“Behold, I say unto you that all old covenants have I caused to be done away in this thing; and this is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning.” (D&C 22:1). How can a covenant be both new and everlasting? Aren't those contradictory terms? If it is that which was from the beginning, then it seems like it can hardly be considered new. But however paradoxical it may seem, our covenant with the Lord is both new and everlasting. The very first part of the covenant is repentance and a renewal of the baptismal covenants. Our baptism, initially, and subsequent weekly renewal through the Sacrament, constitutes a death of the old self as we are born again as new creatures in Christ. This is what makes the covenant new. We must every week enter into the covenant for the first time - after we have once more been born again. That's the beautiful thing about the new and everlasting covenant - it is continually fresh and new as we are continually fresh and new thanks to the miracle of repentance and forgiveness through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Any terms or conditions that were violated, broken, or altered before our death and rebirth are irrelevant, because that broken covenant was made and violated by our old, dead self. The covenant is also everlasting in that no matter how often we have like sheep gone astray, our Savior, the Good Shepherd, is anxiously waiting to safely gather us back in. The covenant is everlasting in the fact that the Lord is willing to make the same agreement with each and every new version of ourselves. Well, almost the same agreement. As we continue to learn and grow, we will over time begin to enter into versions of the new and everlasting covenant that are increasingly binding and powerful. Line by line and clause by clause, the new and everlasting covenant will give us increasingly greater rights, responsibilities, and privileges. We will be asked to sacrifice more and to receive even more in recompense. I am so grateful that our covenant with the Lord is both new and everlasting. We need both of those things and the Lord has provided them to us. I hope that we never lose faith in the newness and everlastingness of our covenants.
