Faithful in Keeping the Commandments

The word ‘commandment’ comes from Latin roots that mean ‘to put or give something into another person’s hand’. The roots of the word ‘commandment’ also mean ‘to give charge’. The first three elements of a faith-covenant can be considered a commandment (or a charge to do something). When we complete or fulfill a faith-covenant (the fifth element of a faith-covenant), then we can say that we have been “faithful” (“faith-covenant-fulfilling”). When God completes or fulfills his part of a covenant, he is also faithful. The five elements of a faith-covenant (or pistis) can be understood like this:

The “Commandment” (Charge given by God into your hand):

   1. The agreed-upon actions of the contract outlined in the covenant

   2. Mutually understood “substance” or purpose of the covenant

   3. Binding “evidence” (a handshake, signature, or appropriate other token or tokens)

The Trial, Work, and Hope:

   4. The trial of the covenant, which means that you have to do the “work” of the covenant; this part of the covenant is a functional “hope” – that is, acting or living as though the terms of the covenant were already fulfilled

Fulfillment or Faithfulness

   5. The conclusion or fulfillment of the terms of the covenant; at this point, the parties of the contract are said to be “faithful”

Here is a well-known story of Nephi (son of Lehi) retrieving the brass plates from Laban that exemplifies the process of receiving a “commandment” (faith-covenant) from God and keeping the “commandment” to the point that he was “faithful” and the covenant was fulfilled:

2) And it came to pass that [Lehi] spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem.

3) For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.

4) Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness. (1 Nephi 3:2-4)

[This describes most of the agreement (that part that Nephi and his brothers would have to do) and the purpose or objective of the commandment-faith-covenant; the evidence is the dream that Lehi had where he very likely saw and spoke with the Lord about this covenant assignment]

5) And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.

6) Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.

7) And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:5-7)

[Nephi describes the Lord’s part of the agreement – He will prepare the way for the commandment-faith-covenant to be accomplished]

After Nephi’s brother Laman made an unsuccessful attempt to ask Laban for the brass plates, Laman and Lemuel were ready to go back their camp in the desert without having fulfilled the commandment. This would be a trial of their faith-covenant. This is what Nephi said about giving up at this point:

15) But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.

16) Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord (1 Nephi 3:15-16)

After making a second unsuccessful attempt (another trial of their faith-covenant) to get the plates from Laban by offering to purchase them, Laman and Lemuel were really mad. They started to beat Nephi and Sam with a stick (or a rod). Had they beat Nephi and Sam enough they would have killed them or seriously injured them to the point that they would not be able to get the plates. God was faithful in keeping his part of the agreement by sending an angel to stop the beating before it progressed too far and encourage them to try to get the plates again:

29) And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands. (1 Nephi 3:29)

Nephi went back to get the plates alone. He “was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” (1 Nephi 4:6). “The Lord that is faithful” (Isaiah 49:7) did prepare a way for Nephi to accomplish the covenant given to him. Nephi found Laban drunk in the street, severed his head and then put on Laban’s clothes in order to pretend that he was Laban and get the plates, which he successfully did. After returning to their camp in the desert, Nephi commented how he and his father had been faithful (fulfilled the faith-covenant) in keeping the commandments (faith-covenant) that the Lord had given to them:

20) And it came to pass that thus far I and my father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had commanded us.

21) And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.

22) Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise. (1 Nephi 5:20-22)