Chapter 6. Sacred Temple Ordinances

Transcription

1 Chapter 6 Sacred Temple Ordinances Saving ordinances necessary for exaltation include baptism, confirmation, ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood for men, endowment, temple marriage, and sealing of children to parents (if the children are not born into the covenant). These ordinances are performed for the deceased by proxy in a temple. For the living, only the endowment, temple marriage, and sealing of children to parents are performed in the temple. Chapter 6 Objectives: Understand the purpose of each of the ordinances performed in the temple. Know the importance of covenants made in holy temples. Recognize and appreciate the blessings that come from regular temple attendance. Suggested Readings: D&C 109, 127, 128. Chapter 6 Outline: Baptism and Confirmation Ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood Initiatory Ordinances The Endowment Eternal Marriage Sealing Husbands and Wives Sealing Children to Parents Blessings from Temple Attendance 56

2 Chapter 6: Sacred Temple Ordinances 57 Baptism and Confirmation Nephi saw in vision the mortality of Jesus Christ and prophesied that the Redeemer of mankind would be baptized by John the Baptist to fulfill the divine law of heaven (1 Ne. 11:27). 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. And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost (2 Ne. 31:17 18). Baptism is the gate for those who reach the age of accountability to enter the strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life (2 Ne. 31:18; D&C 76:51 53). Little children, who die before the age of accountability (age eight), are redeemed through the atonement of Jesus Christ and do not need to be baptized (Moro. 8:5 12; D&C 68:27; 137:10). With regard to the ordinance of baptism for the dead, the prophet Joseph Smith taught: Herein is glory and honor and immortality and eternal life The ordinance of baptism by water, to be immersed therein in order to answer to the likeness of the dead, that one principle might accord with the other; to be immersed in the water and come forth out of the water is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead in coming forth out of their graves; hence this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead, being in likeness of the dead. Consequently, the baptismal font was instituted as a similitude of the grave, and was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living are wont [inclined] to assemble, to show forth the living and the dead, and that all things may have their likeness, and that they may accord one with another that which is earthly conforming with that which is heavenly (D&C 128:12 13). Through the ordinance of confirmation, we become members of the Church and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. And whoso having faith you shall confirm in my church, by the laying on of the hands, and I will bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon them (D&C 33:15). Those who are on the other side of the veil may also be confirmed by proxy. Through baptism and confirmation, they may join the Church and continue in their progression in the spirit world. In all cases, of course, the proxy ordinances are effective only if the recipients voluntarily accept them. Fundamental to the doctrine of the salvation of the dead is the exercise of agency. When persons die, their spirits continue living in the postmortal spirit world and are capable of making choices. Latter-day Saints perform baptisms for the dead so that those who live as spirits may choose whether or not to accept baptism in the true Church of Jesus Christ in the spirit world. If they do not accept the baptism, it is of no effect. The same is true of the other saving ordinances that members perform in the temples in behalf of the dead (Fugal 1992, 3:1258).

3 Chapter 6: Sacred Temple Ordinances 58 Ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood The Melchizedek Priesthood is essential for a man to be exalted and be in the presence of God the Father. Women share in the blessings of the priesthood but are not ordained to an office in the priesthood. [They] share the authority of the priesthood with their husbands, actual or prospective. Nevertheless there is no grade, rank, or phase of the temple endowment to which women are not eligible on an equality with men. True, there are certain of the higher ordinances to which an unmarried woman cannot be admitted, but the rule is equally in force as to a bachelor (Talmage 1976, 79). Initiatory Ordinances Initiatory ordinances are part of the endowment. They consist of washing, anointing, and clothing in the temple garment. Elder Boyd K. Packer said: The ordinances of washing and anointing are referred to often in the temple as initiatory ordinances. It will be sufficient for our purposes to say only the following: Associated with the endowment are washings and anointings mostly symbolic in nature, but promising definite, immediate blessings as well as future blessings. Concerning these ordinances the Lord has said: I say unto you, how shall your washings be acceptable unto me except ye perform them in a house which you have built to my name? (D&C 124:37). And again, I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house (D&C 124:39). In connection with these ordinances, in the temple you will be officially clothed in the garment and promised marvelous blessings in connection with it. It is important that you listen carefully as these ordinances are administered and that you try to remember the blessings promised and the conditions upon which they will be realized (Packer 1980, ). The Endowment The endowment is a gift from God. To endow is to enrich, to give to another something long-lasting and of much worth, wrote Elder ElRay L. Christiansen (1971, 27). President Brigham Young taught: 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 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 (Young 1978, 416).

4 Chapter 6: Sacred Temple Ordinances 59 Elder Boyd K. Packer wrote: The instruction given in the endowment provides a firm perspective, a point of reference by which a person may gauge all his learning and wisdom, both spiritual and temporal; by which he may gather things together, determine their true meaning and significance, and fit them into their proper places (Packer 1980, 45). The endowment is more than instruction. It includes the making of sacred covenants which must be kept if the promised blessings are to be received. The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive her King the Lord Jesus Christ. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions (Talmage 1976, 84). Many young people object to temple work because, We must make covenants and promises, and we do not like to be tied; we want full freedom. This objection rises from a misunderstanding of the meaning of covenants. Knowledge becomes serviceable only when it is used; the covenant made in the temple, or elsewhere, if of the right kind, is merely a promise to give life to knowledge, by making knowledge useful and helpful in man s daily progress. Temple work, or any other work, would have no meaning unless accompanied with covenants. It would consist simply of bits of information for ornament; the covenant gives life to truth; and makes possible the blessings that reward all those who use knowledge properly; or the penalties that overtake those who misuse knowledge. That knowledge of itself is valueless, and that its use or misuse brings about inevitable results are the a b c of every scientific laboratory. The electric current properly used lights this building; improperly used, it may go through the body of the man and leave death behind. Unused, the electric current is to the man as if it were not. Penalties and rewards hang upon the use of knowledge (Widtsoe 1921, 12:61). Now, it is important to us parents to remember our responsibility in respect to all of these holy ordinances and covenants entered into in the temples of our God. We must keep them sacred, and do nothing to violate the provisions of these covenants, otherwise the blessings that are pronounced upon us, and all blessings are predicated upon our obedience, will not be ours to enjoy and perhaps we shall not bestow to our children the gifts and endowments they have a right to receive (Stapley 1952, ). Eternal Marriage Sealing Husbands and Wives The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith: 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.

5 Chapter 6: Sacred Temple Ordinances 60 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase (D&C 131:1 4). The Brethren have taught continually of the sacred importance of temple marriage. Bruce R. McConkie: Now, how much do you love your husband or your wife? With what desire do you seek eternal exaltation in the mansions hereafter? Let it be remembered that love is measured in terms of obedience and of service, in accordance with the principle, If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Accordingly, if we have in our hearts a love, born of the Spirit of Christ, for our families, and for that matter, for our own salvation, we will seek to do those things which will qualify us to gain recommends to the temple, there to be sealed in the eternal marriage union; and then having been so sealed, we will desire with all our hearts to walk in the light, to keep the covenant that we have made, so that it will be of full force and validity in the eternal world, having been bound on earth and sealed in heaven, having been ratified by the Spirit here, and made of full force and validity in the mansions hereafter. There is not any single thing, any single act or performance that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world as important as marrying the right person in the right place by the right authority, because that kind of marriage is the gate to peace and contentment and happiness in this life, and it opens the door to the attainment of the fullness of the kingdom of the Father hereafter (McConkie 1957, 406). Spencer W. Kimball: Civil marriage is an earthly contract, completed in the death of either party. Eternal celestial marriage is a sacred covenant between man and woman, consecrated in the holy temple by servants of God who hold authoritative keys. It bridges death; it includes both time and eternity (Kimball 1964, 27). Ezra Taft Benson: No sacrifice is too great to have the blessings of an eternal marriage. To most of us, a temple is easily accessible, perhaps so conveniently that the blessing is taken too casually. As with other matters of faithfulness in gospel living, being married the Lord s way takes a willingness to deny yourself ungodliness worldliness and a determination to do our Father s will. By this act of faith, we show our love to God and our regard for a posterity yet unborn. As our family is our greatest source of joy in this life, so it may well be in the eternity (Benson 1979, 33 34). Sealing Children to Parents If parents are sealed as husband and wife, all of the children born to them after their sealing are born in the covenant and do not need to be sealed to them in the temple. However, any children born prior to the sealing of husband and wife need the ordinance of sealing to their parents done in order for the family to be together in eternity.

6 Chapter 6: Sacred Temple Ordinances 61 There is another matter to which I would like to call attention. I can only touch on it briefly. It is a matter, however, that emphasizes the need on our part of an understanding heart toward our children and also impresses us with this fundamental doctrine of the Church of eternal life, of living again. We have a glorious privilege given to us through the restoration of the Holy Priesthood by which we are permitted to go to the temples of the Lord and we may officiate in holy ordinances where parents may be sealed with their children for time and all eternity. Have you ever stopped to think what this connotes, my brethren and sisters? It is eternal life. The very gift that was made possible on that first Easter morning through Jesus Christ, that we may live again, that we shall not only live, but that we shall also have those whom we love who are dearer to us than life itself. Think what that means. That is another of the blessings that have been vouchsafed to us through the ministry of Jesus Christ (Young, 1953, p. 67). Blessings from Temple Attendance Thomas S. Monson: Now, my brothers and sisters, we have built temples throughout the world and will continue to do so. To you who are worthy and able to attend the temple, I would admonish you to go often. The temple is a place where we can find peace. There we receive a renewed dedication to the gospel and a strengthened resolve to keep the commandments. What a privilege it is to be able to go to the temple, where we may experience the sanctifying influence of the Spirit of the Lord. Great service is given when we perform vicarious ordinances for those who have gone beyond the veil. In many cases we do not know those for whom we perform the work. We expect no thanks, nor do we have the assurance that they will accept that which we offer. However, we serve, and in that process we attain that which comes of no other effort: we literally become saviors on Mount Zion. As our Savior gave His life as a vicarious sacrifice for us, so we, in some small measure, do the same when we perform proxy work in the temple for those who have no means of moving forward unless something is done for them by those of us here on the earth. Gordon B. Hinckley: We shall continue the great work that goes on in our temples, an unmatched work of love reaching out even to those who have gone beyond the veil of death. Can there be a greater labor of love than this? It comes more nearly of partaking of the spirit of the Lord himself, who gave his life as a vicarious sacrifice for all of us, than any other work of which I know (Hinckley 1982, 113). Howard W. Hunter: Several things are accomplished by our attendance at the temple we comply with the instructions of the Lord to accomplish our own ordinance work, we bless our families by the sealing ordinances, and we share our blessings with others by doing for them what they cannot do for themselves. In addition to these, we lift our own thoughts, grow closer to the Lord, honor our priesthood and spiritualize our lives (Hunter 1971, 100).

7 Chapter 6: Sacred Temple Ordinances 62 It would be the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church temple worthy. I would hope that every adult member would be worthy of and carry a current temple recommend, even if proximity to a temple does not allow immediate or frequent use of it. Let us be a temple attending and temple loving people. Let us hasten to the temple as frequently as time and means and personal circumstances allow. Let us go not only for our kindred dead, but let us also go for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety which is provided within those hallowed and consecrated walls. The temple is a place of beauty, it is a place of revelation, it is a place of peace. It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us (Hunter 1994c, 2 4). Ezra Taft Benson: Many parents are concerned about protection against a cascading avalanche of wickedness, which threatens to engulf the world. There is a power associated with the ordinances of heaven, even the power of godliness, which can and will thwart the forces of evil, if we will but be worthy of those sacred covenants made in the temple of the Lord. Our families will be protected, our children will be safeguarded as we live the gospel, visit the temple, and live close to the Lord (Benson 1993, 7). Spencer W. Kimball: Implicit in the building of temples is the principle of regular temple attendance by the Saints. Nothing builds spirituality and our understanding of the priesthood principles more than regular temple attendance (Kimball 1982, 4). Harold B. Lee: The temple ceremonies are designed by a wise Heavenly Father who has revealed them to us in these last days as a guide and a protection throughout our lives, that you and I might not fail to merit exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom where God and Christ dwell (Lee 1967, 144). Joseph Fielding Smith: To all the families in Israel we say: The family is the most important organization in time or in eternity. Our purpose in life is to create for ourselves eternal family units. There is nothing that will ever come into your family life that is as important as the sealing blessings of the temple and then keeping the covenants made in connection with this order of celestial marriage (Smith 1972, 27). Theodore M. Burton: As we understand this concept of going to the house of the God of Jacob to receive strength, we understand how important it is to attend the temple frequently. If members holding the priesthood reject the opportunity to go to the temple regularly, they reject the very God who made them and with whom they have covenanted to always remember him and to walk in his ways. The covenants we make in the temple of God are so important that we violate them at the peril of our eternal salvation. Therefore, as often as possible, the members of the Church who hold the priesthood should go to the temple as individuals, with priesthood quorums, and also with their wives, to have their spirits strengthened and their souls revived. Only by regular attendance at the temple can we remember the

8 Chapter 6: Sacred Temple Ordinances 63 importance of the commitments we have made to serve the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength (Burton 1971, 83). John Widtsoe: In view of this great temple activity, we may well prepare ourselves for opposition. There never yet has been a time in the history of the world when temple work has increased without a corresponding increase in the opposition to it. Some three or four years after the pioneers came to this valley, President Brigham Young said that it was time to begin the building of a temple; and some of the old timers here will probably remember that thousands of the Saints dreaded the command, because they said, Just as soon as we lay the cornerstone of a temple all hell will be turned loose upon us and we will be driven out of the valleys. President Young thought that this was true, but that they also would have, if temple work were undertaken, a corresponding increase in power to overcome all evil. Men grow mighty under the results of temple service; women grow strong under it; the community increases in power; until the devil has less influence than he ever had before. The opposition to truth is relatively smaller if the people are engaged actively in the ordinances of the temple (Widtsoe 1921, 12:51).