D&C
84:57 is a commonly misinterpreted text:
And they shall remain under this condemnation
until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and
the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do
according to that which I have written.
Some,
including some critics of the Church, argue that this text teaches that the
category of "new covenant" is exhausted by the Book of Mormon. This
has resulted in them asking, "if the Book of Mormon is [1:1 equivalent to]
the New Covenant, how do Latter-day Saints explain texts such as Jer 31:31; Heb
8:8, 13; 12:24? Clearly, the Book of Mormon is not the New Covenant, contra D&C 84:57!"
That this is
a misreading is not difficult to show. In the very text, the Book of Mormon is
not referenced alone, but “the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them.” The “former
commandments” "may mean the revelations of Joseph Smith, soon to be
printed in the 1833 Book of Commandments, or "former" may mean prior
to the Book of Mormon and would thus indicate the revelations given by God in
the Bible" (per Stephen Robinson and H. Dean Garrett in vol. 3 of A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants).
It seems to
me that the "New Covenant" is much more general than many LDS have
read this text to be, but then there are specific things within this broader
category that have been ignored and/or unappreciated by early Church members
(i.e., the BOM and "the former commandments"). It would like someone
saying "be sure to pray for all those in this Boylan household, even [alt.
“especially”] Robert.” I would be part of the larger category of “Boylan
household,” but I do not exhaust such a category. In like manner, the Book of
Mormon (and the “former commandments”) are members of the category of “New
Covenant” in D&C 84:57, but do not exhaust that category.
The two
other instances of "New Covenant" in the Doctrine and Covenants
supports this:
These are they who are just men made perfect
through Jesus as the mediator of the new
covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of
his own blood. (D&C 76:69)
To have the privilege of receiving the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to
commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the
communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. (D&C 107:19)
This is also borne out by
examining how Joseph Smith and other early Latter-day Saint
used the term “New Covenant”
(click here
for a listing on the Joseph Smith Papers
Website). As one example, note
the following in a letter to William W. Phelps dated 11
. . . for though our Brethren in Zion indulge
in feelings towards us, which is are not according to the requirements
of the new covenant yet we have the satisfaction of knowing that the Lord
approves of us . . .