Be Ye Therefore Loyal, Even as Your Father Which is in Heaven is Loyal

by Taylor Halverson

Overview

Abstract: The scriptures are saturated with covenantal words and terms. Any serious or close reading of the scriptures that misses or ignores the covenantal words, phrases, and literary structure of scripture runs the risk of missing the full purpose of why God preserved the scriptures for us. This is especially true for the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon, which emerged out of an Old Testament cultural context. Research during the past century on ancient Near Eastern covenants has brought clarity to the covenantal meaning and context of a variety of words and literary structures in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. This article builds on that revealing research to show that the English word "perfect" in a covenantal context in scripture can also be represented with the covenantal synonyms of "loyal, loyalty, faithful, and trustworthy." God has revealed and preserved the scriptures as records of these covenants and of the consequences of covenantal loyalty or disloyalty. The Lord's injunction to "be ye therefore perfect" (Matthew 5:48) is beautifully magnified when we realize that we are not simply asked to be without sin, but, rather, to "be ye therefore covenantally loyal" even as God has been eternally and covenantally loyal to us.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940162591122
Publisher:	Interpreter Foundation
Publication date:	10/07/2021
Series:	Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship , #48
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	946,355
File size:	337 KB

About the Author

Taylor Halverson is currently an entrepreneurship professor in the BYU Marriott School of Business. As an executive coach and entrepreneur, he builds leaders and businesses while creating transformative professional and personal development experiences. Taylor leads tours to locations throughout the world (Israel, China, India, Europe, Central America, and America’s national parks). He is a prolific author and editor of 20 books and more than 300 articles and a developer of scripture study resources with Book of Mormon Central (ScripturePlus app) and BYU’s Virtual Scripture Group (3D Ancient Jerusalem project). Taylor loves to spend time with his wife Lisa and kids David and Rachel on all sorts of adventures including exploring the nooks and crannies of the American West and Southwest, participating with geology and archaeology teams on location, creating and mixing electronic music, watching and discussing edifying shows, reading good books, playing games, learning, and laughing. Taylor’s academic training includes: BA, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Brigham Young University; MA, Biblical Studies, Yale University; MS, Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University; PhD, Instructional Systems Technology, Indiana University; PhD, Judaism & Christianity in Antiquity, Indiana University.