Repentance: The Lord Covenanteth With None Save it be With Them That Repent

These posts on Repentance are intended to be read in order beginning with

Repentance: Introduction

At the bottom of each post is a link to the next one. 

Following my last post on Repentance I found this scripture, and it transitions well with this post:

“Now they did not sin ignorantly,

For they knew the will of God

Concerning them,

For it had been taught them,

Therefore they did 

Willfully rebel against God” (3 Nephi 6:18 emphasis added).

We hear a lot about the Covenant Path, but I am not sure it has ever been clarified what it means exactly. It is quoted often in General Conference, and among ourselves. It has become what I call another tenet or dogma that makes its way through the church mantra-style as in repeating any word or phrase with no regard to what it means. Other recent phrases like Hasten the Work and Teach as the Savior Taught (now Teaching in the Savior’s Way), were like grass fire at one time, but they are not spoken so often at this time. 

Tenet is defined as any opinion, principle, belief, creed, precept or dogma, especially one held in common by members of an organization. Seems OK doesn’t it? The problem is that the Lord has told us “of tenets that shalt not talk” (D&C 19:31). The reason is that tenets are statements put forward without any effort to define them, leaving people free to use theirs or others’ ideas as to their meaning. Hasten the Work and Teach as the Savior Taught are good examples of members and leaders imposing their own meanings, perhaps mingling with scriptures, but without using the Lord’s definition. And in almost all cases it is because they do not know the scriptural narrative and do not have the word of God in them. Take Teach as the Savior Taught for example. The Lord said: “I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak” (John 12:49-50 emphasis added). For a more detailed discussion see: And of Tenets Thou Shalt Not Talk #2.

I have no problem with terms that are defined using the word of God, in which case, they no longer are tenets, but are the word of God. Hasten the work comes from scripture, and even though the phrase Teach as the Savior Taught, does not, it is a phrase that if properly defined is the word of God. I am not sure that covenant path meets this criteria, at least the way covenant is used in the scriptures. And, besides, there are scriptural phrases that to me have more meaning such as hold fast to the iron rod, or feast upon the words of Christ for His words will tell us all things we must do, or live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God. 

Covenant path confuses me, and takes away from the Lord asking us to heed His words and live by them. Maybe someone can give me a good definition of covenant path, but so far, I have not seen or heard one. There is no question but that we make covenants, but one question, even though of least importance is: what covenants do we make? 

Before we answer, let’s look at how covenant is used in the scriptures. One thing I can tell you is that the scriptures do not say that a covenant is a two-way promise between us and God. That is Mormon-Speak. Legally in its most general sense a covenant is a promise to engage in or refrain from a specified action, and it can be made by one party for the benefit of another. A covenant can be made by only one party to an agreement, or parties can make differing covenants, but a covenant is not the result of two parties making promises to each other.

Speaking of brush fires, remember a few years back, all the talk about the Sabbath day and the Sacrament? There was even special training and members were assigned to talk about the Sacrament. This is also an excellent example of a topic which was once on the lips of almost all members, hardly finding any traction today. And even when it was defined it was usually contrary to the purpose of the Sacrament, even though the Sacrament prayer itself, given to us by the Lord, is all that we need to understand. 

I had always been taught that when we partake of the sacrament we were renewing covenants we made at baptism, but as I searched the scriptures, I could find nothing that supported this. And I didn’t remember ever making any covenants when I was baptized, nor did I witness others making covenants when they were baptized. I brought this up once in a Gospel Doctrine class, and you would have thought that I was speaking heresy. It was later, during this period when we were focused on the sacrament, that I read this:

“The title ‘renewing our baptismal covenants’ is not found in the scriptures. It is not inappropriate. Many of you [gesturing to the audience of Seventies and Auxiliary leaders] have used it in talks. We [gesturing to other apostles sitting on the stand behind him] have used it in talks, but it is not something that is used in the scriptures. And it can’t be the keynote of what we say about the sacrament” (Neil L. Andersen, Witnessing to Live the Commandments, General Conference Leadership Training on the Sabbath Day Observance at Church, emphasis added)

I still don’t understand why he said it “is not inappropriate” or that “the sacrament is beautiful time to not just renew our baptismal covenants, but to commit to Him to renew all our covenants, all of our promises, and to approach Him in a spiritual power that we did not have previously as we move forward.” It seems to me that notwithstanding there is no scriptural basis, we just can’t let it go. Perhaps we misunderstand the wording of the sacrament prayer because it does say “take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments” (Moroni 4:3).

But what it does not say is that we promise or that we covenant to do these three things. The prayer, on the other hand, teaches us His Gospel. It says that we witness unto our Eternal Father, “that we are willing” to do so. Not that we will! We witness that we want to take upon us His name, always remember Him and keep His commandments. In other words we are witnessing to our Father in Heaven that we are repenting, that we are turning to Christ. We witness that we are willing and ask for His help. It is all the difference in the world than saying we will! That is why the sacrament is so important to me. I am witnessing each time that I want to turn to Him and I need His help doing so. I want to partake of His flesh and blood. Another way of demonstrating this is if I sang I Need Thee Every Hour in a Sacrament meeting, where everyone would readily know that I do need Him every hour.

I think my objection to the covenant path is that when we focus on making covenants, we are focusing on what we do rather than what Christ has promised us. The tendency is to put our trust in our covenant making, and it just reinforces justification by works. It is not, however, about making covenants to Him, but about Him making covenants with us. But there is a catch, and it has everything to do with repentance.

The "Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe on his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel'' (2 Nephi 31:2 emphasis added). He does not covenant with those who make covenants, but only with those who repent. See how a watered down version of His words really does dilute His words. 

His covenant with Abraham is one that we should focus on, since this is what the Book of Mormon is all about--His covenant with Israel, and His remembering that covenant when He takes His gospel from us and brings it to the House of Israel (3 Nephi 16:10-11). He also makes it clear that:

“...if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel” (3 Nephi 16:13).

Joseph Smith said: “Christ proposed to make a covenant with the Jews, but they rejected Him and His proposal. The Gentiles (which includes us) received the covenant, but the Gentiles have not continued, but have departed from the faith. They have become high-minded, and have not feared; therefore, but few of them will be gathered.” (Note the difference between making and receiving His covenant.) 

In other words, the Gentiles refused and continue to refuse to repent, and as a result the Gospel will be taken from them and given to the House of Israel as the Lord remembers His covenant with them. (3 Nephi 16:10)

Joseph Continues, “Man departed from the first teachings, or instructions which he received from heaven in the first age, and refused by his disobedience to be governed by them. Consequently, he formed such laws as best suited his own mind, or as he supposed, were best adapted to his situation. …God has instructed man to form wise and wholesome laws, since they had departed from Him and refused to be governed by those laws which God had given by His own voice from on high in the beginning.” (Joseph Smith) 

What were the “first teachings, or instructions” or “those laws which God had given by His own voice” which man received from heaven, but refused to be governed by them? It was His law, His only law. And that is one law that we do covenant to keep, but not before we receive His gospel and repent and turn to Christ. See Are We Not All Beggars. 

As there was only one law given to Israel, so there is only one law given to the human race, the law by which the sons and daughters of God are supposed to live in this world. It was given complete to Moses, but the people would not receive it, so he could give them only a part of it. (Exodus 32:19; cf JST Exodus 34:1-2). In his farewell speech, Moses concluded by saying:

“Behold I set before you this day a blessing and a curse” (Deuteronomy 11:26). “If thou wilt not hearken…these curses are for you.” Then he repeated a list of promised blessing in reverse (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil…. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30-15, 19). Those who accept the covenant are expected not to follow the world, but to be set apart from it--to be completely sanctified. “Ye stand this day all of you before Jehovah, your God,... that he may establish thee today for a people unto himself” (Deuteronomy 29:10, 13). To reject such an offer is to incur the judgment of God. 

Another way of saying ‘accept His promises,’ is to say repent, and not follow the world, but to accept His blessings, accept life, accept good, and deny not the gifts of God! “The Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe on his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel.'' 

So it matters not how many covenants we make. What matters are the covenants (promises) He makes. We have the option of either accepting or rejecting them. The promise is always there until it isn’t, when we reject it. Only those who repent accept His promise of life. Only those who desire to live His law (the law of consecration) will receive the promise where we are equal in both earthly and heavenly things, for the obtaining of heavenly things. If we cannot be equal in earthly things we cannot be equal in heavenly things (D&C 78:5-6).  This is the fulness of the Gospel that we the Ephramite Gentiles reject. This is why the gospel is taken from us and given to the House of Israel who will repent and receive His promise. As He said “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” 

This is what is meant by turning away from the world and its inequality, desiring all to be equal, which is what we do when we turn to Him.

And it is our Father who will teach us of His covenant: 

“And the Spirit giveth light 

to every man 

that cometh into the world; 

and the Spirit enlighteneth

every man 

through the world, 

that hearkeneth 

to the voice of the Spirit.

And every one that hearkeneth 

to the voice of the Spirit 

cometh unto God, 

even the Father. 

And the Father teacheth him 

of the covenant 

which he has renewed 

and confirmed upon you, 

which is confirmed upon you 

for your sakes, 

and not for your sakes only, 

but for the sake of the whole world. (D&C 84:46-48).

I have written extensively about this covenant which you can access here.

Next: Repentance: Failure of the Lord's People to Repent is the Catalyst for the Lord’s Endtime Judgments