Keywords

Mormon studies, Abrahamic covenant, new and everlasting covenant, religious covenants

Abstract

The Abrahamic, or new and everlasting, covenant is an important element of the Old Testament. In fact, the main way the Old Testament frames human relationships with God is whether people make and keep a covenant with him. Yet we often do not notice how much that theme is woven throughout all scripture. For example, the Book of Mormon title page specifically references the knowledge of the covenant as part of the purpose of writing and preserving the book, and the covenant is a major theme for many of its authors. The New Testament and the Doctrine and Covenants are replete with references to the covenant. The more familiar we become with the covenant and the language used to describe the covenant, the more we find it in the scriptures. Recognizing covenant language adds a greater richness to all scripture study, particularly the Book of Mormon, which is a very covenant-saturated text if we learn to recognize the references.

Original Publication Citation

Muhlestein, K. "Recognizing the Everlasting Covenant in the Scriptures," Religious Educator, vol. 21, no. 2 (2020), 41-71