Some years ago President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "...the gospel is not a mass of theological jargon."[1] And with his characteristic directness, Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated, "The doctrine of the Atonement embraces, sustains, supports, and gives life and force to all other gospel doctrines.... Indeed, the Atonement is the gospel."[2] Again, the Atonement of Jesus Christ is not a part of the gospel; it is the gospel. I once heard President Boyd K. Packer say the focus of the temple is a review of the plan of redemption authored by God and fulfilled by Jesus Christ involving the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. There is that special word again - the Atonement. In all of its dimensions, the temple teaches us what the Atonement is and what it does.
What is the Atonement?
The word atonement is our English word meaning at-one-ment. It is only used once in the New Testament.[3] That is a significant finding especially in light of our understanding that the Atonement is the very gospel itself. Perhaps a different way to understand the word "atonement" is to refer to another term used in the New Testament-"reconciliation."[4] Note this word comes from the Latin reconcilio: cilio - to be seated; con - with; re - again. Or, the reconciliation means "to be seated with God again." With this type of meaning in mind, that we are seated with God again, there are a number of scriptures we can review that give us insight into the greatness of what Jesus Christ has done for us and how the temple clarifies our purposes in life.
We have seen in many of our church buildings the painting of the Savior knocking on a door without a doorknob, inviting us in to sup or dine with Him.[5] Associated with this image are the powerful words of the Lord Himself: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."[6] Likewise, the Book of Mormon often references being seated with God again in His throne.[7] We also sing in Charles Wesley's wonderful hymn, "Come, Let Us Anew," "Oh, that each from his Lord that he may receive the glad word: 'Well and faithfully done; Enter into my joy and sit down on my throne....'"[8] This reconciliation or concept of sitting with Christ in His throne can have even more meaning as we participate in the temple and become aware of its symbolic ways of teaching us.
What does the Atonement do?
The temple teachings of the Atonement, in fact, prepare us to be comfortable with God in His presence. Think about it: "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God."[9] For our confidence to wax strong, we will need to be comfortable there with God and indeed "have the mind of Christ."[10] This may be a reason why we need to be endowed with the necessary power to be comfortable with God. In the temple we learn how we feel toward God and how His power is poured out upon all in the community. And it is the Atonement or reconciliation that allows us to be made comfortable in the presence of God. It suggests having the divine etiquette and the eternal manners which would make us comfortable in His presence. The temple is making us more comfortable in those essential manners - kindly thoughts, subdued voices and gracious behavior, to name a few.
Can you imagine what a "culture shock" it would be to enter into the presence of God without some preparation? Through many of the ordinances and covenants performed only in the temple, we become prepared. In the first instance, we are taught more clearly to see even our premortal existence. The word "again" in "to be seated with God again" underscores that we were seated with Him once before. We are told that godliness is manifest in the ordinances.[11] Of significance for our own generation, the fullness of times, God has deigned to reveal these ordinances or those mysteries that have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world.[12] The special nature of these ordinances has now been given to our generation and time for our own and others' personal preparation to be qualified and comfortable with Him.
I heard President Boyd K. Packer once say, "It is devotedly Christian to do work for the dead."[13] This is another way the temple helps us in our preparation. Doing charitable work for those who have passed on prepares us with the gracious natures we will need to be seated with Him.
We all stumble in life and make sad errors which can generate feelings of not being worthy to stand in the presence of God and even being uncomfortable with the ones we may have hurt. Happily, we are assured that Christ was given power to make intercession for our sins and have His bowels of mercy being filled with compassion for us.[14] With that bestowal of power a significant question is asked, "...who shall declare this generation?"[15] In my mind, that may mean that the Lord shall declare us clean, totally clean, so without any of those sad feelings we will sit comfortably with Him. Recall President Boyd K. Packer's statement that "The focus of the temple is... the Atonement...."[16] Hence, we need to see the Atonement in all that is there.
Another aspect the temple teaches us is the clear understanding of the plan of redemption succinctly raised by Enoch's profound question to the Lord, "...How is it that thou canst weep?"[17] The Lord answered him, "Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency; and unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me...."[18] So we were given knowledge, we were given agency, and we were given commandment that we should choose the Lord and do the things He would want us to do to prepare us to return to His presence. But, as the Lord stated, "...they are without affection and they hate their own blood,"[19] our human frailties come again. How is it that knowing this plan correctly, with the agency to use this knowledge and the commandments to love, we still make some mistakes along the way? Even knowing that, the Lord then has given us the pattern, the plan, and the pathway back to His presence. President James E. Faust said, "In the temples of the Lord, we learn obedience. We learn sacrifice. We make the vows of chastity and have our lives consecrated to holy purposes. It is possible for us to be purged and purified and to have our sins washed away so that we may come before the Lord as clean, white, and spotless as the newly fallen snow."[20]
What is this pattern and pathway back to Him?
Obedience. The word "obedience," likewise, has a Latin root: ob, meaning "facing," "facing toward," or "looking up." While the word, oboedire, directly from Latin, means, "to hear." We need to hear or face toward God, the correct source. So, obedience is really listening to Him or truly facing Him. Where we are really looking toward Him for all of our direction is in the temple. President Ezra Taft Benson stated, "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power."[21] Then we will have the assurance necessary to make those personal sacrifices that will make us comfortable in His presence.
Sacrifice also comes from the Latin word - sacri facio - or for those who speak Portuguese, sacri fazer; fazer - to become, sacri - holy, or meaning "to become holy." So we can view the sacrifices in our lives, such as giving away our sins,[22] as a means for us to become holy, to become more prepared, more like Him in thought and deed, and thusly "have the mind of Christ."[23] Hence, we can become personally worthy, with those vows of chastity, and feel that comfort we desire in the presence of God. Confidence, even in secular or scientific matters, comes from obedience to our knowledge and understanding of laws and rules. We cannot pick and choose in our own cafeteria of obedience and sacrifice and fail to follow His steps and expect to feel comfortable in His presence. Cervantes reminds us "No man is born wise"[24] and President James E. Faust said, "Without turning back to the word of our Creator, no one is wise enough to sort out what ethical, spiritual and moral values should be taught the next generation..."[25] Therefore, we will need to face God, get the correct direction, do it with those holy purposes in mind and thus become sanctified.[26] In the end we do seem to get what we desire.[27] As C.S. Lewis said, "It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to."[28]
What are some of the blessings that come because of our temple worship?
There are some "small and simple things"[29] that can be helpful to us as we make that journey from obedience to sacrifice to personal worthiness. Some years ago, the first time I saw one of my daughters playing volleyball, I noticed that, when she made a mistake, she immediately pointed to her chest and said, "My bad." Over the years I have watched excellent athletes, when they make a mistake, quickly say or gesture, "My bad." I have concluded that the importance of that simple statement, "My bad," can become a pattern in our lives and help us make the swift journey along the path of complete obedience, sacrifice, and personal worthiness. When we quickly say, "My bad," there is no room for blaming another person; there is no room for making excuses or saying, "Well, he made me do it," or "she made me do it." It is the immediate recognition that it is "my bad." Hence, we get into a pattern of developing more confidence because we have immediately recognized that what transpired "is what it is." We made the mistake, it is "our bad," and we need to move on, changing our very attitude or behavior, thus becoming clean and finally comfortable in His presence. The blessing of the temple assures us of that reconciliation.
Another blessing of the temple that comes into our lives is that we recognize that "your joy in this world is not full, but in me your joy is full."[30] Indeed, with the bigger view of His plan we are able to make sense out of this chaotic world with all its ups and downs. Yet another great blessing of the temple is that we can answer one of the biggest philosophical and theological questions. That is, "How can God's blessings be made available to all people, even those before Christ, those who died without a testimony of Jesus, those who died in various parts of the world that never had the gospel?" There is no other plan, no other philosophy, or no other church that responds to God's ultimate fairness as seen in the temple.
When the Prophet Joseph Smith was about 18 years old, on September 21, 1823, the Angel Moroni came to him and recited a well-known scripture, "And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming."[31] The temple and the nature of the saving ordinances and covenants show that the earth and its people will not be utterly wasted, but they will all have the same great, grand opportunities of salvation because of the ultimate fairness of God in doing vicarious work for others.
In describing the significance of the temple, the Prophet Joseph Smith used a very interesting word. Again from the Latin, "summum bonum,"[32] which denotes "the highest good." What is the highest good of the whole subject that is lying before us? It "consists in obtaining the powers of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given, there is no difficulty in obtaining knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men, for the dead as well as for the living."[33] Notice the distinction between having the priesthood and obtaining the powers of the holy priesthood.
Other wonderful blessings come from the temple. Our families are organized and sealed together. We are protected from temptation and evil. We are given a refining and ennobling power, we receive inspiration and revelation, and we are given promises and endowed with those gifts of light, of truth, and of understanding. We are bound together, there is a sealing together. Here again, an interesting Latin-based word "religion," re-ligio. Ligio, "to be connected" or "bound." Re, "again." So religion means "to bind us to God again" and what more clear binding than the sealing of a family forever.
We are given promises, even as the times get more harsh and financial difficulties occur, that if our hearts are prepared "thy people may not faint in the day of trouble."[34] Many of us will go through days of highs and lows and troubles, but we have the guarantee that we will not faint, that we will be able to be strong and lift ourselves and others because there is a quietness and a reverence that can happen to us and to our souls - a quietness and assurance forever.[35] When this quietness and assurance comes, the Holy Spirit can inspire us[36] to ask those "find out" questions about the hierarchy of truths, which gives even more assurance to our souls.
Brigham Young is reportedly to have said, "All men will certify by their actions what they truly believe." So temple worship is also the means by which we are certified of what we truly believe. During the Nauvoo era the Lord emphasized this when He said, "And again, verily I say unto you, I command you again to build a house to my name, even in this place, that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life."[37]
Sometimes people have felt, "Why should I go to the temple when I can just as easily find solitude, serenity and even reverence in the mountains or by a mountain stream?" But, the Lord has told us that there is a difference between worshipping the creations and worshipping the Creator. This can be seen in the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland temple, "And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house."[38] So there is a special ordained blessing for those who will speedily repent and return and reverence Him in His house. The Lord will forgive and have mercy as part of that reconciliation for "naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end...."[39] Isn't it a wonderful blessing that mercy will forever go before His face so that we can happily sit down with Him in the presence of God!
Ten years ago when the twin towers were destroyed in New York City by terrorists, the Russians decided to send the Americans a gift of support in our great national grief. The gift they chose was a large stone monument with a large platinum teardrop in the middle of the monument. At the bottom is an inscription from 2 Chronicles 7:14. King Solomon had just asked the Lord to accept the temple he had built. The Lord replied, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place."[40] The Lord is attent unto our prayers made in that sacred place, the temple. In a meeting I attended, President Boyd K. Packer taught that we are under the watch care of the Almighty, and He has already solved problems we couldn't solve.
I would like to share two experiences while presiding in the Ogden Utah Temple. One day while watching individuals enter into one of the endowment rooms in the temple, I noticed a very elderly blind lady who was walking in. As she turned around the corner, I saw another lady, also using a walker, holding onto her arm helping her in. Then behind her, some men with crutches and in wheelchairs came in. I felt how wonderful it is that God will listen and solve their problems, and has solved their problems by having other kind people helping them. Immediately the Savior's compassion toward the Nephite sick came to mind, "Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt or maimed...Bring them hither and I will heal them...my bowels are filled with mercy"[41] I saw the Lord's graciousness to us all in that one session.
In the second incident, a mother, son, and daughter (all of appropriate temple age) were extremely sad one evening. Noticing their distress, I asked if I could be of help. They mentioned that her husband, their father, had just been in a very serious accident and was on life support at the local hospital. Therefore, they were in the temple to discern direction regarding the very serious brain injury that had occurred. They also had a son in the mission field at the time and wondered whether he should come home. As I saw their difficult struggle, it was wonderful to see and discuss how the clear temple teachings of the Plan of Redemption and Happiness literally settled their hearts and minds. We, all, had our testimonies strengthened in the knowledge that our Father in Heaven really is in complete control. This family became peaceful, assured and comforted knowing that our Heavenly Father had already solved those problems they could not solve.
We are all being prepared to go back and sit with God again. The temple is where that preparation will make us comfortable to actually be there. We read in Proverbs, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."[42] I bear witness that the temple is indeed the House of the Lord where we can gain a holy understanding of the Father and the Son. This I humbly leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Gordon B. Hinckley, "God Hath Not Given Us the Spirit of Fear," Ensign, October 1984, 5
[2] Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, 60
[3] Romans 5:11
[4] Hebrews 2:17, 2 Corinthian 5:18-19
[5] Revelation 3:20
[6] Revelation 3:21
[7] Ether 12:32; Helaman 3:30
[8] "Come, Let Us Anew," Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 217
[9] Doctrine and Covenants 121:45
[10] 1Corinthians 2:16
[11] Doctrine and Covenants 84:21
[12] Doctrine and Covenants 124:41
[13] Personal witness
[14] Mosiah 15:8-9
[15] Mosiah 15:10
[16] Personal witness
[17] Moses 7:29
[18] Moses 7:32-33
[19] Moses 7:33
[20] James E. Faust, "Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?" Liahona, August 2001, 3
[21] Donald L. Staheli, "Obedience - Life's Great Challenge," Ensign, May 1998, 82
[22] Alma 22:18
[23] 1 Corinthians 2:16
[24] Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote of the Mancha, MCMVII, 371
[25] James E. Faust, "Will I Be Happy?" Ensign, May, 1987, 82
[26] Leviticus 11:44
[27] Alma 29:4-6, 41:3
[28] C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 145
[29] Alma 37:6
[30] Doctrine and Covenants 101:36
[31] Doctrine and Covenants 2:2-3
[32] Doctrine and Covenants 128:11
[33] Doctrine and Covenants 128:11
[34] Doctrine and Covenants 109:38
[35] Isaiah 32:17
[36] Romans 8:26
[37] Doctrine and Covenants 124:55
[38] Doctrine and Covenants 109:21
[39] Moses 7:31
[40] 2 Chronicles 7:14-15
[41] 3 Nephi 17:7
[42] Proverbs 9:10