“Lesson 10 Class Preparation Material: The New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material (2022)
“Lesson 10 Class Preparation Material,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material
Lesson 10 Class Preparation Material
The New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage
In lesson 6, we learned that marriage is ordained of God. President Russell M. Nelson has also taught that celestial marriage is “the highest and most enduring type of marriage that our Creator can offer to His children,” bringing “greater possibilities for happiness than does any other relationship” (“Celestial Marriage,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 92, 93). As you study this material, consider your own feelings about eternal marriage and what you can do to live worthy of it.
Section 1
Why should I strive to have an eternal marriage?
As you think about the marriages of people you know, you may wonder how marriage in the temple differs from civil marriage.
We believe that “the divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Eternal family relationships are made possible by Jesus Christ. President Nelson taught, “The Atonement of Jesus Christ … made resurrection a reality for all and made eternal life possible for those who repent of their sins and receive and keep essential ordinances and covenants” (“Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 40). In the latter days, the Lord has restored the authority, ordinances, and covenants that enable eternal marriages to be established.
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–4, looking for what Joseph Smith taught about the eternal marriage covenant. (Note: The highest degree of the celestial kingdom is eternal life, or exaltation.)
As used in verse 2, the word new means that the covenant has been newly restored in our dispensation. The covenant is also everlasting because it is eternal and it has existed since “before the foundation of the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:5). It was part of the covenant that God made with Abraham and his wife Sarah long ago.
We learn from the Bible Dictionary that “Abraham first received the gospel by baptism (which is the covenant of salvation). Then he had conferred upon him the higher priesthood, and he entered into celestial marriage (which is the covenant of exaltation), gaining assurance thereby that he would have eternal increase [an innumerable posterity]” (Bible Dictionary, “Abraham, covenant of”).
The Lord promised Abraham, “I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore” (Genesis 22:17). Celestial marriage includes the blessing of “hav[ing] children in … celestial glory” (Joseph Smith, in History, 1838–1856 [Manuscript History of the Church], volume D-1, 1551 [josephsmithpapers.org]).
The Lord further promised Abraham that all of these blessings would be offered to his mortal posterity (see Doctrine and Covenants 132:29–31; Abraham 2:6–11). The portion of the Abrahamic covenant pertaining to eternal marriage and eternal increase is renewed with each individual who enters into “the new and everlasting covenant of marriage” (Doctrine and Covenants 131:2). In other words, through the marriage sealing ordinance, we are promised the same blessings as Abraham.
When a man and a woman are sealed in the temple, they make sacred covenants with God and with each other. These include covenants to remain faithful to each other and to God, to live in Christlike ways, to honor all gospel covenants they have made, and to multiply and replenish the earth.
Consider the meaning of this image as it relates to the covenant of eternal marriage. Regarding this covenant relationship, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
The Lord Jesus Christ is the focal point in a covenant marriage relationship. Please notice how the Savior is positioned at the apex of this triangle, with a woman at the base of one corner and a man at the base of the other corner. Now consider what happens in the relationship between the man and the woman as they individually and steadily “come unto Christ” and strive to be “perfected in Him” (Moroni 10:32). Because of and through the Redeemer, the man and the woman come closer together. (“Marriage Is Essential to His Eternal Plan,” Ensign, June 2006, 86)
Discuss in Preparation for Class
If possible, discuss the following questions with someone who has been sealed to his or her spouse in the temple, such as a parent, grandparent, Church leader, or friend. If you are married, you might have this conversation with your spouse. Come to class ready to share something you learned.
-
What was it like for you to be sealed in the temple?
-
How has entering into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage blessed you and your spouse so far?
-
How have your individual efforts to grow closer to God helped you and your spouse grow closer to each other?
Section 2
What choices do I need to make for my marriage to be eternal?
The Lord revealed that if a man and a woman do not marry according to His law (entering into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage) and by His authority, then their marriage is “not of force when they are dead” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:15). Simply being sealed in the temple, however, is not a guarantee of an eternal marriage, either.
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Doctrine and Covenants 132:19–20, and consider marking what is required beyond a temple sealing ceremony to have an eternal marriage.
You may have noticed in verse 19 that temple marriages must be “sealed … by the Holy Spirit of promise” to be eternal. We learn from the Guide to the Scriptures that “the Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit of Promise (Acts 2:33). He confirms as acceptable to God the righteous acts, ordinances, and covenants of men. 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” (“Holy Spirit of Promise,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
When spouses “abide in [the] covenant” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:19) the Holy Ghost, in His role as the Holy Spirit of Promise, confirms to God that they have kept their covenants, and their marriage becomes eternal. To “abide in [the] covenant,” both spouses must faithfully honor the terms and conditions of their sealing covenants. Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the importance of honoring these covenants:
As taught in this scripture [Doctrine and Covenants 132:19], an eternal bond doesn’t just happen as a result of sealing covenants we make in the temple. How we conduct ourselves in this life will determine what we will be in all the eternities to come. To receive the blessings of the sealing that our Heavenly Father has given to us, we have to keep the commandments and conduct ourselves in such a way that our families will want to live with us in the eternities. (“The Eternal Family,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 65)
In striving to be the best people we can be and keep our covenants, we can look to the example of Jesus Christ. As Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our great Exemplar when it comes to making and keeping promises and covenants. He came to earth promising to do the will of the Father. He taught gospel principles in word and in deed. He atoned for our sins that we might live again. He has honored every one of His promises.
… Keeping promises is not a habit; it is a characteristic of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. …
My question today is, do we stand by our promises and covenants, or are they sometimes half-hearted commitments, casually made and hence easily broken? (“Standing by Our Promises and Covenants,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 53, 54)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
How can you be more like the Savior in keeping the sacred covenants and promises you have made with God? What more can you do to keep or prepare to keep your sealing covenants?