The theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is grounded in the doctrines of the covenant relationship between God and His children. God’s relationship with mankind has always been defined by covenants. Beginning with the first covenant made with Adam and Eve, God has consistently entered into sacred, binding relationships with His children through covenants. These covenants continued with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the house of Israel, and they all pointed forward to their fulfillment in the new covenant through Jesus Christ.
We are blessed to live in a time when the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is upon the earth and to participate in its ongoing Restoration. There is no greater blessing than being invited into a personal and sacred covenant relationship with God. Under President Russell M. Nelson’s leadership, the Church’s emphasis on our covenant relationship with God has deepened significantly. As a result, the phrase “covenant path” has become central in modern Church discourse. For example, in 2018 alone, it was used 36 times in General Conference. Since then, it has appeared in 35% of all General Conference addresses.
But what exactly does this phrase mean? What is our “covenant path”? Although its frequent use by Church leaders highlights its importance, this very repetition can sometimes make the phrase feel vague or routine.
Even more importantly, covenants themselves are often misunderstood. Many people think of covenants as commandments. They view our covenants with God as the rules we must follow to earn God’s blessings. This view distorts the true beauty of covenant theology. It substitutes the freedom found in living with and through Christ for the heavy yoke of legalism and performance-based religion. Rather than deepening our relationship with the Savior, this reductionist view of our covenants fosters a form of discipleship rooted in appearance, obligation, and self-reliance.
Covenant theology is not about rules. It’s about relationship. That is what our covenant path really is: our personal walk with Christ. Covenants are God’s chosen way of drawing us closer to Him. They are invitations to participate in His divine nature, to receive His power, and to walk with Him daily. Our covenant path isn’t a set of rules. It’s a sacred journey with the Lord, designed to shape our lives, liberate us from the troubles of this world, and transform our very nature as we walk with Him. In the final hours of His mortal ministry, the Savior reassured all of His disciples: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As we stay bound to Christ through covenant faithfulness, our covenant path gives us His strength, and enables us to overcome the world, just as He did.
In discourse and teachings among church members, covenants are often described as two-way promises. God promises that if we do A, He will bless us with B. This description is not inaccurate, however it is far too shallow to capture the richness of the relationship which Christ is inviting us into. A two-way promise is akin to a contract. A contractual relationship is impersonal and self-interested. Each party gives only to get.
The Lord does not desire a transactional relationship. Jesus knows and loves each of us perfectly, and He invites us into a sacred and binding relationship rooted in covenant faithfulness, not mere rule-keeping. Walking our covenant path is about loyal devotion to Christ, based on the love which we have in our hearts for Him. Our covenant path is a divine gift from God. It is a structured, step-by-step journey with Christ. Through this sacred relationship, we are guided toward exaltation—where we may become like God and receive all that He has, including eternal family relationships.
President Russell M. Nelson beautifully described the sacred nature of our covenant relationship with Christ when he said: “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” (“The Everlasting Covenant,” Liahona, Oct. 2022).
Covenants formalize our commitment to God. More than that, they structure and deepen our relationship with Him. They bind us to Christ in a way that gives us access to His sustaining, healing, and sanctifying power. As the Apostle Paul taught, this union with Christ is real. It is not symbolic; it is transformative:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…” (Galatians 2:20)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When we enter into a sacred covenant relationship with Christ, we bind ourselves to Him. This covenant bond with the Lord becomes our source of spiritual strength and renewal. As we remain faithful to Him by keeping our covenants, we draw strength from Him. We are never alone on our covenant path; we walk it with the Lord.
Through the Holy Ghost, Christ gives us strength we didn’t have, clarity we couldn’t find, and peace that doesn’t make sense. Most importantly, the Spirit facilitates within us a transformation we could never produce on our own. The very purpose of our mortal journey is to be changed, sanctified, and born again through Jesus Christ. That sacred process begins now, continues into eternity, and is facilitated by our covenant relationship with the Lord.
As the Lord declared through Ezekiel, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes…” (Ezekiel 36:26–27).
This, then, is our covenant path. It is Christ’s personal invitation to journey with Him, to be changed by Him, and ultimately to become like Him. When we remain faithful to Christ through our covenants, we are spiritually bound to the One who has descended below all things, and overcome all things. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6) Christ’s victory becomes our victory. His power becomes our strength. Through this covenant bond, we are sanctified and transformed. This is the divine process by which we become new creatures in Him and progress eternally toward the gift of eternal life and everlasting family relationships.
As we press forward on our covenant path, with steadfastness in Christ, being blessed by the Spirit with His perfect brightness of hope, (2 Nephi 31:20) We must always remember that our covenant faithfulness is not measured by exact obedience or our outward appearance. Our faithfulness is demonstrated by our love, faith, and complete trust in Him. The Lord does not demand perfection. He knows us perfectly and exactly what we are capable of. He asks only for our hearts. He asks that we keep choosing Him, that we believe in Him, trust Him, and strive to align our thoughts, desires, and actions with His will. Above all, He asks that we never give up.
Conclusion
No matter how far you’ve wandered or how often you’ve fallen, Christ’s invitation remains the same: Come unto Me. Every time you turn to Him, He will be there. He will lovingly receive you with mercy, grace, and joy. As Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf beautifully taught, “Our Savior, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us. He knows and loves you. He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are. He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings. Your fears. Your tears. It matters not how you became lost—whether because of your own poor choices or because of circumstances beyond your control. What matters is that you are His child. And He loves you. He loves His children.” (“He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home” – April 2016 General Conference)
Wherever you are on your covenant path, Christ walks beside you. If you have not yet begun that journey, His arms are open to receive you. You are already loved. You are already wanted. The covenant path is not reserved for the perfect; it is offered to the humble, the weary, and the willing. Come walk with Christ. Let Him change your heart. Let Him carry your burdens. And let Him make you new.
LDS Living In Christ 
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