“They Are Not Cast Off Forever”: Fulfillment of the Covenant Purposes

Keywords

Covenant, Cast off, Religious Studies, Biblical Studies, Christianity

Abstract

One of the first purposes of the Book of Mormon we may think of is its purpose to convince Jew and Gentile alike that Jesus is the Christ. While that is certainly a major purpose of the Book of Mormon, the title page also declares that this sacred record will “show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever.” The object of this paper is to examine Book of Mormon references that show how the remnant of Israel will be taught about the Lord’s covenants and his dealings with their forefathers. Knowledge of these covenants offers the remnant of Israel hope for redemption. The original writers of the Book of Mormon were aware of at least one of God’s wise purposes for the coming forth of their record: to teach the remnant of Lehi’s posterity of God’s covenants so that they would keep these covenants, remain faithful to him, and foster faith in his Son. By coming to know this record, God’s power will be revealed to them and they will know that they have not been cast off forever. In order to show how the Book of Mormon accomplishes these purposes, we will first look at the foundation of these covenants with the house of Israel, then see how they were understood by Book of Mormon writers, and finally examine prophecies concerning the record’s deliverance to Lehi’s descendants through the Gentiles.

Original Publication Citation

“‘They Are Not Cast Off Forever.’ Fulfillment of the Covenant Purposes.” In The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon. The 44th Annual Sperry Symposium. Ed. Dennis L. Largey, Andrew H. Hedges, John Hilton III, and Kerry Hull. Provo and Salt Lake City: BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book Company, 2015, 265-279.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2015

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6456

Publisher

Religious Studies Center

Language

English

College

Religious Education

Department

Ancient Scripture

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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