Two weeks down, seven more to go! These next two weeks I’ll learning about ordinances and covenants. For those out there who don’t fully understand the concepts here I’ll provide some education this week, and dive into my thoughts and impressions next week.
Ordinances and Covenants typically go hand in hand. Although my faith believes in these there are many fellow Christians who don’t realize that their faith believes in the same concepts. Let me highlight a few things; ordinances are the physical acts or deeds god requires of us, and covenants are the promises that typically are associated with each ordinance. Although, covenants can be made without an ordinance, I intend to keep it simple this week.
Let’s take baptism as an example. My church believes that children should be baptized no earlier than eight years old. It has been taught that at eight children are old enough to decipher right from wrong, and as a result they would be able to be held accountable for their choices. No when we are baptized, our sins are washed away and we are clean. At this moment we are pure and as a result we have covenanted with God to try to live a life worthy of returning to his presence. To do this we have covenanted to sin no-more. Although it isn’t possible for any of us to be perfect we are commanded to try, and the rest is left to the grace of our redeemer.
I hope this crash course has peeked your interest, take time this week to think about what actions you have taken in church and what the Lord may be expecting in return. I am sure you will agree that these expectations are covenants.
