Temple Covenants and Family

By Hollie Wells

It seems to me like the focus of a lot of dialogue around temple covenants lately has been focused on one’s personal connection to Christ. I have personally been focusing and thinking about this a lot. We have access to so much power and many incredible blessings through our temple covenants, so it’s hard not to talk and think so much about this. It is obviously not a bad thing to focus on, but I have found that concentrating so much on this has became a bit of a blinder to me of the bigger picture. This semester I wrote a paper for one of my religion classes at BYU about the Family Proclamation. When I was rereading the proclamation itself, the line “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” stood out to me so strongly. Christ is the enabler of the plan, but family is the center. 

I also read a speech by Julie B. Beck for my research and was floored by a statement she made, “The Creation of the earth provided a place where families could live… The Fall provided a way for the family to grow… The Atonement allows for the family to be sealed together eternally… [and] to have eternal growth and perfection. The plan of happiness… was a plan created for families.” (Julie B. Beck Teaching the Doctrine of the Family March 2011 Ensign) 

Reading these things got me thinking about the centrality of the family to my faith. My personal connection to Christ is pivotal, but it is only part of the crowning mission of the temple ordinances. Christ is the how. Family is the why. 

Russell M. Nelson has said, “Salvation is an individual matter, but exaltation is a family matter,” (Russell M. Nelson, Salvation and Exaltation, April 2008 General Conference) and our temple covenants play a central role on both levels. To be saved, I need to be connected to Christ and His merits. To be exalted, I need to be connected to Christ and my family. It is no wonder that the highest ordinance of the temple is only entered in to as couples and as families. 

The reason we are striving to be celestial is to perpetuate our cherished familial relationships— both with our spirit family (i.e Heavenly Father & Heavenly Mother) and our earthly families into a celestial realm. 

Julie B. Beck also said, “The rising generation need to understand that the main pillars of our theology are centered in the family.” When we understand the centrality of the family God’s plan for His individual children, it becomes much easier to sustain the teachings of the Family Proclamation and gives perspective and motivation to hold on to our temple covenants when it seems difficult to keep going. We are doing this for our own salvation, but also for our families!