Lesson 103

Ordinances and Covenants (Part 1)

Prepare to Learn

Prepare your mind and heart to learn. By actively participating in this lesson, you show your willingness to be taught by the Holy Ghost.

Begin your study with prayer.

Who is allowed to participate in ordinances in the temple? Why are temple ordinances necessary for our eternal progression? In this lesson you will study the doctrinal mastery topic “Ordinances and Covenants” to find answers to these and other related questions.

Watch this video about a young woman preparing to participate in temple ordinances. How did she prepare for those ordinances?

Ordinances and Covenants

The following quiz will help you understand more about ordinances and covenants. Read doctrinal topic 7, “Ordinances and Covenants,” in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document to find the answers.

Quiz 1

1. According to paragraph 7.1, an ordinance is

   1. a sacred act that is performed by the authority of the priesthood.

   2. a sacred agreement between God and man.

   3. a sacred way prophets receive revelation.

2. According to paragraph 7.7, a covenant is

   1. a sacred act that is performed by the authority of the priesthood.

   2. a sacred agreement between God and man.

   3. a sacred way prophets receive revelation.

3. According to paragraph 7.2, how are saving ordinances different from other ordinances?

   1. Saving ordinances are essential to exaltation.

   2. Saving ordinances are all Aaronic Priesthood ordinances.

   3. Saving ordinances are only performed in the temple.

4. True or False: According to paragraph 7.8, all saving ordinances are accompanied by covenants.

   1. True

   2. False

5. According to paragraphs 7.3–7.5, which of the following are saving ordinances? Select all that apply.

   1. Ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood (for men)

   2. The naming and blessing of children

   3. The marriage sealing

   4. Baptism and confirmation

   5. The receiving of a patriarchal blessing

   6. The temple endowment

Covenants with God

A key statement of doctrine recorded in paragraph 7.7 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document is that God gives the conditions for the covenant, and we agree to do what He asks us to do; God then promises us certain blessings for our obedience. Consider marking this key statement of doctrine in your copy of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document if you have not already done so.

Exodus 19:5–6 is a doctrinal mastery passage in the Old Testament that helps teach this key statement of doctrine. Consider marking this passage in a distinctive way so you can locate it more easily.

We read in Exodus 19 that after the children of Israel left Egypt, they came “into the wilderness” (verse 1) and camped at the base of Mount Sinai. While there, Moses went up the mountain to speak to the Lord. The Lord revealed the terms of the covenant He would make with the children of Israel—including commandments, laws, and ordinances—as well as the blessings they would receive for keeping this covenant.

Read Exodus 19:5–6, looking for what the children of Israel covenanted to do and what God promised them if they were obedient to the covenant.

The Baptismal Covenant

Just as the children of Israel made and kept a covenant anciently to be God’s people, through the ordinance of baptism we make a similar covenant.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 20:77 and Mosiah 18:8–10, looking for the conditions and blessings that are associated with the baptismal covenant.

1. Answer the following questions:

• What do we covenant to do when we are baptized?

• What are some of the blessings that God has promised us for obeying the baptismal covenant?

• How have you or someone you know experienced the blessings of keeping the baptismal covenant?

Temple Ordinances and Covenants

How are temples associated with ordinances and covenants?

Read the following statement from True to the Faith, looking for the purpose of temple ordinances:

“The principal purpose of temples is to provide the ordinances necessary for our exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Temple ordinances lead to the greatest blessings available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. …

“One ordinance we receive in the temple is the endowment. The word endowment means ‘gift,’ and the temple endowment truly is a gift from God. The ordinance consists of a series of instructions and includes covenants we make to live righteously and comply with the requirements of the gospel. The endowment helps us focus on the Savior, His role in our Heavenly Father’s plan, and our commitment to follow Him.

“Another temple ordinance is celestial marriage, in which husband and wife are sealed to one another for eternity. A sealing performed in the temple continues forever if the husband and wife are faithful to the covenants they make” (“Temples,” True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 170–71).

The Importance of Keeping Your Covenants

Read the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for the importance of keeping covenants and their relation to our purpose in mortality.

“Only covenant makers and covenant keepers can claim the ultimate blessings of the celestial kingdom. Yes, when we talk about covenant keeping, we are talking about the heart and soul of our purpose in mortality” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Keeping Covenants: A Message for Those Who Will Serve a Mission,” New Era, Jan. 2012, 2).

Why do you think that covenant keeping could be called “the heart and soul of our purpose in mortality”?

Preparation for Temple Covenants

A key statement of doctrine recorded in paragraph 7.9 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document is that we prepare to participate in ordinances and make covenants in the temple by living the standards of worthiness the Lord has set. Consider marking this key statement of doctrine in your copy of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document if you have not already done so.

What are the standards of worthiness the Lord has set?

Read the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson, looking for specific standards of worthiness that must be met in order to receive a temple recommend.

“Each person applying for a [temple] recommend will be interviewed by a judge in Israel—the bishop—and by a stake president. … Their interviews will assess several vital issues. They will ask if we obey the law of tithing, if we keep the Word of Wisdom, and if we sustain the authorities of the Church. They will ask if we are honest, if we are morally clean, and if we honor the power of procreation as a sacred trust from our Creator” (Russell M. Nelson, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2001, 33).

“Clean Hands, and a Pure Heart”

Psalm 24:3–4 is a doctrinal mastery passage that helps us understand that personal worthiness is required to participate in ordinances in the temple. Consider marking this passage in a distinctive way so you can locate it more easily.

The writer of this psalm used the phrases “the hill of the Lord” and “his holy place” (verse 3) to refer to the temple and the presence of the Lord.

Read Psalm 24:3–4, looking for what is required in order to worship in the temple and stand in God’s presence.

Disciples Cleansed and Purified by Christ

What do you think it means to have “clean hands, and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4)?

Read the following statement by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for how Jesus Christ is involved in helping us have clean hands and purified hearts.

“Let me suggest that hands are made clean through the process of putting off the natural man and by overcoming sin and the evil influences in our lives through the Savior’s Atonement. Hearts are purified as we receive His strengthening power to do good and become better. All of our worthy desires and good works, as necessary as they are, can never produce clean hands and a pure heart. It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength. The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us” (“Clean Hands and a Pure Heart,” Ensign or Liahona, November 2007, 82).

2. Answer two of the following questions:

• According to Elder Bednar, how do we obtain clean hands and a pure heart?

• How can we know if our hands are clean and our heart is pure?

• From what you have studied so far, why do you think the Lord asks us to be worthy to participate in ordinances in the temple?

Worthy to Participate

Read paragraph 7.9 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, looking for why it is important for us to be worthy to participate in temple ordinances.

3. Answer the following questions:

• What are some other reasons that it is important for us to be worthy to participate in ordinances in the temple?

• How will we be blessed as we strive to always be temple worthy?

Identified Truths

The following truths were identified in today’s lesson:

• God gives the conditions for the covenant, and we agree to do what He asks us to do; God then promises us certain blessings for our obedience.

• We prepare to participate in ordinances and make covenants in the temple by living the standards of worthiness the Lord has set.

Ponder what you can do now to always be worthy and prepared to make and keep sacred covenants with God.

Answer Key

Quiz 1: (1) a; (2) b; (3) a; (4) a; (5) a, c, d, f