Being Bound

No one likes to have their agency curtailed. We prefer maximum freedom, and we bristle when there are things we are unable or not permitted to do.

But we also constantly make decisions and commitments which constrain our own current and future agency. When you make a promise, you are bound to follow through. When you accept a responsibility, you know that people rely on you to fulfill it. When you enter a relationship, your preferences and your comfort must be subordinated to a new set of shared priorities.

In an 1832 revelation to Joseph Smith, the Savior said:

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say.

Doctrine and Covenants 82:10

It’s hard to imagine the all-powerful Creator of the universe being bound by anything, but in saying this, He was expressing at least two things: His perfect integrity and His commitment to us. We can always trust Him to keep His word. (See Enos 1:6; Ether 3:12; Deuteronomy 32:4.) And He loves us with a perfect love. (See 1 Nephi 11:21-23; Deuteronomy 7:6-9.)

Immediately afterward, the Savior invited His listeners to follow His example:

Therefore, verily I say unto you, that it is expedient for my servants Edward Partridge and Newel K. Whitney, A. Sidney Gilbert and Sidney Rigdon, and my servant Joseph Smith, and John Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery, and W. W. Phelps and Martin Harris to be bound together by a bond and covenant that cannot be broken …

Therefore, I give unto you this commandment, that ye bind yourselves by this covenant.

Doctrine and Covenants 82:11, 15

Throughout the scriptures, being bound is generally portrayed as an undesirable thing. Jesus came to earth, after all, to “loose the bands of death which bind his people” (Alma 7:12), and Alma pleaded with the people of Gideon to “lay aside every sin, … which doth bind you down to destruction” (Alma 7:15).

But some constraints are actually conducive to our eternal happiness. Jesus promised Peter that “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Matthew 16:19; compare Helaman 10:7), implying that His purpose was not only to loose us from things that drag us down but also to connect us with things that lift us up.

Elder David A. Bednar taught:

Covenant promises and blessings are possible only because of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He invites us to look to Him, come unto Him, learn of Him, and bind ourselves to Him through the covenants and ordinances of His restored gospel.

“With the Power of God in Great Glory,” General Conference, October 2021

And Sister Bonnie H. Cordon said:

As we bind ourselves to Him through covenants and ordinances, our lives are filled with confidence, protection, and deep and lasting joy.

“Come unto Christ, and Don’t Come Alone,” General Conference, October 2021

President Russell M. Nelson emphasized that this kind of binding paradoxically expands our freedom:

Entering into a covenant relationship with God binds us to Him in a way that makes everything about life easier.

“Overcome the World and Find Rest,” General Conference, October 2022

Today I will strive to bind myself more fully to God so I can enjoy the confidence, power, and joy that come through deepening my relationship with Him.