“Always Having a Temple Recommend”

By Elder Djarot Subiantoro

Of the Seventy

My wife and I were having our morning walk when she suddenly reminded me that it had been about 40 years since both of us entered adulthood. To further expound on the significance of “40 years,” my wife mentioned how the Israelites spent 40 years in their journey from Egypt to the promised land. It also took our pioneers 40 years to build the Salt Lake Temple.

We might not be walking through a wilderness like the Israelites or building a temple by hand like the pioneers, but we are all going through our own personal life journey. Just like our predecessors, we experience not only joy and happiness but also difficulties, temptations, and afflictions as we try to reach our end goal. We are grateful for temple ordinances that help us keep an eternal perspective throughout our journey and for a temple recommend that keeps us in the strait and narrow path, even when the journey seems long.

Among the numerous denominations and churches of the present day, the Latter-day Saints are distinguished as builders of temples.

President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) said, “It is the Lord Himself who, in His revelations to us, has made the temple the great symbol for members of the Church.”¹

“Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:119).

The Lord has commanded us to make the temple the center of our lives, which in turn requires us to always keep a current temple recommend.

Anciently, the prophet Ezekiel declared, “Thus saith the Lord God; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary” (Ezekiel 44:9). Similarly, the Prophet Joseph Smith prayed, “And that no unclean thing shall be permitted to come into thy house to pollute it” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:20).

A temple recommend is not simply a piece of paper; it reflects our willingness and worthiness to receive the blessings of the temple.

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) explained, “This small document, simple in its appearance, certifies that the bearer has met certain precise and demanding qualifications and is eligible to enter the House of the Lord and there participate in the most sacred ordinances administered anywhere on earth. . . .

“What a unique and remarkable thing is a temple recommend.”²

“It would please the Lord if every adult member would be worthy of—and carry—a current temple recommend. The things that we must do and not do to be worthy of a temple recommend are the very things that ensure we will be happy as individuals and as families.”³

The key to unlock the enormous blessings that come from temple service is the temple recommend. Temple recommend interviews are held by local ecclesiastical leaders to determine our worthiness, and the questions include whether:

We have faith in and a testimony of God the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost;
We testify of the Restoration of the gospel through the Church;
We sustain general authorities of the Church: the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles;
We obey God’s commandments and laws;
We repent of our sins and are worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple ordinances.

If we are striving to be true and faithful to the principles of the gospel, then we will always be temple worthy, and the Lord and His holy temples will be the great symbols of our discipleship.

What does it mean to always have a temple recommend? Having a temple recommend is a good indication of our worthiness for celestial glory. No matter where we are, we need to prioritize having a current temple recommend and make the temple the great symbol of our membership in the Church. If we strive to keep our recommend current and live the gospel to its fullest through faith, repentance, and renewal of covenants throughout our lives, we will qualify for eternal life.

May the Lord bless us that we may firmly resolve to always be temple worthy. This is the Lord’s work. He lives. God is our Eternal Father, and Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer.