Covenants & Symbols 36: I Am No Better Than Others

Another key attitude of consecration is that we are no better than anyone else. The Lord declared in two consecutive verses: “let every man esteem his brother as himself.” (D&C 38:24-25).

The goal of this series, as admonished by President Nelson, is “to seek—prayerfully and consistently—to understand temple covenants and ordinances.” He then gave the following promise to those who seek better understanding: “Spiritual doors will open. You will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and how better to receive direction from heaven. Your diligent efforts to do so will reinforce and strengthen your spiritual foundation” (The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation, Oct. 2021).

These videos are my attempt to follow apostolic direction to "to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth--messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy" (“To Sweep the Earth as with a Flood,” David A. Bednar, BYU Educational Week Devotional, 2014).

Disclaimer:

This video is NOT a production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor of the Church Educational System nor of the Seminaries and Institutes Department.

The opinions expressed in this video are Bryce Dunford’s only.

Please visit the official church website:
www.ChurchofJesusChrist.org
to clarify any doctrinal questions or to verify the Church’s stance on a symbol.

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I am diligently trying to follow Elder David A. Bendar’s counsel about speaking of the temple. He stated:

Many Church members are unsure about what appropriately can and cannot be said regarding the temple experience outside of the temple…

Two basic guidelines can help us achieve the proper understanding emphasized by President Benson.

Guideline #1. Because we love the Lord, we always should speak about His holy house with reverence. We should not disclose or describe the special symbols associated with the covenants we receive in sacred temple ceremonies. Neither should we discuss the holy information that we specifically promise in the temple not to reveal.

Guideline #2. The temple is the house of the Lord. Everything in the temple points us to our Savior, Jesus Christ. We may discuss the basic purposes of and the doctrine and principles associated with temple ordinances and covenants.

President Howard W. Hunter counseled: “Let us share with our children the spiritual feelings we have in the temple. And let us teach them more earnestly and more comfortably the things we can appropriately say about the purposes of the house of the Lord.”

Across the generations, from the Prophet Joseph Smith to President Russell M. Nelson, the doctrinal purposes of temple ordinances and covenants have been taught extensively by Church leaders. A rich reservoir of resources exists in print, audio, video, and other formats to help us learn about initiatory ordinances, endowments, marriages, and other sealing ordinances. Information also is available about following the Savior by receiving and honoring covenants to keep the law of obedience, the law of sacrifice, the law of the gospel, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration. All Church members should become familiar with the excellent materials available at temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

(Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing, April 2019).

If you feel that I have violated either of these guidelines, please let me know.