The Covenant Path

The Book of Mormon elaborates on a specific covenant path, our walk of life, leading back to the Father. An entire synopsis is in 2 Nephi 31 and a few verses into chapter 32.

Unity With the Godhead

This covenant path is necessary to activate the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The word atonement, or at-one-ment, speaks of a unity and communion with the entire Godhead. In the great intercessory prayer, Jesus prays to the Father advocating a condition of being "at one" with Him and His Father.

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17: 21).

The Book of Mormon expands this somewhat to include the entire Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Thus, there is this combination of roles set forth in Second Nephi chapter 31 where the three members of the Godhead are deferring to the other two members. Here are two examples within this chapter.

"But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.

"And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive" (2 Nephi 31: 14,18).

The sacramental prayers are another example. The prayer is directed to the Father, blessing the emblems in remembrance of the Son, and the promise is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Baptism Is the Gate

The first ordinance along the covenant path is baptism. In fact, it's the very gateway ordinance. Modern revelation sets forth the baptismal prayer:

"The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name: 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" (D&C 20: 73).

Jesus actually went "down" to the lowest depth at His baptism, as He was buried in the waters of Jordan, somewhere between 800 and 1300 feet below sea level. Thus, "he descended below all things" (D&C 88: 6). The Jordan River, specifically at Bethabara where Jesus was baptized, was the gateway into the Promised Land of Canaan in ancient Israel. The name Bethabara means "house of ford." The Promised Land represents exaltation, so the Savior set the example, showing that baptism is the gateway into the path of celestial glory.

Notice we are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and thus we progress along the covenant path to become unified with Them.

Sacrament Foreshadows Future Ordinances

In the sacramental prayer on the bread there is a particular phrase pointing to future covenants. The priest offering the prayer acts as a mediator of the covenant and is a type of Christ, as "mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood" (D&C 76: 69). The priest addresses the Father as an advocate for those participating in the ordinance, who are addressed in the third person. And thus the plea states, "That they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son" (D&C 20: 77).

During the sacrament we pledge to be "willing" to take the name of Christ upon us, but the taking of His name does not fully occur until one receives the ordinances of the temple where Jesus places His name. A week after the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple and on an Easter Sunday, the resurrected Savior appeared in the Kirtland Temple and stated, "For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house" (D&C 110: 7). In the temple, His name is placed upon us.

Temple Ordinances Mark the Covenant Path

Nephi asks, "And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save" (2 Nephi 31: 19).

The covenant path is "strait and narrow," not "straight and narrow." It could be translated as, "narrow and narrower." I have always wondered why the Lord did not make the path a little broader to let more people pass through quickly. But just a few months ago, as I was reading the Book of Mormon one morning, I felt a quiet impression from the Spirit that perhaps this is to emphasize the idea that the Lord allows each of us to pass through the veil one at a time so He can take the time to embrace each of His spiritually begotten sons and daughters. I shared this idea with a friend who knows much more about the scriptures than I do, and he paraphrased C. S. Lewis, who said the narrow path was created so we couldn't squeeze through any souvenirs from Babylon. I like that idea too. But think of it, we do ordinances one at a time for each precious soul.

The next verse describes the path back to the Father:

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Nephi 31: 20).

Under Aaronic Priesthood keys (or Levitical Priesthood), only the priest could enter into the Holy Place of the tabernacle, and only the high priest of the Aaronic order could enter into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement. As he would progress toward the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies, considered to be the throne of God, he would pass by a lampstand, candlestick, or menorah. The candlestick was a representation of the Tree of Life. On the other side of the Holy Place was a table of shewbread. 

In the above verse, the "perfect brightness of hope" is represented by the candlestick as it radiates the Light of Christ. The "word of Christ" is represented by the shewbread--something one might feast upon.

The same concept is expressed in Alma 5, a temple laden chapter.

"Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.

"Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely" (Alma 5: 33-34). 

We are promised if we endure to the end, the Father will say, "Ye shall have eternal life." This is the highest and ultimate sealing ordinance. It becomes the "more sure word of prophecy" as stated in the scriptures:

"The more sure word of prophecy means a man’s knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood" (D&C 131: 5).