“The Sealing Power”

Last updated on December 2nd, 2023 at 11:28 pm

General Conference Applied

S2 E8 – Sunday, November 26, 2023 | “The Sealing Power” by Elder D. Todd Christofferson; October 2023 General Conference

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Corresponding Talk Outline: “The Sealing Power“

Podcast Episode Outline

Report on Prior Week’s Action Item

I committed to journaling for 15 minutes on this topic: “What am I doing each week that is reinforcing my identity as a ‘peaceable follower of Jesus Christ’?” I also committed to sharing one insight from this journaling session with my accountability partner.

Report: I created an accountability contract with my accountability partner. I told him I would pay him $10 if I didn’t complete my action item from General Conference Applied season 2 episode 7. So, naturally, I completed my action item just minutes before recording this podcast episode. Here is the one insight I shared with my accountability partner:

• “I am doing lots of good things to reinforce my identity as a ‘peaceable follower of Jesus Christ’. The one I’ll share with you is that each day I am seeking for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, and I feel His presence consistently every day. He is especially present in my life as I diligently and rigorously prepare a weekly General Conference Applied Podcast episode.”

Introduction

Doctrines, Principles, and Christlike Attributes

As we have discussed in previous episodes of General Conference Applied, it is important to identify the applicable doctrines, principles, and Christlike attributes of each General Conference address. In “The Sealing Power,” I identified 8 doctrines (Plan of Salvation, Atonement of Jesus Christ, Restoration, Prophets and Revelation, Priesthood and Priesthood Keys, Ordinances and Covenants, Marriage and Family, and Commandments), 9 principles (Prophets of God, The Atonement of Jesus Christ, The Priesthood, The Church of Jesus Christ Today, The Family Can Be Eternal, Eternal Marriage, The Law of Chastity, Temple Work and Family History, and The Gathering of the House of Israel), and 4 Christlike attributes (Faith, Hope, Patience, and Obedience). I have included a detailed breakdown of these doctrines, principles, and Christlike attributes in the talk outline, but I will share additional insights during this podcast episode.

In each episode of General Conference Applied, we are attempting to answer two questions:

1. What is the speaker inviting me to do?
2. How might I consider taking action?

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

Overview

Definition

What is “The Sealing Power”? Here are two definitions from Elder Christofferson’s address:

1. “The power to validate all priesthood ordinances and make them binding both on earth and in heaven.”
2. “We tend to think of the sealing authority as applying only to certain temple ordinances, but that authority is necessary to make any ordinance valid and binding beyond death. The sealing power confers a seal of legitimacy upon your baptism, for example, so that it is recognized here and in heaven.” (see Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise below)

Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise

Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated:

• “The Holy Spirit of Promise is the Holy Spirit promised the saints, or in other words the Holy Ghost. This name-title is used in connection with the sealing and ratifying power of the Holy Ghost, that is, the power given him to ratify and approve the righteous acts of men so that those acts will be binding on earth and in heaven.”
• “To seal is to ratify, to justify, or to approve. Thus an act which is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise is one which is ratified by the Holy Ghost; it is one which is approved by the Lord; and the person who has taken the obligation upon himself is justified by the Spirit in the thing he has done.”
• “The operation and power of the Holy Spirit of Promise is best illustrated by the ordinance and contract of baptism. An unworthy candidate for baptism might deceive the elders and get the ordinance performed, but no one can lie to the Holy Ghost and get by undetected. Accordingly, the baptism of an unworthy and unrepentant person would not be sealed by the Spirit; it would not be ratified by the Holy Ghost; the unworthy person would not be justified by the Spirit in his actions. If thereafter he became worthy through repentance and obedience, the seal would then be put in force. Similarly, if a worthy person is baptized, with the ratifying approval of the Holy Ghost attending the performance, yet the seal may be broken by subsequent sin.”
• “These principles also apply to every other ordinance and performance in the Church. Thus if both parties are ‘just and true,’ if they are worthy, a ratifying seal is placed on their temple marriage; if they are unworthy, they are not justified by the Spirit and the ratification of the Holy Ghost is withheld. Subsequent worthiness will put the seal in force, and unrighteousness will break any seal.”

“An All-Inclusive Opportunity”

Elder Christofferson stated: “The validity that the sealing power gives to priesthood ordinances includes, of course, vicarious ordinances performed in the place designated by the Lord—His temple. Here we see the majesty and sacredness of the sealing power—it makes individual salvation and family exaltation universally available to the children of God wherever and whenever they may have lived on the earth. No other theology or philosophy or authority can match such an all-inclusive opportunity. This sealing power is a perfect manifestation of the justice, mercy, and love of God.”

• October 2023 General Conference, “Kingdoms of Glory”, President Dallin H. Oaks: “Another unique doctrine and practice of the restored Church is the revealed commandments and covenants that offer all the children of God the sacred privilege of qualifying for the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom. That highest destination—exaltation in the celestial kingdom—is the focus of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
• The ultimate goal is to seal the entire human family together. Each of us is a son or daughter of God. This is why any form of prejudice against another is contrary to God’s law.
• October 2023 General Conference, “Brothers and Sisters in Christ“, Elder Ulisses Soares: “I have deep compassion for those who have been mistreated, belittled, or persecuted by unfeeling and thoughtless people, because, in the course of my life, I have seen firsthand the pain good people suffer from being judged or dismissed because they happened to speak, look, or live differently. I also feel genuine sorrow in my heart for those whose minds remain darkened, whose vision is limited, and whose hearts remain hardened by the belief in the inferiority of those who are different from them. Their limited view of others actually obstructs their ability to see who they are as children of God.”

Sacred Ordinances

Elder Christofferson stated: “The highest and holiest manifestation of the sealing power is in the eternal union of a man and a woman in marriage and the linking of humankind through all their generations. Because the authority to officiate in these ordinances is so sacred, the President of the Church personally oversees its delegation to others.”

• April 2015 General Conference, “Why Marriage, Why Family“, Elder Christofferson: “A family built on the marriage of a man and woman supplies the best setting for God’s plan to thrive—the setting for the birth of children, who come in purity and innocence from God, and the environment for the learning and preparation they will need for a successful mortal life and eternal life in the world to come. A critical mass of families built on such marriages is vital for societies to survive and flourish. That is why communities and nations generally have encouraged and protected marriage and the family as privileged institutions. It has never been just about the love and happiness of adults.
  
  “The social science case for marriage and for families headed by a married man and woman is compelling. And so ‘we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.’ But our claims for the role of marriage and family rest not on social science but on the truth that they are God’s creation. It is He who in the beginning created Adam and Eve in His image, male and female, and joined them as husband and wife to become ‘one flesh’ and to multiply and replenish the earth. Each individual carries the divine image, but it is in the matrimonial union of male and female as one that we attain perhaps the most complete meaning of our having been made in the image of God—male and female. Neither we nor any other mortal can alter this divine order of matrimony. It is not a human invention. Such marriage is indeed ‘from above, from God’ and is as much a part of the plan of happiness as the Fall and the Atonement.”
• Temple Work and Family History: “All temple ordinances are performed by the power of the priesthood. Through this power, ordinances performed on earth are sealed, or bound, in heaven. The Savior taught His Apostles, ‘Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven’ (Matthew 16:19; see also D&C 132:7). Only in the temple can we be sealed together forever as families. Marriage in the temple joins a man and woman as husband and wife eternally if they honor their covenants. Baptism and all other ordinances prepare us for this sacred event.”
• When my uncle was called as the Draper Utah Temple President, it was President Russell M. Nelson who interviewed him (over Zoom) and extended the call to serve.
• Helaman 10:4-5 – “Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments. And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.”

Sacrifice

Elder Christofferson quoted the Prophet Joseph Smith: “What was the object of gathering the … people of God in any age of the world? … The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose.”

Elder Christofferson quoted President Gordon B. Hinckley: “I have said many times that if nothing else came out of all of the sorrow and travail and pain of the restoration than the sealing power of the holy priesthood to bind together families forever, it would have been worth all that it has cost.”

• “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” by Simon Sinek: “Great leaders, in contrast, are able to inspire people to act. Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained. Those who truly lead are able to create a following of people who act not because they were swayed, but because they were inspired. For those who are inspired, the motivation to act is deeply personal. They are less likely to be swayed by incentives. Those who are inspired are willing to pay a premium or endure inconvenience, even personal suffering. Those who are able to inspire will create a following of people—supporters, voters, customers, workers—who act for the good of the whole not because they have to, but because they want to.”
• “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth: “Grit is about holding the same top-level goal for a very long time… To be gritty is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To be gritty is to hold fast to an interesting and purposeful goal. To be gritty is to invest, day after week after year, in challenging practice. To be gritty is to fall down seven times, and rise eight.”

Agency

Elder Christofferson stated: “Some have experienced unhappy and unhealthy family circumstances and feel little desire for an eternal family association. Elder David A. Bednar made this observation: ‘To you who have experienced the heartache of a divorce in your family or felt the agony of violated trust, please remember [that God’s pattern for families] begins again with you! One link in the chain of your generations may have been broken, but the other righteous links and what remains of the chain are nonetheless eternally important. You can add strength to your chain and perhaps even help to restore the broken links. That work will be accomplished one by one.'”

• October 2023 General Conference, “Kingdoms of Glory”, President Dallin H. Oaks: “We also know that He will force no one into a sealing relationship against his or her will. The blessings of a sealed relationship are assured for all who keep their covenants but never by forcing a sealed relationship on another person who is unworthy or unwilling.”
• We don’t know all the details about our ancestors. Our responsibility is to seek them out and to perform ordinances vicariously in their behalf. Their responsibility will be to accept or reject those vicarious ordinances.
• October 2023 General Conference, “Think Celestial!”, President Russell M. Nelson: Footnote 11: “Of course, your agency cannot override another’s agency and the attendant consequences. I was desperate to be sealed to my parents. However, I had to wait until they chose to be endowed, when they were more than 80 years of age. Then they were sealed as husband and wife, and we children were sealed to them.”

Heed the Prophet

Elder Christofferson stated: “In the funeral services for Sister Pat Holland, wife of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, last July, President Russell M. Nelson taught: ‘In time, Patricia and Jeffrey will be reunited. They will later be joined by their children and their covenant-keeping posterity to experience the fulness of joy that God has in store for His faithful children. Knowing that, we understand that the most important date in Patricia’s life was not her birth date or her death date. Her most important date was June 7, 1963, when she and Jeff were sealed in the St. George Temple. … Why is this so important? Because the very reason the earth was created was so families could be formed and sealed to each other. Salvation is an individual matter, but exaltation is a family matter. No one can be exalted alone.'”

• I noted that Elder Christofferson used the word “taught.” He wasn’t just listening to President Nelson speak at a funeral. Rather, he knows that President Nelson is the Lord’s prophet, and when he speaks, he is teaching. This is why it is so important to listen to the prophet’s words – whether in General Conference, in Church magazines, on social media, or even at a funeral.
• Why is it so important for families to be formed and sealed to each other? Because relationships are what makes a celestial life celestial. Every day we are striving to strengthen our relationships with our Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and our families. The sealing power is what makes it possible for those relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.
• April 2018 General Conference, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives“, President Russell M. Nelson: “As I matured and began to understand the magnificence of Heavenly Father’s plan, I often said to myself, ‘I don’t want one more Christmas present! I just want to be sealed to my parents.’ That longed-for event did not happen until my parents were past 80, and then it did happen. I cannot fully express the joy that I felt that day, and each day I feel that joy of their sealing and my being sealed to them.”

Connection

October 2000 General Conference, “The Redemption of the Dead and the Testimony of Jesus“, Elder Christofferson: “Our anxiety to redeem the dead, and the time and resources we put behind that commitment, are, above all, an expression of our witness concerning Jesus Christ. It constitutes as powerful a statement as we can make concerning His divine character and mission… We are anxiously about the task of searching out our fathers and mothers of generations past and binding them to us and us to them. Is not this the strongest possible evidence of our conviction that Jesus Christ will come again to reign upon the earth? We know He will, and we know what He expects we will have done in preparation for His return… Our charge extends as far and as deep as the love of God to encompass His children of every time and place. Our efforts on behalf of the dead bear eloquent witness that Jesus Christ is the divine Redeemer of all mankind. His grace and promises reach even those who in life do not find Him. Because of Him, the prisoners shall indeed go free.”

Invitations

1: “This is a scene taking place constantly all over the world in temples [i.e., the sealing of spouses and family members]. This is the ultimate step in gathering the covenant people. It is the highest privilege of your membership in the Church of Jesus Christ. I promise that as you faithfully seek that privilege, in time or eternity it will surely be yours.”

• What This Means: President Nelson stated that “the very reason the earth was created was so families could be formed and sealed to each other.” Thus, to me, Elder Christofferson’s invitation is to make the sealing ordinance – both for ourselves and for our ancestors – the focus of our lives.
• I have prioritized initiatories and the endowment in my temple service because Morgan doesn’t need to be with me for those ordinances and because we currently have young children in our home that makes it more difficult to get to the Temple. But I feel that the Lord, through Elder Christofferson, is inviting me to also do sealings. Thus, I either need to find a way to get to the Temple more often with Morgan, or I need to serve alone with sealings.

How might I consider taking action?

Invitations

1: “This is a scene taking place constantly all over the world in temples [i.e., the sealing of spouses and family members]. This is the ultimate step in gathering the covenant people. It is the highest privilege of your membership in the Church of Jesus Christ. I promise that as you faithfully seek that privilege, in time or eternity it will surely be yours.”

Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)

1. None.

Other Ideas

Family Effort

October 1994 General Conference, “The Spirit of Elijah“, President Nelson:

• “Sister Nelson, our family, and I have submitted our own ancestral names to the temple and have performed ordinances for them. Because we are fortunate to live near a temple, we like to meet there early in the morning. Usually in less than an hour, the initiatory work is accomplished, our youth are taken directly to school, their mothers return home, and their fathers get to work—on time! When we do endowments or sealings, available adults prefer to meet early in the evening to share that choice experience. Following that, we gather at home to update our records and enjoy some of Sister Nelson’s homemade goodies.”
  • What is your family’s family history philosophy? How might you work together to perform sacred ordinances for your deceased family members? Organize a periodic family council to discuss these and other important topics.
  • Periodically gather at the House of the Lord as a family to participate in sacred ordinances. Then gather afterwards to nurture eternal relationships.
• “We are also doing temple work for ancestors of a Russian convert to the Church who is not able to travel to a temple. While our son was serving on his mission in Russia, this devoted convert entrusted records of his relatives to our son, along with a plea that their temple work be done. When our children and grandchildren go to the temple to perform those ordinances, our son’s help is needed for pronunciation of names, but not for the perception of joy among all participants.”
  • Looking back, I feel that my focus as a missionary was on baptism. However, missionaries ought to guide investigators, new converts, and members to the House of the Lord.
  • Partner with your missionary daughter or son to assist in the temple work for the investigators, new converts, and members with whom they serve.
• “Service in the temple together is a sublime activity for a family. It provides its own sustaining motivation and verification of the truth of this unique work.”

Family Home Evening

• Each year, schedule a Family Home Evening where you discuss Temple Sealings as a family. Utilize the ‘About Temple Sealings‘ page on the Church’s website. This page shares clear information, and also provides scripture references and other resources (such as General Conference addresses) about this subject.

Family Search

• Pick a start month (for purposes of this example, my start month will be February)
• In February, I will attend the temple with my wife. We will do temple sealings together (perhaps 5 Sealing to Spouse for one of us, and 10 Sealing to Parents for the other). Then immediately following sealings, we will each do 5 Initiatory.
  • Ordinances Ready
    • Baptism and Confirmation: 4 names
    • Initiatory: 5 names
    • Endowment: 1 name
    • Sealing to Parents: 10 names
    • Sealing to Spouse: 5 names
• Each month for March – July, my wife and I will attend the temple on our own (we have young children in the home which makes it difficult to attend together) and complete 1 Endowment.
• In August, we will do the same thing we did in February, except for switching whose names we are doing Sealing to Spouse and Sealing to Parents. (Set it up this way so we can serve in the temple on our anniversary in August).
• Then 1 Endowment per month for September – January.

REMEMBER THIS

If you remember nothing else from this podcast episode, remember this:

• Elder Christofferson is inviting us to seek for and prioritize the privilege of the sealing ordinance for ourselves and for our ancestors.

This Week’s Action Item

“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”

Karl Pearson, an early 20th-century British mathematician

“Those who measure their progress improve. Those who measure and report their progress improve exponentially.”

Dan Sullivan, founder and president of The Strategic Coach Inc.

“Do something, do anything! But to start, just do ONE thing.”

Mitch Peterson

This week, I will contact family members – on both my side of the family and my wife’s side of the family – to discuss how we might join together in Temple Work and Family History.

Faith (Christlike Attribute): “I have faith that God will bring about good things in my life and the lives of others as we devote ourselves to Him and His Son. (Ether 12:12)”

Let Me Know

How will you take action on this General Conference address? Let me know on social media or email me.

Tags

Family | Gathering | Marriage | Ordinances | Priesthood Keys | Priesthood Power | Sealings | Temple Work