The Laws of Obedience and Sacrifice
Without Compulsion and of Your Own Free Will
"Cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life" (2 Nephi 10:23). Next to life itself, the freedom to choose salvation and exaltation through Jesus Christ's Atonement is one of the greatest gifts from God. Every blessing in eternity is yours if you choose to claim them using your God-given agency.
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In the temple, you can enter a stronger covenant relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. These covenants are made freely, not forced. You make them because you choose to follow Them. Because when given the choice between Jesus Christ and the world, you choose Him.
The Law of Obedience
The first law you will covenant to keep in the temple is the law of obedience. President Jeffrey R. Holland taught that, “Obedience is not only the first law of heaven. Obedience is the first law of everything. Everything that I know that matters requires that initial commitment to obey the word and the will of the Lord."
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The law of obedience is foundational. Obedience is a prerequisite to all of God's other laws. We have to obey God's covenants and laws for the blessings to have any effect on us. Without obedience to God, His covenant with us is canceled and no longer valid.
Study:
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Ponder:
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What do you learn from the Savior about obedience? What does it mean to you to covenant to obey "every word" of God?
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has taught:​
"Obedience is a cherished concept in the gospel of Jesus Christ, but sometimes I think we misunderstand obedience. We may see obedience as an end in itself, rather than a means to an end. … Maybe obedience is not so much the process of bending, twisting, and pounding our souls into something we are not. Instead, it is the process by which we discover what we truly are made of. … Obedience [is] a liberating path to our divine destiny" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home," Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 103-4).
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President Russell M. Nelson reminded us about the importance of obedience. He said:
"Teach of faith to keep all the commandments of God, knowing that they are given to bless His children and bring them joy. Warn them that they will encounter people who pick which commandments they will keep and ignore others that they choose to break. I call this the cafeteria approach to obedience. This practice of picking and choosing will not work. It will lead to misery. To prepare to meet God, one keeps all of His commandments. It takes faith to obey them, and keeping His commandments will strengthen that faith.
"Obedience allows God’s blessings to flow without constraint. He will bless His obedient children with freedom from bondage and misery. And He will bless them with more light" (Russell M. Nelson, "Face the Future with Face," Liahona, May 2011, 34-5).
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"One of life's greatest lessons is to learn that happiness comes through obedience" (Russell M. Nelson, "Sweet Power of Prayer," Liahona, May 2003, 9).
Study:
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Ponder and Discuss:
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How does what you are learning affect the way you see obedience?
As you think about and obey the covenants you have already made with the Lord, you become prepared to make more covenants with Him.​
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President Henry B. Eyring has taught, "the gift of peace is given after we have the faith to keep His commandments. For those who are covenant members of the Lord's Church, obedience is what we have already promised to do. Second, the Holy Ghost will come and abide with us. The Lord says that as we continue to be faithful, the Holy Ghost will dwell in us. That is the promise in the sacramental prayer that the Spirit will be our companion and that we will feel, in our hearts and minds, His comfort. Third, the Savior promises that as we keep our covenants, we can feel the love of the Father and the Son for each other and for us. We can feel Their closeness in our mortal lives, just as we will when we are blessed to be with Them forever" (Henry B. Eyring, Finding Personal Peace," general conference, April 2023).
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The Law of Sacrifice
The law of sacrifice is the second law you will covenant to keep in the temple endowment. It's closely tied to the law of obedience. In the premortal world, when Heavenly Father asked who would be the Savior, Christ said, "Here am I, send me" (Abraham 3:27), "Father, thy will be done" (Moses 4:2). By promising to obey His Father's will, Christ also promised to sacrifice.
Think about it: When Jesus left Gethsemane, where he showed perfect obedience by enduring infinite suffering and taking upon Himself the pains, sicknesses, and sins of the world, He began a lonely journey that ended with the ultimate sacrifice of His life on the cross. The laws of obedience and sacrifice are deeplly connected for Him and for us. In the temple, you'll hear them referred to together as the law of obedience and sacrifice.
Study:
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Ponder:
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What do you learn about the purpose of sacrifices? How can obeying the law of sacrifice bless you?
"In the temple, we covenant to live five laws: the laws of obedience, sacrifice, the gospel of Jesus Christ, chastity, and consecration. Each of these covenants requires a measure of sacrifice and submission to the Lord and His laws" (Russell M. Nelson, Heart of the Matter, [2023], 177).
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"You can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself—what you are becoming" (D. Todd Christofferson, "When Thou Art Converted," Liahona, May 2004, 12).
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Ponder and Discuss:
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What are you learning about sacrifice? And How can you offer the Lord the gift of a broken heart and contrite spirit?
Anciently and today, the intent of the law of sacrifice is the same: to point our minds to the "great and last sacrifice" of Jesus Christ (see Alma 34:13-14).
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When you covenant in the temple to obey the law of sacrifice, let the Savior's perfect example inspire you. He sacrificed His life by dying for each of us. But He also lived His life as an offering to His Father. On days when sacrifice seems hard, turn to Him. He knows what it means to sacrifice everything. If you faithfully come unto Him, He will strengthen you to be able to offer whatever "sacrifice which [He] shall command" (Doctrine and Covenants 97:8).
"When Christ came to the earth, he fulfilled the promised role as he became the ultimate sacrificial lamb. His atonement brought about a greater destiny and a nobler concept for us. We are still commanded to sacrifice, but not by shedding blood of animals. Our highest sense of sacrifice is achieved as we make ourselves more sacred or holy.
"This we do by our obedience to the commandments of God. Thus, the laws of obedience and sacrifice are indelibly intertwined. Consider the commandments to obey the Word of Wisdom, to keep the Sabbath day holy, to pay an honest tithe. As we comply with these and other commandments, something wonderful happens to us. We become disciplined! We become disciples! We become more sacred and holy—like our Lord!" (Russell M. Nelson, "Lessons from Eve," Liahona, May 1987, 88).
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Learning Activity:
Think about the sacrifices you have already made to live the gospel in your life. What sacrifices do you feel the Lord wants you to make now to more faithfully follow Him?