Doctrine of Eternal Marriage

Discussion Board: Doctrine of Eternal Marriage

The Family

A Proclamation

to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles

of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve

Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a

woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to

the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children…” (excerpt)

*My response to excerpts from the Proclamation and other material are my views. They are strictly mine and are based upon my own beliefs and perspective.

“This keynote sentence of the proclamation teaches us much about the doctrinal significance of marriage and emphasizes the primacy of marriage and family in the Father’s plan. Righteous marriage is a commandment and an essential step in the process of creating a loving family relationship that can be perpetuated beyond the grave” (Marriage Is Essential To His Eternal Plan, Elder David A. Bednar Ensign, Jun 2006, 82-87).

Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the family is central to His Plan. As I contemplate the doctrine of Eternal Marriage, I consider my own marriage in relation to my beliefs. I married a man for time and all eternity in an LDS temple (The Church of Latter-Day Saints temple). We were able to be married for time and all eternity because of the Priesthood and sealing powers that have been given to men on earth.

           

As I studied about the Priesthood and sealing keys, I gained greater insight into understanding what it means.

The Priesthood and sealing powers have been restored on earth:

“What a glorious thing it is to know that the Lord has offered to each of us the fullness of the priesthood, and has promised us that if we will receive this priesthood and magnify our callings, we shall gain an everlasting inheritance with him in his kingdom!... the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." (D&C 2:1.)

To prepare the way for the coming of Elijah and the restoration of the sealing power, because of which men may receive the fullness of the priesthood, John the Baptist came in May of 1829 and conferred upon Joseph and Oliver the Aaronic Priesthood. A short time later Peter, James, and John came and gave them the Melchizedek Priesthood. Then on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple, Elijah the prophet returned and bestowed upon them the sealing power, the power to use the priesthood to bind on earth and seal in heaven” (The Fulness of the Priesthood, President Joseph Fielding Smith Improvement Era, June 1970, p.65-66).

           

Having this power and authority on earth allows us to have the saving ordinances that we need so that we can be saved and be sealed to our families for eternity. I am grateful for the ordinances of baptism and the ordinances of the temple that allow us to covenant with God to follow Him and to be sealed to our families. The promises are sure.

I did make special promises to God and my husband when I accepted the covenants that I made in God’s temple. I covenanted to be loyal, faithful, and true to my husband. I know that in this life there are many things that could potentially threaten the union between my husband and I. There are many “wolves” as Elder Bruce C. Hafen of the Seventy described in his address, Covenant Marriage. The wolves listed are: natural adversity, our own imperfections, and excessive individualism. These wolves are centered on a “me” complex. They are self-directed. As I ponder on this idea, I see that as I keep my covenants, I turn from the “me” focus towards a “we’ focus. I begin to see that in marriage I am working alongside my husband in a partnership. We are doing these things together. I was separate and alone before and did things on my own. After marriage, it moves from that state to a partnered and eternal union. We will do things together as Adam and Eve did. They worked together, they counseled together and they reared children together. I know that as we continue to stay and work together to strengthen our marriage that the covenants we made will help our union stay strong. The covenants we made together have helped us in the past when we allowed adversity and self-concern cloud our judgment. We had to move from the individualism as was explained by Elder Hafen to a collective “we” attitude and focus. I know that we cannot progress without each other.

Elder Bednar states, “…Eve became Adam’s companion and helpmeet. The unique combination of spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional capacities of both males and females were needed to implement the plan of happiness. Alone, neither the man nor the woman could fulfill the purposes of his or her creation. By divine design, men and women are intended to progress together toward perfection and a fullness of glory.

Because of their distinctive temperaments and capacities, males and females each bring to a marriage relationship unique perspectives and experiences. The man and the woman contribute differently but equally to a oneness and a unity that can be achieved in no other way. The man completes and perfects the woman and the woman completes and perfects the man as they learn from and mutually strengthen and bless each other. “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:11; italics added) (Marriage Is Essential To His Eternal Plan, Elder David A. Bednar Ensign, Jun 2006, 82-87).  

“We frequently speak about and highlight marriage as a fundamental unit of society, as the foundation of a strong nation, and as a vital sociological and cultural institution. But the restored gospel helps us to understand that it is so much more!” (Marriage Is Essential To His Eternal Plan, Elder David A. Bednar Ensign, Jun 2006, 82-87).  

I know that the covenants I made to my husband in the temple are true and real. They stay with me every single day. I know that my marriage has benefited from the fact that we have covenanted with each other. We no longer are separate. We are bound together for time and all eternity. This knowledge helps us become one. We are united and know that this union will help us as we go forward in this life. We are no longer focused on the “me” status that we had as children and single adults. We are focused on the “we” status that we now have. We will continue to strengthen our union, and we know that this will in turn impact our future family and society.

Sources:

Bednar, David A. “Marriage Is Essential To His Eternal Plan,” Ensign. The Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Jun 2006. Print.

Hafen, Bruce C., “Covenant Marriage,” Ensign, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-

Day Saints, Nov 1996, 26. Print.

Hinkley, Gordon B. “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”. The First Presidency

and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day

Saints. September 1995. Print.

Smith, Joseph Fielding. “The Fulness of the Priesthood”, The Improvement Era, The

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. June 1970, p 65-66. Print.