Doctrinal Mastery: Mosiah 18:8–10

“Ye Have Entered into a Covenant with Him”

Alma baptizing in the waters of Mormon

In a previous lesson, you learned about how our baptismal covenant with the Savior can affect the way we live our lives. This lesson can help you memorize the reference and key scripture phrase for Mosiah 18:8–10, explain the doctrine taught in those verses, and apply principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to realistic scenarios using this scripture passage.

Teaching students the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Students will better accomplish the purposes of doctrinal mastery if they know and understand the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Be sure to help students understand these principles and to regularly review them.

Student preparation: Consider inviting students to try to memorize the reference and key scripture phrase for Mosiah 18:8–10.

Possible Learning Activities

This doctrinal mastery passage lesson is designed to be taught after the lesson “Mosiah 18,” which is the contextual lesson for the doctrinal mastery passage Mosiah 18:8–10. If this doctrinal mastery passage lesson needs to be moved to a different week, be sure to teach the corresponding contextual lesson during that week as well.

Memorize and explain

Use any effective method to help students memorize the scripture reference and key scripture phrase for Mosiah 18:8–10 and to explain the truths found in this passage. The following activities are suggestions for how to do this.

Before class, write the words of the key scripture phrase for Mosiah 18:8–10 on the board in a scrambled order. Ask students to unscramble the phrase in their study journals and then ask a volunteer to write it correctly on the board along with the scripture reference. If needed, invite class members to help.

The key scripture phrase for Mosiah 18:8–10 is “Be ‘baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness … that ye have entered into a covenant with him.’”

A different option is to write parts of the key scripture phrase on separate pieces of paper and place the papers on the board in a scrambled order. Then students could come to the board and rearrange the papers in the correct order.

After you have finished writing the correct phrase, take a moment to try to memorize the scripture reference and key scripture phrase by repeating them a few times.

In a previous lesson, you learned that when we are baptized, we enter into a covenant with God that we will serve Him and keep His commandments. Imagine that you were asked to speak at an eight-year-old child’s baptismal service about the covenant they were making. Record how Mosiah 18:8–10 could help you explain the covenant and how keeping the covenant would help the child become more like Jesus Christ.

When students are finished writing, invite them to share with a classmate what they wrote. Then invite some volunteers to share with the class what they learned or their testimony of the baptismal covenant with the class.

Practice application

Consider writing the three principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge on the board. They are found in paragraphs 5–12 of the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023). To help students review these principles, invite them to come to the board and write under the headings as much as they can remember about each principle.

Then display the following scenario or provide students with a copy to refer to throughout the remainder of the lesson. You might adapt the scenario to better relate to students’ needs or ask students to create their own scenarios about keeping the baptismal covenant.

Anna has noticed that Paula, a girl in her class at church, is struggling to be happy or make friends. Anna has heard that Paula sometimes chooses not to attend youth activities or church meetings because she feels like she does not fit in with the other girls. Anna wants to help Paula feel more welcome, but she has never really talked to Paula and worries that it might be awkward or inconvenient to reach out to her.

Consider inviting students to work in small groups to answer the following question and prepare recommendations they could share with Anna. You could give each group one of the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to focus on. Then invite students to share their answers with the class.

• How would you use each of the three principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge and the teachings in Mosiah 18:8–10 to help Anna in her situation?

Encourage students to discuss the previous question using Mosiah 18:8–10 and what they remember from studying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge this semester. If they still need help, you can display or give students a copy of the following questions under each principle. If you adjusted the scenario to better meet students’ needs, adjust the questions as well.

Seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources

• What are some scripture passages or statements by Church leaders you know of that could help Anna? How could the teachings in Mosiah 18:8–10 be helpful?

• How might talking to the Young Women class presidency provide Anna with more understanding about Paula’s situation?

Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective

• What does Anna need to understand about how the Lord sees baptismal covenants that can help her overcome her feelings of hesitation?

• How could remembering how the Lord feels about Paula help Anna?

• How might encouraging Paula help Anna become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Act in faith

• What could Anna do to keep specific baptismal promises that Alma taught in Mosiah 18:8–10?

  Consider inviting students to review their notes about what they learned in Mosiah 18, looking for additional insights about how Anna could mourn with, comfort, or bear the burdens of Paula. Then invite them to share what they found and what they would suggest to Anna.

• What examples of Jesus Christ helping others would you share with Anna to help her act in faith?

Doctrinal mastery review

The following review activity should be used in a lesson that will be taught in the near future.

Review the scripture reference and key scripture phrase for Mosiah 18:8–10 by inviting students to repeat them a few times as a class. Then consider reviewing the scripture references and key scripture phrases for other doctrinal mastery passages they have studied so far by repeating them as well.

The key scripture phrase for Mosiah 18:8–10 is “Be ‘baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness … that ye have entered into a covenant with him.’”

You might also consider using the unscrambling activity suggested at the beginning of this lesson again.

Supplemental Learning Activity

Alternate scenario

If it would be more helpful for your students to focus on standing “as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9), consider using a scenario such as this for the practice application:

• “Jamie is an active member of the Church who attends almost every Sunday. She knows that her words and actions at school and at home do not reflect the standards the Lord has taught. Jamie justifies her choices by thinking: ‘Maybe I’m not the most spiritual person, but I go to church on Sundays. I think that’s good enough.’”