The Abrahamic Covenant: What It Is And How It Blesses Us
Every promise I’ve found in the Book of Mormon is tied to that boring Abrahamic Covenant.
The Abrahamic Covenant: It’s Your Story
Oh, no, I think to myself. Isn’t that the same covenant that President Nelson keeps getting so excited about? The one he calls big, grand, majestic, thrilling, and breathtaking?
I’ve always known that the covenant has something to do with Abraham inheriting a promised land and having endless posterity, and I’m really happy for him, I truly am, but I often have a hard time seeing how covenant applies to me, and what all the excitement is about.
Yes, these are actual thoughts I’ve had over the years about the covenant. Perhaps you can relate.
Brother Brad Wilcox once said that if you think the gathering of Israel and Abrahamic Covenant are boring, it’s because “you don’t realize they are talking about you! The Book of Mormon is your family history! It’s your story!”[1]
Covenantal Promises
As I’ve spent time learning about the covenantal promises found in the Book of Mormon, I’ve discovered that they, surprisingly, include much more than just a promise of land and endless posterity for Abraham. Covenant-keeping Saints of God are also promised:
- increased peace
- power to become holy
- more personal revelation
- an increase in spiritual gifts
- power to resist Satan’s influence
- a higher hesed-type relationship with God
- greater endowments of spiritual power and abilities
- the bestowal of Godly priesthood power to both men and women
- endless mercy so long as they resist rebellion and never stop trying
- prosperity or the knowledge that everything will work together for their good
- a transformation of the soul that will allow us to be comfortable living in the eternities with God and Christ
- protection found in temples and our homes, as our homes serve as an extension of the covenants made in the temple
- an increase of joy, strength, endurance, power to be and to feel what couldn’t have been experienced in any other way
- the privilege of gathering to places of safety with other saints, in wards and stakes, the New Jerusalem, and ultimately the kingdom of God
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Suddenly, the Abrahamic Covenant no longer seems boring to me, for it has become part of my story. I have received many of these blessings, and desire to receive more.
The question is not whether you or I can or should be able to receive these covenantal blessings, for we each are able to do so, and God certainly desires that we do… the question is how much righteousness and covenantal power do we desire?
An Inclusive Abrahamic Covenant
The Abrahamic Covenant is the most inclusive thing to ever exist. President Nelson said Heavenly Father’s deepest desire is that all of His children will choose to come back home to Him, but “he will never violate our agency and force us to come home.” [2]
The Abrahamic Covenant is God’s plan to get us all home, and it looks something like this:
First, God commands us to love Him. When we show, through our genuine actions, that we love Him, He pours blessings down upon us, and our desire to love others naturally increases. Think of Lehi at the Tree of Life. After tasting of the fruit, which is the love of God, his first instinct was to invite others to partake.
Likewise, the next obligation we have as participants of the covenant is to love others and invite them to partake of the covenant.
As we do so, God pours more blessings down upon us, which only increases our love for Him.
This process continues until we return to the presence of God, not on our own, but bringing many others with us. Doesn’t this sound like the perfect plan?
President Nelson is right! It is big, grand, majestic, thrilling, and breathtaking!
Please Note: Even those of born within the covenant are required to make and keep sacred covenants if they desire to receive the promised covenantal blessings.
A Deeper Relationship
Covenants are not simply two-way promises; covenants are the formation of new relationships. Connecting with others in meaningful ways is at the heart of covenant-keeping. [3]
A simple way to determine how well we are doing with our covenant keeping is to ask ourselves daily: How much time did I spend today connecting in meaningful ways with God, and in in-person, face-to-face meaningful ways with others?
Our baptism and temple covenants teach us how to connect with God and others. We covenant to:
- be obedient
- sacrifice
- follow the higher law Christ taught when He was on the earth
- strive to be morally clean in both thought and action
- dedicate our time, talents, and everything we have and are to the building of the kingdom of God.
Recommended Resources
Put On Your Spiritual Glasses
Let’s practice expanding our vision by putting on our spiritual glasses as we learn more about what it means to be a covenant people of the Lord, and discover how we can access these incredible promised blessings that are referenced in the Book of Mormon.
I recently purchased new glasses. It took two hours of trying on frames to find a pair that, I believed, looked flattering on me. Upon returning home, however, my children exclaimed,
“Hmmm..why did you choose those frames?”
Normally, their response would have made me feel a bit insecure, but this time I surprised even myself by saying,
“You don’t like my frames? Well, guess what? I don’t care. I don’t care one bit…because I can finally see!”
You see, I was way overdue with getting new glasses and was so grateful to finally be able to see clearly again.
Clear Vision
Not to compare my children to the great and spacious building 😅 , but our conversation about my glasses reminded me of another experience in my life.
Before I married, I had severe health challenges. Memory fog and panic attacks forced me to quit college my Junior year, and I couldn’t hold a full-time job due to severe exhaustion that required me to sleep in the afternoons.
My digestive system was a disaster, my skin was a mess, my anxiety was out of control, and I was having regular migraines.
My entire life changed the day a skin care professional asked if I had any food sensitivities.
Food sensitivities?
I had never heard of such a thing, but was determined to learn more.
Cold Turkey
Long story short, as I paid closer attention to the foods I was eating and the way each food affected my body.
I learned that the milk I was drinking was causing my migraines, and processed foods such as white flour, sugar, and oils were at the root of my other health challenges.
Tired of feeling sickly and exhausted, I went to extreme measures to restore my health.
I stopped drinking milk and eating processed foods cold-turkey, which was not an easy feat considering I worked in a bakery at the time, and I’ve largely kept those foods out of my diet for the past 25 years.
In exchange, I got my health back almost immediately and have kept it all these years.
Do some people think my children and I are crazy for adhering to such a strict diet? Yes.
Do people try to convince us to cheat on our diet? All the time!
But after experiencing what I’ve been through, do you think I care? No.
I pay no heed to those voices. It’s as if they don’t even exist.
The mighty change I experienced to my health was enough to extinguish the negative influence of those taunting voices forever.
The voices in that “great and spacious building” no longer have any affect on me because my “vision is clear” and I can finally “see”.
don’t miss a thing!
Subscribe to receive the latest content and inspiration.
The Restoration
After a long period of darkness, the Abrahamic Covenant was restored to the earth during the restoration of the church. The covenant helps us to “see” the way God sees, turn our attention away from the distractions of the world, create a mighty change in our hearts, and lead us safely home.
God has high expectations for us. Unlike the world, which says we’re fine just as we are, God loves us as we are, but always invites us to become better. He desires our whole heart, might, mind, and strength.
The good news is that we’re off to a good start. We share our testimonies with one another, we gather together, we minister. We’re imperfect, but we’re trying.
One day while walking around the neighborhood, I saw two members of our church visiting at the home of another member, and felt a thrill go through me as I thought to myself,
“We’re doing it! We’re building the kingdom of God, and establishing Zion, a place of safety for us to gather to in these challenging last days. We are keeping the covenant!”
Blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant
Many of you are reaping the blessings that come from connecting with others through family history and missionary work.
Even the children and youth in our church are raising the bar in their lives. One of them shared the following,
“In our home, we’ve always been encouraged to partake of the best of the best—the best books, the best movies, the best music. I have really great people in my life, but sometimes I feel pressure even from them to watch or listen to things I don’t feel comfortable with. They’ll say something like, “What do you mean you have never seen that movie (or heard that song, or read that book) before?”, which leads to an occasional awkward moment. But I just remember that it’s okay for them to watch what they want to watch, and, at the same time, it’s okay for me to not want to watch what they’re watching. Being selective of what we view and listen to and read has really increased the Spirit in our home, and I’m so grateful for that.”
While we are doing a wonderful job, do you feel that quiet nudge to do better?
Can you “see” the beauty of the covenant?
Do you recognize how the things you partake of affect your body and spirit?
Are you willing to drop “cold-turkey” certain things in your life that are preventing you from connecting with God and others?
The world will tell you it’s impossible to live without certain things. God will tell you otherwise.
Have you caught the vision of the Abrahamic Covenant?
This Most Exciting Work
President Nelson has said: “Don’t listen to the voices in the great and spacious building. The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do. This process is neither quick nor easy, but it is spiritually invigorating. This life is hardly a nanosecond, but what a nanosecond it is! That’s because our choices today determine what kinds of lives we will live forever”…President Nelson continutes, “I invite you to ponder your future. Your potential to have a greater impact on the world than any previous generation is completely dependent upon the level of your devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.” [4] [5]
God has work for us to do in His kingdom. God and Nephi and Mormon and Moroni and Abraham and so many others are counting on us. We have the opportunity to be among “the saints of the church of the Lamb” seen by Nephi, “who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” (1 Nephi 14:14). It is our sacred privilege to connect with God and others each day of our lives, often in fun and unique ways:
We might:
- read the scriptures longer
- study more intently
- listen to a conference talk
- read “The Living Christ”
- swap out our normal tunes for music about Jesus
- add pictures of Jesus and the temple to our bedroom walls
- write down our testimony
- express our gratitude
- make eye contact with someone and smile
- put our phone down and be present with those around us
- stop by a friend’s house with a treat
- spend extra time doing something our child likes
- serve your spouse
- fulfill our church callings
The opportunities are truly endless, as are the promised blessing that await us as we devote our lives to this most exciting work. [6]
Disciple of Jesus Christ
“Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people that they might have everlasting life.” (3 Nephi 5:13)
That we will each choose to catch the vision of the covenant with its promised blessings, respond to this call of discipleship, and set our sights on returning home to our God and our Savior, bringing others with us, is my prayer and truly the greatest desire of my heart.
Consider: How much righteousness and covenantal power do you desire?
Shop Abrahamic Covenant
Recommended Resources
