First of all, we all make covenants with the Lord, but why are we called a covenant people? I think it is because the Lord recognizes that we are social creatures. Our salvation is calculated individually, but it is achieved collectively, as we embark in the company of saints on this lifelong migration toward God.
As a result, not only do the covenants we make change who we are individually, they change who we are collectively, including how we interact with each other.
So what does this mean for us personally? It means that the Mormon sitting next to you is also a pioneer heading their way toward Zion. It means that each is equally valuable--from the Bishop to the deacons to the semi-active member, each can participate and add to the company's success.
The second major point is that becoming a covenant people involves a whole attitudinal shift. Rather than concentrate soley on the distance that separates one from God, the covenant people concentrates on the progress they make. The difference lies in which direction one looks: if one is obsessed with the sin that divides us from God, even if looked at with the lens of guilt, then one is not looking toward God. The covenant people instead acknowledge their sin, but do so with their faces pointed toward the God that saves them.
In other words, covenants change everything about us. They change how we interact with others, how we view our sins, how we view ourselves, how we view the world around us. No wonder covenants and the physical ordinances that teach us of those covenants are so vital to the gospel.
Interesting perspective of covenants. I love going to the temple and participating in all the ordinances so that I can be reminded of all the different covenants we are a party to.
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