Chapter 4 - Understanding Covenants and Ordinances
Understanding Covenants and Ordinances
The temple endowment includes a series of covenants and ordinances.
Covenants and ordinances are standard features of Latter-day Saint vocabulary and integral to Latter-day Saint life.
Just participation in covenants and ordinances doesn't guarantee complete understanding.
It's worthwhile to explore these concepts:
Relationship Between Covenants and Ordinances
Covenants cannot be understood apart from ordinances.
Ordinances are actions that lead us into covenants.
Covenants enable us to receive ordinances.
There are no eternal covenants not connected to an ordinance.
They serve as a source of protection and facilitate the channeling of godly power to individuals.
Covenants and ordinances provide access to spiritual gifts necessary for personal perfection.
Significance in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Covenants and ordinances are vital in the gospel.
They differ in importance among various religions:
In Protestant denominations, grace and faith are seen as the main paths to salvation, diminishing the importance of ordinances.
Conversely, churches claiming apostolic authority (like the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church) place greater emphasis on sacred ordinances.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims ancient origins and thus highlights the critical role of ordinances and covenants, emphasizing divine authority in performing them.
The Church's Mission Aligned with Covenants and Ordinances
The threefold mission of the church revolves around covenants and ordinances:
Proclaiming the Gospel: Offering baptism (an ordinance) and the covenants of the gospel.
Perfecting the Saints: Assisting members to receive ordinances related to exaltation and support them in covenant living.
Redeeming the Dead: Performing vicarious ordinances for those who have passed away.
Overview of Covenants in Latter-day Saints' Belief
Covenants are central to the identity of Latter-day Saints:
Made at baptism and renewed every week during the sacrament.
Upon receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood, covenants include an oath to be faithful and to magnify one’s calling.
The temple endowment involves sacred covenants (
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Marital covenants made in the temple connect partners not just to each other but to God.
Children born to parents who have made temple covenants are considered born “in the covenant.”
Latter-day Saints believe they are heirs of the Abrahamic Covenant, which ties them to scriptural traditions encompassing both the Old and New Testaments.
Testaments and covenants are synonymous; hence, scriptures revolve around their concepts.
Deeper Understanding of Covenants
Definition of Covenant: Generally considered a two-way promise or a binding agreement between God and man.
Covenants are more than mere agreements; they are:
Vehicles for attaining eternal life.
Sources of spiritual strength amidst adversities, providing a form of immunity against evil.
Russell M. Nelson interprets covenants in medical terms, suggesting they contribute to producing a resistant strain of souls against sin.
Covenants also grant stability and direction as they lead believers through life's complexities.
They exist to enhance the bond between individuals and the Savior.
The more covenants one underlines, the greater the divine love and power accessible through Christ.
Eternity and Covenants: Covenants, like baptismal and temple covenants, extend beyond mortality, remaining potent eternally.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie emphasizes Israel as an eternal people, bound by covenants made even pre-mortally.
Lifestyle and Conduct Covenants
Covenants involve commitments concerning conduct in life, made before birth with the promise to live righteously, marry in the temple, rear children, and teach them righteousness.
Laniel A. Maxwell points out that the specifics of these covenants relate to individual missions based on personal talents.
Every covenant guarantees divine grace to help fulfill its obligations, affirming that what is needed to keep premortal covenants will be provided.
This belief instills confidence against the unpredictability of life events.
Binding Nature of Covenants
Covenants have a binding power on individuals about righteous living and promise-based blessings.
Doctrine and Covenants 82:10: "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say."
Keeping commandments equates to fulfilling covenants, thereby assuring blessings.
Covenants bind Latter-day Saints collectively:
An interconnectedness among members of the church community based on baptismal covenants, encouraging mutual love and support.
C. Terry Warner suggests the spiritual connectivity that covenant binds resembles familial relationships.
Temple covenants specifically bind familial relationships, suggesting continuity of love and duty beyond death.
The Yoke of Christ
The metaphor of the yoke symbolizes the covenant bond with Jesus Christ, where both partners work together:
Christ, the stronger partner, provides strength to the weaker.
This yoking enables believers to tackle the impossible challenges of life.
An allegory from personal experience in ballroom dancing illustrates how divine support can elevate individual capabilities through covenantal relationships with God.
Implications of Baptismal and Temple Covenants
Baptismal covenants open doors to the kingdom of God on earth and the celestial kingdom, promising divine support in hardships.
Temple covenants enhance these blessings, allowing individuals and families to achieve exaltation.
The covenant among David, Jonathan, and Mephibosheth illustrates how covenant blessings extend to posterity.
Reaffirmation of God's support for those living according to His commandments ensures divine care over their families.
Consequences of Breaking Covenants
Breaking covenants results in a severing of ties with God, suggesting spiritual vulnerability and danger akin to breaking the yoke.
Jeremiah's metaphor of erring Israel represents consequences of straying from covenants, leading to spiritual peril.
Distancing oneself from Christ minimizes experiencing His love, resulting in spiritual loneliness.
Understanding Ordinances
The term ordinance has broad definitions including laws and statutes (general) and sacred ceremonies with spiritual meanings (specific).
Valid ordinances must be performed by individuals holding sufficient priesthood authority.
Essential ordinances for salvation include baptism and sealing, while non-essential ones offer additional comfort.
Sacrament is a frequently repeated ordinance that channels divine power into believers’ lives.
Nature of Saving Ordinances
Saving ordinances are unchanging and were established even before the foundations of the world.
Hugh Nibley explains mysteries associated with ordinances not always being transparent in sacred literature.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell highlights that Jesus taught more about sacred ordinances and vicarious actions during His ministry.
Preparatory Ordinances: Washings and Anointings
Ritual washings and anointings precede the living endowment, aiming for spiritual purity and preparation for divine service.
Historical Context: Ancient practices of purification parallel Latter-day Saint ordinances.
Purification represented in various cultures (Jewish, Egyptian, etc.) depicted in both ritualistic washes and anointings.
Symbolism of Olive Oil: Anciently valued, sensitive to spiritual significance, signifying holiness and the Holy Ghost.
Rituals represent not just purity but also preparation for higher purposes, including kingship and divinity.
The Rite of Anointing
Anointing signifies the Holy Ghost’s mark, elevating individuals for divine service.
Associated with sacred offices (prophets, priests, kings) and objects of spiritual significance.
The anointing process involves receiving a portion of God’s holiness, enabling one to serve in divine contexts.
Closing Ordinances in Temples
Ritual clothing in sacred garments: Following washing and anointing, individuals are clothed in holiness, allowing them to approach God.
Ceremonial washings, anointings, and clothing are vital, playing roles in coronation and priestly investiture in both ancient and Latter-day Saint contexts.
Significance for Spiritual Development: This triplet of rites symbolizes a spiritual maturity and readiness to partake in divine interactions.
Prayer Circle in the Temple
The prayer circle is an integral aspect of temple worship, consisting of equal men and women surrounding an altar during prayer.
Used for various purposes within church meetings, but reflective of a collective seeking of divine guidance and healing.
The established history of prayer in circles goes back to both Protestant traditions and earlier spiritual practices across cultures.
There's direct biblical relevance, drawing parallels from scriptures indicating divine interaction in circles of prayer.
Such a mode of prayer emphasizes unity among participants, aligning with Latter-day Saint doctrine of collective righteousness.
Conclusion: The Purpose of Covenants and Ordinances
The ultimate goal of these ordinances is personal and communal growth towards becoming like Christ, fostering love, unity, and preparation for divine presence.