“Hesed, Covenant Love, Is the Reason We Build Temples and Perform Ordinances,” General Conference Leadership Meeting—October 2024 (2024)
General Conference Leadership Meeting—October 2024
Hesed, God’s Covenant Love, Is the Reason We Build Temples and Perform Ordinances
Instruction from President Russell M. Nelson
-
Hesed is a Hebrew word that has no complete equivalent in English. In the Old Testament, it is often translated as “mercy.” It refers to God’s covenant love—or the love God feels for His children, especially those who choose to make covenants with Him and His Beloved Son.
-
I invite you to study the book of Psalms, especially Psalm 136, where hesed (translated as “mercy”) appears in all 26 verses.
-
Hesed is the principal reason the Lord instructed us to undertake the extremely difficult project of renovating the Salt Lake Temple. It is the reason He instructs us to build, preserve, and renew temples—so that God’s covenant love can be offered to all who choose to qualify to enter His holy house.
-
Each time a new temple is dedicated, numberless people, on both sides of the veil, may receive their essential ordinances and make covenants with God to qualify for more of God’s covenant love.
-
Each time a person chooses to be baptized and steps onto the covenant path, he or she is connected to God in a special relationship, with access to His covenant love.