Divine Love: “A Special Kind of Love and Mercy”
Recently, a friend shared with me that during a Sunday church meeting, their instructor suggested God’s love was not unconditional. That did not land well for many of those in attendance and led to some rather animated discussion about God’s love. It reminded me that we are accustomed to speaking of “unconditional love” as the type of love God has for His children. In one sense, that is true. President Thomas S. Monson taught about God’s love for his children: “That love never changes. . . It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.”[1]
God loves His children no matter what they do. However, there is a higher level of love that God has for his children that seek after Him. President Nelson describes this higher level of love God has for us as “divine love,” a love that is infinite, universal, enduring, and perfect. Correctly understood, this love is not unconditional, as some might think. Rather, President Nelson teaches, the higher levels of love that God has for us is, in fact, are conditional— “the full flower of divine love and our greatest blessings from that love are conditional—predicated upon our obedience to eternal law.”[2]
In a general conference leadership meeting this March, and also published as the First Presidency message in this most recent issue of the Liahona, President Nelson shared profound teachings on what it means to enter into a covenant relationship with God, to walk the covenant path and experience this divine love available to each of us. If you haven’t read this article, at least 5 times, you MUST!
In that talk, Pres. Nelson said: “All those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy.”[3] President Nelson is teaching the church (and has in several different settings) about this special relationship of love between God and those who choose to walk the covenant path.
As a quick refresh, in the scriptural sense a covenant “is a sacred agreement between God and His children. God sets specific conditions, and He promises to bless us as we obey these conditions. Making and keeping covenants qualifies us to receive the blessings God has promised. When we choose not to keep covenants, we cannot receive the blessings. Our covenants guide the choices we make and help us resist temptation.”[4]
President Nelson taught, “Making a covenant with God changes our relationship with Him forever. It blesses us with an extra measure of love and mercy. It affects who we are and how God will help us become what we can become…”. He explains, “Once we make a covenant with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon His relationship with those who have forged such a bond with Him. In fact, all those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy. In the Hebrew language, that covenantal love is called hesed.”[5]
If it is sounds unfair to have a special kind of love and mercy from God, it isn’t–let me explain.
Of course, God is no respecter of persons (Doctrine and Covenants 1:35 and 38:16) and He loves all of His children. In the book of Revelations, John saw the exalted and said: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne…” (Revelations 7:9) He intends to reach every one of his children, and will work to accomplish this “ so long as…there shall be one man upon the face thereof (earth) to be saved.” (Moroni 7:36)
What makes this special hesed relationship fair is that all of God’s children will, ultimately, have the opportunity to walk the same covenant path and have that same special relationship with Him, should they choose to do so. That is why President Nelson so often speaks of the gathering of Israel and declares to this generation that the work of salvation and exaltation is the most important work that anyone could do, out of any other work that could be performed in this world—a gathering of both those here on the earth and of those who have departed to the other side of the veil.[6]
He continues: “Hesed has no adequate English equivalent. Translators of the King James Version of the Bible must have struggled with how to render hesed in English. They often chose ‘lovingkindness.’ This captures much but not all the meaning of hesed. Other translations were also rendered, such as ‘mercy’ and ‘goodness.’ Hesed is a unique term describing a covenant relationship in which both parties are bound to be loyal and faithful to each other.”
President Nelson then states, “Because God has hesed for those who have covenanted with Him, He will love them. He will continue to work with them and offer them opportunities to change. He will forgive them when they repent. And should they stray, He will help them find their way back to Him.
Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound together. Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He has high hopes for us.”[7]
That is worth repeating. God will never tire in His efforts to help us. We are bound to Him through our covenant relationship. President Nelson even promised that “… Those who keep their covenants with God will become a strain of sin-resistant souls! Those who keep their covenants will have the strength to resist the constant influence of the world.”[8]
It should be motivating to each of us to understand our special hesed relationship with God as we work to endure to the end and faithfully walk the covenant path. You are entitled to a special kind of love and mercy from God as you make the effort to follow the Master—to think as He thinks and to do as He would do. God will always keep His word. And, He will do everything He can to help us keep ours.
Notes:
[1] Thomas S. Monson, “We Never Walk Alone,” Ensign, Nov. 2013.
[2] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2003/02/divine-love?lang=eng
[3] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/10/04-the-everlasting-covenant?lang=eng
[4] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2012/07/understanding-our-covenants-with-god?lang=eng
[5] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/10/04-the-everlasting-covenant?lang=eng
[6] Ibid, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/10/04-the-everlasting-covenant?lang=eng
[7] Ibid, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/10/04-the-everlasting-covenant?lang=eng
[8] Ibid, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/10/04-the-everlasting-covenant?lang=eng and https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/a-plea-to-my-sisters?lang=eng
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