Covenants

“Understanding our Covenants with God

An Overview of our Most Important Promises”

No particular author noted, but sent from the leadership of the LDS Church

“…sacred covenants are to be revered by us, and faithfulness to them is a requirement for happiness.  Yes, I speak of the covenant of baptism, the covenant of the priesthood, and the covenant of marriage as examples.”

… President Thomas S. Monson

Compared to the Bible by Connie Raddon

Color Key:

Quotes from the LDS Ensign in blue.

Quotes from the Bible in red.

All my own words are black.

This article is found on pg. 22-25 of the July 2012 issue of the Ensign.

First of all, I want to explain what the Bible says about covenants…

In the Bible, God makes two covenants with man that relate to receiving eternal life.  (He does make others, but they are not directly regarding our eternal life.)

The two major covenants God makes with man are commonly known as the Abrahamic Covenant (the Old Covenant), and the Covenant of Grace (the New Covenant).  Another word for “covenant” is “testament”.  This is why we have two parts to the Bible – The Old Testament, and the New Testament – they describe each of the two “covenants”.

THE FIRST COVENANT:

God promises Abram that he will have a great number of descendants, he will inherit a great land, and through him, the families of the earth with be blessed.

Gen 12:1-3 “Now the Lord had said to Abram:  ‘Get out of your country, From your family, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The sign of this covenant is circumcision:

Gen 17:11 “and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.”

This covenant (testament) is fulfilled when Abraham does become a great nation (the nation of Israel), his nation inherits the land of Canaan, and finally all the families of the earth are blessed because Jesus Christ came (through the lineage of Abraham).

God gave His “covenant” people many things.  One was “the law”.  After God brought them out of slavery in Egypt with Moses leading them, He gave Moses the 10 Commandments for the people.  God knew that the people could not keep these commandments.  In fact, they were breaking most of them at the very moment God was giving them to Moses!  So, God instituted the Levitical/ Aaronic Priesthood.  The purpose for this priesthood was to sacrifice animals at the temple to cover the sins of the people in the sight of God.  This did NOT take away the sins, only COVERED them.  It was a picture of the greatest sacrifice yet to come – that of Jesus Christ to not just cover, but take away our sins.

THE SECOND COVENANT:

Hebrews 8:6-13 (which quotes from Jer. 31:31-34)

“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.

Because finding fault with them, He says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah –

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand and lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:  I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. 

…For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more’. 

In that He says, ‘A new covenant’ He has made the first obsolete.  Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

So in this new covenant (testament), God no longer has his laws written on stone (like the 10 commanements), but puts them in the minds and hearts of those who believe in Him… and they shall be His people.  

This is the new covenant of grace – that our righteousness comes by our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross, and NOT by our own works.

The sign of this covenant is the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13-14

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Romans 8:16

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

Now, let’s take a look at the Ensign article to see how the covenants within the LDS Church fit in with these two covenants of the Bible.

“In the Church, an ordinance is a sacred, formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood.  Some ordinances are essential to our salvation.  As part of these ‘saving ordinances,’ we enter into solemn covenants with God.”

As a Mormon, I did every ordinance and entered into every covenant that was possible for a woman to have – baptism, washing/ anointing, endowments, and marriage sealing.  Every covenant I made basically boiled down to keeping all the commandments (the law) and consecrating my life and blessings to the Church.  Look at what the Bible says about that.

Ephesians 2:14-15

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances…”

Abolished… hmmm… abolished….  That means “to do away with”.  And yet the LDS Church has disregarded what Christ did, and continues to burden its members with rules and laws and commandments, and unnecessary covenants.

“When we receive these saving ordinances and keep the associated covenants, the Atonement of Jesus Christ becomes effective in our lives, and we can receive the greatest blessing God can give us – eternal life.”

The Bible says that receiving eternal life has nothing to do with covenants or ordinances, but only our belief. 

John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 5:24 “He who hears My word and believe in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION

“Baptism by immersion in water, performed by one having authority, is the first saving ordinance of the gospel and is necessary for an individual to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When we are baptized, we covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments.”

“We are baptized because we believe and have been saved by His blood, not to believe or be saved by His blood.  To the Christian, water baptism is an outward, public pronouncement of an inward faith, symbolic that we are willing to be buried with Christ (thus turning our back on the former things of our life) and being raised with Him unto a new life.  It is the public profession of our faith.” ¹

But the Mormon Church continues to claim that baptism is mandatory for eternal life, or in other words, claiming that we are saved by our works, in addition to grace.

“The ordinances of baptism and confirmation are the gate through which all who seek eternal life must enter. (see John 3:3-5)”

The Mormon Church leaders use this verse incorrectly.  They say it means that we must be baptized by immersion in water, and also receive the Holy Ghost – both ordinances to be performed by Mormon priesthood authority.

Here is what the verse ACTUALLY says:

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’  Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’

Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

The explanation comes in verse 6 – “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

So being born of water does not mean to have a baptism in water – it means “born of the flesh”… as in… being born.  When we are born, we come out of the water that we lived in for 9 months. 

Being born of the Spirit is what Christians refer to as being “born again”.

THE SACRAMENT

Those who have received the saving ordinances of baptism and confirmation partake of the sacrament each week to renew those covenants.

Remember – baptism and confirmation do NOT save – only Jesus saves. 

The “sacrament” that the LDS refer to is the Lord’s supper – taking the bread and wine to remember Him.  (The LDS use yeast-risen bread, and since they believe drinking wine is a sin, they use water – completely destroying the symbolism of both. Yeast represents sin – so the bread used is WITHOUT yeast – like Jesus was without sin.  The wine coming from grapes represents the fruit of the vine – Jesus is the vine. Using grape juice still creates this symbolism, but Mormons don’t even do that.)

Here’s a quick question you may ask a Mormon – “Why do they need to renew those covenants each week?  Did the covenant expire?  Did they break their covenants?  (Just wondering)

The ordinance of the sacrament is an opportunity each week to renew sacred covenants that allow us to be partakers of the Savior’s atoning grace with the same spiritually cleansing effect of baptism and confirmation.

So this is saying that the covenants that are being renewed are what allow us to be partakers of grace. 

What does the Bible say allows us to be partakers of grace?

John 1:17  “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

LDS covenants are basically promises to keep the law – so they mix up the law with grace.  The law came through Moses – but grace comes through Jesus Christ alone – not Jesus plus ordinances and covenants.

Romans 11:6  “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace.  But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.”

The Bible clearly says that grace and works (keeping the law) cannot be combined to earn our salvation.

The Bible also says that grace is a free gift – not based on our covenants, or worthiness. (The following verse is comparing the fall, or offense, of Adam to the gift of grace from Jesus Christ.)

Romans 5:15 “But the free gift is not like the offense.  For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”

THE OATH AND COVENANT OF THE PRIESTHOOD

When men live worthy to obtain the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods and “[magnify] their calling,” God promises they will be “sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.”  They become heirs of the promises made to Moses, Aaron, and Abraham. (See D&C 84:33-34)

Once again the LDS Church makes being “worthy” a requirement for something that is crucial for salvation – the priesthoods.  I won’t go into detail here about the priesthood, because I have in several other articles – but just as a quick review… 

The Aaronic Priesthood was based on being a descendant of Aaron in the tribe of Levi – NOT on personal worthiness.  Also, this priesthood is made obsolete when Christ made the FINAL sacrifice for sin. 

The Melchizidek priesthood is only held by Jesus.  He offered the final sacrifice and  was the final sacrifice.  He alone is our high priest now.

Holding the Melchizedek Priesthood is necessary for men to qualify to enter the temple.

The purpose of the temple was for sinners to receive atonement for their sins.  If people had to be worthy, or “qualify” to go to the temple, there would have been no point in having a temple.  So the LDS temples are clearly NOT a restoration of God’s temple in the Bible.  They are created and used for completely different purposes.

By receiving all of the saving ordinances of the priesthood, all people can receive the promise of “all that [the] Father hath”  (See D&C 84:35-38)

“Incredible blessings flow from this oath and covenant to worthy men, women, and children in all the world,” taught Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

As a Mormon, when I really thought about this, it caused me stress!  The Church always taught me that I had to be “worthy” – without clearly defining how much I had to do to achieve the point of “worthiness”.  The Church also promised “incredible blessings” – with absolutely no explanation of what they were.  So I believed that if I wasn’t receiving the blessings I thought I was worthy of, something was wrong, and I usually blamed myself.  I figured I was not worthy enough somehow – even though I was doing everything I thought I should.   I would remember sins I had committed, and figured that God hadn’t completely forgiven me yet.  What a horrible burden to carry!

THE SEALING

The temple ordinance referred to as “temple marriage” or “being sealed” creates an eternal relationship between husband and wife that can last beyond death if the spouses are faithful.

In Matthew chapter 22, the Sadducees were trying to stump Jesus about the resurrection by asking him a hypothetical question – If a woman’s husband dies, and she marries his brother – then that brother dies so she marries the next brother, and on and on until she has married all the brothers, whose wife will she be in the resurrection?

Matthew 22:29-30 “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven’.”

Mormons:  You are also mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures – there is no marriage beyond death.  So please stop putting the burden on people of being faithful to all their covenants in order to receive something that Jesus Himself said does not exist.

The teachings in the July 2012 issue of the Ensign

are NOT Biblical, and therefore,

NOT consistent with Christian beliefs.

Brigham Young issued a challenge on May 18, 1873 (as recorded in the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 16 p. 46):  “Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter Day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test.”

I have accepted that challenge from Brigham Young.

In the July 2012 issue of the Ensign, the LDS religion FAILS this test.

¹ “Where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity Face to Face” by Shawn McCraney pg. 65

Resources used for this article:

The Word of God (The Bible)

The LDS magazine, “The Ensign”

Research partner, Art Haglund

October 2010 "Temples"

Temples
by Connie Raddon

The October 2010 issue of the Ensign was a special edition about temples.  The articles focused on these three topics the most:

ORDINANCES: What they are and how crucial they are for salvation (exaltation).

WORK FOR THE DEAD: After doing your own work, how important it is to perform these ordinances for the dead.

WORTHINESS: What it takes to be worthy to go to the temple

The leaders of the LDS church deny what the Bible teaches and lead their members away from Christ in all three of these areas.

TEMPLE ORDINANCES:

Quotes from the Ensign articles:

“All of our efforts in proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the Saints, and redeeming the dead lead to the holy temple.  This is because the temple ordinances are absolutely crucial; we cannot return to God’s presence without them.”  (Howard W. Hunter, 14^th President of the LDS Church)

 “Ordinances of the temple provide for reconciliation with the Lord and seal families together forever.  Obedience to the sacred covenants made in temples qualifies us for eternal life – the greatest gift of God to man.” (Russel M. Nelson)

“Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into God’s presence.” (Russel M. Nelson, quoting President Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)

What the Bible says:

Christ said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him who sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death unto life.”  John 5:24

Notice the Bible does NOT say we must hear, believe, have washings and annointings done, be baptized, take out our endowments, get married and sealed, and obey commandments and covenants to have everlasting life.  It says that the only thing we need to do is BELIEVE GOD'S WORD. 

John 14:6 says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  This means that our way to eternal life is Jesus Christ, and ONLY Jesus Christ.  To make Hunter’s and Nelson’s comments biblically accurate, we need to replace the word “temple” with “Jesus Christ” ‘Jesus Christ is absolutely crucial; we cannot return to God’s presence without Him…Jesus Christ provides for reconciliation with the Lord…Jesus Christ becomes our credential for admission into God’s presence.’

RESTORATION?

The LDS Church claims that the “restoration” of Christ’s gospel through Joseph Smith includes the building of temples and performing temple ordinances. 

This is impossible for four reasons.

1.      The purpose of the temple in the Old Testament is for atonement of sin and worshipping God.  Only priests were allowed in the temple sanctuary, and only the high priest could enter the holy of holies.  People brought their animals to offer as a sacrifice to atone for their sin.  The high priest would pass through a tall, very thick curtain, or veil to enter the holy of holies.  There, he would intercede for the people and offer their sacrifice to God.  When Christ died, this huge, thick veil was torn from top to bottom.  God literally opened up the holy of holies to everyone.  Christ was the FINAL blood sacrifice.  He was also the FINAL high priest, offering that sacrifice to God on our behalf.  (Hebrews 4, 9, &10)  By reinstating priests, high priests, and temple ordinances, the LDS church is metaphorically “sewing back up the veil”.  They are placing the temple between God and the people again. 

2.      On the day of Pentecost, God sent His Holy Spirit to live inside all believers.  Our bodies are the temple that the Holy Spirit lives in now.  Collectively, all believers form a “temple” or “church”.  Christ does not have a temple of bricks or stone.  It is a body of believers, and made of people.  “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”  1 Cor. 3:16.  Peter describes Christians as “living stones” that God is using to build “a spiritual house”.  1 Peter 2:5

3.      The ordinances in the Old Testament temples were to atone for sins.  In other words, the temple was for sinners.  The atoning sacrifices were a foreshadowing of Christ.  The LDS church has this completely backwards, and requires members to first be righteous and worthy in order to attend the temple.

4.      The ordinances in Mormon temples have nothing to do with Biblical temples.  There were no endowments, sealings, or work for the dead in God’s temple.  The Mormon temples even have baptismal fonts in them.  Baptism is a New Testament ordinance.  The purpose of these fonts in the Old Testament temple was for ceremonial washing, which was required of the priests and high priests.

On pg. 26, Gordon Hinckley, 15^th President of the LDS Church said that “Temples are houses of instruction”.  From personal experience, I know that this is true.  Members receive ordinances and instructions.  There is no sacrifice for sin, and no worship.

For these reasons, temples cannot possibly be part of a “restored” gospel of Christ. 

In fact, it contradicts the gospel of Christ. 

People are married in the temple so they can be “sealed” for eternity as a family.  This goes against what the Bible teaches.  The Sadducees were questioning Jesus. They posed a hypothetical situation about a woman who married each of seven brothers after the previous one died.  They asked who she would be married to after she was resurrected.  “Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” Mark 12:24-25

However, the LDS church teaches that marriages performed in the temple will last for eternity.

“When a man and a woman are married in [the] house of the Lord, they are joined not only for the period of their mortal lives, but for all eternity.  The couple so married has the assurance of divine revelation that their relationship and that of their children will not end with death but will continue in eternity provided they live worthy of that blessing.”  (Gordon Hinckley, 15^th President of the LDS Church)

WORK FOR THE DEAD:

There is only one reference in the Bible to performing ordinances for the dead.  It is when Paul is trying to teach the Corinthians about resurrection.  They are having a hard time understanding it, and asking all kinds of questions about it.  He responds by referring to another group of people (not Christian believers) who can obviously understand that there is a resurrection – or else why would they do baptisms for their dead? 1 Cor. 15:29.   This is NOT teaching that it is a doctrine, or allowed by God in any way.  It was merely an illustration for Paul to make his point about resurrection.

In fact, the Bible teaches that we should not be dealing with the dead.  In Leviticus and Numbers, Moses explains that even touching a dead person makes one unclean.  In Deuteronomy 18:10-11, Moses denounces all sorts of acts that involve dealing with the dead.

Doing work for the dead involves incredibly lengthy genealogies.  1 Tim 1:4 has this to say about genealogies, “nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”  

Yet Hinckley has this to say about work for the dead and genealogies:  “Through living proxies who stand in behalf of the dead, the same ordinances are available to those who have passed from mortality… It makes necessary a vast undertaking of family history research to find and identify those who have gone before.”

WORTHINESS

The LDS church claims that the ordinances performed in the temple are crucial for eternal life.  In other words, no one can get to heaven (the “Celestial Kingdom”) without having these ordinances performed.  Yet only the most righteous Mormons can go into the temple. You have to show a card called a “recommend”.  You get this recommend by passing through interviews with your local Mormon leaders.  Based on your answers to their questions, they determine if you are worthy to go to the temple. 

They ask about your personal conduct, worthiness (keeping the ten commandments), loyalty to the Church, loyalty to the officers of the Church, your moral cleanliness, whether you keep the Word of Wisdom, pay a full tithing, live in complete harmony with the teachings of the Church, and whether you maintain any affiliation or sympathy with apostate groups.  If you can appropriately answer all of the questions in the interview, these men will deem you “worthy” and give you a temple recommend.

(The word “worthy” was used 36 times in the October 2010 Ensign.  There were another 19 references being worthy using synonyms like “qualified, ready, obedient, keeping the commandments, in good standing, and eligible.”  That’s a total of FIFTY FOUR references to the requirement of being worthy.)

This places incredible and unnecessary pressure on the Mormon people!

How does the Bible tell us we are saved? 

In Ephesians 2:8-9 it says, “For it is by GRACE that we are saved, through FAITH.  And that NOT OF OURSELVES.  It is a gift from God, NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.”  (Capitals added for emphasis)

I am embarrassed to admit it, but during the years I held a temple recommend, I also held arrogance in my heart.  Having a recommend proved that I was righteous, special, and WORTHY to be part of an elite group with access to secrets that those who were unworthy, and somehow lesser than me could not have access to.  I also believed that I had a ticket to eternal life that others were just not good enough to get.  I’m not saying everyone feels that way, but having associated in those circles, I can guarantee it wasn’t just me.

It’s even more embarrassing to realize how much the experience resembles Dr. Seuss’s book about the “star-bellied Sneetches”.  The stars were completely meaningless, but some character convinced the Sneeteches that they would be more important if they had one.  So they paid him money to print a star on their belly – then they walked around thinking they were much better than the Sneetches without stars on their bellies.  The story ends up in a big mess, and the only one who gained anything was the character who made all the money from the Sneetches.  I feel like having a temple recommend is just like buying a star for your belly.

The leaders of the LDS church replace Jesus Christ with the temple (among other things). 

Pg. 13, current president, Monson: “The temple lifts us, exalts us…” - Not Jesus.

Pg. 13, current president, Monson: “The temple provides purpose for our lives.”  - Not Jesus.

Pg. 15, Monson:  “The temple brings peace to our souls.”  - Not Jesus.

Pg. 30, Packer: (recommend interview questions) “… loyalty to the Church, and its officers” – Not to Jesus.

Pg. 35, Packer: “Temples are the very center of the spiritual strength of the Church.” – Not Jesus!

Pg. 35, Packer: “[the temple] is a good place to take our cares.”  - Not Jesus.

Pg. 36, Packer: “our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and protection.”  - Not Jesus.

Pg. 37. Hunter, 14^th President: “All of our efforts in the Church lead to the holy temple.”  - Not Jesus.

Pg. 41, Nelson: “The temple is the object of every activity, every lesson, and every progressive step in the Church.” 

- NOT JESUS.

On May 18, 1873 (as recorded in the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 16 p. 46), Brigham Young issued a challenge:  “Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter Day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test.”

I have accepted that challenge from Brigham Young.

In the October 2010 issue of the Ensign, the LDS religion fails this test.