What Does It Mean to Be a Covenant People?

By Chakell Wardleigh Herbert

Church Magazines

Understanding our blessings and responsibilities as covenant members of the Church can help us experience greater purpose in life.

Let’s face it: broken promises hurt. Many of us have experienced the heartache that stems from such a situation. But thankfully, even when promises on earth are broken, we can remember that eternal promises will never be broken.

When we covenant with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we can know with absolute certainty that They will always keep Their promises when we are obedient (see Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). Of course, it’s up to us and our willing hearts to keep those covenants that will bring fulfillment of Their promised blessings.

But what blessings come from making and keeping covenants? And what responsibilities do we have as covenant members of the Church? Let’s review some principles.

Blessings of Being Covenant Keepers

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are known as Heavenly Father’s covenant people (see 1 Nephi 14:14).

As we make and keep sacred covenants with Him at baptism and in the temple, we are promised the blessings associated with the covenant that Jehovah made anciently with Abraham (see Genesis 17:4–8; Abraham 2:10–11; Bible Dictionary, “Abraham, covenant of”). Two of these blessings include the priesthood and eternal increase. As covenant members of the Church, we can also receive

the Holy Ghost as our constant companion,
the opportunity to live with Heavenly Father again,
the blessing of being sealed to our families for eternity,
exaltation through the Savior and His Atonement, and
“all that [the] Father hath” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:38; see also verses 33–34).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles mentioned a specific powerful promise about covenants: “The covenants God offers to His children do more than guide us. They bind us to Him, and, bound to Him, we can overcome all things.”¹

We can overcome all things through covenant keeping.

What a powerful truth!

Our Responsibility as Covenant Keepers

But being covenant keepers isn’t just about receiving blessings for ourselves. It also comes with a responsibility to help others receive those blessings. Heavenly Father has given us the responsibility, power, and authority to do the work He has for us—to bring all of His children to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As covenant people, we each have the opportunity and power to further Heavenly Father’s work and glory by participating in the work of salvation and exaltation through the following:

“Living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Caring for those in need.
Inviting all to receive the gospel.
Uniting families for eternity.”²

As God’s covenant people, we are showered with endless blessings. Let’s do our part to share those blessings with those who don’t yet know the truth. To experience what making and keeping sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can do for our lives is truly joyful.

Here is what Saints around the world say about what being part of a covenant people means to them.

Joy, Peace, and a Feeling of Self-Worth

Making and keeping my covenants has helped me to understand my true worth as a child of God. I see that whenever I am true and faithful to my covenants, the Lord blesses me tremendously. I have felt Heavenly Father’s love more than ever through making covenants in the temple. And despite the chaos around me in the world, I can always feel His presence. I know that I can depend on Heavenly Father to uphold His promises. Being part of a covenant people helps me know that despite the hardships and the challenges I go through in mortality, I can always experience joy and peace on my path back to Him.

Shalini Chand, Naitasiri, Fiji

An Expression of Loyalty

For me, being part of a covenant people means having knowledge that the world is not able to give me. Through this knowledge from Heavenly Father, I can improve my life to be like Him and live a joyful, gospel-centered life. Making and keeping covenants with God allows me to show Him my loyalty, faith, and trust in Him; through that, I consequently receive the blessings God promises me.

Keeping my covenants and following the commandments of the gospel affects my life in a positive way. Even through difficult times, being true to my covenants helps me know that I can recognize the hand of God in my life, that He will answer my prayers, and that I can receive and recognize the blessings He is giving me.

Salvo Patamia, Lombardy, Italy

Experiencing the Fulness of the Gospel

Heavenly Father knows we aren’t perfect. But regardless of where we are in our journey as disciples of Jesus Christ, as we strive to make and keep sacred covenants, we can experience the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy and incomprehensible blessings that are promised to us, just like the faithful Saints above.

As President Russell M. Nelson has invited and promised us: “Keep on the covenant path. Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men, women, and children everywhere.”³