Lesson 10 Teacher Material

The New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage

Entering into and honoring “the new and everlasting covenant of marriage” (Doctrine and Covenants 131:2) is essential for exaltation. In this lesson, students will have the opportunity to explain the eternal significance of the marriage covenant and why they are striving for an eternal marriage. They will also consider what they can do to prepare to enter into or honor their marriage covenants.

Suggestions for Teaching

Eternal marriage is a partnership with God.

Consider beginning class by inviting a few students to share what they learned from their conversation with someone who has been sealed in the temple (see the invitation in section 1 of the preparation material). (Note: You may want to contact one or two students a few days before class to ask if they would come prepared to share what they learned from their conversations.)

You might ask students if they have any questions about the marriage covenant or the marriage sealing ordinance. (Consider adapting the lesson content based on the questions students ask. Be sure responses to students’ questions respect the sacredness of the temple.)

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Respond thoughtfully to student questions. Be grateful when students are willing to ask questions. Take time to really listen to and understand their questions and ask follow-up questions as needed. Sometimes it may be appropriate to answer questions directly, while at other times it may be better to help students find the answers to their own questions. You can also invite other class members to respond to questions.

Read together the following statement by Elder Parley P. Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in which he described how he felt as he learned for the first time that marriage could last for eternity:

It was from [the Prophet Joseph Smith] that I learned that the wife of my bosom might be secured to me for time and all eternity. … It was from him that I learned that we might cultivate these affections, and grow and increase in the same to all eternity; while the result of our endless union would be an offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, or the sands of the sea shore. … I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved—with a pureness—an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling. (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, ed. Parley P. Pratt Jr. [1938], 297–98)

• How might knowing that marriage can be eternal affect our choices and feelings regarding marriage in this life?

Review Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–4 together, looking for additional truths Joseph Smith taught about eternal marriage. You might then ask students what stands out to them in this passage. They might identify truths such as these: Eternal marriage is required to obtain the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. Those who enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage can have eternal increase.

• From what you learned in section 1 of the preparation material, how is the new and everlasting covenant of marriage connected to Abraham and Sarah? (Consider helping students recognize that the Lord gave this crowning promise to Abraham and Sarah, including the promise that they would have an eternal increase [an innumerable posterity].)

• How can the covenant of marriage enable us to become like our heavenly parents?

Display the accompanying image representing the marriage covenant relationship. Ask students to explain what Elder David A. Bednar taught about this diagram (see section 1 of the preparation material).

Display the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson: “A temple marriage is not only between husband and wife; it embraces a partnership with God [see Matthew 19:6]” (“Celestial Marriage,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 93).

• How could understanding this truth influence the choices a husband and wife make?

If one or more people in your class have been sealed in the temple, consider asking them if they would be willing to share with the class some of their feelings about being sealed in the temple and what that covenant means to them. (You might want to ask these students before class so they have time to prepare their response.)

Display and read together the following statement by President Thomas S. Monson:

I would admonish you to maintain an eternal perspective. Make certain that the marriage in your future is a temple marriage. There is no scene so sweet, no time so sacred as that very special day of your marriage. Then and there you glimpse celestial joy. Be alert; do not permit temptation to rob you of this blessing. (“Whom Shall I Marry?,” New Era, Oct. 2004, 6)

• Why might the doctrine about eternal marriage bring deep feelings of joy and love?

Consider asking any students who are willing to express why and how they are striving for an eternal marriage.

Marriage can be eternal for those who are faithful to their covenants.

Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a copy of the accompanying handout. Instruct the groups to read the scenario and discuss the questions together.

Eternal Marriage

The Eternal Family Teacher Material—Lesson 10

You are friends with a couple in your ward who have not been attending church meetings. During a conversation with them, the husband says, “Don’t worry about us not going to church right now. We’ve been sealed in the temple, so we’re OK. We will be together forever.”

• Thinking about what you learned from section 2 of the preparation material, what does this couple not understand about what is required for their marriage to be eternal? (You may want to briefly review section 2.)

• What qualities or choices enable a person to “abide in [the] covenant”? (Doctrine and Covenants 132:19).

• How can we be more like the Savior in keeping the sacred covenants and promises we have made with God?

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Eternal Marriage

After sufficient time, invite a few students to share what they learned in their group discussions. As students share their comments, you might want to list on the board some of the truths they mention. These truths might include ideas similar to the following: Our marriages can be eternal only if they are performed by God’s authority and if we abide in the marriage covenant. The Holy Ghost (the Holy Spirit of Promise) will testify to the Father of our faithfulness to our marriage covenants. The Savior is the perfect example of keeping promises and covenants.

Testify that there is hope for everyone to have an eternal marriage. The Savior has made it possible for all of us to repent, be forgiven, and make and keep sacred covenants with Him. Remind students that even those who do not have the opportunity to marry in this life can be sealed to a spouse for eternity if they are faithful.

You might display the following questions and invite students to choose one and record their impressions about it:

• How committed am I to being married in the temple? What choices can I make now to support that commitment?

• How can I better follow the Savior’s example in keeping my covenants? How will I access His power to help me make and keep my covenants?

Conclude with your testimony of the truths discussed in this lesson, and encourage students to apply what they felt or learned.

For Next Time

Encourage students to study the preparation material for the next lesson. You might provide the following questions for students to ponder as they do so:

• In what ways is the Lord helping me in my efforts to find an eternal companion (or, for those who are married, to build an eternal relationship)?

• What Christlike qualities mean the most to me in a spouse and in myself?