Since the days of Adam, God has dealt with mankind by covenant. Covenant is the process whereby men and women receive specific promises or blessings from God, as they themselves offer obedience to God’s will. God’s will is clearly manifest in His commandments.
The scriptural record makes it clear that God will make covenants with individuals, as He did with Abraham, and with groups of people, as He did with the children of Israel in Moses’ day. Regardless of who it is that God is dealing with, every covenant offered to mankind will originate with God. It is not given to man to initiate a covenant with God. Covenant will always come as an offer from God, based on His desires for His children and His perfect love, wisdom and power.
Joseph Smith stated that, “None but fools will trifle with the souls of men.” Men are fallen and weak. Men are foolish and will trifle with one another and with God. They are often incapable of keeping promises because of circumstances beyond their control. God is not trifling with the souls of men. He can, and will, keep every promise He makes in establishing a covenant with mankind. God will never ask for things that cannot be given, nor will He give commandments that are impossible to obey. It is always left to man alone to succeed or to fail in obtaining God’s covenant promises.

The ordinances of salvation will invariably establish a covenant between God and man. The basic pattern is seen in the Doctrine of Christ. Christ’s invitation is ‘if you will repent and believe in me, become as a little child and be baptized by emersion, taking my name upon you, then, My Father will send fire and the Holy Ghost which will teach you the truth of all things.’ Obedience to the requirements of the covenant will always produce the promised blessings. God has made it clear that ordinances that He has established are not to be changed by man. When an ordinance is changed by man, the associated covenant is broken and man will not receive the associated blessings.

God’s people will always be identified by of the covenants they make. Zion will be established, with its people and place prepared for our Lord’s return, only when a covenant has been offered by God and accepted by a people with faith enough to act in obedience before Him.
​
A prayer for a covenant was offered in behalf of a people striving to be His and an answer was received. The end of that answer contained a covenant. This covenant, offered by God in our day, has as a prerequisite, familiarity with the Doctrine of Christ and baptism by immersion, by one having authority from God.

PRAYER
FOR
COVENANT

ANSWER
&
COVENANT