Mormon Temple Endowment

By Roy

Our loving Heavenly Father knows that in the mortal life, all who come to this world will be tried in all things, which is one of the purposes of living in mortality as part of the Plan of Salvation. “And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:24–25).

All of us have experienced trials in our lives which seemed impossible to resolve, where we hoped for the mercy and divine help of God. One of the purposes why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known to many as the “Mormon Church“) builds holy temples to God is to receive God’s higher laws, or the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These things will give us greater strength to overcome our adversaries and greater understanding about God’s plan of salvation.

A temple is a holy sanctuary and is literally a house of the Lord, in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by the living for themselves, and also in behalf of the dead who died without the opportunity to partake of these ordinances. Temples are places where the Lord may come and where His Spirit can be strongly felt. They are the most holy of any places of worship on the earth.

One of the Mormon temple ceremonies is called the endowment. To “endow” means to empower; the recipient is given special blessings or gifts from the Lord, conditional upon how faithfully they keep their covenants. There is a special room in the temple reserved for the Mormon endowment. The room is like a classroom, where participants are taught of God’s Plan of Salvation and the blessings available through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Members of the Church who wish to enter the temple and participate in the ordinances reserved for that holy place must prepare themselves spiritually by living the gospel of Jesus Christ every day of their lives.

Individuals only receive their personal endowment one time, unless they sin greatly, are excommunicated, and then return to the Church. However, it is impossible to learn everything necessary in just one session. Performing the ordinance as a proxy for someone else who has died without the opportunity to receive the ordinance renders a dual service. The living person who completes the ordinance on behalf of someone else is able to be reminded of the covenants he or she has made and also the promised blessings if he or she remains faithful. In addition, the deceased person for whom the work is done may then choose whether or not to accept that work.

In order to learn all that the Mormon endowment has to offer, individuals must be participate in the ordinance as often as possible. Doing proxy work for others gives them this opportunity.

Mormons don’t discuss the details of temple worship outside of temples, even with other members who have attended the temple, because of the sacred nature of the ordinances. These things are so sacred that they belong only in the temple.

Though God gives us so many blessings and much power to overcome our obstacles in life, it is still our choice to determine our future. To those who are faithful to their covenants (or sacred promises) made in the temple, God has promised these blessings:

For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven. Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:2–4).

Roy Patrick is currently working as a Call Center Agent in the Philippines. He served a full-time mission in San Francisco, CA. His family is one of the pioneers of the LDS Church in Panay Island, Philippines.