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The 4 P's of the Abrahamic Covenant (And Why It Matters For You!)
What is the Abrahamic Covenant?
The Abrahamic covenant– what is it, why do we need it, and what does it have to do with you?
Well to answer those questions we have to go back about 2000 years before Abraham was born to the very first people on earth.
You see Adam was actually the very first of a long line of prophets to make a covenant with God that would later be known as the Abrahamic covenant.
What was this covenant?
In the simplest terms it was God’s promise to His children that He would provide a way for them to be exalted with Him.
In latter-days these blessings and promises are happening in baptismal fonts and temples as God’s children make covenants with Him.
But wait– let’s back up a minute. If God made this covenant with Adam– and then with other prophets including Noah, Enoch, Moses, and more– why is it called the Abrahamic covenant?
The 3 P’s of the Covenant
Well, when God made this same covenant with Abraham He added some special promises to it. These promises can be thought of as the 3 P’s:
- POSTERITY: Abraham was promised that anyone who made covenants with God would be considered part of his family
- PRIESTHOOD/GOSPEL: The blessings of the priesthood and gospel would be spread to all the earth through Abraham’s family
- PROMISED LAND: Abraham would receive an inheritance of special land
Posterity, priesthood, and a promised land? That sounds great for Abraham, but what does it have to do with you?
A whole lot!
The 3 P’s are promised to you as well:
- You are promised that if you are faithful to your covenants you can have eternal POSTERITY
- You’re also promised that as part of Abraham’s family you will have access to the blessings of the PRIESTHOOD and gospel and get to spread those blessings to others
- Last of all you are promised that if you stay faithful you will be able to enjoy your own eternal PROMISED LAND– a place with God in the celestial kingdom.
The 4th P
But wait– there’s more! Your covenant blesses you with a 4th P: God’s PERSISTENT GRACE.
Let’s talk more about this because it’s really important.
Once you enter into a covenant with God He has “chesed” for you.
What in the world is “chesed”?
In the scriptures the Hebrew word “chesed” is often interpreted as “loving kindness” or”mercy” – but it means so much more. What it really means is “covenantal love and mercy.”
That means God has a special degree of love and mercy for those who enter into covenants with Him.
Now of course God loves all of His children– but once you make a covenant with Him, once you dedicate yourself to Him it’s almost like a marriage. The two of you have created a special bond that is different than the relationship those outside of the covenant have with Him.
Dr. Kerry Muhlestein described it this way: “That is a kind of love and mercy only available to those who are in a covenant with God. . . and what it means is He will never, ever stop working with you and never give up on you.”
What “Chesed” Has to Do With You
So how does God’s “chesed” benefit you?
Let’s learn from the story of the Israelites.
When they left Egypt the Israelites made covenants with God.
However, they didn’t do a good job of keeping their part of the covenant.
They worshiped a golden idol.
They criticized God’s prophet.
They lacked faith.
They disobeyed God.
But no matter what they did, God continued to work with them– helping them come back to Him over and over and over again.
Why?
Because of His covenant promise to help them return home to Him– because of His persistent grace. God had “chesed” for them.
Now what does that mean for you?
That means that if you mess up: if you break a commandment, if you don’t live the gospel fully, or even if you turn away completely . . . it will hurt God that you’ve broken your end of the covenant, but He also won’t break His end.
His grace is PERSISTENT!
It will take work for you to change, but God will help you every step of the way.
That is why the Abrahamic covenant is so important for you and me. It’s the promise of POSTERITY, PRIESTHOOD, A PROMISED LAND and it’s the hope that with God’s PERSISTENT GRACE we will one day become like Him!