The covenants of the temple are for those who want celestial law: living that is higher and different than the law that this lived by the world. This is something that you choose. The temple covenants are for those who come with open arms and great desire to change and become more pure.
When we talk about the process of becoming more holy, the temple is the place to learn the covenants that will get us there. Stay tuned-- at the very bottom is something I have been working on for thirty-five years-- my understanding of the covenants of the temple.
There are a few temple-definitions and recent prophetic teachings that have been very helpful to me in understanding the temple. "Endowed with power," is a phrase that is used frequently in temple conversation but it's almost never defined. I have needed clarification for myself and I offer that here:
Definition of "Endowed with Power":
Defined, "endowed with power" means, the ability and capacity to be purified, sanctified, and made holy through the Atonement of Jesus Christ so that you can be exalted.
Covenants are "Law"-- The pattern of behavior to live like Jesus lives:
The covenants associated with the ordinances of the gospel present a pattern of behavior that was modeled by the Savior. This begins with the alignment of your will with God and submitting to His higher law. There are varied laws, but the celestial, higher law is the law of exaltation. (see D&C 88:18-25) You must be sanctified from all unrighteousness in order to receive celestial law. (D&C 88:18) Jesus lived celestial law and He was exalted. (D&C 93:16-17) We can also be exalted when we follow His example and live after the pattern of His living. (D&C 93:18-20) Jesus declared, "I am the law." (3 Nephi 15:9) He spoke those words as He stood with the Saints of the American continent-- resurrected, proven, pure, and glorified. Christ stood there in glory, as an exalted man, telling the people that He, Himself, was a product of "law." His exaltation was the product of, or the outcome of, His submission to His Father's will, and His obedience to law. Exalted beings live God's law like Christ lived God's law. That law is found in the covenants of the temple.
What is the channel by which we are endowed with power?
Ordinances are the channel by which the blessings of the Savior's Atonement flow into our lives. "In the ordinances, thereof, the power of godliness is manifest." (D&C 84:20) Keeping the covenants associated with the ordinances brings to us Jesus Christ's atoning blood so that we can be progressively cleansed.
How is godliness, holiness, exaltation accomplished in us?
In some marvelous collaboration effort of the Godhead, the blessings of the Savior's Atonement work in us through the Holy Ghost's purifying power. The Spirit cleanses and sanctifies us as we keep covenants we can incrementally be forgiven through relentless repentance. The eventual outcome is a miracle. It is us being made holy. Moroni taught, "Then are ye sanctified in Christ by the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father into the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot." (Moroni 10:32-33)
How does living covenants make us holy?
So, in living the covenants of the temple endowment, we are endowed with the power to be exalted. That is accomplished through the flow of Jesus' atoning blessings and the companionship of the sanctifying, cleansing Holy Ghost. When you live like Jesus lived, the Spirit can stay with you. He fills us with life and light and truth. (D&C 88:3-7) Line upon line, grace for grace, little by little the companionship of the Holy Ghost changes us. He works the miracle of progressive, incremental holiness in us. (D&C 93:20)
!!! This is how the endowment brings power into our mortal and eternal life. !!!
Sooooo,
What are the covenants of the temple endowment that work holiness in us?
(1) The law of obedience
(2) The law of sacrifice
(3) The law of the gospel
(4) The law of chastity
(5) The law of consecration
Let's understand these covenants:
The path to holiness is perfectly spelled out for us in the temple covenants-- obedience, sacrifice, discipleship, virtue in family connections, and consecration.
The covenants of the temple are explained in the general handbook of the church this way:
"(1) Live the law of obedience and strive to keep Heavenly Father’s commandments.
(2) Obey the law of sacrifice, which means sacrificing to support the Lord’s work and repenting with a broken heart and contrite spirit.
(3) Obey the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which means: Exercising faith in Jesus Christ. Repenting daily. Making covenants with God by receiving the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. Enduring to the end by keeping covenants. 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).
(4) 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.
(5) 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."
Recently, Elder Renlund stated the covenants of the temple this way:
"In the endowment, we covenant,
(1) first, to strive to keep the commandments of God;
(2) second, to repent with a broken heart and contrite spirit;
(3) third, to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do this by exercising faith in Him, making covenants with God as we receive the ordinances of salvation and exaltation, keeping those covenants throughout our lives, and striving to live the two great commandments to love God and neighbor. We covenant,
(4) fourth, to keep the law of chastity and,
(5) fifth, to dedicate ourselves and everything the Lord blesses us with to build up His Church. (Accessing God's Power Through Covenants, Dale Renlund, GC A-2023)
Elder Renlund repeated the covenants of the temple endowment slightly differently in a BYU devotional. His objective in this talk was to restate the covenants then to show how they are simply a continuation and reiteration of the covenants we received at baptism-- to serve God, to take His name upon us, and to keep commandments:
"(1) First, we covenant in the endowment to “live the law of obedience,” which means that we “strive to keep Heavenly Father’s commandments.” This covenant aligns squarely under the baptismal covenant promise to keep God’s commandments.
(2) Second, we covenant to “obey the law of sacrifice, which means sacrificing to support the Lord’s work and repenting with a broken heart and contrite spirit.” This covenant aligns with the baptismal promises to serve God and to keep His commandments. Additionally, repentance is a key aspect of taking on the name of Jesus Christ.
(3) Third, we covenant to “obey the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” We do this, in part, by living the doctrine of Christ. This includes “making covenants with God by receiving the ordinances of salvation and exaltation” and keeping those covenants throughout our lives. The covenant includes “striving to live the two great commandments”: to love God and neighbor (see Matthew 22:37, 39). This covenant aligns with all three aspects of the baptismal covenant.
(4) Fourth, we covenant to keep God’s “law of chastity, which means abstaining from sexual relations outside of a legal marriage between a man and a woman.” President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: “Marriage was intended [by God] to mean the complete merger of a man and a woman—their hearts, hopes, lives, love, family, future, everything. … They were to be ‘one flesh’ in their life together [see Genesis 2:23–24].” We cannot achieve the kind of life our Heavenly Father enjoys without a complete commitment to fidelity within a marriage to our husband or wife according to God’s plan. This covenant aligns with the aspect of the baptismal covenant to keep God’s commandments.
(5) Fifth, we covenant to “keep the law of consecration,” meaning that we dedicate ourselves and everything the Lord blesses us with to build up His Church. The keys of the holy priesthood were restored so that priesthood ordinances could be performed, allowing us to make covenants with God. It is only through the restored Church of Jesus Christ that this can be done for God’s children on both sides of the veil. We pledge our support to God’s work. This covenant aligns with the aspect of the baptismal covenant to serve God. Additionally, this covenant aligns with taking on ourselves the name of Christ because living it requires us to permanently maintain a mightily changed heart." (Connection to God Through Multiple Covenants, Dale Renlund, BYU Devotional, March 5, 2024)
Here I offer my own definitions of the covenants of the endowment:
(1) Law of Obedience = Faith in Jesus Christ
Submission and alignment that leads to motion and righteous action, i.e. obeying. Because of faith and trust in God and His Law, we follow and obey.
(2) Law of Sacrifice = Repentance
Sacrificing everything that keeps us from coming to God. That action requires a broken heart and contrite spirit. It is leaving everything of the world-- fleeing Babylon-- and turning, turning, turning to Christ (relentlessly repenting). It is spiritual selflessness and unfettered alignment with God.
(3) Law of the Gospel = Discipleship, including Charity
Following Christ by the tenets of the covenant path that He modeled (faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost). and living a Christ-like life filled with discipline and Christ-like interactions and discipleship to others-- charity.
(4) Law of Chastity = Virtue in Using Procreative Powers and Holiness in Living
Preparation for and the endurance of eternal marriage. Cleanliness. Single-mindedness. Holiness in marriage.
(5) Law of Consecration = To sanctify your time, talent, energies, and resources to God's Kingdom and His children.
Because we love God, we love God's children. Therefore, we want to dedicate our lives to God's causes and to His children. Consecrate means to make holy. This covenant sees every resource as spiritual and sacred. Everything you have, and are, and will be is dedicated to building the kingdom of God and blessing His children.
Bonus:
(6) Law of Eternal Marriage = Building an Eternal Family
The covenant is the creation of a divine pair, a patriarch and matriarch of the Lord's covenant, a priest and a priestess in the patriarchal order of the Melchizedek priesthood, and a king and queen in God's eternal court. It is to be one united and each another's "helper person," and to magnify distinct roles within the family as mother and father.
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