26 And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.
The great and abominable church which Nephi saw in his vision represents any organization which promotes wickedness and opposes the work of God. (See 1 Nephi 14:9-10.) Why would such an organization seek to eliminate or diminish the covenants of the Lord? Because covenants are central to the way He does His work.
We know that God’s work is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life (Moses 1:39). I can think of at least two ways in which covenants fulfill an essential role in that work:
- They motivate us to repent and move closer to becoming the people we must be in order to receive eternal life.
- As an exercise of faith, they unlock the power of the Atonement in our lives, without which we cannot be worthy to receive eternal life.
Today, I will remember the covenants I have made with God. I will seek to draw closer to Him, both by living in the way I have promised to live and by acting in faith so that His grace can empower me to become more than I am now.