People of the First Covenant

In the last words that Mormon left us on the plates, he said this to the “remnant of the house of Israel” who would have his words: “Ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment” (Mormon 7:1, 10).  We of course recognize the first principles of the gospel that Mormon highlighted: faith in Christ, baptism with water, baptism with the Holy Ghost, and arguably repentance (following the Savior’s example).  The phrase that caught my attention was the idea of being “people of the first covenant”—what exactly did he mean by that?

               Right after I read this verse a few days ago and thought about what Mormon meant, I went to a baptism for an extended family member.  In one of the talks it was mentioned how baptism is the “first covenant” that we participate in, and I thought about the potential connection with this verse.  Baptism is certainly the first covenant that we enter into with the Lord in our day, and it is the way that we join the spiritual house of Israel.  As Mormon quoted the Lord elsewhere, those who turn away from evil and “come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 30:2).  Perhaps Mormon meant by people of the first covenant the people who receive baptism and are therefore part of the House of Israel in that way. 

               Other references to the idea of “first covenant” suggest a different interpretation of the phrase.  Paul wrote to the Galatians in this language: “The law was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made in the law given to Moses, who was ordained by the hand of angels to be a mediator of this first covenant, (the law.)” (JST Galatians 3:19)  He also wrote to the Hebrews saying, “ For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second” (Hebrews 8:7).  Both of these suggest that the first covenant was the law of Moses, the first covenant that the Lord gave to His people on Sinai.  If that’s the case, then to be the “people of the first covenant” as Mormon wrote we need to be the descendants of those of the House of Israel who lived at the time of the Law of Moses.  To be the people of the first covenant then perhaps implies that we remember the Law of Moses and live by its broader teachings.  We may not perform animal sacrifices now, but we still follow this essential element of the Law: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut 6:5).  We may not celebrate the ritual feasts, but we still seek to follow this timeless invitation from the Lord: “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18).  We can be the people of the first covenant, as Mormon invited us, not only by receiving baptism but by also remembering our fathers and seeking to live those parts of the law that were not done away with and fulfilled in the meridian of time.