Do I Consider Myself Temple Worthy? How Can I Answer That?
Have you ever been concerned about your worthiness to enter the temple? This might help put things into perspective.
“Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple ordinances?”
That question at the end of the temple recommend interview used to feel like a trap to me. I was afraid if I answered yes, the bishop would say, “Aha! Thinking you’re worthy to attend the temple is a symptom of pride, which means you’re not worthy!”
It’s not a trick question, of course. But to say something like “Yes, I believe I am worthy to enter the holiest place on earth” might bump up against our natural modesty. We might worry that we’re not qualified to decide.
Our Priesthood Leaders Help Us Determine Our Worthiness
Fortunately, it’s not only you who makes that determination. Priesthood leaders like your stake president and bishop ask you to be honest and accountable about your actions, choices, and intentions, and they play an important role in affirming your worthiness to enter the temple. (See Doctrine and Covenants 58:17–18.)
Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915–94) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “We do not have to be hindered by self-judgment. All of us have the benefit and added wisdom of a bishop [or branch president] and a stake president to help us determine our worthiness. … When we take it upon ourselves to pass self-judgment and simply declare, ‘I am not worthy,’ we build a barrier to progress.”
Of necessity, temple recommends operate on a binary system: Either you have one or you don’t. If you have been honest with your priesthood leaders, they have issued you a recommend, and you are keeping your covenants, you are worthy. You’ll notice they never say, “OK, here’s a temple recommend—but don’t use it too much” or “You can go to the temple, but you should feel bad about it.” Recommended is recommended.
What If I Mess Up?
The issue isn’t whether you sin after receiving your temple recommend—of course you do—but whether you sincerely repent of them and strive to overcome bad habits.
Brother Bradley R. Wilcox, former First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, said: “Some mistakenly receive the message that they are not worthy to participate fully in the gospel because they are not completely free of bad habits. God’s message is that worthiness is not flawlessness. Worthiness is being honest and trying.”
This means you can be worthy to attend the temple even if you continue to make some of the same little mistakes. Think about it logically: If we had to be free of every recurrence of every bad habit before we could go to the temple, nobody would be in the temple.
But what if it’s worse than that? What if you’ve committed a sin serious enough that it would jeopardize your temple recommend if you were interviewed today?
Talk to your bishop. He can help you know what to do to reconcile yourself with God and with any other people involved. God expects effort, not immediate perfection. He gave us weakness (see Ether 12:27), and He wants us to rely on the Savior and work on that weakness (see Ether 12:27 again).
There’s a difference between human weakness—failing to live up to your ideals—and hypocrisy—having no intention of living up to your supposed ideals.
Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “The Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. … When the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.”
Keep Striving
Finally, don’t try to compare your level of worthiness to anyone else’s. Are there people around you who are more righteous than you are? Probably.
But there isn’t a cutoff where, say, only the 10 worthiest people in the ward get a temple recommend. It’s not a contest.
That doesn’t mean you should only strive for the minimum amount of effort to be considered worthy, of course. The more you rely on the Savior and “let virtue garnish [your] thoughts,” the more your “confidence [shall] wax strong in the presence of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45)—and the more enriching your temple experience and your covenant relationship with God will be.
Keep striving. And as you strive, keep going to the temple.