Doctrine and Covenants 132:3–33

Note: Doctrine and Covenants 132:1–2 are covered in lesson 140 as part of a discussion about plural marriage.

Before class, write the following questions on the board:

Invite students to ponder these questions as they study Doctrine and Covenants 132 today.

Begin by asking the following question:

• What is the new and everlasting covenant?

To help students understand the meaning of the phrase “the new and everlasting covenant,” read the following statement by President Joseph Fielding Smith:

“Now there is a clear-cut definition in detail of the new and everlasting covenant. It is everything—the fulness of the gospel. So marriage properly performed, baptism, ordination to the priesthood, everything else—every contract, every obligation, every performance that pertains to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise according to his law here given, is a part of the new and everlasting covenant” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 1:158; italics removed).

Invite students to read Doctrine and Covenants 132:3–5 silently, looking for the result of rejecting the new and everlasting covenant, which includes the covenant of celestial marriage.

• What is the result of rejecting the new and everlasting covenant? (As students answer this question, you may want to explain that the word damned means that a person is stopped in his or her eternal progression.)

Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 132:6 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for the blessing the Lord promises those who are faithful in the new and everlasting covenant.

• According to verse 6, what do we receive if we are faithful in the new and everlasting covenant? (As students respond to this question, you may want to point out the contrast between being damned, or prevented from progressing, and receiving “the fulness of [the Lord’s] glory.”)

Point out that people often make contracts, or agreements, with each other. Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 132:7 aloud. Assign half of the class to look for what happens to manmade contracts when people die. Invite the other half to identify two conditions for covenants to be binding after we die.

• What happens to manmade contracts? (They end at death.)

• According to verse 7, what two things must happen for covenants to be binding after we die? (They must be made through priesthood authority, and they must be “entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.”)

Explain that “the Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit of Promise. … The Holy Spirit of Promise witnesses to the Father that the saving ordinances have been performed properly and that the covenants associated with them have been kept” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Holy Spirit of Promise,” scriptures.lds.org). Then invite students to reread verse 7 and summarize it in a statement of doctrine. Write their response on the board. For example, you might write something similar to the following: Unless a covenant is made through the proper priesthood authority and sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, it will end at death.

To help students further understand this doctrine, ask them to rephrase it in a positive way. Write their response on the board. For example, you might write something similar to the following: When a covenant is made through the proper priesthood authority and is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, it will last forever.

Summarize Doctrine and Covenants 132:8–14 by explaining that the Lord continued to set forth the conditions of His laws and ordinances. He declared that everything He establishes will remain forever but that everything else will eventually be destroyed.

Invite four students to take turns reading aloud from Doctrine and Covenants 132:15–18. Ask the class to follow along, looking for two different ways a man and a woman might enter into a marriage together. Then read the following examples aloud. After each example, ask students what truths taught in Doctrine and Covenants 132:15–18 apply in that situation.

Example 1: A man and woman fall in love, keep the law of chastity, and are happily married by a local government leader. They are not sealed in a temple. Their marriage ceremony includes the words “till death do you part.” A few years later, the husband is killed in an accident. What truths taught in Doctrine and Covenants 132:15–17 apply? (The husband and wife are no longer married.)

Example 2: A man and woman are married. They promise one another that they will always love each other and that they will always be together, but they are not sealed in a temple. They believe that because of their love, God will allow them to be together forever. What truths taught in Doctrine and Covenants 132:18 apply? (Their marriage will not continue after they die.)

Invite a student to read aloud the following experience shared by Elder Enrique R. Falabella of the Seventy. Ask the class to listen for what made Elder and Sister Falabella sad and what made them happy.

“When I returned from my mission, I met a beautiful young woman. … She captivated me from the first moment I saw her.

“My wife had set the goal to get married in the temple, although back then the nearest temple required a trip of over 4,000 miles (6,400 km).

“Our civil marriage ceremony was both happy and sad, for we were married with an expiration date. The officer pronounced the words ‘And now I declare you husband and wife,’ but immediately after, he said, ‘until death do you part.’

“So with sacrifice we set out to purchase a one-way ticket to the Mesa Arizona Temple.

“In the temple, as we were kneeling down at the altar, an authorized servant pronounced the words I longed for, which declared us husband and wife for time and for all eternity” (“The Home: The School of Life,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 102).

• Why were the Falabellas not satisfied with their civil marriage?

Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 132:19–21 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for blessings the Lord promises to those who are true to the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. Because this passage is long and somewhat difficult to understand, you may need to pause a few times to provide explanations and answer questions. The following information may help you:

The word abide means to accept or continue, so the phrases “abide in my covenant” (verse 19) and “abide my law” (verse 21) mean to remain true to the Lord’s covenant and law.

Verse 19 contains the promise that if a man and woman marry in “the new and everlasting covenant” and “it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise,” then they “shall come forth in the first resurrection; and … inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers,” as long as they “abide in [the] covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood.” (See also D&C 132:27.)

The phrases “continuation of the seeds forever and ever” (verse 19) and “they continue” (verse 20) refer to the promise that our families and our posterity can continue throughout eternity.

Write If then on the board. Invite students to fill in the blanks to summarize the promises given in Doctrine and Covenants 132:19–21. Write their responses on the board. They might identify principles such as the following:

If a man and a woman abide in the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, then they will receive exaltation and glory.

If a man and a woman abide in the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, then they will have an eternal increase of posterity.

If a man and a woman abide in the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, then their marriage will be in force through all eternity.

If a man and a woman abide in the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, then they will become like God.

Read the following example:

Example 3: A young man and a young woman are sealed in a holy temple by priesthood authority. They both live faithfully and keep their covenants. What truths taught in Doctrine and Covenants 132:19–21 apply after they die? (Their marriage will continue forever. They will become like their Father in Heaven and will be blessed with glory, exaltation, and an eternal family.)

• What do you think a husband and wife must do to abide in the covenant of marriage? (Answers may include following God’s word, being obedient to all the ordinances of salvation, being virtuous and worthy, loving one another, working together to be good parents, rearing children in love and righteousness, and returning to the temple together regularly.)

Ask students to read Doctrine and Covenants 132:22–25 silently, giving special attention to the Lord’s description of the “gate” and the “way” that lead to exaltation. Before they read, explain that the word strait in verse 22 means narrow or exacting, allowing for no wandering off course.

• In what ways does the image of a broad gate and a wide way represent current opinions in society about couple relationships and marriage? How are these opinions contrary to the new and everlasting covenant of marriage?

• According to verses 22 and 25, why do many fail to enter the narrow way that leads to exaltation? (They do not receive Jesus Christ, come to know Him, or abide in His law.)

• According to verses 21–24, what must we do to receive eternal life? (Summarize students’ answers by writing the following principle on the board: To receive exaltation and eternal lives, we must know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, become like Them, and abide in Their law.)

Summarize Doctrine and Covenants 132:29–33 by explaining that Abraham was faithful and obedient to the Lord’s law of eternal marriage and that he received the promise of eternal increase in posterity.

Testify that as we follow God’s laws, we can live with Him and obtain eternal life.

Refer to the questions you wrote on the board before class. Invite students to respond to these questions in their class notebooks or scripture study journals. After sufficient time, you may also want to invite one or two students to share their feelings with the entire class.

Conclude by displaying a picture of your family. Share your feelings and testimony of the blessings of eternal marriage. Encourage students to prepare now to go to the temple and be married for eternity. Share your testimony of the blessings promised in Doctrine and Covenants 132 and of the joy that comes from preparing for temple marriage.