KnoWhy #803 | July 22, 2025
How Does the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood Point to the Temple?
Post contributed by
Scripture Central
“And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.” Doctrine and Covenants 84:19–20
The Know
On September 22 and 23, 1832, in Kirtland, Ohio, Joseph Smith received a revelation in the presence of at least six elders.1 This revelation, recorded today in Doctrine and Covenants 84, was labeled by Joseph Smith as a revelation “On Priesthood,” and it contains profound truths regarding the priesthood that had been restored to the earth through angelic messengers.2
Steven C. Harper has noted that in addition to being a revelation on priesthood, this revelation “can just as accurately be described as a revelation on temple ordinances [and] covenants.”3 Indeed, the temple is a key part of this revelation from the very beginning, with a repeated emphasis that the Saints in Missouri build a temple (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:2–5). Thus, as Harper explained, “It is clear that Joseph had the temple on his mind. The Lord had already revealed to him the site for the temple in Independence, Missouri. Joseph had dedicated the ground. This revelation tells the Saints to build the temple and forges the gospel links between missionary work, the gathering of Israel, the fulfilment of ancient prophecies, and the building of New Jerusalem, crowned with its holy temple.”4
This context ultimately set the stage for the profound truths that followed. After repeating His command to build a temple in Missouri, the Lord offered “an explanation of priesthood, which the Lord uses to reveal the importance of temple ordinances. In short, priesthood validates the ordinances to be performed in the prophesied temple,” Harper observed. Furthermore, this revelation “explained the priesthood’s past and projected its future use in temples.”5
This is clearly evident when the Lord discusses the purpose of the priesthood, connecting it inseparably to ordinances of the gospel. According to this revelation, the Melchizedek Priesthood
administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; for without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. (Doctrine and Covenants 84:19–22)
In these verses, notes Casey Griffiths, “‘godliness’ is the power to become like God and is made possible by the covenants and ordinances facilitated through the priesthood.”6
Ultimately, these verses teach clearly why the Lord has given His church the priesthood and temple ordinances—to prepare to enter God’s presence. This is also made clear in the oath and covenant of the priesthood, found in verses 33 through 44 of this revelation. Jeffrey M. Bradshaw notes that in the oath and covenant of the priesthood, “a definite sequence of temple blessings is carefully outlined.”7 This is seen through many of the blessings promised to those who are faithful in obtaining the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods and magnifying their Priesthood responsibilities (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:33).
For instance, those who obtain these priesthoods are promised to “become the sons of Moses and of Aaron” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:34). As Bradshaw explains, this blessing allows priesthood holders to become “rightful heirs to the blessings of the greater and the lesser priesthoods respectively.”8 Furthermore, they are promised that they will be “filled with the glory of the Lord, upon Mount Zion in the Lord’s house” as they are endowed with power, just as Moses and Aaron were.9 These individuals are also blessed to be called “the seed of Abraham”; thus they inherit all blessings of the Abrahamic covenant (Doctrine and Covenants 84:34).
The blessings attached to this covenant are made especially clear in another revelation Joseph Smith received explaining that the faithful would have seed “both in the world and out of the world . . . as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:30). As such, these blessings are closely connected to the sealing ordinances, which allow families to continue both in time and in eternity.10 Griffiths explained, “A couple sealed in the temple might understand the ‘oath and covenant’ to be in part fulfilled by their entering into ‘this order of the priesthood,’ meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage (D&C 131:2). Those who enter into these promises receive the same blessing as Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and so forth.”11
Individuals who receive the oath and covenant of the priesthood are also promised to be “the church and kingdom, and the elect of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:34). As Bradshaw observed, to be part of the church and kingdom entails becoming kings and priests or, for women, becoming queens and priestesses to God.12 This is made possible to men and women only by receiving the fullness of the priesthood through the temple and its ordinances.13 Similarly, in being called the elect of God, individuals receiving this priesthood are promised that if they remain faithful to the gospel and keep their covenants, they can return to God’s presence and be exalted.14
The ultimate blessing, however, is that these individuals will receive both Christ and the Father, and “he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:38; see verses 35–37). This is the complete fulfilment of the temple endowment—entering God’s presence, being able to dwell with Him forever in the world to come, and becoming like Him.15 Harper succinctly summarized, “This, then, is the oath and covenant of the priesthood: Those who receive and obtain the priesthood and magnify it will inherit all Heavenly Father has.”16
The Why
As highlighted in Doctrine and Covenants 84, both the priesthood and the temple are key to the greatest blessings God offers His children. They allow God’s children to prepare to eventually enter His presence, inherit all that He has, and become like Him. As Steven C. Harper observed, “The endowment of power needed to know God is in the temple ordinances. Without the temple ordinances performed by the Melchizedek Priesthood, the power to know God is unavailable to mankind. Without the endowment of priesthood power, man cannot endure God’s presence.”17 Similarly, Casey Griffiths observed, “A person who participates in the ordinances of the temple enters into an oath and covenant with God that facilitates their entrance into the celestial kingdom.”18
As such, the oath and covenant of the priesthood is critical for all those, whether men or women, who seek to obtain these blessings. This oath and covenant of the priesthood is inseparable from the temple as it “includes all of the covenants made in the temple.”19 Latter-day Saints should strive to live in such a way that they are worthy of all the blessings and promises of the temple. Similarly, Latter-day Saint priesthood holders should strive to magnify their priesthood in all that they do, allowing them to receive all the blessings promised in the oath and covenant of the priesthood. In so doing, they can be assured that as they remain true and faithful to their covenants, they will receive all the blessings God has promised them in this life and the next.
Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood (Eborn Books, 2014).
Steven C. Harper, Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants: A Guided Tour Through Modern Revelations (Deseret Book, 2008), 294–303.
Casey Paul Griffiths, Scripture Central Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 4 vols. (Scripture Central; Cedar Fort, 2024), 3:55–88.
Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 4 vols. (Deseret Book, 2000–2005), 3:22–69.
- 1. While Doctrine and Covenants 84:1 mentions six elders, Frederick G. Williams noted in his manuscript copy of the revelation that at some point four others had joined so they, too, could hear the revelation given. Regarding the growing audience, Matthew C. Godfrey notes, “These ten high priests were likely Joseph, Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith Sr., Hyrum Smith, Ezra Thayer, Zebedee Coltrin, Newel K. Whitney, John Murdock, Frederick G. Williams, and Joseph Coe.” Matthew C. Godfrey, “A Culmination of Learning: D&C 84 and the Doctrine of the Priesthood,” in You Shall Have My Word: Exploring the Text of the Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Scott C. Esplin, Richard O. Cowan, and Rachel Cope (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Deseret Book, 2012), 169.
- 2. “History, 1838–1856, volume A-1 [23 December 1805–30 August 1834],” p. 229, The Joseph Smith Papers.
- 3. Steven C. Harper, Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants: A Guided Tour Through Modern Revelations (Deseret Book, 2008), 295.
- 4. Harper, Making Sense, 294–95.
- 5. Harper, Making Sense, 295, 303.
- 6. Griffiths, Scripture Central Commentary, 3:63. Griffiths also observed, “The purpose of the priesthood is to bring men and women back into the presence of God in this life and in the life to come. . . . Ordinances required for salvation allow the receivers to enter into sacred covenants that open the door of salvation and unlock the powers of godliness.” Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garret similarly observed, “Godliness is God-like-ness. The power of godliness is the power of becoming like God” and is found through ordinances such as baptism and those performed in the temple. Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 4 vols. (Deseret Book, 2000–2005), 3:32.
- 7. Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood (Eborn Books, 2014), 33. Bradshaw goes on to observe, “It is significant that this outline was given by revelation in 1832, a decade before the Prophet began to teach it in plainness to the Saints in Nauvoo. . . . My study of revelations and teachings of Joseph Smith have convinced me that he knew early on much more about [temple ordinances and covenants] than many have supposed.”
- 8. Bradshaw, Temple Themes, 33; see also Harper, Making Sense, 296.
- 9. Doctrine and Covenants 84:32. See Bradshaw, Temple Themes, 35.
- 10. Jeffrey M. Bradshaw elaborated on this principle, stating, “The sealing power exercised in the temple is essential for the redemption of families. By this means, both our posterity and our ancestors can be linked to us eternally in a restoration of the perfect order that God designed for the happiness of His children before the earth was created.” Bradshaw, Temple Themes, 47.
- 11. Griffiths, Scripture Central Commentary, 3:69.
- 12. Bradshaw, Temple Themes, 53–54. This blessing echoes the promises that the Lord made to His children in both the Old and New Testaments to become “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” See, for example, 1 Peter 2:9; Exodus 19:6.
- 13. For a discussion on the fulness of the priesthood and the temple, see Bradshaw, Temple Themes, 56–58; John S. Thompson, “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 62 (2024): 294–305; Scripture Central, “How Was the Melchizedek Priesthood Restored? (Joseph Smith—History 1:72),” KnoWhy 778 (February 11, 2025).
- 14. See Bradshaw, Temple Themes, 59–65.
- 15. Bradshaw, Temple Themes, 71; Robinson and Garrett, Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, 3:44.
- 16. Harper, Making Sense, 297.
- 17. Harper, Making Sense, 296.
- 18. Griffiths, Scripture Central Commentary, 3:69.
- 19. S. Brent Farley, “The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood,” in Doctrines for Exaltation: The 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants, ed. H. Dean Garrett and Rex C. Reeve Jr. (Deseret Book, 1989), 45.