Contracts or Covenants

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Distinguishing between contract marriages and covenant marriages is important to the success of any couple who has been sealed together within the walls of the temple. Because the Priesthood has been fully restored to the earth, worthy members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the opportunity to attend the temple and make sacred covenants with God. The final, and vital, covenant made within those holy walls is the sealing covenant. This covenant is unique in that it involves two people and God.

Satan would have us believe marriage is only as important as the tangible benefits we gain from it. That is the essence of a contractual marriage. Elder Bruce C. Hafen stated:

When troubles come, the parties to a contractualmarriage seek happiness by walking away. They marry to obtain benefits and will stay only as long as they’re receiving what they bargained for. But when troubles come to a covenant marriage, the husband and wife work them through. They marry to give and to grow, bound by covenants to each other, to the community, and to God. Contract companions each give 50 percent; covenant companions each give 100 percent. (Hafen, 1996)

Why do covenant marriages tend to stick together longer? It’s the inclusion of God. When we marry only for each other, or for our own selfish reasons, it is easy to become self-indulgent. When trouble comes, and it will, it’s easy to feel despair and question whether marriage was the right choice. But when we are covenanted to each other and God, we can maintain an eternal perspective. Our marriages have more value. Through the sealing covenant, we can remember who we are and who we can become together. We can remember our role within our marriage and the term “helpmeet” is more sacred. The goals we set will become both individual and couple-driven.  

In a covenant marriage, we have the added blessings from the Lord for keeping our promises. This is a guarantee! President Joseph Fielding Smith stated, “The covenant on the Lord's part is that if man does as he promises, then all that the Father hath shall be given unto him; and this is such a solemn and important promise that the Lord swears with an oath that it shall come to pass.” What an amazing promise! If we keep our promises, we know what our future holds. (Smith, 1970)

Those who have been sealed for eternity must take the time to study and understand the importance of that covenant. Attending the temple often will help to keep this sacred perspective. Clearly the blessings of a covenant marriage far outweigh a marriage by the world’s standards. We should all strive to be sealed and continue to perfect ourselves and our eternal relationships.

Resources:

Bruce C. Hafen, “Covenant Marriage,” Ensign, Nov 1996, p. 26.

Joseph Fielding Smith, “The Fulness of the Priesthood,” Conference Report. April 1970.