A Comparison of Covenants

There's a grim, fantasy role-playing game series called Dark Souls that a favorite Youtuber of mine has been playing. In the Dark Souls games, the player can enter groups that the games call "covenants," though I wish they had chosen a different name. Dark Souls covenants work very differently than Gospel covenants. In Dark Souls, covenants grant benefits, but not obligations. They can be entered on a whim, and the terms of the covenants never seem to be fully explained. Similarly, most of these covenants can be abandoned with no apparent ill effects. Basically, Dark Souls covenants are casual and informal, much unlike covenants in the Gospel.

Entering a Gospel covenant is a serious matter, often involving a ceremony which will not be performed unless the officiators are satisfied that the one entering the covenant knows the terms of the covenant and is committed to keeping those terms. The blessings of Gospel covenants are great, even essential, but the obligations of covenants are great, too, as are the consequences for breaking them.

Unlike the "covenants" in Dark Souls, the covenants of the Gospel must not be taken lightly. They should not, indeed cannot, be rushed into blindly, and they cannot be broken without consequences. Certain covenants, such as baptism, are essential to salvation, but salvation isn't for everyone. For example, it's not for those who are unwilling to keep the commandments. If you're not prepared to make and keep sacred promises with God, you shouldn't get baptised yet, and hopefully you won't be allowed to. Entering a real covenant involves a real commitment, unlike in Dark Souls, where they'll let you join any covenant at the drop of a hat. Covenants are far more serious than that, and they should not be made or broken as lightly as the "covenants" in the Dark Souls games.