Close Topic Options

Sealed As A Family

Sealed As A Family

"Like you, I don't want to lose any of my children. I want to be together forever with all of my family. The temple gives all of us extra hope of continuing and improving these relationships, even after this life. Sealings bestowed in the temple promise additional blessings.

"'The Prophet Joseph Smith declared--and he never taught more comforting doctrine--that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father's heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain'
(Orson F. Whitney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110)."

Family As Sealed

Many members think that just because they are sealed in the Temple, they will be automatically together for Eternity, they tend to forget that is upon our righteousness here on Earth for that to become a reality. I pray that I may be able to be worthy of that wonderful blessing.

Sealed As A Family Studies Doctrine Mormon

Thanks for the great quote from Orson F Whitney - what a great reminder to all of us that Heavenly Father and Jesus are watching us, even during times that we may have wandered away.

I can deeply relate to this quote, and have since returned, and have brought my wife with me. We are now on the path to being sealed in the Temple this year. I am so delighted by the opportunity to have my family with us forever, and hopefully I will be able to teach my children all that they must do, and give them the firm foundation that they will need to return to Heavenly Father presence.
And just as LDS_forever said - I too hope that I am worthy of this wondrous blessing

Family As Sealed

"The ideals of faith, hope, and charity are most evident in the holy temples. There we learn the purpose of life, strengthen our commitment as disciples of Christ by entering into sacred covenants with Him, and seal our families together for eternity across generations. Receiving our own endowment in a temple and returning frequently to perform sacred ordinances for our kindred dead increases our faith, strengthens our hope, and deepens our charity. We receive our own endowment with faith and hope that we will understand the Lord's plan for His children, will recognize the divine potential within each of us as children of our Heavenly Father, and will be faithful to the end in keeping the covenants we make. Performing temple ordinances for the dead is a manifestation of charity, offering essential blessings to those who have preceded us, blessings that were not available to them during their mortal lives. We have the privilege of doing for them what they are unable to do for themselves."
(Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Cultivating Divine Attributes," Ensign, Nov. 1998, 27)

Family As Sealed

The original quote posted in this thread raises a few questions in my mind. The quote is originally from a Conference report from Orson K. Whitney in 1929 in which he is quoting the Prophet Joseph Smith. I am curious though where the original Joseph Smith quote can be found. Anyone know?

Anyway, the bit that says "...the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity."

Does this mean that if the parents are faithful to their marriage covenants that the children will eventually be saved with them in the celestial kingdom, even if they go astray and even if they have to "pay their debt to justice"? If so, isn't that contradictory to what we've been taught about the different degrees of glory, in that if someone has the opportunity to accept the gospel in this life and rejects it, they can never attain a glory in the Celestial kingdom?

If it is not suggesting that if parents are valiant and faithful and remain true to their marriage covenants that their children would be saved with them in the celestial kingdom, how is this quote particularly comforting, for even if the children do eventually repent and accept the gospel "in the life to come", those children will still never be with their parents in the celestial kingdom. They will still be separated, a family divided, because they were not all faithful in this life.

Sealed As A Family

Where can I find that referenced? The quote from Orson Whitney states otherwise, and he states that from Joseph Smith himself (although after a very thorough search, I was unable to find the original quote).

He doesn't say that the children have rejected the gospel, but that they "wandered." I know during my inactive years, I never stopped believing in the church, and even quite passionately defended it. So it isn't necessarily about rejecting the gospel, as I understand it, but straying from a fully valiant path and then repenting at some point. To have the promise, as a parent, that if I am true and faithful to my covenants that my children will be brought back into the fold is a huge promise. And a great comfort.

Sealed As Family

I think the entire section of 76 in the Doctrine Covenants is a good place to read up on it. We know from this section that only those that are faithful in this life, are baptized and recieve the Holy Ghost and partake of the new and everlasting covenant of marriage will obtain exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom.

In verses 71-79 it describes who will inherit telestial glory, which includes those who might have been good people on earth who were blinded by the craftiness of men or who were not valiant in the testimony of Jesus.

Interestingly, in the Joseph Smith quote he mentions that even if they "pay their debt to justice" which means they will not be able to partake of the atonement they will return to "a loving father's heart and home". This suggests to me that even if they have sinned and rejected the atonement and have to pay for their own sins they will still have an opportunity, because of their parents faithfullness in their marriage covenants, return to Heavenly Father, the Celestial kingdom.

But in D&C 76: 105 it says that those that are in the telestial kingdom are those that will suffer the vengeance of the eternal fire, which in other words, according to my Doctrines of the Gospel manual, are those that have to become clean through their sufferings.

In any case, regardless of whether one has perhaps had a testimony but was not faithful to it in this life, or whether they rejected the gospel and the atonement and had to pay for their sins later, the scriptures clearly state that these people will not be able to be exalted in celestial glory but will inherit either a terrestrial or telestial glory. I guess my question is, did the prophet Joseph Smith receive this revelation that is an exception to the scriptures? Did the Lord provide a way that if parents are faithful to their covenants and are exalted that no matter what their children do in this life they will eventually be exalted with them?

Sealed As Family Mormon Doctrine Studies

Thank you for the reference (- and I had a kind of "duh" moment there! Of course that's where it is...)

I wish we could find that original quote from Joseph Smith to get it in full and in context. That would probably clear the matter up quicker than we're able to without it. My internet search yielded only more instances of the Orson quote - and then that one quoted by others!