REMEMBERING THE NEW
COVENANT
Jan Griffith, December 2007
In
1832,
the restored
“And your minds in times
past have
been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly
the
things you have received, which vanity and unbelief hath brought the
whole
church under condemnation. And this
condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all; and they
shall remain
under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant,
even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given
them,
not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written, that
they
may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's kingdom, otherwise there
remaineth a scourge and a judgment to be poured out upon the children
of Zion;
for, shall the children of the kingdom pollute my holy land? Verily, I
say unto
you, Nay.”
(Section
83:8)
The
question comes up a lot in every faction of the restoration – “Are we
still
under that condemnation?” After all,
until we “remember the new covenant,” we remain collectively under this
condemnation as a church. Have we
“remembered it?” Do we know what “it”
is? I pray this short study and
personal testimony will help broaden our understanding.
THE
BIBLE
The
prophet
Jeremiah foretold a future “new covenant.”
“Behold, the days come,
saith the
Lord, that 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 that I took them by
the
hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they
brake,
although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord; But this shall be
the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the
Lord, I
will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
and will
be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more
every
man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for
they
shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,
saith the
Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin
no
more.”
(Jeremiah
31:31-34)
How
did Jeremiah
describe this “new covenant?” He
described it as a covenant of the heart, not the letter of the law. The law itself did not change.
The Lawgiver did not change. But no
longer would the children of
Paul
spoke
frequently about this “new covenant.”
“Now to Abraham and his
seed were
the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of
one, And
to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that
was
confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and
thirty
years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none
effect.
For if the inheritance is of the law, then it is no more of promise;
but God
gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then, the law was added
because of
transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made
in the
law given to Moses, who was ordained by the hand of angels to be a
mediator of
this first covenant, (the law.) Now this mediator was not a mediator of
the new
covenant; but there is one mediator of
the new covenant, who is Christ,
as it is written in the law concerning the promises made to Abraham and
his
seed. Now Christ is the mediator of life; for this is the promise which
God
made unto Abraham. Is the law then against the promises of God? God
forbid; for
if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily
righteousness
should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under
sin,
that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that
believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the
faith which
should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster
until
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is
come, we
are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God
by faith
in Jesus Christ. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ
have put
on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
free,
there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye
are Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.”
(Galatians 3:16-29)
One
of the
greatest points made in his letter to the Galatians was that Abraham’s
“seed”
is Christ. We hear the word “seed” and
we think lineages and bloodlines, but here, Paul clearly defines
Abraham’s
“seed.” Christ is that seed.
Believers in Christ become Abraham’s seed
through the blood that Christ shed on our behalf. In
other words, lineages and bloodlines do not count for being
the “seed” of Abraham. When we look to
leadership who profess authority based upon physical bloodlines, we are
not
following the new covenant, but the old.
Also,
Paul
made very clear that Jesus Christ is our mediator between us and the
Father. There is no other
mediator. Moses was the mediator of the
old covenant, but the old was done away in Christ.
With the new covenant, there is only one
who mediates – Jesus Christ. When we look
to kings and prophets and priests and popes to tell
us what to do, what to think, and what to believe, we are not following
the new
covenant, but the old.
The
tabernacle built in Moses’ day was a type and shadow for the new
covenant. God laid heavy burdens on the
people under
the old covenant because their hearts were so hard and they were
stiff-necked. It was a hard law for
hardened people. Physical gifts and
sacrifices were
required.
Under
the
new covenant, gifts are defined as something that comes from the heart,
not the
hand, even the fruits of the spirit.
The sacrifices we make under the new covenant are a broken heart
and
contrite spirit, much easier than offering up lambs and bullocks for
slaughter,
but if our spirits aren’t contrite and our hearts aren’t soft – if we
don’t
“come unto Christ” which means “hearing his voice” – whatever
sacrifices we make
will count toward our condemnation.
“Now of the things which
we have
spoken this is the sum; we have such a high priest, who is set on the
right
hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the
sanctuary,
and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For
every high
priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices; wherefore it is of
necessity
that this man have somewhat also to offer. Therefore while he was on
the earth,
he offered for a sacrifice his own life for the sins of the people. Now
every
priest under the law, must needs offer gifts, or sacrifices, according
to the
law. Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses
was
admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle; for, See,
saith he,
that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in
the mount.
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he
is the mediator of a better covenant,
which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant
had been
faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For
finding
fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith 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 to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because
they
continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
For this
is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days,
saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in
their
hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people;
And they
shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, Know
the Lord; for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I
will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities
will I
remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the
first old.
Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:1-13)
Under
the
new covenant, God gives us the opportunity to “know him” without
another
mediator. The Book of Mormon explains
the process of “how” one can come to “know” Jesus Christ.
Little wonder the condemnation placed upon
this church demands that we “remember the new covenant, even
the Book of Mormon,” for the Book of Mormon is the “how to”
guide for the new covenant.
Proverbs
3:1 says, “Forget not my law, but let
thine heart keep my commandments.” Human
beings fail. The law
of works with a human mediator and animal sacrifices was not perfect,
nor could
it ever be – because we are not perfect.
We required an everlasting and eternal mediator!
Commandments are to be kept in our
hearts. Even when we fail, we should
understand that God’s grace picks up the pieces, so long as our desires
are
right.
In
the
following verses, we learn that under the old covenant, the tabernacle
was
built with hands. Under the new
covenant, the tabernacle is built without hands.
“But Christ being come a
high priest
of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not
made with
hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of
goats and
calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place,
having
obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of
goats, and
the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the
purifying of
the flesh; How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal
Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from
dead
works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is
the mediator of the new covenant, that by means of death, for
the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first
covenant, they
which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For
where a
covenant is, there must also of necessity be the death of the victim.
For a
covenant is of force after the victim is dead; otherwise it is of no
strength
at all while the victim liveth. Whereupon neither the first covenant
was
dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all
the
people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats,
with
water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book and
all the
people, Saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God hath
enjoined unto
you. Moreover he sprinkled likewise with blood both the tabernacle, and
all the
vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged
with
blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore
necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified
with
these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than
these.
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which
are the
figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of
God for us; Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high
priest
entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then
must he
often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in
the
meridian of time hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment; So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and he shall appear
the
second time, without sin unto salvation unto them that look for him.” (Hebrews 9:11-28)
Christ
no
longer enters into a physical holy of holies in a tabernacle. Under the new covenant, we
are Christ’s temple if
his law is written upon our hearts. The
same goes for God’s kingdom. Satan’s
kingdom is being built by the strength and wisdom of men – it is being
built
“with hands.” God’s kingdom will be
built “without hands” (see Daniel 2:45).
In
the
following passages, the writer of Hebrews defines the new covenant as
“running
a race with patience.”
“Wherefore, seeing we
also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience
the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of
our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For
consider
him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye
be
wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood,
striving
against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto
you as
unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor
faint
when thou art rebuked of him; For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God
dealeth
with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth
not? But
if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye
bastards,
and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which
corrected us,
and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection
unto the
Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened
us after
their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers
of his
holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous;
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which
hang down,
and strengthen the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet,
lest
that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be
healed.
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord;
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root
of
bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest
there be
any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat
sold his
birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have
inherited the
blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, though
he
sought it carefully with tears. For ye are not come unto the mount that
might
be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and
darkness, and
tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which
voice they
that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them
anymore; (For
they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a
beast touch
the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart; And so
terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake;)
But ye
are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the
heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general
assembly and
church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the
Judge of
all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus
the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye
refuse
not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not who refused him that
spake on
earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that
speaketh
from heaven; Whose voice then shook the earth; but now he hath
promised,
saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And
this
word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are
shaken,
as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken
may
remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, should
have
grace, whereby we may serve God acceptable with reverence and godly
fear; For
our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:1-29)
When
we run
a race, we don’t look back – not even for a second.
When we run a race, we want to win. We
want the prize. In
this case, those under the new covenant are seeking the crown which is
a reward
to be received, not in this life, but in the hereafter.
Consider
“Ah sinful nation, a
people laden
with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters; they
have
forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of
When
we
make a covenant with the Lord, our hearts change. When
our hearts change, there should be no turning back – there
should be no desire to turn
back. Jesus gave a number of parables
in the New Testament about what happens when we look back after we have
once
been members of the new covenant. Among
other things, demons possess us. We
become worse than if we had not covenanted in the first place.
When
we
come unto Christ, we hear his voice, and become partakers of the new
covenant. We gather to him, and become one
in his
blood. Entering into this new covenant
with Christ is a serious thing, not something to be taken lightly. We have to be ready to take up our crosses
and follow him, because the journey in this world will not be an easy
one. The world will hate us and think we
are
mad. Our own brethren will despise us,
those same brethren whose hearts have not yet been broken; who profess
from
their lips even if their hearts are far away; who desire earthly
mediators and a
kingdom upon the earth built upon their own good works.
THE
BOOK OF
MORMON
The
Book of
Mormon is a “how to” book about the new covenant.
“And behold, it is
written also,
that thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; But behold I
say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that
hate
you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you, That
ye may
be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun
to rise
on the evil and on the good; therefore
those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me
are all
fulfilled. Old things are done away,
and all things have become new; therefore I would that ye should be
perfect
even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. Verily, verily,
I say
that I would that ye should do alms unto the poor; but take heed that
ye do not
your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of
your
Father who is in heaven. Therefore when ye shall do your alms, do not
sound a
trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the
streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily, I say unto you, They
have
their reward. But when thou doest alms,
let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; That thine alms
may be in
secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee
openly.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not do as the hypocrites, for they
love to
pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets,
that they
may be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward. But
thou,
when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door,
pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in
secret, shall
reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the
heathen,
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not
ye
therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things ye have
need of
before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye, Our Father who
art in
heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the
power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen. For, if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your
heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover,
when ye
fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they
disfigure their
faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily, I say unto you,
They have
their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy
face;
that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father, who is in
secret;
and thy Father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Lay not
up for
yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and
thieves
break through and steal, But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break
through nor
steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The
light of
the body is the eye, if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be
full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full
of
darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great
is that
darkness! No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the
one, and
love the other: or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye can
not serve God and Mammon.” (3 Nephi 5:89-115)
The
Book of
Mormon explains that the old covenant was done away, and in Christ’s
blood, we
are under a new covenant. In Christ
Jesus, all workings of the law are finished; they are history. We can quit trying to “save ourselves” with
what we perceive to be good works. Good
works with Christ means having a broken heart; one that desires to
serve him
out of choice, not out of necessity; one that desires to live in him.
Please
notice that right after Christ revealed the end of the old covenant, he
said
that he desired we be perfect, as he is perfect. Interesting
timing of words, don’t you think? The old
covenant was finished, Jesus
said. Now we could be perfect. Let me repeat that.
“Old things are
done away, and all things have
become new; therefore I would that ye should be
perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect” (3 Nephi 5:92)
Perfection
was impossible under the old covenant (Hebrews 7, 10).
Perfection is possible under the new covenant,
for as we press forward in the
faith, God’s grace supplies for where we lack.
That said, his grace does not afford us the excuse to be
slothful. We have to be continually
pressing forward, seeking
to endure to the end, with a heart’s desire that is perfect. Only then is his grace sufficient for us.
In
the
following passages, the Nephites were marveling and wondering, and
trying to
comprehend what Christ meant when he said that “all things had become
new.” It must have been an overwhelming
concept to process. All the works they
had previously performed among themselves were no longer required. New works were now required – the works of
the heart, turning from the old creature into a new creature, desiring
to learn
of Christ’s ways, seeking him so that we could be like him. No longer would we be under a rigid legal
system. No longer were we to give
“things.” Now we were to give
“ourselves.”
“And now it came to pass
that when
Jesus had ended these sayings, he cast his eyes round about on the
multitude,
and said unto them, Behold, ye have heard the things which I have
taught before
I ascended to my Father; Therefore whoso remembereth these sayings of
mine, and
doeth them, him will I raise up at the last day. And it came to pass
that when
Jesus had said these words, he perceived that there were some among
them who
marveled, and wondered what he would concerning the Law of Moses; for
they
understood not the saying, that old things had passed away, and that
all things
had become new. And he said unto them, Marvel
not that I said unto you, that old things had passed away, and that all
things
had become new. Behold, I say unto you, that the law is fulfilled
that was
given unto Moses. Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who
covenanted
with my people
Jesus
said
that the law of Moses had “an end” in him.
While he would yet fulfill even greater things in a time to
come, there
was no mistaking that the law of works had become a dead law. The old had been a schoolmaster for the new.
In
the
above account, we hear Jesus telling us to take his yoke upon us, and
learn of
him, so that we will find rest unto our souls.
When we enter into God’s rest, we enter into the fullness of his
glory. To understand what this means, we
have to
feast upon his words, with a desire to understand them.
The more we come to recognize just what the
new covenant means, Christ’s yoke, in fact, becomes easy to bear, and
his
burden light. With him, we are given an
internal peace, not as the world seeks peace which is something
external. All he asks is that we
give our might,
mind, heart, and strength to him – easy, right? Don’t
just say we’re going to give everything up for him.
Do it.
Give it up. Give him our
all. Whoever accomplishes this, whoever
recognizes that Christ is their Lawgiver, whoever writes his laws upon
their
heart, looks to him and endures to the end, shall not die [a second
death] but
will receive eternal life. That is the
promise. That is the blessing.
The
new covenant
isn’t just about being sorry for some of the perceived “bad” things
that we
do. It isn’t fulfilled by symbolic acts
like baptism, or the partaking of sacrament, or the going to church on
Sundays
and Wednesdays. The new covenant means
that we have committed ourselves to change our very lives, looking with
abhorrence on our old selves, and feeling gratitude for the opportunity
to have
a second chance. The new covenant is
the commitment to press forward with an eye single to God’s glory, and
a commitment
to trust in his arm, not our
own.
THE
DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS
The
Doctrine and Covenants speaks a very important message about this new
covenant.
“Behold, I say unto you,
that all
old covenants have I caused to be done away in this thing, and this is a new and everlasting covenant;
even that which was from the beginning. Wherefore, although a man
should be
baptized an hundred times, it availeth him nothing; for you can not
enter in at
the strait gate by the Law of Moses, neither by your dead works; for it
is
because of your dead works, that I have caused this last covenant, and
this
church to be built up unto me; even as in days of old. Wherefore, enter
ye in
at the gate, as I have commanded, and seek not to counsel your God.
Amen.”
(Section 20:1)
In
these
last days, Christ wanted us to understand that we were still under the
new
covenant, not the old. He explained in
the revelation above that while he calls this a “new covenant,” it is
really
the same covenant that was from the beginning, just like he told his
disciples
in
The
restored church was not being given something new.
It was being given something old. The
restored church was being reminded of who our mediator is –
Jesus Christ. In the above verses, the
Lord made it perfectly clear that our dead works could not save us. We can be baptized a hundred times, and it
will mean nothing to the Lord unless our hearts have changed. Baptism by water alone is a dead work. Our hearts must be baptized too.
We must be baptized unto death.
In
the
following latter day revelation, those worthy of celestial glory are
defined:
“…these are they whom he
shall bring
with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven, to reign on the
earth
over his people; these are they who shall have part in the first
resurrection;
these are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just;
these are
they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God,
the
heavenly place, the holiest of all; these are they who have come to an
innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of
Enoch, and
of the Firstborn; these are they whose names are written in heaven,
where God
and Christ are the judge of all; these
are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of
the new
covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding
of his
own blood; these are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory
is that
of the sun, even the glory of God the highest of all; whose glory the
sun of
the firmament is written of as being typical. (Section 76:5k-r)
We
have to
be “made perfect” through Jesus, our mediator of the new covenant. How are we made perfect? When
our hearts become soft, we become like
little children. That is when God can
begin working with us, molding us, teaching us, and perfecting us. Those who think they have God all figured
out, or who are content with their understandings and traditions, whose
lifestyles permit them to give only certain percentages of their time
to the
Lord and not all of their time (in
might, mind, heart, and strength) – these do not fit the description of
new
covenant people. First, we have to
become like little children – teachable, inquisitive, willing to
receive
correction. We also have to be patient
in afflictions, as described in previously cited revelations.
When
we run
this race, we turn away from our old selves, and commit to something
very new
and different. We can’t keep one foot
in the world and the other in Christ.
It just will not work. We also
cannot attain salvation by the rigid workings of a temporal law, and
until we
understand that, then our desire is still for a lesser covenant, not a
greater
one. This is why I believe the restored
church is still under condemnation. It
collectively seeks to build its own kingdom upon the earth based on its
own
idea of good works; and based upon a law it has not yet comprehended.
Putting
the
temporal ahead of the spiritual cannot work, which explains why the
first
laborers of the restoration were given a revelation that the law of consecration will not be executed
and fulfilled until after Zion is
redeemed (Section 102:10b). Do we
understand what that means?
What
exactly is the law of
consecration? When we read the story of
the rich man whom Jesus told to “sell all that he had and give to the
poor,” do
we take that to mean that we should sell everything we have and give it
away
(Luke 18:22)? When we read the story of
the poor widow who gave more money than all the rest, do we take that
to mean
that if we are poor, we should give more money than everyone else does
(Mark 12:49)? If this is what we believe,
then we aren’t
seeing past the temporalities of these passages. The
new covenant message was about giving all of ourselves. In
the story of Ananias and Sapphira, we have missed the spirit of the
message if
we think that the new covenant is only about a rigid law of works. Peter explained that Ananias’ and
Sapphira’s possession “was their own,”
and that even after it was sold, “it was
in their own power.” In other
words, Ananias and Sapphira were not being required by law to give away
their
possessions – they still had a choice to give what they wanted to give. Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead
because they lied. They professed to be
believers in Christ, but they had not turned from their old ways. Theirs was a story of what it means to “give
our all” to Christ Jesus. It isn’t
about “things,” it is about whether we give our “whole hearts” to the
Lord.
In
Section
83 (the law of consecration revelation), the Lord said, “Consecrate
all of thy properties unto ME with a covenant and deed
which cannot be broken.” That
passage was changed to a more temporal definition in the 1835 edition
of the
Doctrine and Covenants. Nevertheless,
the message is the same. “Give
all that you have unto ME,” the
Lord said.
The
clearest definition of “new covenant” or “law of consecration” can be
found in
Paul’s writings:
“I speak
not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of
others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know
the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became
poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. And herein I give my
advice;
for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do,
but also
to be forward a year ago. Now therefore perform the doing of it; that
as there
was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that
which
ye have. For if there be first a
willing mind (the spiritual must come
before the
temporal), it is accepted according
to that a
man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that
other men
be eased, and ye burdened; But by an equality, that now at this time
your
abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may
be a
supply for your want; that there may be equality; As it is written, He
that had
gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no
lack.” (2
Corinthians 8:8-15)
First,
this
law of consecration was not a commandment – it was something that
people either
would or would not do willingly.
Second, Paul defined the word “equality.” He
did not use the world’s definition of equality, where the rich
and middle-class are bled dry, to help the poor, trying to make us all
somehow
“evenly poor.” Please note that Paul
specifically clarified that very point.
He said that this was a law of the heart, and not for the
purpose that
some would be eased while others would be burdened.
How very important that we understand this, for Paul described
the law of consecration to be the exact opposite of how Satan’s kingdom
is not
only being built, but will be established.
Paul’s version of consecration is not Robinhood’s version (take
from the
rich to give to the poor).
Though
it
may seem troubling to some, there is also a reason why in the previous
chapter
(Corinthians 7), Paul explained (again, not by commandment) that it is
better
to be as he was – unmarried. Why is
that? Because when we are married, it
is very difficult to “give our all” to Jesus Christ.
Why? Because we have to
give parts of ourselves to our spouses.
Trying to “give our all” to Jesus while being married at the
same time
has caused many a miserable marriage.
There was great wisdom in Paul’s words, but only if we recognize
what
“new covenant” means.
Finally,
even latter day revelation reminds us that Jesus is the mediator of the
new
covenant.
“But as a high priest of
the
Melchisedec priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser
offices, he
may officiate in the office of bishop when no literal descendant of
Aaron can
be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this
power by
the hands of the Presidency of the Melchisedec priesthood. The power
and
authority of the higher, or Melchisedec, priesthood, is to hold the
keys of all
the spiritual blessings of the church; to have the privilege of
receiving the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; to have the heavens opened unto
them; to
commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn; and to
enjoy the
communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the
Mediator of the new covenant.” (Section 104:8-9)
How
many
times does the Lord have to remind us that Jesus Christ is our mediator
now? Are we looking to him
for all things, or are we looking to be led by others?
Are we walking in Christ, or are we walking
after the manner of men? Do we trust in
the power of his arm, or do we trust in our own strength and what we
perceive
to be our own good works?
Remembering
the new covenant means turning from our old ways, and desiring nothing
but to
know Jesus Christ through the exercising of faith, so that we can
become like
him.
Remembering
the new covenant means having a blessed hope in the power of his
redemption and
the power of the resurrection, never again desiring to look back at
what we
were before, but pressing on toward what we might become in the eternal
world
yet to be. So long as this church
continues to seek a mediator of the flesh to help us build up an
earthly kingdom
by the power of our own strength and good works, I fear that the
children of
The
condemnation
revelation says that we cannot just “say,” but we must “do” according
to that
which is written. The Lord’s people
want to turn that “doing” into stiff requirements, like ancient
PERSONAL
TESTIMONY
God
changed
my heart in the early 1990s, and once that happened, I had no desire to
look back. Everything changed. I changed.
I became ashamed of my past, disgusted by it, and poured my
feelings and
my heart out to the Lord. It wasn’t a
one time affair, as is commonly expressed among the Protestants. It was a journey. I
wanted to hear God’s voice, and I hearkened unto it.
The more I listened, the more I realized I
was on the right track. I was genuinely
sorry that so much time had been wasted in my life, and that I didn’t
know
Jesus Christ any better than I did. I
had a yearning to know him, though, and to understand the things that
were yet
to come upon the earth. In time, that
desire expanded, as I began to desire an understanding of heavenly
things as
well as earthly things. The whole of
creation and the meaning of life and death is found in God’s words. He is the word made flesh.
His voice is his words. I became
more and more passionate in my
quest to understand the narrow way versus the wide way.
That
hunger
and thirst for knowing Jesus Christ
has never ceased to this day, and the more I learn, the bigger he gets. If anything, my
desire to know him has been magnified
ten-fold. This doesn’t mean that I am
close to having all the answers – far from it.
But it does mean that I am a very long way from where I used to
be, and
that I can see the finish line up ahead of me.
I hope never to stop hearing his voice, or feasting upon his
words. If I lose my eyesight, then I will
“hear”
God’s words. If I lose my hearing, then
I will “see” his words. So long as I
have my mental faculties, and the freedom to keep learning, I intend to
labor
in this journey of knowledge to the very end, when God sees fit to take
me
home.
Through
the
years, I have developed a deeper understanding of what Jesus meant when
he said
that if we love mother or father more than him, then we are not worthy
of
him. If we love son or daughter more
than him, we are not worthy of him. If
we do not take up our cross and follow after him, we are not worthy of
him. Jesus wasn’t telling us to abandon
our mothers and fathers, sons and daughters.
He was telling us to love him
more than them. We are to love him first. Our love for
others who follow him will be a
natural progression when we love him
first.
I
love my
mother and my father, and though I have no children, I love my pet more
than
some seem to love their own children. I
love my husband more than I love my own life, and thank the Lord for
him day
and night. But the fact of the matter
is, I love Jesus more than I love all of these. How
do I know? Because as
much as I love being around my loved ones, I love being in God’s
presence even
more. I do. Many
may think this is strange, but the only reason I do anything
besides stay in God’s Word, is
for my loved ones’ sakes. I have to be
a wife, a daughter, a friend, yes and even a mommy for my pet. Like everyone else, I have certain
requirements to fulfill in this life.
Yet though I enjoy keeping my loved ones happy and content, I
would
still rather be in God’s Word, learning of him. This
is why I will often read while my husband watches the
television. We can be together, even
side by side, but I can do what I so thirst to do.
I’m always trying to find ways to make the best use of my time,
as time is a precious commodity to me.
Wherever I go, I have reading in hand.
Whatever I am doing, I am contemplating the Lord’s words, and
praying
continually in my heart. When I am most
content is when I am alone, with no one to please, for then I am doing
what I
most enjoy – being one hundred percent with the Lord.
The exception to this desire is spending time with others of
like
passion.
Because
I
learn best when I write, I have produced many “study papers.” I don’t write them for a grade. I don’t write them to be published. I don’t write them to please others. I don’t even write them for the purpose of
sharing them, although I do share some of them because I believe that
the gifts
God gives to me ought to be shared.
Each new paper I write contains a little bit more wisdom than
the paper
written before it. I have no perfect
papers, because knowledge becomes perfect in only one “thing” at a time. I am a human being, subject to err, but as a
seeker of the truth, I must confess that the desire to please God is
becoming
greater than the desire to please men.
This too has been a journey for me.
I
learned
many years ago that God gives us the desires of our hearts. If we have idols in our hearts, we will
receive according to those idols. My
number one desire has been to know my Creator.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m just imagining things, or if this race
of
endurance to the end gets faster and faster the longer we run it. Not being a sporty kind of person, I once
asked my husband (who is very sporty) if race runners tend to speed up
toward
the end of their races. He told me that
they do. That helped explain what I
believe the Lord is doing with me. My
desires haven’t changed. I still desire
to know him, just as I did all those years ago. But
my understanding has now expanded to the point where I can
barely keep up with all that the Holy Spirit desires to teach me.
The
study
papers I write are always the result of some “thought” being placed
into my
mind, whether it is a word or a phrase or a thought of something I’ve
read before
in God’s Word. I then take that word or
phrase or thought and check the scriptures to see how many references I
can
find, and often times in the process of doing that, other words and
phrases
will also come to mind, and yet another study will begin.
Sometimes the studies get combined and
sometimes they don’t. But pictures
always form from these kinds of scriptural treasure hunts.
I used to write a few study papers a
year. Now I start several study papers
a week, sometimes several study papers a day, and the majority is
forced into a
pile never to be seen again due to lack of time – though often times my
mind
will remember what I’ve studied and it becomes applicable to a later
study. There are times when I feel
overwhelmed, and will pray, “Oh Lord, have mercy on me, and show me
only what I
can physically and emotionally endure at this time.”
One would think that such a prayer would solicit a halting on
the
Lord’s part, but it hasn’t. Often he
then moves on me at twice the speed! I
know why. It’s because he knows
me. He knows I really want more, more,
more.
I
am
sharing these personal feelings, desires, and experiences, in the hope
that
they reveal the emotions and passions that my heart and mind suffers
for
Christ. These were not always my
passions. Many years ago, I would have
preferred doing so many other things, like shopping, or cooking, or
traveling,
or watching movies. It isn’t exactly
that I don’t enjoy doing those things anymore; it is that I don’t enjoy
doing
them as much as I enjoy serving the Lord by learning of him. Even playing or teaching the piano takes me
away from what I would rather be doing, so I am rarely at the piano
anymore. I am addicted to
Christ’s voice and the desire to know him.
When I am doing other things, my mind is
still on him, and on the things he has recently taught me – it is a
constant
thing, the Lord being on my mind. No
matter where I am, or what I am doing, I am experimenting on his seeds,
and
seeking ways to share those seeds with others.
Could this be part of what celestial law and glory is all about? Isn’t the law of consecration about giving
all that we are, and all that we have?
No, I am not perfect. I am far
from perfect. I am sharing these things
for the reader to decide, and to compare to their own understanding
about what
“new covenant” means, which is “giving our all to the Lord,” not by
force, but
by desire.
Of
course,
not all of us have equal amounts of time to study, and because we all
have
different gifts and callings, often we are required to be in different
places
doing different things. Not everyone
has the time to study as I do, and certainly very few are writers like
me. Whatever gifts we are given, the
question
is, are we giving them with our whole heart?
Are we yearning to know all that we can know about Jesus Christ? We may not have equal amounts of time to
devote to his Word, but we all certainly have equal amounts of time to
hunger
for his voice, which is his Word. In
fact, we are either hungry, or we aren’t.
It’s just like the physical reality of desiring food. We either want it, or we don’t.
Some eat because they are hungry. Others
eat to keep from being hungry. And still
others eat because they know they
need to eat in order to keep from wasting away. Then
there are those who throw up everything they’ve eaten, and
those who starve themselves because they would rather look good to the
world. Where do we fit?
I have been told by some that “they just
don’t have time for much study,” but then I notice that they have time
for
other pleasures. They have time to take
trips, time to decorate their homes all lovely for every holiday. They have time for their favorite kinds of
movies, and time to goof around on the internet with garbage that
depletes the
soul, rather than nourishing it. They
have time to participate in their favorite sports, or musicals, or
other
notable hobbies. They have time to read
books that produce thoughts of ungodliness, rather than godliness. They have time for all sorts of pleasures,
but they have little or no time for studying God’s words.
They are often too tired at the end of the
day because life happens too fast. If a
genie in a bottle gave us three wishes, what would they be? What is it our heart desires?
Does that desire reflect a full and total
yielding of ourselves to God?
Remembering
the new covenant will make our hearts full, and expand our minds, even
open
them to understand the mysteries of God.
It is this that separates us from the world, and why the
Preacher said
that “with much knowledge comes much sorrow.”
It won’t separate us from others with the same fervor for truth,
but it
will certainly separate us from the world – even from those who profess
the
faith, yet whose hearts remain hardened and unwilling to consider.
The
other
day, a friend of mine had an epiphany about
"Yea,
he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works,
and prayeth
continually without ceasing: unto such it is given to know the
mysteries of
God; yea, unto such it shall
be given to reveal
things which never
have been revealed"
(Alma 14:103).
--
Repentance (the heart must become softened; this is the first step)
--
Exercising faith (hearing God’s voice; feasting upon his words;
planting seeds,
which seeds are his words)
--
Bringing
forth good works (acting upon what we learn; good works are good
fruits, and
fruits are defined in
--
Pray
continually without ceasing (this doesn’t mean only praying once or
twice a day
or at meal time -- it means praying continually and pondering his word
continually in our hearts, as Jesus instructed – seek him, and
he will
hear the prayers of our hearts)
Did
This
subject of remembering the new covenant is summed up in
“And now Alma began to
expound these things unto him, saying, It is given unto many to know
the
mysteries of God; Nevertheless they are laid under a strict command,
that they
shall not impart only according to the portion of his word, which he
doth grant
unto the children of men; according to the heed and diligence which
they give
unto him; And therefore he that will harden his heart, the same
receiveth the
lesser portion of the word; And he that will not harden his heart, to
him is
given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to
know the
mysteries of God, until they know them in full; And they that will
harden their
hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word, until they
know
nothing concerning his mysteries; And then they are taken captive by
the devil,
and led by his will down to destruction.” (
Jesus
Christ is no respecter of persons. He gives liberally to those
who seek
him with all their hearts – that is the definition of the new
covenant,
which we are under condemnation for not "remembering" according to
Section 83.
Like
the
ancient Israelites who were too stiff-necked to receive the new
covenant, we
too will continue to receive the “lesser portion of the word” so long
as we are
content having one foot in the world and one foot in Christ (which
technically,
labels us “unbelievers”), and so long as we are content believing that
we can
save ourselves by the sort of works of which the world approves.
In
the
revelation that gave this restored church its condemnation (Section
83), we
also find a most noteworthy clarification about ancient
“Behold, this is my
doctrine:
Whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church;
whosoever
declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against
me;
therefore, he is not of my church.” (Section 3:16a-b)
John
clearly defined the condemnation, and
many holy prophets confirmed this same definition.
Simply put, those who are condemned love darkness rather than
light.
“And this is the
condemnation, that
light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light,
because
their deeds are evil.” (John 3:19)
Keep
in
mind Paul’s prophecy for the last days.
Paul was speaking to Christians when he said that there would be
a
“falling away.” Why would there be a
falling away? Because we (Christians)
would take pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2). This is the condemnation – men loving
darkness rather than light. Without
God’s voice which teaches us the difference between darkness and light,
we will get our definitions backward,
guaranteed.
“…and
by this you
may know they are under the bondage of sin, because
they come not unto me (when we hear his voice,
we come unto him – his voice is his Word);
for whoso cometh not
unto me is under the bondage of sin; and
whoso receiveth not my
voice is
not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me; and
by this (coming
unto him)
you may know the righteous from
the wicked, and that
the whole world groaneth
under sin and darkness even now.” (Section 83:7)
Whoever
repents and comes unto Christ (meaning they hear his voice which is his
Word) is not condemned, but is considered his church.
Everyone else is disqualified as being “his church.”
Consider
“Now as I said concerning
the holy
order of this high priesthood: there were many who were ordained and
became
high priests of God; And it was on account of their exceeding faith and
repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent
and
work righteousness, rather than to perish; Therefore they were called
after
this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed
white,
through the blood of the Lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the
Holy
Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before
God,
could not look upon sin, save it were with abhorrence; And there were
many,
exceeding great many, who were made pure, and entered into the rest of
the Lord
their God. And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble
yourselves
before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also
enter
into that rest; Yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days
of
Melchisedec, who was also a high priest after this same order which I
have spoken,
who also took upon him the high priesthood for ever.” (
Those
who
have exceeding faith and repentance, and are righteous before God, are
those
called into this holy order, which order is without beginning of days
or end of
years. God knows them by their
hearts. By their fruits, we can know
them too.
CONCLUSION
Jesus
instructed his disciples to “go into the
world and say, REPENT, FOR THE
“Say unto them (the
world), Ask of God; ask, and it
shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every
one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and unto him
that
knocketh, it shall be opened.
His
disciples were then concerned about the responses they would receive. They knew that their audience’s hearts would
be hardened. While “asking and seeking”
were not difficult things to do, these disciples knew that their
audiences would
be too set in their own ways and traditions.
And then said his
disciples
unto him, they will
say unto us, We ourselves are righteous, and need not
that any man should teach us. God, we know, heard Moses and some of the
prophets; but us he will not hear. And they will say, We have the law
for our
salvation, and that is sufficient for us.
(Translation for our
day: “We are a chosen
people. We understand the scriptures
better than anyone else. We have our
church laws, and we have our celestial law for salvation, which we will
accomplish, and that will be sufficient for us.)
His
disciples were discouraged for obvious reasons. They
knew the conditions of men’s hearts. They
knew that many would not hearken unto
their words. So Jesus gave them
additional instruction:
Then Jesus answered,
and said unto his disciples, thus shall
ye say unto them, What man among you, having a son, and
he shall be standing out, and shall say, Father, open thy house that I
may come
in and sup with thee, will not say, Come in, my son; for mine is thine,
and
thine is mine? Or what man is there among you, who, if his son ask
bread, will
give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If
ye then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall
your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Therefore,
all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so
to
them; for this is the law and the prophets. Repent, therefore, and
enter ye in
at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that
leadeth to
destruction, and many there be who go in thereat. Because strait is the
gate,
and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it.” (Matthew
7:11-23)
Jesus
was
teaching his disciples how to preach repentance. He
was teaching them how the “new covenant” works. To
become participants in “remembering the
new covenant” so that we do not remain under condemnation, we too have
to ask,
seek, and knock – continually. This is
not a one-time affair. How badly do
we
desire to know Jesus Christ? Are we
like Paul who counted all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus?
Do we, like Paul, want to be found in Jesus, not
having our own righteousness which is of the law, but which is
through faith, so that we might know him
and the power of his
resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, having been made
conformable
to his death? (Philippians 3:8-11)
~~~~~~
“And he died for all, that
they which
live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which
died for
them, and rose again. Wherefore, henceforth live we no more after the
flesh;
yea, though we once lived after the flesh, yet since we have known
Christ, now
henceforth live we no more after the flesh. Therefore if any man live
in Christ,
he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become
new” (2
Corinthians
5:15-17)