This leads to a wonderful circle of blessings because the more the Holy Ghost helps you, the easier it is to keep your covenants, and the more you keep them, the more the Holy Ghost helps you.

As Elder Christofferson says, “Divine covenants make strong Christians.”

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.