Temple Prepared
What the Handbook Says
This is a summary of information from the Church Handbook of Instructions, chapters 27 and 38 (as of 2024).
The Handbook of Instructions is available online or in the Tools app. The following is found in sections 27 and 38 and includes topics you can discuss with others.
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27.0 Introduction
Since ancient times, whenever a faithful people has been on the earth, God has blessed them with temple covenants and ordinances. He has sometimes allowed His holy ordinances to be administered outside of temples when there was no dedicated temple (see Genesis 28:12–22; Exodus 24; Exodus 25:8–9; Ether 3). But whenever the Lord has established His Church, He has commanded His people to build a house “unto [His] name.” There He reveals His ordinances and the glories of His kingdom and teaches the way of salvation. (See 2 Chronicles 3–5; 2 Nephi 5:16; Doctrine and Covenants 97:10–16; 124:29–39.)
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The temple is the house of the Lord. It points us to our Savior, Jesus Christ. In temples, we participate in sacred ordinances and make covenants with Heavenly Father that bind us to Him and to our Savior. These covenants and ordinances prepare us to return to Heavenly Father’s presence and to be sealed together as families for eternity.
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In the temple, great blessings are also made available to God’s faithful children in this life. In temple covenants and ordinances, “the power of godliness is manifest” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:20). The temple is a holy place where members can worship, learn, and receive guidance and comfort (see Doctrine and Covenants 109:13–16). Those who attend the temple can have access to God’s power to help accomplish His work (see Doctrine and Covenants 109:22–23; see also 3.5 in this handbook).
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Temple covenants and ordinances are sacred. The symbols associated with temple covenants should not be discussed outside the temple. Nor should we discuss the holy information we covenant in the temple not to reveal. However, we may discuss the basic purposes and doctrine of temple covenants and ordinances and the spiritual feelings we have in the temple.
Ward and stake leaders discuss the information in this chapter with members who are preparing to receive the endowment or sealing ordinances.
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27.2 Endowment
The word endowment means “a gift.” The temple endowment is literally a gift from God through which He blesses His children. The endowment can be received only in holy temples. Some of the gifts that members receive through the temple endowment include:
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Greater knowledge of the Lord’s purposes and teachings.
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Power to do all that Heavenly Father wants His children to do.
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Divine direction when serving the Lord, their families, and others.
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Increased hope, comfort, and peace.
All the promised blessings of the endowment are in force both in this life and for eternity. The fulfillment of these blessings depends on faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The endowment is received in two parts. In the first part, a person receives preliminary ordinances called the initiatory. The initiatory comprises three ordinances: washing, anointing, and clothing (see Exodus 29:4–9). It includes special blessings related to the person’s divine heritage and potential.
During the initiatory, the member is instructed to wear the temple garment. The garment is a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ. It is also a reminder of temple covenants. When members keep their covenants, including the sacred privilege to wear the garment as instructed, they will have greater access to the Savior’s mercy, protection, strength, and power. For more information about the garment, see 38.5.
In the second part of the endowment, the plan of salvation is taught, including the Creation, the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Members also receive instruction on how to return to the Lord’s presence.
In the endowment, members are invited to make sacred covenants as follows:
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Live the law of obedience and strive to keep Heavenly Father’s commandments.
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Obey the law of sacrifice, which means sacrificing to support the Lord’s work and repenting with a broken heart and contrite spirit.
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Obey the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which means:
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Exercising faith in Jesus Christ.
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Repenting daily.
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Making covenants with God by receiving the ordinances of salvation and exaltation.
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Enduring to the end by keeping covenants.
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Striving to live the two great commandments. These are to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and to “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37, 39).
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Keep the law of chastity, which means abstaining from sexual relations outside of a legal marriage between a man and a woman, which is according to God’s law.
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Keep the law of consecration, which means that members dedicate their time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed them to building up Jesus Christ’s Church on the earth.
In return, Heavenly Father promises that those who remain faithful to their temple covenants will be endowed “with power from on high” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:32, 38; see also Luke 24:49; Doctrine and Covenants 43:16).
27.3 Sealing of Wife and Husband
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“The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”). A temple sealing joins a husband and wife together for time and all eternity. Couples who are sealed in the temple are promised glory and joy throughout eternity (see Doctrine and Covenants 132:19–20). They will receive these blessings if they are faithful to the covenants they make in the temple. Through this ordinance, their children may also be part of their eternal family.
Church leaders encourage members to prepare to be married and sealed in a temple. Where temple marriages are not legally recognized, authorized Church leaders or others can perform civil marriages that are followed by a temple sealing (see 38.3). This pattern may also be followed when a temple marriage could cause parents or immediate family members to feel excluded because they cannot attend the temple ceremony.
27.4 Sealing of Children
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Children who are born after their mother has been sealed to a husband in a temple are born in the covenant of that sealing. They do not need to receive the ordinance of sealing to parents.
Children who are not born in the covenant can become part of an eternal family by being sealed to their birth or adoptive parents. These children are entitled to the same blessings as those who were born in the covenant. See 38.4.2 for policies about sealing children to parents..
38.5.5. Wearing the Garment
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The First Presidency has provided the following guidance on wearing the garment:
“The garment of the holy priesthood reminds us of the veil in the temple, and that veil is symbolic of Jesus Christ. When you put on your garment, you put on a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ. Wearing it is an outward expression of your inner commitment to follow Him. The garment is also a reminder of your temple covenants. You should wear the garment day and night throughout your life. When it must be removed for activities that cannot reasonably be done while wearing the garment, seek to restore it as soon as possible. As you keep your covenants, including the sacred privilege to wear the garment as instructed in the initiatory ordinances, you will have greater access to the Savior’s mercy, protection, strength, and power.”
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The garment should be worn beneath the outer clothing. It is a matter of personal preference whether other undergarments are worn over or under the temple garment.
Members should not modify or alter the garment to accommodate different styles of clothing.
Members should not inappropriately display the garment to those who do not understand its significance.