“Mine Everlasting Covenant”

D&C 66:2

On October 25, 1831, the first day of a Church conference held in Orange, Ohio, William E. McLellin asked the Prophet Joseph Smith to inquire of the Lord concerning a few questions that troubled him. Joseph did as requested and received Doctrine and Covenants 66 in answer to the questions. “I now testify in the fear of God,” wrote William McLellin, “that every question which I had thus lodged in the ears of the Lord of Sabbath, were answered to my full and entire satisfaction.”[1]

In the revelation, William McLellin was praised and rebuked. Perhaps more importantly, the Lord said,

Blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fulness of my gospel, sent forth unto the children of men, that they might have life and be made partakers of the glories which are to be revealed in the last days, as it was written by the prophets and apostles in days of old. (D&C 66:2)

What is “mine everlasting covenant”? The everlasting covenant encompasses the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and all ordinances and covenants that are necessary for salvation. The everlasting covenant is essential to the Plan of Salvation, for it enables our Heavenly Father’s children to return to His presence and inherit eternal life.

In the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord told why the everlasting covenant was necessary: “Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven ... that mine everlasting covenant might be established” (D&C 1:17, 22).

Making and keeping everlasting covenants has been the central message of the Restoration since the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It has been a key theme of Church leaders and members alike for generations. In his April 2015 general conference address Elder Kevin W. Pearson spoke about his decision to make and keep sacred covenants and his unwillingness to change that decision:

Several years ago, Sister Pearson and I were called to preside over the Washington Tacoma Mission. The call was a complete surprise. With some trepidation I met with the chairman and the CEO of the company where I was employed and informed them of my mission call. They were visibly upset with my decision to leave the firm. “When did you make this decision, and why didn’t you discuss it with us earlier?” they demanded.

In a moment of clarity, a profound answer came into my mind. I said, “I made this decision as a 19-year-old boy, when I made sacred covenants with God in the temple to follow the Savior. I’ve built my entire life on those covenants, and I fully intend to keep them now.”[2]