What Is the Importance of Covenants?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Mosiah 18-24 in a lesson titled “We Have Entered into a Covenant with Him.” The lesson was introduced by the following information. 

The account of Alma and his people in Mosiah 18; 23-24 shows what it means to “come into the fold of God” (Mosiah 18:8). When Alma’s people were baptized, they made a covenant with God to “serve him and keep his commandments” (Mosiah 18:10). While this was a personal commitment with God, it also had to do with how they treated one another. Yes, the journey back to Heavenly Father is individual, and no one can keep our covenants for us, but that doesn’t mean we are alone. We need each other. As members of Christ’s Church, we covenant to serve God by helping and serving one another along the way, “bear[ing] one another’s burdens” (Mosiah 18:8-10). Alma’s people definitely had burdens to bear, just as we all do. And one way the Lord helps us “bear up [our] burdens with ease” (Mosiah 24:15) is by giving us a community of Saints who have promised to mourn with us and comfort us, just as we have promised to do for them.

The principle for this week is “When I am baptized, I make a covenant with God” (Mosiah 18:1-17). In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, baptism is a sacred ordinance performed by priesthood holders. There are several key points related to baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ, but they are easy to understand.

The purpose of baptism is to be an essential step for individuals to enter the fold of God and become members of the Church of Jesus Christ. Through the ordinance of baptism, individuals take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ and make a covenant to follow His teachings.

Individuals make specific covenants as part of the baptismal ordinance. The covenants include: (1) coming into the fold of God or becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ; (2) taking upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ; (3) bearing others’ burdens, comforting those in need, and mourning with those who mourn – helping others.

The baptismal prayer is pronounced by the priesthood holder who performs the ordinance. The prayer is as follows: “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:73).

Only individuals with the necessary priesthood authority can perform baptisms. Both the person being baptized and the priesthood holder must be worthy to participate in the ordinance. Two members of the Church of Jesus Christ are official witnesses of each baptism. Individuals must be at least eight years old to be baptized, but people of all ages over the age of eight are baptized.

Baptism is a significant step in the spiritual journey of members of the Church of Jesus Christ. It symbolizes their commitment to follow Christ and to receive His blessings.

In Mosiah 18-24, we learn of Alma the Elder and how he believed the words of the prophet Abinadi. He wrote Abinadi’s words and then taught about the coming of Jesus Christ. Alma baptized more than 460 people, and this scriptural block tells of the many blessings that came to them because of the covenants that they made with God. We also learn of another group of people – the people of Limhi – and how they covenanted with God but were not baptized until later. We learned of how God deals with His covenant people.

To end this post, I encourage you to watch a video titled “The Lord Delivers the People of Limhi and Alma.” The video depicts the people of Limhi and Alma – two separate groups of people – who are taken into bondage and captivity by the Lamanites. Both groups made covenants with God and had their faith tested and tried. In the end, both groups were delivered from their bondage but in separate ways.