The Necessity for Receiving the Priesthood Ordinances of Salvation

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1 (Draft Copy) The Necessity for Receiving the Priesthood Ordinances of Salvation Bruce Satterfield Department of Religious Education, Brigham Young University - Idaho President Ezra Taft Benson once observed: The temple is a sacred place, and the ordinances in the temple are of a sacred character. Because of its sacredness we are sometimes reluctant to say anything about the temple to our children and grandchildren. As a consequence, many do not develop a real desire to go to the temple, or when they go there, they do so without much background to prepare them for the obligations and covenants they enter into. He then said: I believe a proper understanding or background will immeasurably help prepare our youth for the temple. This understanding, I believe, will foster within them a desire to seek their priesthood blessing just as Abraham sought his. 1 The purpose of this writing is to help the reader understand the necessity for receiving the priesthood ordinances of salvation. With this background, the reader should be better prepared to enter into the covenants associated with the ordinances, the highest which are found only within the temples of God. THE NECESSITY OF COVENANTS Exaltation, also known as eternal life 2, is the highest goal to which man can aspire. To attain exaltation means to become like the Father. Those who do so are made equal in power, and in might, and in dominion with God (D&C 76:95). Therefore, the attainment of exaltation is the attainment of godhood. For many, this seems an impossible goal; a goal far beyond their reach and capability. However, it is a goal that is attainable, but not by man s own power alone. Exaltation Made Possible Through Covenants From the beginning of their spiritual inception, the righteous and valiant of God s children have desired to become like him and obtain immortality and eternal life or exaltation. The capability to become a god was given to each spirit by God the Father. A message from First Presidency states: Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God. 3 God granted each of his spirit offspring the capability to become as Himself because, as we are told in scripture, God s work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life 1

2 of man (Moses 1:39). 4 On their own, however, the offspring of God do not have the power to obtain the goal of godhood. The scriptures inform us that God is omnipotent or all-powerful (e.g., Moses 1:3) and that nothing is impossible to him (Luke 1:37; cf. Gen. 18:14). Though God s omnipotence will never override man s agency, nonetheless, we are told, God has all power to save every man (Alma 12:15). In other words, he has the power to help those of his children who desire to obtain immortality and eternal life and thus godhood. The question is: What must we do to get the power of God to be saved and exalted in the celestial kingdom? Exaltation is dependent upon a series of covenants made between God and man. Covenants are binding promises made between two or more parties. They are mutually beneficial to each party for they empower the individual participants to accomplish things that they cannot do on their own. In buying a house, for example, both the loan institution and the home-buyer benefit from a covenant that results in a loan. Both parties make certain promises to each other through a covenant document called a mortgage. The loan institution promises to give the needed money to the home-buyer to purchase a house. The home-buyer promises to pay back the loan with interest over an extended period of time. As a result of the covenant made between the home-buyer and the loan institution, the home-buyer then is empowered to acquire a house wherein he may live, something he could not do without the buying power of the loan institution. On the other hand, the loan institution is benefitted by receiving interest paid on the money loaned. The same is true with covenants made between God and man. Man is empowered to receive exaltation through covenants with God. Covenants Bring God s Saving Grace This power comes in the form of God s grace which has been defined as enabling power in the LDS Bible Dictionary. 5 There are times when God s grace is given to men and women when they do not merit it, as in the case that all will be resurrected even though they may be unworthy. 6 But God s saving grace or enabling power that aids mankind to save their souls in the celestial kingdom and achieve exaltation within that kingdom is granted only when it is merited by doing the will of the Father. 7 Further, the initiation of his saving grace is granted only after one enters into the saving ordinances of the gospel wherein sacred covenants between God and the recipient are made. Harold B. Lee taught, The saving grace of the Lord s atoning power extends to those who would receive the saving ordinances of the gospel. 8 When one enters into an ordinance in which a covenant is made between God and one of his children, the child is empowered by God to progress towards godhood. At the same time, the covenant allows (or empowers) God to perfect the child when the child is faithful and obedient (see Moroni 10:32-33). THE NECESSITY OF PRIESTHOOD ORDINANCES 2

3 As already noted, covenants that lead to salvation and exaltation are made with God in sacred ritual settings called ordinances. Joseph Smith declared, All men who become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ will have to receive the fulness of the ordinances of his kingdom; and those who will not receive all the ordinances will come short of the fullness of that glory, if they do not lose the whole. 9 These ordinances consist of the saving ordinances of both the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood. The use of the term saving ordinance has references to those ordinances that are essential for salvation. Not all priesthood ordinances are necessary for salvation. One does not need a patriarchal blessing, for example, to be saved. However, certain priesthood ordinances are necessary to receive the power to be saved. The ordinances of salvation include baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and the temple ordinances. In this writing, the use of the term ordinance only has reference to the ordinances of salvation. Priesthood Ordinances First Revealed to Adam Joseph Smith taught that the ordinances of the priesthood were first given to Adam and Eve: Commencing with Adam, who was... the first to hold the spiritual blessings, to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the salvation of his posterity unto the end. 10 Recall that after Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden of Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword were placed at the entrance of the garden (Moses 4:31) shutting them (and their posterity) out of the presence of God and partaking of the tree of life (Moses 5:4). The cherubim represent the justice of God that will not allow unworthy beings to come into his presence (the same as the river of filthy water in Lehi s dream of the tree of life - 1 Nephi 8:13-26; 12:18). They are what Brigham Young taught, the angels who stand as sentinels guarding the way to the presence of the Father. 11 Therefore, Adam and Eve needed instruction on how to regain God s presence. Alma taught that God saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them; Therefore he sent angels to converse with them (Alma 12:28-29; see also Moses 5:58; D&C 29:42). Angels taught Adam and his posterity that salvation would come through their faith and reprentance and their holy works (Alma 12:30). Moses 6: show that part of the holy works included the participation of sacred ordinances: first, baptism; second, reception of the Holy Ghost; third, entrance into the order of God. President Ezra Taft Benson defined what the order of God is: When our Heavenly Father place Adam and Eve on this earth, He did so with the purpose in mind of teaching them how to regain His presence. Our Father promised a Savior to redeem them from their fallen condition. He gave to them the plan of salvation and told them to teach their children faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance. Further, Adam and his posterity were commanded by God to be baptized, to receive the Holy Ghost, and to enter into the order of the Son of God. To enter into the order of the Son of God is the equivalent today of entering into the fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is only received in the house of 3

4 the Lord. 12 The Ordinances are the Strait and Narrow Path Adam and Eve learned that only by obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel could they regain God s presence and partake of the tree of life and live forever. To Adam and Eve and their posterity, the ordinances of the priesthood became a strait and narrow path that not only showed them how to regain God s presence but also gave them the power to do so (i.e., the power to symbolically pass by the cherubim which guarded the way). This concept was taught in the Book of Mormon. Lehi was given the dream in which he saw the tree of life. The tree symbolized the atonement of Christ while the fruit symbolized eternal life, which is the ultimate fruit of the atonement (1 Nephi 11:12-23; 15:36; D&C 14:7). He further saw that the tree of life was obtained only by entering into a strait and narrow path and holding to a rod of iron the extended along the path (1 Nephi 8:20). Though the strait and narrow path ran parallel to the river in Lehi s dream, Mormon visualized the strait and narrow path as crossing the river of filthy waters. This made it possible for those who were bound captive in the great and spacious building (the evils of the world), but who desired to be free, to partake of the fruit of the tree of life. Mormon declared: Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God [i.e., the rod of iron], which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil [i.e., the mists of darkness], and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery [i.e., the river of filthy waters] which is prepared to engulf the wicked-- And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven [i.e., the tree of life], to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out. (Helaman 3:29-30) As the name suggests, the strait and narrow path has two parts. Elder Delbert L. Stapley, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, taught that the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and sacrament and the Melchizedek Priesthood ordinance of the gift of the Holy Ghost comprise the strait portion of the path. The Melchizedek Priesthood ordinances found in the temple are the narrow part of the path. Said he: All who have repented and then been baptized and received the Holy Ghost by authorized servants of God have entered in by the straight 13 gate. The narrow way can only be followed by obedience and faithfulness to all the sacred ordinances and requirements of the higher gospel plan, obtained in the holy temples of God. 14 Ordinances are like the Rungs of a Ladder Elder Boyd K. Packer observed that the root word for ordinance is order. He notes that in the Oxford English Dictionary, the first definition of order is, arrangement in ranks 4

5 or rows, and the second definition is, arrangement in sequence or proper relative position. He then concludes that an ordinance is a ceremony by which things are put in proper order. 15 It follows, then, that all the ordinances of both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood place in proper sequence what God s children must do in order to come into a proper relationship with God and obtain the fullness of God s Kingdom including godhood. The following diagram 16 illustrates the role ordinances play in helping man achieve exaltation within the celestial kingdom. The circle represents the celestial glory. The Lord stated: In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees (D&C 131:1). We are not told the names of the first two degrees, however, the highest degree is called exaltation or eternal life. It is only in this degree that the children of God can obtain godhood (D&C 131:1-4 and 132:7-17, 29, 37). The ordinances, or the strait and narrow path, may be compared to the rungs of a ladder. By entering into each ordinance, one progresses up the ladder towards the goal of exaltation. are like the rungs of a ladder that lead to exaltation. The ordinances But it requires more than just entrance into the ordinances. One must live up to the covenants made within each ordinance before the blessings promised can be obtained. Marion G. Romney observed: Pondering upon the subject of temples and the means therein provided to enable us to ascend into heaven brings to mind the lesson of Jacob s dream. You will recall that in the twenty-eight chapter of Genesis there is an account of his 5

6 return to the land of his father to seek a wife from among his own people. When Jacob traveled from Beersheba toward Haran, he had a dream in which he saw himself on earth at the foot of a ladder that reached to heaven where the Lord stood above it. He beheld angels ascending and descending thereon, and Jacob realized that the covenants he made with the Lord there were the rungs on the ladder that he himself would have to climb in order to obtain the promised blessings--blessings that would entitle him to enter heaven and associate with the Lord. Because he had met the Lord and entered into covenants with him there, Jacob considered the site so sacred the he named the place Bethel, a contraction of Beth-Elohim, which means literally the House of the Lord. He said of it:... this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Gen. 28:17.) Jacob not only passed through the gate of heaven, but by living up to every covenant he also went all the way in. Of him and his forebears Abraham and Isaac, the Lord has said:... because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods. (D&C 132:37.) Temples are to us all what Bethel was to Jacob. 17 The ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood qualify one for entrance into the celestial kingdom by aiding man in overcoming the sins of the world. To progress higher in the kingdom requires the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood, most of which are found in the temple. A brief discussion of the various ordinances will now be given. Aaronic Priesthood Ordinances The Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of the preparatory gospel (D&C 84:26). The preparatory gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments (D&C 84:27). The nature of the preparatory gospel is to prepare the recipient for the higher gospel. This is done by making it possible for man to be forgiven from sin. Because of his fallen nature, when man arrives at the age of accountability he commits sin (see Moses 6:55) which renders him spiritually unclean. In such a condition he is unfit to come in the presence of God for the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God (1 Nephi 15:34; see also Alma 40:26 and Moses 6:57). This is so because transgression of the laws of God results in eternal consequences. Alma taught his son that each law of God has a punishment is affixed. When a law is broken, justice demands that the penalty must be paid or the consequence must be rendered, for justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God (Alma 42:22). The penalty of a broken law is as eternal as the life of the 6

7 soul should be (Alma 42:16). Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated: According to eternal law, the consequences that follow from the justice of God are severe and permanent. When a commandment is broken, a commensurate penalty is imposed. This happens automatically. 18 Lehi taught that since all men violate the laws of God through sinful acts, by the law no flesh is justified (2 Nephi 2:5, emphasis added). The term justify means to be free from blame or found guiltless (Webster s New World Dictionary). Because of each man s individual or personal fall, all are found guilty of sin and therefore not justified. The result, Lehi explained, is that men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever (2 Nephi 2:5). A way was needed whereby man might become justified from their sins. Or in other words, a way was needed whereby guilty man might become free from the eternal consequences of their sins and thereby be found guiltless. The process provided by the Lord is called justification. Justification is a legal term that means to become acquitted from sin. It is the act by which a sinner is freed from the penalty of sin and is accepted by God as righteous (Webster s New World Dictionary). The Lord stated that justification comes through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (D&C 20:30). As part of the process of the atonement, Jesus Christ suffered and paid the eternal consequences of each man s individual sins (D&C 138:19). The atonement for individual sins satisfies the demands of justice and establishes a plan of mercy that can save each man from their individual fallen condition. Alma said: And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also (Alma 42:15). The process of justification requires the sinner to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of their sinful acts, and enter into a covenant with God through the ordinance of baptism. The Lord declared: That as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved (D&C 20:25). Thus through the ordinance of baptism the sinner is freed from the consequences of the sin and is thus forgiven or justified. However, it should be noted that the ordinance of baptism only has power to open the door into the lowest degree of the celestial kingdom or the gate into the strait and narrow path (2 Nephi 31:18-19). It requires the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood to qualify and empower one for actual entrance into the kingdom. Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that the preparatory gospel is not eternal in nature, but is something that goes before and makes people ready for the receipt of the fulness of saving truth... the preparatory gospel is as an Elias who goes before to prepare the way for something greater; it is reserved for those who are not yet able to bear the eternal fulness. 19 Again, on another occasion, he wrote, the preparatory gospel is a lesser portion of the Lord s saving truths, a portion 7

8 which prepares and schools men for a future day when the fulness of the gospel may be received, a portion which of itself is not sufficient to seal men up unto eternal life or assure them an inheritance in the celestial world. 20 The preparatory gospel is generally administered in the ward meeting house. The ward meeting house is essentially an Aaronic Priesthood building with the Bishop, an Aaronic Priesthood office, in charge. The most important meeting held in the ward meeting house is the Sacrament Meeting. The Sacrament is an Aaronic Priesthood ordinance. The Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of Baptism and Sacrament are essential in man s receiving forgiveness for their sins. They are outward ordinances that aid man in escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:4). Those who keep their covenants associated with the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances live the law of carnal commandments by controlling the outward man; they do not kill, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet, etc. They also observe other outward commandments such as paying tithes and offerings and attending church meetings. Melchizedek Priesthood Ordinances The ordinances associated with the Aaronic Priesthood are essential in putting off the world. The ordinances of the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood are associated with the cleansing of sin and the exaltation of man. The first ordinance of the Melchizedek Priesthood is the Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost (A of F 4). Note that the definition of the preparatory gospel given in D&C 84:26-27 quoted earlier includes the remission of sins. However, the actual remission of sins comes through the gift of the Holy Ghost, the first saving ordinance of the Melchizedek Priesthood. In fact, one of the primary functions of the gift of the Holy Ghost is to sanctify man from sin. Nephi taught: For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 31:17; emphasis added). Elder McConkie wrote: To be sanctified is to be saved; to fall short of sanctification is to fail to gain full salvation. Only the sanctified gain eternal life. To be sanctified is to be clean; it is a state of purity and spotlessness in which no taint of sin is found. It is the work and mission and ministry of the Holy Spirit of God to sanctify the souls of men. This is his assigned labor in the Eternal Godhead.... Truly, the Holy Ghost is a sanctifier, and the extent to which men receive and enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost is the extent to which they are sanctified. In the lives of most of us, sanctification is an ongoing process, and we obtain that glorious status by degrees as we overcome the world and become saints in deed as well as in name. 21 Upon the faithful receipt of the Holy Ghost, one is then qualified to receive the higher ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood performed only in temples. As the Ward Meeting 8

9 house is essentially an Aaronic Priesthood building, the Temple is a Melchizedek Priesthood building. While the ordinances associated with the Aaronic Priesthood are to help in overcoming the world, the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood performed in the Temple are designed to give man the power to gain entrance into the presence of God and become like him by receiving exaltation or godhood. The Lord stated: And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live (D&C 84:19-22). Of this, Joseph Fielding Smith taught: This Holy Priesthood, which is eternal, is the authority which prevails in all the universe. The ordinances of the Gospel are made valid through its power and without it the knowledge of God could not be made manifest. It is by this authority and through the ordinances that man is able to know of God. Without the Priesthood it would be impossible for man to gain the knowledge which would bring him into the presence of the Father. 22 When one receives all the ordinances of the temple, he has received a fullness of the priesthood. Joseph Smith explained that Christ is the prototype of obtaining the fullness of the priesthood: If a man gets a fullness of the priesthood of God he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord. 23 We are told in D&C 93, that Christ received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness (D&C 93:13). Recall that grace is an enabling power that is given to man through ordinances in which covenants are made. By progressing from grace to grace, or ordinance to ordinance, beginning with baptism and continuing through all the ordinances of the temple, the Savior received greater power until he eventually received a fulness of the glory of the Father and all power, both in heaven and on earth (D&C 93:16-17). The Lord revealed to us how the Savior received the fulness of the priesthood that we might know how to do the same: I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness. For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace (D&C 93:19-20). The Melchizedek Priesthood temple ordinances proceed in a designated sequence: first, the washings and anointings, second, the endowment, and finally, the sealing ordinances including marriage for time and all eternity and the sealing of children to parents. Each ordinance and covenant are different levels of grace that man may obtain from God. By participating in each ordinance and obeying the covenants made therein, each participant 9

10 progresses by grace until he receives the fulness of the Father s Kingdom. Using appropriate resources, a brief description will be given of each ordinance. Parenthood: the Test of Godhood Before discussing the nature of temple ordinances, it is appropriate to consider one of the major reasons we have come into this world. Brigham Young taught: The Lord created you and me for the purpose of becoming Gods like Himself; when we have been proved in our present capacity, and been faithful with all things He puts into our possession. 24 Among the most important things God has put into our possession centers on the family. God has given to each of us His power to procreate. In so doing, men and women have the capacity to provide mortal bodies for God s spirit children. Upon the creation of a mortal body, parents begin the most important test of mortality: to see if they will do all they can to raise those children righteously. Ultimately, it is through righteous parenthood that man can prove himself worthy of godhood for the test of godhood is righteous parenthood. Why is the test of godhood done in this mortal existence? In their premortal state, the valiant of God s spirit offspring progressed as far as they could in their quest to become like God. But before God could grant the fulness of His kingdom to them, before He could make them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion with Himself (D&C 76:95), they had to be placed into a position where they could do the work of God and prove that God s work and glory had become their work and glory. Since God s work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children, then those desiring to become like the Father must also devote themselves to bearing of children and raising them righteously. Mortality was designed to facilitate the test of godhood. Since spirit bodies have no capacity to bear offspring 25, physical bodies were created so that the spirits could propagate. It was essential that the bodies given to God s spirit offspring were to be mortal and finite. The power to procreate would be granted on a limited basis and only for time. If, while in mortality, God s children used the procreative powers with the approval of the Lord, and if they devoted their best efforts to the raising of a righteous family unto God, then they would be found worthy of Godhood and granted the fulness of God s creative powers in the eternities. 26 If they were found unworthy, the creative powers would be forever removed from them. 27 The temple ordinances were designed to bring man and woman into a sacred relationship with God where they would be authorized to use the sacred creative powers to bring forth children. This relationship is known as the new and everlasting covenant of marriage (D&C 131:2). The marriage covenant is the final ordinance of a series of ordinances designed to put God and His work and glory at the center of the life of the man and woman by covenant. In so doing, they would be empowered to become like God. Those ordinances proceed in the following manner. Washings and Anointings One is initiated into the higher order of the priesthood through the ordinance of the 10

11 washings and anointings. This ordinance is mostly symbolic in nature, but promising definite, immediate blessings as well as future blessings. 28 Washings and anointings are preparatory or initiatory ordinances... They signify the cleansing and sanctifying power of Jesus Christ applied to the attributes of the person and to the hallowing of all life. 29 That is to say, when one is washed and anointed, every attribute of man (i.e., his mind, actions, thoughts, works, goals, words, what he hears, etc.) is symbolically cleansed from impurity and consecrated (or dedicated, set apart) to God s work and glory, which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of God s children (Moses 1:39). 30 Many symbolic meanings of washings and anointings are traceable in the scriptures. Ritual washings (Heb. 9:10: D&C 124:37) symbolize the cleansing of the soul from sins and iniquities. They signify the washing-away of the pollutions of the Lord s people (Isa. 4:4). Psalm 51:2 expresses the human longing and divine promise: Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin (cf. Ps. 73:13; Isa. 1:16). The anointing of a person or object with sacred ointment represents sanctification (Lev. 8:10-12) and consecration (Ex. 28:41), so that both become most holy (Ex. 30:29) unto the Lord. 31 Elder Packer states, In connection with these ordinances, in the temple, you will be officially clothed in the garment and promised marvelous blessings in connection with it. 32 Further, The garment represents sacred covenants. It fosters modesty and becomes a shield and a protection to the wearer.... Out of respect for the standards we keep they offer their protection of our right to live the covenants we have made. The garment, covering the body, is a visual and tactile reminder of these covenants. 33 Elder Carlos E. Asay has said: This garment, worn day and night, serves three important purposes: it is a reminder of the sacred covenants made with the Lord in His holy house, a protective covering for the body, and a symbol of modesty of dress and living that should characterize the lives of all the humble followers of Christ. He further said, I like to think of the garment as the Lord s way of letting us take part of the temple with us when we leave. It is true that we carry from the Lord s house inspired teachings and sacred covenants written in our minds and hearts. However, the one tangible remembrance we carry with us back into the world is the garment. And though we cannot always be in the temple, a part of it can always be with us to bless our lives. 34 Endowment Having been initiated into the higher order, the participants may now receive greater blessings of power through the ordinance generally known as the endowment. Through Joseph Smith, the Lord commanded the building of a temple in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high (D&C 95:8). Though this endowment of power has reference to all ordinances performed in the temple, it is especially true of the ordinance of the endowment. What is the endowment? Brigham Young declared: Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the 11

12 angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell. 35 John K. Edmunds, who at that time was president of the Salt Lake Temple, wrote: To receive the endowment is to receive the riches of eternity--the knowledge, the power, the keys to unlock the door to the treasures of heaven. To receive the endowment is to receive a course of instruction in the history of man from his preexistence to his exaltation in the celestial kingdom. To receive the endowment is to enter into covenants of righteousness with God and to receive from him the keys, powers, and ordinances required for celestial exaltation which is eternal life. 36 As just noted, the endowment is a specialized course of instruction. The participants walk through the plan of salvation from premortality to the celestial kingdom. The following description prepared by the Church describes the endowment this way: The Savior, both by his example and his teachings, taught us that we must observe the saving ordinances--that just being good isn t enough. When you enter the temple, you will receive instructions and learn the important events of our eternal journey. You ll learn about the creation of this world, and about our first parents being placed in the Garden of Eden. You ll learn how Satan tempted Adam and Eve, and how they were cast out of the garden and out of the presence of God into our world, with its opposition in all things. Here they learned about the joys as well as the discomforts of life. After Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and placed in the world where we now live, they were taught the gospel, and they entered into covenants of obedience with God, just as you will in the temple. How well we keep these covenants determines the nature of the life we will enjoy after this mortal experience. 37 Likewise, Elder James E. Talmage described the endowment in these terms: The Temple Endowment, as administered in modern temples, comprises instruction relating to the significance and sequence of past dispensations, and the importance of the present as the greatest and grandest era in human history. This course of instruction includes a recital of the most prominent events of the creative period, the condition of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience and consequent expulsion from that blissful abode, their condition in the lone and dreary world when doomed to live by labor and sweat, the plan of redemption by which the great transgression may be atoned, the period of the great apostasy, the restoration of the Gospel with all its ancient powers and 12

13 privileges, the absolute and indispensable condition of personal purity and devotion to the right in present life, and a strict compliance with Gospel requirements. 38 Elder John A. Widstoe, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave this view: The endowment given to members of the Church in the temples falls into several divisions. First, there is a course of instruction relative to man s eternal journey from the dim beginning towards his possible glorious destiny. Then, conditions are set up by which that endless journey may be upward in direction. Those who receive this information covenant to obey the laws of eternal progress, and thereby give life to the knowledge received. Finally, it is made clear that a man must sometimes give an account of his deeds, and prove the possession of divine knowledge and religious works. It is a very beautiful, logical and inspiring series of ceremonies. 39 As noted, during the endowment, the participants receive power from on high to achieve their goal of exaltation by entering into a number of sacred covenants. Speaking of this, President Ezra Taft Benson said: In the course of our visits to the temple, we are given insights into the meaning of the eternal journey of man. We see beautiful and impressive symbolisms of the most important events -- past, present, and future -- symbolizing man s mission in relationship to God. We are reminded of our obligations as we make solemn covenants pertaining to obedience, consecration, sacrifice, and dedicated service to our Heavenly Father. 40 The covenants entered into in the endowment orient the participant towards the things of God by placing Him and His work at the center of the their life and actions. Three interconnected covenants best represent this. In the endowment, among other covenants, the participants covenant to obey God s commandments, sacrifice all they have on the altar, and consecrate that sacrifice, including time, talents, and all that they possess to the building of the kingdom of God. Of this, Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: We have covenanted in the waters of baptism to love and serve him, to keep his commandments, and to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom. In return he has promised us eternal life in his Father s kingdom. We are thus in a position to receive and obey some of the higher laws which prepare us for that eternal life which we so sincerely seek. Accordingly, I shall now set forth some of the principles of sacrifice and consecration to which the true saints must conform if they are ever to go where God and Christ are and have an inheritance with the faithful saints of ages past.... Sacrifice and consecration are inseparably intertwined. The law of consecration is that we consecrate our time, our talents, and our money and property to the cause of the Church: such are to be available to the extent they 13

14 are needed to further the Lord s interests on earth. The law of sacrifice is that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have for the truth s sake our character and reputation; our honor and applause; our good name among men; our houses, lands, and families: all things, even our very lives if need be.... It is our privilege to consecrate our time, talents, and means to build up his kingdom. We are called upon to sacrifice, in one degree or another, for the furtherance of his work. Obedience is essential to salvation; so, also, is service; and so, also, are consecration and sacrifice. 41 Marriage Sealing The ordinances of baptism, the laying on of hands for gift of the Holy Ghost, washings and anointings, and the endowment are all preparatory to the marriage ordinance. Elder Marion D. Hanks taught: temple marriage is not an isolated ordinance. It serves both as a culmination of other ordinances and the foundation for family and the eternal future. 42 Having their sins remitted and placing God and his work and glory at the center of their lives by covenant, participants are ready to participate in the greatest work God asks of his children: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of his children. The sealings of husband and wives in the temple is known as temple or celestial marriage. Celestial marriage opens the door into the highest of the three levels of the celestial kingdom. Joseph Smith stated: In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; and if he does not, he cannot obtain it. The Prophet then said that those who do not marry for time and all eternity may enter into the other levels of the celestial kingdom but that is the end of [their] kingdom; [they] cannot have an increase (D&C 131:1-4). Therefore, celestial marriage is the covenant of exaltation. President Joseph Fielding Smith declared: Marriage according to the law of the Church is the most holy and sacred ordinance. It will bring to the husband and the wife, if they abide in their covenants, the fulness of exaltation in the kingdom of God. 43 Again, Another thing that we must not forget in this great plan of redemption and exaltation, is that a man must have a wife, and a woman a husband, to receive the fulness of exaltation.... If you want salvation in the fullest, that is exaltation in the kingdom of God, so that you may become his sons and his daughters, you have got to go into the temple of the Lord and receive these holy ordinances which belong to that house, which cannot be had elsewhere. No man shall receive the fulness of eternity, of exaltation, alone; no woman shall receive that blessing alone; but man and wife, when they receive the sealing power in the temple of the Lord, if they thereafter keep all the commandments, shall pass on to exaltation, and shall continue and become like the Lord. And that is the destiny of men; that is what the Lord desires for his children

15 When a man and woman marry for time and all eternity, the sealer seals upon them all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These blessings are outlined in Abraham 2:6-11. From these verses we can synthesize the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The promises can be categorized into three general areas. Each category has promises that are to be fulfilled both in mortality and eternity. The following chart lists the categories of promises with both the mortal and eternal promises. PROMISES TO ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB Category Mortal Promises Eternal Promises 1. Posterity Abraham was promised a large posterity that would become a great nation. 2. Land Abraham was promised that his posterity would have a special land to live in (a promised land)- a land where his posterity are free to worship God the way He intends. 3. Gospel\Priesthood 1. Abraham was promised that his posterity would have all the blessings of the gospel and priesthood. 2. Abraham was promised that through his posterity all nations would be blessed with the opportunity to have the gospel. Abraham was promised that he would have eternal increase. Abraham was promised that he that he would have an eternal promised land known as the celestial kingdom. Abraham was promised that he would have eternal life or exaltation in the celestial kingdom (which is the ultimate blessing of the gospel and priesthood). The mortal blessings are that they would have (1) a posterity, (2) their posterity would have a land of promise where they can worship God they way God intends, and (3) their posterity would have the gospel of Jesus Christ including both the Aaronic and Melchizedek ordinances of salvation. The eternal blessings include (1) eternal increase (the bearing of spirit children in the hereafter), (2) the celestial kingdom, and (3) exaltation, eternal life, or Godhood. From this last promise, it can be seen why this is called the covenant of exaltation. When a couple is married for time and all eternity, a new kingdom of God is being established; that kingdom is our own kingdom in the eternities. Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught the temple workers in the Provo Temple the following: 15

16 And so I go to the Salt Lake Temple and marry my wife for time and for all eternity, and so begins a new kingdom of God. And if we are faithful, that marriage exists here and it exists hereafter. And I have been given through that ordinance every promise that Abraham received. It is given on conditional basis. We must be true and faithful and keep the covenant that we make in the temple, but if we are faithful, we will receive the blessings. 45 As noted earlier, it is through honoring the marriage ordinance that men and women prove that they are worthy of Godhood. Elder Boyd K. Packer has noted that all other ordinances of salvation were preliminary and preparatory to your coming to the altar to be sealed as husband and wife for time and for all eternity. You now become a family, free to act in the creation of life, to have the opportunity through devotion and sacrifice to bring children into the world and to raise them and foster them safely through the mortal existence; to see them come one day, as you have come to participate in these sacred temple ordinances. 46 Sealing of Children to Parents Because of the fall of Adam, each person born into the world has inherited a fallen mortal condition. As such, they have lost their inheritance as a child of God and are subject instead to inherit the misery of their fallen condition. In order to escape this fate and receive the fulness of the Kingdom of God, each person must be reinherited and become a son of God again. The Lord declared: I say unto you, that as many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God (D&C 11:30; cf. 3 Ne. 9:17; Moroni 7:26, 48; D&C 34:3; 35:2; 45:8; Moses 7:1). The power to become sons of God comes through the ordinances of the gospel through which men become adopted into the family of God. This is known as the law of adoption. Elder McConkie explained, As the literal Son of God -- the Firstborn in the spirit, the Only Begotten in the flesh -- Christ is the natural heir of his Father. It thus became his right to inherit, receive, and possess all that his Father had. (John 16:15.) And his Father is possessor of all things: the universe; all power, wisdom, and goodness; the fulness of truth and knowledge; and an infinity of all good attributes. By heirship and by obedience, going from grace to grace, the Son attained these same things. (D. & C. 93:5-17.) He then concluded, By obedience to the fulness of gospel law, righteous men are adopted into the family of God so that they also become heirs, Joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:14-18; Gal. 3:26-29; 4:1-7), inheritors of all that the Father hath. (D. & C. 134:33-41). 47 The law of adoption is completed when a child is sealed to his or her s parents. 48 Children born to parents who are already married for time and all eternity are born in the covenant, meaning they are automatically sealed to their parents and are thus born legal heirs to the kingdom. In other words, they are automatically adopted into the family of God at birth! Elder James E. Talmage declared: Children born to parents thus married under the celestial law are heirs to the Priesthood; children of the covenant they are called; no ordinance of adoption or sealing is required to give them place in the blessed posterity of promise

17 However, children born to parents who are not married in the temple must receive the sealing or adoption ordinance. 50 President George Q. Cannon, then a member of the First Presidency, stated: It is not necessary, where parents are thus sealed together by the authority of the Holy Priesthood for time and for eternity, that their children should be adopted or be sealed to them. They are legitimate heirs of the Priesthood and of the blessings of the new and everlasting covenant. But not so with those who have been born outside of this covenant. There has to be some ordinance performed in order to make them legitimate; and that ordinance, the Prophet Joseph revealed, was the ordinance of adoption; that is, that which covers the ordinance or law, although we do not use the word adoption when we seal children to parents; we call that sealing. 51 On another occasion, he said: We have now thousands upon thousands of children who have been born in the covenant. Those who have not been thus born can have the privilege, if faithful, to become sealed or adopted and thus receive the benefits of the covenant, the same as if they had been born in it. In this way the entire Church of Christ, where the members have not been born in the covenant, can enter in the covenant by adoption. 52 When children are sealed to their parents, they become legal heirs to the inheritances, and glories, and powers, and keys and Priesthood of their fathers, throughout the eternal generations that are to come. 53 CONCLUSION We have seen that in order for one to acquire the power to achieve godhood, he or she must enter into covenants with a God who has the power to help us achieve that lofty goal. These covenants are made in ritual settings called ordinances. There are a series of ordinances that one must pass through to gain the full power necessary for exaltation. The ordinances are performed under the authority of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods. First, one must pass through the ordinance of baptism, an Aaronic Priesthood ordinance. This initiates the recipient onto the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life and godhood. But this is not all. One must progress forward until he or she receives all the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood including the gift of the Holy Ghost, the washings and anointings, the endowment, and finally, marriage for time and all eternity. Each ordinance empowers the recipient with greater power of becoming like the Father. Entering into an ordinance is like signing up for a college class. Credit is not given immediately when one signs up for the class. Signing up for the class only opens the way to receive credit. Credit is given only after the student fulfills all the obligations of that class. The same is true with covenants. When one enters into covenants through ordinances, they do not receive the eternal blessings immediately. They must live up to the promises they have made as part of the covenants. Then when they have been proven worthy, they will receive the Lord s promised blessings. Joseph Smith taught: 17

18 After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure... (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.150) Each man and woman who has joined the Church has been called and elected to receive eternal life or exaltation in the celestial kingdom. To make that calling and election sure, they must enter into covenants with God and then prove themselves both worthy and loyal to him and his prophets. Then God will empower them to become even as he is. References 1. Ezra taft Benson, What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children About the Temple, Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pp ; also, Ensign, Aug. 1985, p The Brethren have taught that eternal life and exaltation are synonymous terms referring to godhood. For example, Marion G. Romney taught, Immortality connotes life without end. Eternal life, on the other hand, connotes quality of life exaltation, the highest type of immortality, the kind of life enjoyed by God himself. (Conference Report, Oct. 1978, p.19; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, p. 14). Bruce R. McConkie, stated, the Lord covenants and promises to give them all that his Father hath, meaning eternal life, which is exaltation and godhood in that eternal realm where alone the family unit continues in eternity. (Conference Report, Apr. 1982, p. 49; or Ensign, May 1982, p. 33). On one occasion, he wrote, And what is eternal life? It is the name of the kind of life God lives. It consists of two things: life in the family unit, and the receipt of the fulness of the Father, meaning the fulness of the power, glory, and dominion of God himself (The Millennial Messiah, The Messiah Series, vol. 6. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1982], pp ). Again, he wrote, Since it is the prophetic purpose to lead men to full salvation in the highest heaven of the celestial world, when they speak and write about salvation, almost without exception, they mean eternal life or exaltation. They use the terms salvation, exaltation, and eternal life as synonyms, as words that mean exactly the same thing without any difference, distinction, or variance whatever (The Promised Messiah, The Messiah Series, vol. 1. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1978], pp ). Finally, President Spencer W. Kimball, taught, If we are true and faithful, we shall rise, not alone in immortality but unto eternal life. Immortality is to live forever in an assigned kingdom. Eternal life is to gain exaltation in the highest heaven and live in the family unit. (Conference Report, Oct. 1978, p. 109; or Ensign, Nov. 18