For many people, the idea that families can remain together forever is deeply comforting—but also unfamiliar. In most Christian traditions, marriage is understood as a relationship that lasts only during mortal life. Latter-day Saints, however, believe something different. They believe that through temple sealings, family relationships can continue beyond death and into eternity.
Temple sealings are one of the most distinctive beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They reflect a hopeful and expansive view of God’s plan—one in which love, family, and relationships are not meant to end at the grave. For Latter-day Saints, sealings express God’s desire to unite His children eternally through Jesus Christ.
This belief is not based on sentiment alone. It is rooted in scripture, modern revelation, and a specific understanding of Christ’s power over sin and death. To understand why Mormons do temple sealings, it is necessary to explore how they understand authority, covenants, salvation, family, agency, and the central role of Jesus Christ.
What Is a Temple Sealing?
A temple sealing is a sacred ordinance performed in a Latter-day Saint temple by priesthood authority. Through this ordinance, a husband and wife are sealed together as an eternal family unit. Children may also be sealed to their parents, creating an eternal family bond.
Unlike civil marriages, which are valid only “until death,” temple sealings are believed to endure beyond mortal life. Latter-day Saints believe these relationships continue after resurrection, provided individuals remain faithful to the covenants they make with God.
A sealing is not merely symbolic. It is understood as a covenant—an agreement between God and individuals—made possible through divine authority restored by Jesus Christ.
Authority to Seal
Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ granted sealing authority to His apostles during His mortal ministry. This authority allowed them to perform actions on earth that would be recognized in heaven.
They believe this authority was lost after the deaths of the apostles and later restored through modern revelation. Without this authority, eternal sealings would not be possible.
Binding on Earth and in Heaven
This belief is based on Jesus’ statement that what is bound on earth can be bound in heaven. Latter-day Saints understand this to mean that God can authorize ordinances performed on earth to have eternal effect.
Temple sealings are believed to operate under this principle. They are not human contracts but divine covenants recognized by God.
The Importance of Covenants
Covenants are central to Latter-day Saint belief. A covenant is a sacred promise between God and an individual, involving commitment, responsibility, and divine promises.
Temple sealings are covenant-based. They are not automatic guarantees of eternal family life, but conditional relationships that depend on faithfulness, repentance, and reliance on Jesus Christ.
Latter-day Saints believe covenants help guide behavior, strengthen relationships, and align lives with God’s will. Sealings, in particular, emphasize commitment, sacrifice, forgiveness, and long-term devotion within families.
Biblical Foundations for Temple Sealings
Latter-day Saints believe temple sealings are consistent with biblical teachings, even if the full doctrine is not explicitly detailed in the Bible.
Scripture teaches that God has power over death and that relationships can transcend mortal boundaries. Jesus Christ’s resurrection demonstrates that death does not have final authority.
The Bible also emphasizes covenant relationships. God consistently works through covenants—agreements that bind His people to Him across generations.
Elijah’s Role
One of the strongest biblical foundations for temple sealings comes from prophecy concerning Elijah. The Bible foretells that Elijah would return before the “great and dreadful day of the Lord” to turn the hearts of parents to their children and children to their parents.
Latter-day Saints believe this prophecy refers to the restoration of sealing authority. They believe Elijah appeared in modern times to restore this authority, making eternal family relationships possible again.
Turning of Hearts
This “turning of hearts” is understood not merely as emotional reconciliation, but as covenant connection. Temple sealings bind families across generations, fulfilling this prophecy in a literal and eternal sense.
Sealings and Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the foundation of temple sealings. Latter-day Saints believe that without His atonement and resurrection, eternal relationships would be impossible.
Death separates families. Christ overcomes death.
Through His resurrection, Jesus Christ made it possible for relationships to continue beyond mortality. Sealings are effective because of His power—not because of human effort.
Sealings do not replace Christ; they depend entirely on Him.
Covenants and Faithfulness
Temple sealings are conditional upon faithfulness. Latter-day Saints believe eternal family relationships are not automatic or guaranteed regardless of behavior.
Faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, obedience, and continued commitment to covenants matter deeply. Sealings invite individuals to live Christlike lives within family relationships.
Grace and Mercy
Latter-day Saints believe God’s grace makes allowance for human weakness. Eternal families are not built on perfection, but on repentance, forgiveness, and growth.
God’s mercy works alongside justice, honoring agency while offering opportunity for healing and reconciliation.
Sealings for the Living
Temple sealings are often performed for living couples and families. When a man and woman are sealed in the temple, they commit not only to each other, but to God.
This covenant encourages long-term commitment. Marriage is viewed not as a temporary arrangement, but as an eternal partnership designed to foster growth, service, and mutual support.
Children born to sealed parents are believed to be born into the covenant, automatically connected to their parents eternally.
Sealings for the Dead
Temple sealings are also performed for deceased ancestors. Just as baptisms can be performed by proxy, sealings can extend eternal family relationships to those who lived and died without the opportunity to receive these ordinances in mortality.
Latter-day Saints believe these ordinances do not force acceptance. Individuals who have died retain agency and may choose whether to accept or reject the sealing in the spirit world.
This belief reflects a God who is fair, loving, and respectful of individual choice.
The Role of Agency
Agency is central to Latter-day Saint belief. Temple sealings do not override personal choice.
Even sealed relationships depend on individual willingness to accept God’s plan. Eternal families are built through love, faith, and shared commitment—not compulsion.
This emphasis on agency preserves moral responsibility and respects individual dignity.
Sealings and Eternal Families
The doctrine of eternal families shapes how Latter-day Saints view marriage, parenting, and relationships.
Families are seen as central to God’s plan. Home life becomes a place of spiritual growth, service, and discipleship.
This belief encourages patience, forgiveness, and long-term thinking. Challenges are viewed through an eternal lens rather than a temporary one.
Comfort in Times of Loss
One of the most meaningful aspects of temple sealings is the comfort they provide in times of death and separation.
Latter-day Saints believe death does not permanently sever family relationships. Sealings offer hope that loved ones will be reunited and relationships restored.
This belief provides emotional and spiritual comfort, especially during grief.
Common Misunderstandings
A common misunderstanding is that sealings guarantee eternal family relationships regardless of behavior. Latter-day Saints believe faithfulness and agency matter deeply.
Another misunderstanding is that sealings diminish individual salvation. In reality, Latter-day Saints believe personal faith in Jesus Christ is essential. Sealings do not replace individual accountability.
Some assume sealings are exclusive or elitist. Latter-day Saints believe they are inclusive, extending opportunity to all people through proxy ordinances.
Sealings and Christian Faith
Temple sealings are sometimes misunderstood as being separate from Christianity. Latter-day Saints believe the opposite.
They see sealings as an extension of Christ’s saving work. Jesus Christ is at the center of every covenant, ordinance, and eternal promise.
Rather than competing with Christ, sealings testify of His power to save, unite, and redeem.
Why This Belief Matters
Temple sealings matter because they offer a vision of eternity grounded in love, responsibility, and hope.
They encourage commitment within families, inspire reconciliation, and provide motivation to live Christlike lives.
For Latter-day Saints, sealings reinforce the belief that relationships matter eternally and that God’s plan is deeply relational.
A Broader View of Salvation
This doctrine expands the understanding of salvation beyond individual reward. Salvation is not only about personal redemption, but about eternal relationships.
God’s plan is communal, familial, and interconnected.
Temple sealings reflect this expansive vision.
An Invitation
Latter-day Saints invite others to learn about eternal families, study the teachings of Jesus Christ, and seek understanding through prayer.
They believe God reveals truth to sincere seekers and that His plan is one of hope, healing, and eternal connection.
Sources
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – Gospel Topics: Sealing
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org
Gospel Topics Essays – Marriage and Family
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays
Doctrine and Covenants Central
https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org
Scripture Central
https://scripturecentral.org