Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s talk emphasizes the significance of the sealing power in the Latter-day Saint faith. He highlights that the sealing power enables individual salvation and family exaltation and discusses its importance in the gathering of Israel and the operation of temples. The talk underscores the role of the sealing power in creating eternal families and connecting generations, ultimately testifying to the reality of this power and its importance in the gospel.
The Purpose of the Gathering of Israel
Elder Christofferson discusses the purpose of gathering the house of Israel and its relevance to the sealing power.
“Most importantly, the gathering is for the purpose of bringing the blessings of salvation and exaltation to all who will receive them.”
Scriptural references for further study:
- Isaiah 11:12: “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
- 3 Nephi 20:13: “And then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.”
The Sealing Power and Its Importance
Elder Christofferson explains the significance of the sealing power in making ordinances valid and binding both on earth and in heaven.
“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.”
Scriptural references for further study:
- D&C 128:9: “It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a dispensation of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great Jehovah.”
- Matt 16:19: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The Role of Temples in Sealing
Elder Christofferson focuses on the role of temples in facilitating vicarious ordinances through the sealing power.
“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.”
Scriptural references for further study:
- D&C 124:29-30: “For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead—For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me.”
- D&C 128:15: “Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King!”
The Importance of Eternal Families
Elder Christofferson emphasizes the role of sealing power in creating eternal families and connecting generations.
“Without the sealings that create eternal families and link generations here and hereafter, we would be left in eternity with neither roots nor branches—that is, neither ancestry nor posterity.”
Scriptural references for further study:
- Malachi 4:6: “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
- D&C 128:18: “For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time.”
Hope for All
Elder Christofferson acknowledges the challenges some individuals may face in achieving an eternal family but offers hope in Christ.
“While we wait upon the Lord, President M. Russell Ballard reminds us that ‘scriptures and latter-day prophets confirm that everyone who is faithful in keeping gospel covenants will have the opportunity for exaltation.’”
Scriptural references for further study:
- Doctrine and Covenants 50:24: “He that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”
Calls to Action:
- “I promise that as you faithfully seek that privilege [of participating in the sealing ordinances], in time or eternity it will surely be yours.”