The Endowment | Part One
A Gift of God's Power and a Glimpse at Eternity
Why an Endowment?
Some might wonder why we have to go to the temple and make additional covenants with God. They might ask, "why are baptism and confirmation not enough?" President Russell M. Nelson has declared that baptism "is only initiatory. The supreme benefits of membership in the Church can only be realized only through the exalting ordinances of the temple. These blessings qualify us for 'thrones, kindgoms, principalities, and powers' in the celestial kingdom" (Russell M. Nelson, "Endure and Be Lifted Up," Ensign, May 1997, 71-72).
Entering the Temple
When you enter the temple, you will show your current temple recommend to a temple worker at the recommend desk located in the entry of the temple.
Just beyond the recommend desk is a quiet sitting area where you can sit when you need to wait for someone to arrive, or just take time to ponder for a few minutes as you prepare to worship in the House of the Lord.
When you enter the temple to receive your own endowment, you will change into white clothes before you participate in the ordinances of the temple.
What is the Endowment?
Heavenly Father desires to bless you with the greatest blessings in eternity. The word endowment means gift. The temple endowment is a gift to you from your Heavenly Father. Through the endowment, He will bless you with knowledge, greater access to His power, sanctification from sin and the natural man, and He will prepare to bring you back into His presence.
​
Receiving Revelation
Study:
​
Ponder:
-
What do you learn from these verses about the knowledge you can obtain through the endowment ordinance?
The temple endowment is like a journey back into the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The only way to return to Heavenly Father is through Jesus Christ, which is why Jesus Christ is at the center of everything we do in the temple.
​
When you receive the endowment, you discover your true identity as a child of God and as one of His covenant sons or daughters. You also learn about the covenants of the temple and how to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. You'll learn about the creation of the earth, Adam, and Eve, and the importance of making choices (agency) as you follow God's path.
You'll also learn about the Fall of Adam and Eve. The Fall created the right conditions for us to grow in God's plan, but it also separated us from God's presence.
​
As you understand the Fall better, you'll see why we need a Redeemer. You'll learn in a beautiful and symbolic way about Jesus Christ's mission to save us from sin and death through His Resurrection.
​
Study:
Ponder:
-
What has Jesus Christ made possible for you? What do you feel toward Him because of what He has done for you?
​
Study:
About Adam and Eve in Moses 5:1-12
Ponder and Discuss:
-
What did Adam and Eve learn about Jesus Christ and His role in their journey back to Father's presence?
-
What did they come to understand about why the Fall needed to happen?
In the temple, you'll learn that we need the ordinances and covenants of the priesthood to receive all the blessings of Jesus Christ's Atonement. The endowment and its covenants show how Jesus Christ can lift you above the world's ways, filling your life with His love, power, and holiness.
Receiving Power in Jesus Christ
Read and ponder Doctrine and Covenants 84:20.
"Every time you worthily serve and worship in the temple, you leave armed with God's power and with His angels having 'charge over' you" (Russell M. Nelson, "Spiritual Treasures," Liahona, November 2019).
Elder Dale G. Renlund reminds us that:
"By making one covenant, baptism, we are bound to God. But we may, nonetheless, be prone to wander, and prone to leave the God we love. By making two covenants, baptism and the endowment (considering the five covenants in the endowment as one grouping for simplicity), we are less prone to do so. And by making three covenants, adding being sealed to a spouse, we are even less prone to wander, even less prone to leave the God we love. We mature in our discipleship by making multiple covenants along the covenant path" (Dale G. Renlund, “Stronger and Closer Connection to God Through Multiple Covenants,”BYU-Idaho Devotional, October 22, 2023).
The covenants you make with God in the temple connect you more closely to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Making and keeping those covenants increases your access to Their power. When you were baptized, you covenanted that you:
1) are willing to take upon you the name of Jesus Christ;
2) are willing to keep God's commandments; and
3) will serve God for the remainder of your life
(see 2 Nephi 31:13-14; Mosiah 18:10, 13; Mosiah 21:35; Alma 7:15; Moroni 6:3; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37).
​
The covenants you make with God in the House of the Lord build on and add to those three parts of your baptismal covenant. The five laws you covenant to keep as part of the endowment ordinance are the laws of:
1) Obedience
2) Sacrifice
3) Gospel of Jesus Christ
4) Chastity
5) Consecration
​
Ponder and Discuss:
-
How do you feel these additional covenants with God will help you to receive His power to help you overcome this world and make it home to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Obtaining Redemption through Jesus Christ
Study:
​​
The power you gain from your covenant with God will help you overcome sinful or selfish parts of your life. You'll be able to leave behind your old ways and become truly holy.
As you make and keep these additional covenants you'll grow stronger in your faith, receive Jesus Christ's power to overcome challenges, and get to know God better by becoming more like Him.
​
The power you receive through your covenant relationship with God will help you overcome sinful or selfish parts of your life. You'll be able to leave behind the natural man and become truly holy.
​
Ponder and Discuss:
-
When you think of how the endowment ordinance can give you greater access to Christ's Atonement and the presence of God, what are your thoughts about entering the House of the Lord?
The Initiatory Ordinances
The first part of the endowment is called the initiatory ordinances. "Initiatory" means "beginning" and refers to starting someone on their journey through sacred rites and teachings. The ordinances of the Lord's house have been around since the time of Adam and Eve. The initiatory ordinances include:
1) Washing with water
2) Anointing with consecrated oil
3) Clothing in the garment of the holy priesthood
Moses was also familiar with these ordinances.
Study:
​
These initiatory ordinances help you understand your true identity and eternal potential as a covenant child of God and a member of the House of Israel. You'll receive special blessings that give you access to God's power in your life.
Ordinance of Washing
​
Study:
Ponder and Discuss:
-
What might the washing ordinance of the Lord's house represent?
-
How might the washing ordinance help you draw closer to Jesus Christ and prepare you to return to Heavenly Father?
Ordinance of Anointing
The washing ordinance prepares you for the anointing ordinance. You might know about anointing with consecrated oil, like when someone who is sick receives a priesthood blessing. In the Old Testament, kings were also anointed with holy oil for their roles. The names Messiah and Christ mean "Anointed One." Anointing is connected to Jesus Christ and relates to both responsibility and identity. In the temple, the initiatory ordinances include a sacred anointing.
Have you ever wondered why we anoint with olive oil? Ponder this teaching from Elder D. Todd Christofferson:
"Let us consider the cost of God’s precious love. Jesus revealed that to atone for our sins and redeem us from death, both physical and spiritual, His suffering caused Himself, 'even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that [He] might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink.' His agony in Gethsemane and on the cross was greater than any mortal could bear. Nevertheless, because of His love for His Father and for us, He endured, and as a consequence, He can offer us both immortality and eternal life.
​
"It is poignantly symbolic that 'blood [came] from every pore' as Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, the place of the olive press. To produce olive oil in the Savior’s time, olives were first crushed by rolling a large stone over them. The resulting 'mash' was placed in soft, loosely woven baskets, which were piled one upon another. Their weight expressed the first and finest oil. Then added stress was applied by placing a large beam or log on top of the stacked baskets, producing more oil. Finally, to draw out the very last drops, the beam was weighted with stones on one end to create the maximum, crushing pressure. And yes, the oil is bloodred as it first flows out" (D. Todd Christofferson, "Abide in My Love," Ensign, November 2016, 50-51).
Study:
Ezekiel 16:9 (remember that blood is a symbol of sin)
Ponder and Discuss:
-
What is something you have learned about anointing?
​
This sacred ordinance teaches you more about the blessings the Lord has promised you and your eternal potential as a covenant son or daughter of Almighty God.
Ordinance of Clothing - Covenanting to Wear the Sacred Temple Garment
In the clothing ordinance, you'll learn about the sacred garment of the holy priesthood. You'll be given the sacred privilege to wear the garment throughout your life. This reminds you of the covenants you have made with the Lord and the covenants He's made with you. Wearing the garment is a sacred privilege and can show your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. By honoring the sacred privilege to wear the garment, you will have greater access to the Savior’s mercy, protection, strength, and power.
​
The temple garment has great symbolic meaning. As you study and think about these scriptures, let the Holy Ghost teach you about the symbolism and importance of your privilege to wear the temple garment.
​
Study:
​
Ponder:
-
What are you learning about the symbolism and importance of your covenant to wear the temple garment?​
When you receive your temple recommend interview, a member of your bishopric and stake presidency has been instructed by the First Presidency to read the following to you as a reminder about 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.”
​
President Russell M. Nelson recently taught: "As you clothe yourself in this holy garment, please think about the temple. Specifically, I invite you to reflect upon those moments when you stand at the veil of the temple.​
"I want you to know what the Apostle Paul taught about the veil of the temple. This is recorded in the book of Hebrews, chapter 10 starting at verse 19. I quote, 'Having … boldness to enter into the holiest [think of the celestial room] by the blood of Jesus.
'… which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.'
"Your garment is symbolic of the veil; the veil is symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ. So when you put on your garment, you may feel that you are truly putting upon yourself the very sacred symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ—His life, His ministry and His mission, which was to atone for every daughter and son of God.​
"You have already taken His name upon you at baptism. And you reaffirm that sacred covenant each week when you partake of the sacrament. Each day when you clothe yourself once again with the holy garment, you may ponder about all He has done for you and for all people who would ever live. You may also reflect upon the great privileges that come to those who learn how to draw upon the powers of heaven.​
"Only through Jesus Christ as your Mediator, can you gain admission into the presence of your Heavenly Father. There is no other way to gain access to Him. And a glorious exaltation in His holy presence is promised to you and to everyone who will make and keep their covenants with God.​
"Wearing the garment represents your continuing commitment. Just as the Savior exemplified our need to endure to the end, so we wear the garment faithfully as our enduring armor of God. Thus, we demonstrate our faith in Him and in our everlasting covenants made with Him.
Our garments are a shield and protection for us, both physically and spiritually. They protect us from the fiery darts of the adversary which may be aimed at us and our loved ones during the day. And, very simply, wearing the garment faithfully and respectfully gives us greater access to the mercy, protection, strength and power of our Savior Jesus Christ" (Russell M. Nelson, “Enter into Thy Closet,” seminar for new mission leaders, Missionary Training Center, Provo, Utah, 26 June 2022)​
​
Ponder and Discuss:
-
What have you learned about how keeping your covenant to wear the temple garment can allow you greater access to the power of Jesus Christ in your life?
Learning Activity:
To help you prepare for the initiatory ordinances of the temple endowment, consider going back through this study guide and selecting some additional scriptures to spend more time with. You might choose to write down some of your thoughts and the things you learn in a personal journal or include them as notes next to the verses in the Gospel Library app.
