Signs, Tokens, Symbols and Covenants

Understand the Nature of those Signs, Symbols, and Tokens of Our Covenants

And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you: … And I will establish my covenant with you … And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you … for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
~ Genesis 9:8-17 ~

So when God spoke to Noah, Abraham, or Moses about covenants, He was inviting them to enter into a relationship of trust with Him.
~ Come Follow Me – Old Testament 2022 – the Covenant ~

In the Church, an ordinance is a sacred, formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood. Some ordinances are essential to our salvation. As part of these “saving ordinances,” we enter into solemn covenants with God. A covenant is a two-way promise, the conditions of which are set by God. When we enter into a covenant with God, we promise to keep those conditions. He promises us certain blessings in return.
~ Understanding Our Covenants with God ~

In Word: Throughout our study of the Old Testament, we will come across numerous accounts where our Heavenly Father has made covenants with those who are invited into relationship with Him. We first have the Adamic Covenant and promise that holds to a messianic promise. The covenant we find with Enoch and those who live righteously in a growing world of wickedness. The Noahic covenant that is an unconditional or unilateral covenant between God and man concerning God’s promise to not destroy the earth by flood. This latter covenant also included a symbol or token. A sign as a remembrance of that covenant. It is also based on God’s faithfulness to do what He says He will do. It is also the only covenant of the Old Testament that does not have any conditions placed upon it. And the sign and token of the Lord reminds us of our Heavenly Father’s faithfulness in keeping His promises.

Today, we make sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father. Those covenants we make bare the signs, tokens, and symbols that help remind us of those sacred covenants. These signs, tokens, and symbols not only help remind us of our Heavenly Father’s grace and faithfulness toward us, but it also reminds us of our willingness to continually seek Him and conform to His will for our lives.

In Deed: Because of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ – we enter into those sacred covenants through ordinances of the Gospel. In short – we are a covenant-making people because the gospel of Jesus Christ is the everlasting covenant (D&C 45:9) through Christ’s infinite atonement. It is this covenant that is a light unto the world. How we come to understand, solemnly enter into this covenant determines our willingness to lay aside all carnal thoughts and vain imaginations. And in order for us to enter into these sacred and solemn covenants with our Heavenly Father – we need to have a faith rooted in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we not only have faith in Jesus Christ, but we are also willing to enter into those sacred covenants by virtue of being obedient to the commandments of the Lord. Faithfully living our life in righteousness. Or, as the Apostle Paul teaches – submitting ourselves to living righteously as we are to consider ourselves dead to our old way of living (Romans 6:3-18).

Take a Moment and Ponder: Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ also means we are living in adherence to faithfully observe those covenants we have made with our Heavenly Father. What promises did you observe in living faithfully to those covenants? What promises you believe our Heavenly Father honors through those covenants? What importance to covenants play in our faith and relationship with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?