Confirming the Covenant – Chapter 2

By Dwight on September 22, 2026 in Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ, New Covenant

Part 5 of
Why the Book of Mormon
is the New Covenant

Prepared by
Elder Dwight Burford
hisworkmanship.net
September 22, 2026, Printing
[pdf copy]

Chapter 2: Introduction

To set a proper context for this study, three teachings from scripture are reviewed in this chapter: 1) all have sinned and come short of God’s glory,[1] 2) God is not a respecter of persons, but He blesses those He judges to be righteous based on their belief in and obedience to His words, and 3) Jesus Christ is a stumbling stone to many.[2] Each teaching is illustrated by reviewing how various people came short of God’s glory and yet glorified God by obeying Him in certain instances and ways. While those featured were descendants of Jacob, others not of Abraham’s lineage by way of Jacob have also exercised faith in God based on His words written faithfully by His prophets and apostles.[3]

All Have Sinned and Come Short of the Glory of God

Throughout the history of the world, God has worked with and through fallible men and women to carry out His plan for the salvation of mankind.[4] With one exception, all men have sinned and come short of His glory. Jesus Christ alone lived a sinless life in this world,[5] and He came into the world for the express purpose of saving us from[6] our sins (not in our sins) by the power of His atonement and resurrection so we may be born into the kingdom of God through the baptism of the Holy Ghost.[7]

Jesus has power granted to Him by His heavenly Father to save us based solely on the conditions of repentance.[8] By this power, He saves everyone who repents and comes to Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit, i.e. penitently.[9] In doing so Jesus honors both God’s justice and mercy in His work of redeeming and advocating for mankind. Thus, His ministry, manifested through His atonement and advocacy for us, reveals our Lord’s redemptive covenant love and His merciful intentions towards us.

I John 2:1,2 – My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. But if any man sin and repent, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

I Timothy 2:5,6 – For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Hebrews 7:24 – Wherefore he [Jesus Christ] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Because the cross of Christ declares all have sinned and come short of God’s glory, it is not news to learn that someone has sinned. What is newsworthy is the good news, the gospel, which focuses our attention on the redemptive intervention of God’s Only Begotten Son, His Word, Jesus Christ, on our behalf. For the gospel declares Jesus’ worthiness and our need to rely solely on His merits—not on any perceived merits of fallen mankind or the arm of flesh.[10]

Even though a given person or people has sinned, we must not dismiss their faithful witness of God upon hearing news of their sins. Rather, we must keep our focus on Jesus and the redeeming work He has revealed to and through them. For we all will be judged by that same judgment by which we judge others.[11] If we reject the words the Lord causes His servants to bring to us, we must also understand it is the Lord and His redeeming work we are rejecting and thus He will judge us accordingly.

Consider King David who glorified God in his life and yet sinned against Him,[12] most infamously by his adultery with Bathsheba and the arrangement he made to have her husband Uriah killed in battle.[13] As a result of his sin, David led others to sin by his example in having many wives, which was contrary to God’s command.[14] Most notably, Solomon—the second son born to David and Bathsheba after his adultery with her—multiplied David’s sin by having even more wives and concubines than his father.[15]

I Kings 11:4 – For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, and it became as the heart of David his father.

Notwithstanding David’s and Solomon’s sins, they yet glorified God through their sacred writings in prophetic psalms and wise proverbs. This was made evident by Jesus citing David favorably and in quoting his psalms in His ministry.[16] Jesus also honored the wisdom Solomon wrote about by way of His ministry and teachings to bring many to the knowledge of the truth of God and His kingdom.[17]

God had chosen David and sons of his lineage to rule over His covenant people[18] because, as He said, David had been a man after His own heart—which David evidenced by his worship and praise of God and His wisdom.[19] It would be wrong then to reject David’s or Solomon’s inspired writings because of their sins and transgressions. To do so would be to reject God and His words, not just their writings.

Others have likewise glorified God by obeying and worshipping Him and yet failed Him in various aspects of their lives. Some, like Abraham,[20] readily responded to His will, while others resisted doing as God commanded them at first but later complied with His will.[21] Highlighting their faith does not excuse their failures and faults, but rather it highlights the redemptive work of Christ in taking their sins and all our sins upon Himself so we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

II Corinthians 5:19-21 – To wit, that God is in Christ [His Word], reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Like Paul who wrote these words, Jonah was an ambassador of Christ who, through his life and ministry as a prophet, shows us how God works with fallen men to carry out His work of salvation for all the families of the earth. Jonah fled at first when God commanded him to go to the city of Nineveh and deliver a word of judgment He had pronounced upon its people (who were enemies of His covenant people).[22] Only after a miraculous intervention by God in Jonah’s life did Jonah obey Him and go to Ninevah, where Jonah told its citizens their city would be destroyed in forty days.[23] But the city was not destroyed as he had prophesied because all of its inhabitants repented at his preaching.[24] As a result of their repentance, the judgment God had pronounced upon them was rescinded by Him.

Jonah, however, was angry with how God had withdrawn His judgment from Ninevah, so God corrected him once again, this time with a small but miraculous illustration of His love and mercy towards Jonah and his enemies.[25] In the end, Jonah honored and glorified the Lord by reporting what occurred as a result of his being called to minister to the citizens of Ninevah, including how he had been corrected by God and how Ninevah had been spared for a time[26] as a result of his preaching.

Jonah’s record was then memorialized forever by Jesus Christ citing Jonah when prophesying of His death and resurrection.[27] Jesus confirmed the worth of Jonah’s ministry and the veracity of his accounting by connecting Jonah’s unique experience as a prophet directly to His own ministry to His enemies.[28] Jesus made this connection by linking Jonah’s entombment in a whale’s belly for three days and three nights to His own imminent entombment in the earth for three days and three nights.[29]

Matthew 12:34 – An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas; for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mark 8:12 – Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be give unto this generation, save the sign of the prophet Jonah; for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so likewise shall the Son of Man be buried in the bowels of the earth.

Jesus’ words alone are sufficient to show Jonah was not a presumptuous prophet (like those Moses warned about) when Jonah prophesied Nineveh would be destroyed in 40 days but was not destroyed according to his words.[30] We would be wise then to view Jonah’s record as a revelation of Jesus Christ and how His judgments are part of His greater work of seeking and saving the lost.[31]

By pardoning the Ninevites, God has shown us how prophecies of judgment are not about Him having His servants prophesy of punishments and then carrying out those punishments regardless of the effect of their prophecies. Rather, God-inspired prophecies like Jonah’s unfulfilled forty-day prophecy are about our Lord seeking to draw all men back to Himself based on the conditions of repentance as part of His work and glory in bringing to pass our immortality and eternal life.[32]

Psalm 86:5 – For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Isaiah 55:7 – Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Jeremiah 18:8 – If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will withhold the evil that I thought to do unto them.

Ezekiel 18:32 – For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn ye and live.

Joel 2:13 – And rend your heart, and not your garments, and repent, and turn unto the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and he will turn away the evil from you.

Micah 7:18 – Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy.

Zephaniah 2:3 – Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.

We would be wise then to learn from Jonah and the citizens of Ninevah, as well as from David and Solomon and others, concerning the steadiness of God’s goodness and grace as opposed to our own unsteadiness and unworthiness. For they teach us about our continual need for God and His grace because of the unsteadiness revealed by the frailties and failures of our fallen nature, that of the natural man that is given expression by our vain pursuits and sinful ways.[33]

To this last point, we would also be wise to remember Gideon. He was a mighty man of valor who served God when vanquishing an enemy of His people.[34] In his later years, however, Gideon sinned and came short of God’s glory by leading his people into idolatry upon making an ephod, a priestly garment.[35] Gideon’s sins ultimately led to great tragedy for his family—which included his many wives and sons—when one of his sons, named Abimelech, murdered all but one of his brothers (who escaped) and then suffered a tragic death of his own.[36] Like Solomon before him, Gideon sinned in the latter part of his life notwithstanding the good he had done previously.[37]

Although we all have sinned, by calling upon God daily in repentance and learning to walk humbly with Him according to His divine justice and mercy, we may come to know Him and His goodness and thereby find rest to our souls in His kingdom.[38] However, we must endure by God’s grace to the end of our lives by walking with God like faithful Enoch, Noah, and Abraham (who was called God’s friend).[39] Otherwise, we will remain in our sins and come short of His glory in the end of our lives.[40]

May we all therefore strive continually to obey God so we may be saved eternally in His kingdom like the faithful who have gone before us.[41] May we be like Paul who did not conclude prematurely he had completed that for which he had been apprehended by Christ, but pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus to the end of his life by faithful obedience.[42]

Philippians 3:8-14 – Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith; That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the just. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

May we also be like Paul in not judging anything before the time in which Jesus Christ will return in judgment of all men,[43] but rather in focusing our attention on enduring by faith, hope, and charity to the end through the merciful grace and faithfulness of our Lord.[44]

I Corinthians 4:5 – Therefore I judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God. [45]

II Corinthians 5:9-11 – Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive a reward of the deeds done in the body; things according to what he hath done, whether good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…

II Timothy 4:6-8 – For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

May we likewise take care in how we judge others, for those who judge without mercy will be judged without mercy,[46] and those who judge rashly will be judged rashly.[47] Remember that from Adam and Eve till now, many have repented and been reunited with God through faith.[48] Let us therefore judge righteously lest we become as dissenters from the faith like those described in the Book of Mormon.[49]

So that we will not become dissenters, remember the Lord and how took upon Himself the armor of salvation to intervene on our behalf when He did not find a man to stand in the gap.[50] Now we too must take upon ourselves the whole armor of God by putting on Jesus Christ so we may love and forgive others as He has loved and forgiven us, that is, through the person of Christ.[51]

II Corinthians 2:8-11 – Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him [i.e. the man that sinned]. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.[52] To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also; for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgive I it in the person of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

I John 3:11-16 – For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. … We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of Christ, because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Ephesians 6:10-18 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

God is not a Respecter of Persons

Upon being filled with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, Peter and the other apostles preached the gospel to many of their fellow Jews who had gathered to Jerusalem for this special festival in Israel.[53] Later, Jesus Christ sent Peter to preach the gospel to a man who was not a descendent of Jacob (Israel), but a centurion of the band called the Italian band.[54] The man’s name was Cornelius and as described in the scriptures, he was a just man who feareth God.[55]

When Peter learned why Cornelius wanted to meet with him, Peter stated the following observation:

Acts 10:34,35 – … Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

Before making this statement, Peter had testified to Cornelius and his household that Jesus Christ showed him in a vision, which he received before coming to Cornelius’ home, that he (Peter) should not call any man common or unclean.[56] After Peter preached briefly, the Holy Ghost fell upon Cornelius and those who had gathered together to hear his words. Note that this baptism of the Spirit took place before they were baptized in water.[57]

When telling the other disciples about how the Holy Ghost was given to Cornelius and all who were gathered in his home, Peter stated:

Acts 11:15-17 – … And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God?

Others before and after Peter have also declared that God is not a respecter of persons.[58] Equally important, men like James have also warned the members of the body of Christ to not be a respecter of persons either, but that we should regard all men as being alike in God’s eyes.[59]

We also learn from the scriptures that while God does not have respect for persons, He does especially bless those who will have Him to be their God and keep His commandments.[60]

I Nephi 5:126-132 – Behold, the Lord hath created the earth, that it should be inhabited; and He hath created His children, that they should possess it. And He raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked. And He leadeth away the righteous into precious lands; and the wicked He destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes. He ruleth high in the heavens, for it is His throne and this earth is His footstool. And He loveth them which will have Him to be their God; Behold, He loved our fathers, and He covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He remembered the covenants which He had made.

This subsection is intentionally short so as to not obscure the message that God is not a respecter of persons and neither should we be. Each one of us must therefore look upon all men and women equally because we all were made in the image of God. Equally important, we must remember the worth of all souls for Jesus Christ’s sake, for it is written:

D&C 16:3c-e – Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; for, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth. Wherefore you are called to cry repentance unto this people.

A Rock of Offense

To conclude this chapter, recall how the prophet Isaiah declared, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.[61] This stone was for a sanctuary and for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.[62] This stone of stumbling, this rock of offense, is Jesus Christ,[63] and many have been offended by Him because of the words of truth His Father gives Him to speak.[64]

Even Jesus Christ’s apostles were offended by Him, in particular the night He was betrayed by His apostle Judas and was subsequently arrested, tried, and crucified.[65] Jesus had warned them they all would be offended by Him that night and would leave Him.[66] In reply to His warning, Peter objected and stated emphatically he would never be offended by Jesus, to which Jesus replied that he (Peter) would deny Him three times before the cock crowed twice, and it was so.[67]

In being offended by Jesus and in denying his Lord, Peter sinned and came short of God’s glory, but this did not end Peter’s ministry for his Lord. For on the day of Pentecost and thereafter until he was martyred, Peter stood with boldness to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ through the gift and power of the Holy Ghost.[68] Judas, on the other hand, ended his own life and his ministry as an apostle upon being offended by Jesus’ words, and thus he betrayed Jesus into the hands of His enemies.[69]

Although all His apostles were offended, all but Judas yet glorified Him after the Holy Ghost came to rest upon them. On the day of Pentecost the apostles, including Matthias (Judas’ replacement), were filled with the Holy Ghost and manifested God’s glory by the Holy Ghost. While some of the house of Israel who heard them were offended by the apostles (in saying they were drunk), many others were converted to faith in Jesus Christ by way of the witness of His Spirit of truth.

Even though Jesus spoke plainly to His apostles to prepare them for His betrayal so they would not be offended by Him,[70] they were yet offended. We also see how Jesus was able to recover them to faith in Him and His words through His Spirit on Pentecost such that they valiantly testified of Him and ministered according to His instructions.

This same pattern of people being offended by Jesus’ words has continued into these latter days (both in and out of the church). Simply put, we too can be offended by Jesus and His words like His apostles. He is the truth, and thus we too can stumble at this rock of stumbling, this rock of offense if the truth He speaks to us through His servants are offensive to us for any reason. Therefore, we must remember that although all have sinned and come short of His glory, we must pay close attention to His words through whomever He may choose to speak His words. For the scriptures also teach us that we must not be a respecter of persons because our God is not—for all have been created in His image.

In fine, we learn from the scriptures that God chooses certain people and nations to carry out His work of redemption, even though they may be offensive to the world. A prime example is the children of the house of Israel, whom He chose for a particular purpose because of His covenant with Abraham.[71] While these people and nations have sinned and come short of God’s glory, we must have eyes to see[72] the glory of the Lord revealed in the lives of those He chooses to carry certain tasks according to His plan of mercy and restoration.[73] We must also have ears to hear the words He speaks by way of the prophets He raised up among them. For God’s glory is manifested through the inspiration and power of His Holy Spirit to manifests His words and works to the whole world—by His own voice, ministering angels, and holy prophets of God.[74]

[1] Psalm 14:3, Isaiah 53:6, 64:6, Romans 3:10-11,23, 5:6-21 with I Nephi 3:6, II Nephi 6:10-18, Mosiah 8:76-78 & Alma 16:209

[2] Acts 10:34,35, Romans 2:11, Romans 4:3, Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 3:23-25, James 2:20-23 (Hebrews 11:8-19 with Genesis 18:17,18 & Genesis 26:3-5), I Peter 1:17-21, etc. with I Nephi 5:121,122