Children of the Covenant

Many years ago in general conference President Nelson said this: “When we realize that we are children of the covenant, we know who we are and what God expects of us. His law is written in our hearts. He is our God and we are His people. Committed children of the covenant remain steadfast, even in the midst of adversity. When that doctrine is deeply implanted in our hearts, even the sting of death is soothed and our spiritual stamina is strengthened.” The idea that we are “children of the covenant” comes from the scriptures. The Savior said to the Nephites, “And behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant” (3 Nephi 20:25-26). Peter similarly taught to those at Jerusalem shortly after the Savior’s death, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed” (Acts 3:25-26). We are children of the prophets and children of the covenant, and with that heritage great are our blessings and responsibilities. In the last days we who accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and use it to bless the world are part of the fulfilling of the covenant which the Lord made unto Abraham thousands of years ago. As President Nelson also recently taught young adults, that understanding is crucial to who we are: “So who are you? First and foremost, you are a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. As you embrace these truths, our Heavenly Father will help you reach your ultimate goal of living eternally in His holy presence.” Knowing that we are children of the covenant connects us with the past and binds us to the Lord today.   

                The idea that we are “children of the covenant” should I believe help us remember two things. First, the Lord has great blessings in store for us. President Nelson suggested that the Lord has renewed the Abrahamic covenant in our dispensation, and “with this renewal, we have received, as did they of old, the holy priesthood and the everlasting gospel. We have the right to receive the fulness of the gospel, enjoy the blessings of the priesthood, and qualify for God’s greatest blessing—that of eternal life.” Abraham was promised posterity, priesthood, possessions, and ultimately eternal life through God’s covenant. The Lord said to him: “My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations; And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father;… for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:8-11). We too are blessed above measure through this covenant God made to Abraham by which we can all receive the blessings of the gospel and eternal life. But to obtain these promised blessings of God’s covenant, we must also strive to keep our covenants with Him. We remain His covenant people by keeping the promises we have made of obedience and sacrifice. He declared, “And again, every person who belongeth to this church of Christ, shall observe to keep all the commandments and covenants of the church.” He also said, “But blessed are they who have kept the covenant and observed the commandment, for they shall obtain mercy” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:78, 54:6). Like the pioneers of old, we must commit to keeping our promises to Him: “And this shall be our covenant—that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord” (Doctrine and Covenants 136:4). As we are “willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice” then we will have His approval and promised blessings (Doctrine and Covenants 97:8).