Receiving The New And Everlasting Covenant

[inquiringmind]

When does one "receive" the New and Everlasting Covenant?

Is it when they read the Gospel and say the sinner's prayer, answer an alter call, are baptized in water (by anyone using the name of Christ, or invoking the Trinity), read the BOM, finish their course of instruction from LDS missionaries, get their testimony, are baptized into the LDS Church, confirmed by a Melchizedek Priesthood holder, or endowed in the Temple?

Edited November 29, 2011 by inquiringmind

[altersteve]

The New and Everlasting Covenant is the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is received when one accepts the gospel.

I think.

Edited November 29, 2011 by altersteve

[inquiringmind]

The New and Everlasting Covenant is the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is received when one accepts the gospel.

I think.

But what does accepting the Gospel mean?

Does it mean entering into a covenant, being baptized, being confirmed?

Edited November 29, 2011 by inquiringmind

[altersteve]

But what does accepting the Gospel mean?

Does it mean entering into a covenant, being baptized, being confirmed?

Accepting the gospel, to my understanding, is simply accepting the truthfulness of it. It comes before baptism.

[thesometimesaint]

inquiringmind:

Like most things in life it is a processs not an event.

[Saints Alive]

Our mortal minds think in liner terms, receiving the new and everlasting covenant happens the moment you accept the gospel and everything that goes along with it. If you accept the gospel and live according to its principles everything else will fall into place.

[Deborah]

Section 132:7 says this about the N&E Covenant:

"And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead."

One must enter into the covenant for it to begin to take effect and it isn't fully in effect until sealed by the Holy Spirit. It therefore requires action not merely acceptance or belief. Verse 6 states "And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God."

We begin by being baptized and as has been mentioned it is a process that continues through life with the endowment, sealings and continued obedience.

[Saints Alive]

One must enter into the covenant for it to begin to take effect and it isn't fully in effect until sealed by the Holy Spirit. It therefore requires action not merely acceptance or belief. Verse 6 states "And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God."

We begin by being baptized and as has been mentioned it is a process that continues through life with the endowment, sealings and continued obedience.

I disagree, you recieve the N&E C when you accept the gospel, being baptised or any other ordinance is just a symbolic acceptence of the gospel but not actually accepting it in your heart.

[Deborah]

I disagree, you recieve the N&E C when you accept the gospel, being baptised or any other ordinance is just a symbolic acceptence of the gospel but not actually accepting it in your heart.

That is not what the scriptures say. A Covenant is an agreement between two parties and requires action.

Edited November 29, 2011 by Deborah

[ERayR]

I disagree, you recieve the N&E C when you accept the gospel, being baptised or any other ordinance is just a symbolic acceptence of the gospel but not actually accepting it in your heart.

One receives the New and Everlasting Covenant when it is sealed by the Holy Spirit. Until then one receives the promise of that covenant.

[zerinus]

But what does accepting the Gospel mean?

Does it mean entering into a covenant, being baptized, being confirmed?

The meaning of the “new and everlasting covenant” is explained in D&C 132 as follows:

D&C 132

4 For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.

5 For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world.

6 And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God.

7 And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.

8 Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.

9 Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?

10 Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?

11 And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was?

12 I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this commandment—that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law, saith the Lord.

13 And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God.

14 For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed.

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

The “new and everlasting covenant” pertains to the highest ordinance of the gospel that can be administered to man here on earth, that binds on earth and is bound in heaven; and it pertains to the sealing power of the fulness of the priesthood that was restored by Elijah. In verse 15 marriage is given as an example (perhaps the prime example) of this sealing power; but it is not limited to it. Verse 7 explains how wide the ramifications of this sealing power is. It is the same power that the Lord promised to Peter:

Matthew 16:

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Obviously one cannot receive the highest ordinances if he rejects the lower ones. One cannot be sealed in the temple for example without first being baptized. But being baptized and rejecting the higher ordinances will not work either. To “receive” the “new and everlasting covenant” means to accept the full package. This does not necessarily mean that one must actually have all the ordinances administered to him in this life. There may be reasons why that may not happen. Thus to “receive” the “new and everlasting covenant” means to agree with and assent to the fulness of all that has been revealed in this dispensation, with full purpose of heart; and be administered to as many of them willingly as one has the opportunity to obtain in this life. One will not be denied the blessings that one fully assented to in this life, but did not have the opportunity to obtain in its fulness. To “reject” it means to reject it from the heart, not fail to obtain it through circumstances beyond one's control.

Edited November 29, 2011 by zerinus

[Calm]

From LDS.org:

NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT

See also Covenant.

The fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (D&C 66:2). It is new every time it is revealed anew following a period of apostasy. It is everlasting in the sense that it is God’s covenant and has been enjoyed in every gospel dispensation where people have been willing to receive it. The new and everlasting covenant was revealed again to men on earth by Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith. It contains sacred ordinances administered by priesthood authority—such as baptism and temple marriage—that provide for man’s salvation, immortality, and eternal life. When people accept the gospel and promise to keep God’s commandments, God covenants to give them the blessings of his new and everlasting covenant.

I will establish my covenant between me and you, Gen. 17:7

He shall have the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, Num. 25:13

The people changed the ordinances and broke the everlasting covenant, Isa. 24:5 (D&C 1:15).

I will make an everlasting covenant with you, Isa. 55:3 (Jer. 32:40).

It shall be an everlasting covenant, Ezek. 37:26

The Lord made a new covenant, and the old passed away, Heb. 8:13

Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant, Heb. 12:24 (D&C 76:69).

This is a new and an everlasting covenant, D&C 22:1

I have sent my everlasting covenant into the world, D&C 45:9 (D&C 49:9).

The Lord sent the fulness of his gospel, his everlasting covenant, D&C 66:2 (D&C 133:57).

In order to obtain the highest degree in the celestial kingdom, a man must enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, D&C 131:1–2

The new and everlasting covenant was instituted for the fulness of the Lord’s glory, D&C 132:6, 19

[Calm]

The scriptures speak of the new and everlasting covenant. The new and everlasting covenant is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, the doctrines and commandments of the gospel constitute the substance of an everlasting covenant between God and man that is newly restored in each dispensation. If we were to state the new and everlasting covenant in one sentence it would be this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Jesus explained what it means to believe in Him: “Now this is the commandment [or in other words, this is the covenant]: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day” (3 Nephi 27:20).

http://lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/the-power-of-covenants?lang=eng&query=%22new+and+everlasting+covenant%22

Sacred Covenants

The Lord in the revelation now known as section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants announces:

For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.

For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world. (D&C 132:4–5.)

President Joseph Fielding Smith defines the new and everlasting covenant in these words:

What is the new and everlasting covenant? I regret to say that there are some members of the Church who are misled and misinformed in regard to what the new and everlasting covenant really is. The new and everlasting covenant is the sum total of all gospel covenants and obligations. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols. [salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56], 1:156; hereafter cited as Doctrines of Salvation.)

This covenant includes all ordinances of the gospel—the highest of which are performed in the temple. To quote President Smith again:

Now there is a clear-cut definition in detail of the new and everlasting covenant. It is everything—the fulness of the gospel. So marriage properly performed, baptism, ordination to the priesthood, everything else—every contract, every obligation, every performance that pertains to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise according to his law here given, is a part of the new and everlasting covenant. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:158.)

In the verse quoted previously (Doctrine and Covenants 132:4) the Lord spoke with unmistakable plainness: “… for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.”

http://lds.org/manual/preparing-to-enter-the-holy-temple/preparing-to-enter-the-holy-temple?lang=eng&query=%22new+and+everlasting+covenant%22

[Saints Alive]

That is not what the scriptures say. A Covenant is an agreement between two parties and requires action.

yes but that action is symbolic, do you really think that there is a physical difference between someone who has been baptised and one who hasn't?

[Deborah]

yes but that action is symbolic, do you really think that there is a physical difference between someone who has been baptised and one who hasn't?

Of course it's symbolic but that doesn't mean that it isn't necessary. One who isn't baptized hasn't made the same covenant as one who is and the N & E Covenant requires certain things be done.

[Calm]

i think the issue is whether there is a spiritual difference or not and if there is, is there any other way to achieve the same effect. From my reading of the scriptures, I would say 'no'.

Edited November 29, 2011 by calmoriah

[Saints Alive]

I don't dissagree that one must be baptised. What I am saying is that one isn't baptised in order to accept the N&E C, one accepts the N&E C and becomes baptised, ordained, endowed, and sealed as a result of accepting or "recieving" the N&E C.

Lets not put the cart before the hourse.

[mfbukowski]

One receives the New and Everlasting Covenant when it is sealed by the Holy Spirit. Until then one receives the promise of that covenant.

Agreed.

Arguably, it is not "fully received" until if and when we qualify for exaltation. Clearly the New and E. C. includes exaltation. Arguably everything before that is the "old everlasting covenant".

Just my opinion.

[thesometimesaint]

Saints Alive:

I don't know about you, but I was considerably wetter after my baptism.

[Saints Alive]

Saints Alive:

I don't know about you, but I was considerably wetter after my baptism.

So am I after i take a bath

[LeSellers]

So am I after i take a bath

That's why Peter contrasted a bath with baptism. A bath removes only dirt from your body, but baptism removes sin from your soul.

Lehi

[KevinG]

Please everyone stop before someone uses deoderant as an illustration for the Gift of the Holy Ghost!

[LeSellers]

Please everyone stop before someone uses deoderant as an illustration for the Gift of the Holy Ghost!

Someone may try, but it would be in vain. Deodorant only covers up the stench, the gift of the Holy Ghost removes the cause.

Lehi

[KevinG]

Someone may try, but it would be in vain. Deodorant only covers up the stench, the gift of the Holy Ghost removes the cause.

Lehi

Well played sir!

[altersteve]

Someone may try, but it would be in vain. Deodorant only covers up the stench, the gift of the Holy Ghost removes the cause.

Lehi

So the gift of the Holy Ghost is more like toothpaste.